SimonSays

Hi everybody,

I've got a pretty basic question but wanted to make sure I understand what I'm reading. I read under Ford's towing specs that the model I'm looking at with its size engine, axel ratio etc can tow 7600 lbs.

Now when it says that does it mean trailer and hitch or do I need to add in the weight of the truck? I guess in layman's terms let's say based on that that I want to tow a load that's just over 6000 lbs. Is that pushing it or am I going to possibly hurt the car? This truck would have the standard tow package with electric sway handling and tranny cooler etc.

Know what I mean? Can one go by that spec with the right tow equipment and cross reference the dry weight + hitch of say a trailer to pretty much = out fair assessment value or is there more to consider beyond payload and what's additionally loaded into the trailer?

That's pretty much the straight amount for what it maxes out at right?

Thanks for reading.

thrifty biil

Need to add the weight of the stuff you are putting in the trailer. My experience is that some trailer manufacturers fudge LOW on dry weights. Some don't even include the batteries. And of course, all water tanks would be bone dry. Who is going to use a trailer in that condition? Also, are you going to pull hills or mountains? I got tired of pulling long hills at 30MPH with a truck "rated" to tow that trailer.

I lived out in WA State for many years, ended up going from a half ton truck to a one ton dually. No problem with the mountains then!

I look at tow ratings as theorecticals, I am not comfortable using it to the max.

Gross vehicle weight on your truck will include your truck, all contents (including passengers and driver), hitch and tongue weight. That can be a limiting factor as well, don't exceed the GVWR.

uzikaduzi

Payload is what normally gets people way before towing capacity.... 10-15% of the trailer (loaded not dry)should be in tongue weight which is transferred to the truck. if you look at the tire pressure sticker on the door or door frame of the truck, it will tell you the max payload. that number is everything you put in on on the truck including the tongue weight.

so this truck can pull a trailer weighing 7600 pds... but it's unlikely that you can haul it and stay under you max payload


EDIT: there is also a very subjective aspect to this in how pleasant of an experience it is to tow a certain amount of weight. I had a trailer that weighed ~6k pds loaded up and my tow rating on the truck at the time was 8300. i was just under payload and i absolutely hated pulling it... i was over 3500 rpms on the slightest inclines... getting from 0-~40ish was fine but 40-65 felt like eternity. Other people will have the same experience and say "it tows like it's not there at all"... it bothered me enough that i down sized my camper

SimonSays

Cool, sounds like it's best to hedge towards about 2/3 of Ford's towing GVWR. That and consider payload including the truck.

What I'm looking to tow is about 4400 dry weight, so after adding 1000# or so hopefully the truck won't have too hard a time going up any inclines that I run into.

Thanks for the feedback!

smokeywren

The 7,600 pounds tow rating is somebody's wet dream. Ain't gonna happen for 99.9% of owners. That tow rating assumes a bare-bones bottom-of-the-line trim package with no options other than the engine and axle ratio required to get that tow rating, and absolutely nothing in the truck but a skinny driver.


Are you looking at the 2015 F-150? The only one I see with tow rating of 7.600 pounds is the regular cab shorty 4x4 with 3.73 axle and 2.7L (baby) EcoBoost engine.




Here's my experience: Tow rating of my F-150 is 8,400 pounds, but I'm overloaded with my 19.5' TT that grosses 4,870 pounds when wet and loaded on the road. Lack of payload capacity is the problem. I'm overloaded with 650 pounds tongue weight, so I'd be even more overloaded with the 780 pounds hitch weight of a 6,000-pound TT. I have options including Lariat trim, spray-in bedliner, 36-gallon gas tank and a camper shell. I haul my Sweetheart, a Border Collie and a Chihuahua, plus a tool box and an extra jack in case of a flat on the trailer. If I were ordering the truck today, to tow that same small TT, I'd insist on the HD Payload pkg to significantly increase my payload capacity.

Boulevard

First off take FORD's towing guide and throw it right in the garbage or at least roll it up and smoke it at least that way you'll get some use out of it...it really is that close to being friggen' meaningless. What you really need is the door sticker for the truck that you want. That is where the real numbers are and those are the numbers that take everything into account including options.


When you look at the door sticker on a FORD and you figure out the exact towing capacity for that truck than you will know the exact tow rating for that truck so if the number works out to 7600lb than that is what you can legally tow but what usually gets people is the pay load capacity. It's the payload capacity, not the towing capacity, that you usually exceed first so pay attention to this number first. Get a nice high payload capacity and than start looking at tow ratings. This is something that you need to know because your average salesmen has absolutely no idea what any of these numbers mean. It up to you to look at and interpret the door stickers, its up to you to learn about FORD tow/payload options and its up to you to educate yourself and find the right truck.


If I can offer an example; My truck has a tow rating of something like 7200lbs and a rated payload of 1380lbs. I tow a 6000lb travel trailer, 2 adults, a bit of junk and I am still well within all of my limits.


Oh, and when doing your calculations you do not include the gas that is in the trucks gas tank as all of FORD's numbers include a full tank of gas.

The Saw Man

what gears you have in that ECO? bc 8400 seems awful low?

The Saw Man

do u have the 5.0 with 355s? i have a 14' screw 4x4 xlt 5.0 with 355s and i believe 7200 is my max rating, seems so low i don't get it, that is why those 456s are going in very soon

smokeywren

3.15 = standard with 2012 SuperCrew 4x2 with 6.5' bed and EcoBoost engine.

Tow ratings for my 2012 =

8,400 with standard 3.15 axle,

9,700 with 3.55 axle, and

11,300 with 3.73 axle which includes HD payload pkg and/or max tow pkg. (3.73 axle without HD payload pkg and/or max tow pkg was not available for 4x2 EcoBoost drivetrain in 2012 model year.)

4x4 tow ratings are 100 pounds less than 4x2 tow ratings, and 3.15 standard ratio in a 4x2 is replaced by 3.31 standard ratio in a 4x4.

My EcoBoost with 3.15 ratio has no problem dragging an 8,000-pound 5er at 65 MPH over the Hill Country of central Texas. So it has plenty of power to PULL that heavy a trailer. But that 8,000-pound 5er resulted in my payload capacity being exceeded by 880 pounds. Therefore, I don't plan to be towing that 5er with my F-150 again. So the payload capacity, not the towing capacity, is the limiter as to how heavy a trailer I can tow without being overloaded. I'm fairly certain that's true of all 2011-up F-150s that do not have the HD Payload pkg.

SimonSays

Hi guys,

Thanks for all the feedback. I haven't bought one yet actually but I want to make sure what I'm buying can handle the TT I'm looking to purchase.

My setup is going to look something like (financing fingers crossed) this:

2015 Ford F-150 XLT

• 3.55 AXLE RATIO
• ENGINE: 2.7L V6 ECOBOOST
• TRAILER TOW PACKAGE
• 200 Amp Alternator
• Part-Time Four-Wheel Drive
• Towing w/Harness and Trailer Sway Control
• Double Wishbone Front Suspension w/Coil Springs
• GVWR: 6,500 lbs Payload Package
• Electric Power-Assist Speed-Sensing Steering
• Leaf Rear Suspension w/Leaf Springs
• 1660# Maximum Payload

...towing a...

2015 Forest River Salem Cruise Lite West 261BH

• Dry Weight, Hitch - 500 lbs.
• Unloaded Weight - 4,410 lbs.
• GVWR - 7,500 lbs.
• Cargo Capacity - 3,052 lbs.

I don't know what the wheelbase on the model I want to buy is but Ford's towing specs say the minimum without knowing that spec is 7,600#.

So I think I'll be alright but I just wanted to make sure I wasn't way off with my estimates missing some glaring spec that I should've taken into consideration. It's payload is pretty solid too so as far as I can tell it looks like it's built to tow up to 5,000#.

Thanks for helping demystify any and all tow specs you guys, it is appreciated.