Ed Kutsko

Looking to upgrade from an 06 4x4 SuperCrew to a 2014/15/16 4x4 SuperCrew with an Ecoboost V6.

The charts seem a bit confusing to me. For instance looking at the 2015 Towing Selector Guide http://www.ford.com/resources/ford/g...0_r1_Jan12.pdf it says that the 3.5L GTDI V6 can tow 10,700 and 11,500 and 11,700 with a 3:55 axle. None of those have the (4) Which denotes Max Trailer Tow/Heavy Duty Payload So then why the different max values. I can understand a slight difference when you go from a 5.5 bed to a 6.5 bed, bed there appears to be nothing different listed about these trucks. Obviously they are different weights, but why? Nothing to denote what's making the difference.

On the 2014 chart it shows a 3:55 is at 9,600. Is that with or without a Max Tow package? Does the max tow package make any difference at all or does the max tow package force a 3:73 rear end?

I am basically looking to get a used truck and trying to get the most tow capacity as possible with the EcoBoost and still trying to keep the rear end at a lower ratio for daily driving without a trailer. I live in Florida and only pull my camper once every month or two.


Thanks in advance for any info.

Ricktwuhk

You may want to read through the threads in this section of the forum. In them you will find discussions that tell you that the charts are useless, as they are stripped vehicles no one buys. Every 2014 you consider will have a Payload sticker on the door jamb. Subtracting from that number the weight of you and all your passengers, every modification made to the vehicle, everything you are carrying in the vehicle, and 75 - 125 pounds for a weight distribution hitch will give you your available payload. Divide that by .13 and that's the max LOADED trailer you can pull - which won't come close to those numbers unless you have a HDPP - which are very rare and in fact weren't made for over a year.

As to what each package contains, makes sure in your reading you pay attention to the model year as Ford tweaks things each year and makes comparison difficult.

Lastly, on a used truck, you may want to have it weighed with full tanks to verify what it's weight is as the current owner may not know what was added.

Martian

For me, this was the most useful piece I've learned with regards to towing. I'd never considered how much the mods I've made would alter the truck, nor how much the fuel and other fluids (and even passengers) can throw everything off. And that's not even including the cargo.

Ricktwuhk

So does that mean that a fat martian is bad for towing capacity?

Martian

Ed Kutsko

So that all being said, when trying to find a Truck do you just need to look for an eco boost with max tow package and not worry so much about the axle or anything else?

acdii

Yep.

Good luck finding one though. You will be better off first looking at trucks that you like, and check the payload sticker. With the EB, gearing is not really a thing. I pulled a 6300# travel Trailer up I70 in Colorado with a 14 EB that had 3.15 gears. Pulled it just fine, but with no tow package the tranny and engine get too hot going up the mountain, so at the very least find one with a tow package.

On the 09-14 MY trucks there are three hitches, and the sticker on them will tell you if it has non tow, regular tow, or max tow. 1050, 1150 and 1250 for WDH weights.

15+ though may have just two, have not been able to confirm. At the very least 1150 hitch is what you need, and that will only come with the tow package. Couple that with Payload and you are good to go.

Also keep in mind, the higher the trim level the lower the payload. The model with the best combination of payload and features will be the XLT's, finding a Lariat with a high payload is difficult.

charles_slc

I'm assuming you're looking at SCREW because you intend to have more than just yourself (+ spouse)...

Depending on how big your passengers are....you may be sadly disappointed when you start looking at the available payloads...take a look at the post your payload thread.

What's the GVWR of your trailer?

smokeywren

Hi, Ed, and WELCOME! to our campfire.

The towing charts are almost useless, and at best they are misleading. The charts tell you the max weight an F-150 can PULL, but ignore the payload capacity. But trailer weight is not the limiter for an F-150. Payload capacity is the limiter. Payload capacity is eaten up by heavy options, tools, people, other cargo, and the biggee - hitch weight.


My tow rating is 8,400 pounds, but I'm overloaded with my small TT that weighs less than 5,000 pounds.


You mentioned 2015, 2015 and 2016 model years. Understand that the 2014 model year F-150s had steel body and bed, while the 2015 and 2016 had aluminum body and bed. The result is the aluminum bodies weigh less than the steel bodies, so the payload capacity is usually higher in a 2015 than on a similar 2014.


My 2012 F-150 EcoBoost SuperCrew Lariat with 3.15 axle ratio, bed steps, tailgate step, and running boards has payload capacity of 1,366 pounds. I normally haul about 816 pounds of people, pets, tools and stuff, plus hitch weight of 650 pounds, and when towing I'm usually overloaded by about 100 pounds over the GVWR of my F-150.


However, notice that 3.15 axle ratio. More than enough leverage to tow any trailer that won't overload the F-150. In fact for one trip thru the Hill Country, I towed a trailer that weighed well over 20,000 pounds with no need for more power and torque to take those hills at 65 MPH. That 3.5L EcoBoost drivetrain is amazing. For that little trip, I got about 6 MPG on premium gas. Normal towing my TT I get between 9 and 10 MPG on premium.


Yes, Ford recommends premium gas for towing. And early on I did the numbers and determined that I get just about enough better MPG on premium to pay the extra cost of the premium.


So my recommendation for you? Ignore axle ratio and worry about payload capacity. If you don't exceed the payload capacity of any F-150 with EcoBoost drivetrain, you'll have plenty of power and torque to drag the trailer at highway speeds.


But be certain the truck has at least the regular towing package. Without a towing pkg, then you won't have an auxiliary tranny cooler, and the result could be a burned up tranny.

atwowheelguy

When you take the rig across the scales, the true situation will be revealed to you. My '13 steel body XLT Ecoboost 3.5 with 3.55 axle with Equipment Group 302A (trailer tow package with brake controller and transmission cooler) is rated to tow 9800 lbs. with a maximum tongue weight of 1050 lbs. on the hitch. This was before the new SAE J2807 truck towing rating standard was put into effect.

This truck had a payload of 1607 lbs. when it left the factory with a rear axle rating of 3850 lbs.

You will need three passes across the scales to determine if your weight distribution hitch (WDH) is adjusted properly and if the axle weights and total truck loaded weight are within the posted limits.

In this case, with just me in the truck, with a 6640 lb. loaded toy hauler with a 900 lb. tongue weight, the truck still has 460 lbs. of weight capacity remaining with 230 lbs. remaining for the rear axle. So if I added two hefty friends or three skinny ones as passengers, the truck would be at its weight limit.

Note that this 6640 lbs. trailer is about 2/3 the weight of the "Maximum Loaded Trailer Weight" of 9800 lbs., and with a few added passengers the truck would be at its weight limit.