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2013 HDDP 5.0 . Pulling a 7x14 loaded pulls it just fine. It shifts a bit more than a than the 3.5 turbo but it's supposed too. The 5.0 uses the transmission to be in the sweet spot where as the 3.5 turbo uses the turbo to compensate. So it spins the turbo more to force in more air and fuel to keep up so the turbo runs hotter and and uses more gas.
So you are fine, even with HDDP I added Timbrens on that truck as a added piece of mind.
I have a 6 x 12 enclosed, and get the same MPG pulling it as I did my travel trailer. It's not the weight but the drag. If that is a used trailer, two things you can do to verify the trailer is OK, check all the wheel bearings for smoothness, they should spin freely and also check that the axles are aligned with each other and straight. If those two check out, then its just the drag of the trailer.
I have a 7x14 enclosed trailer as well. It's a Homesteader Challenger V-nose. I had it custom built to tow my 2012 Polaris Ranger 800HD to and from my place in West Virginia. I live in Delaware.. I had to have the trailer custom built with an additional 1' foot sidewall height to make the rear ramp door tall enough to get it in. Tow weight with Ranger loaded is about 3,500 lbs. or so. I tow it with my 2011 F150 Lariat Supercrew 4x4. It has the 6.2, Max Tow and 3.73LS rear. On level roads, little to no head winds, good weather, etc., the truck averages 11.5-12.5 mpg. I have a SCT Livewire with custom Performance and Tow tunes from 5 Star and MPT. My favorite Tow tune is a 93Oct. Tow tune from 5 Star. Has Awesome performance, especially when I get into the mountains, and I get my best MPG while towing. A few times in perfect conditions, on a good stretch of road, I've gotten a little better than 13 MPG. But not too often. While towing, my truck performs better if I control the shifts. I usually Tow between 60-65 MPH. On level roads I have T/H mode off, cruise control on, and she goes right along in 6th. gear just fine. Engine temp. is usually around 200-205 while towing, and when climbing in the mountains will go to about 212-215 on the inclines. When I start to get into the foot hills I switch T/H on, and am ready to lock out 6th. or 5th. when needed. While on an incline, the truck likes 4rth gear to climb. So I usually lock out 5th and let her go. On the decline side, because of the drag on the trailer, I switch T/H off, I lock out 6th., and 5th. gear is usually enough to keep the trucks speed down. It's only on the steeper and longer down grades that I need to lock out 5th. and stay in 4rth. until I get near the bottom. Hope that gives some info you can use.
Adding to the choir, it’s the frontal area wind drag. HUGE effect.
The very shallow V nose is only slightly better than a flat front, sorry,
A rounded, bulbous front would help best but that eats up valuable space on the trailer.
My highway mileage is cut in half towing my travel trailer at 65mph. It has a vertically rounded front, 3877# GVWR usually loaded near that.
I have a 7x14 enclosed trailer as well. It's a Homesteader Challenger V-nose. I had it custom built to tow my 2012 Polaris Ranger 800HD to and from my place in West Virginia. I live in Delaware.. I had to have the trailer custom built with an additional 1' foot sidewall height to make the rear ramp door tall enough to get it in. Tow weight with Ranger loaded is about 3,500 lbs. or so. I tow it with my 2011 F150 Lariat Supercrew 4x4. It has the 6.2, Max Tow and 3.73LS rear. On level roads, little to no head winds, good weather, etc., the truck averages 11.5-12.5 mpg. I have a SCT Livewire with custom Performance and Tow tunes from 5 Star and MPT. My favorite Tow tune is a 93Oct. Tow tune from 5 Star. Has Awesome performance, especially when I get into the mountains, and I get my best MPG while towing. A few times in perfect conditions, on a good stretch of road, I've gotten a little better than 13 MPG. But not too often. While towing, my truck performs better if I control the shifts. I usually Tow between 60-65 MPH. On level roads I have T/H mode off, cruise control on, and she goes right along in 6th. gear just fine. Engine temp. is usually around 200-205 while towing, and when climbing in the mountains will go to about 212-215 on the inclines. When I start to get into the foot hills I switch T/H on, and am ready to lock out 6th. or 5th. when needed. While on an incline, the truck likes 4rth gear to climb. So I usually lock out 5th and let her go. On the decline side, because of the drag on the trailer, I switch T/H off, I lock out 6th., and 5th. gear is usually enough to keep the trucks speed down. It's only on the steeper and longer down grades that I need to lock out 5th. and stay in 4rth. until I get near the bottom. Hope that gives some info you can use.
That info helped a lot. Thank you for your input. I definitely noticed the shifting of gears while I played around with them while towing my trailer yesterday.
Whats the towing cap then? I know i cant tow 10000 lbs, but thats just what I calculated was the max towing weight for both truck and trailer combined
What speed do you usually cruise at with yours, and what gear does your truck like to stay in?
As I said in my initial reply, I usually tow at the speed limit = 75 in most of Texas, 70 or sometimes 65 in Arkansas and Tennessee.
To do that safely I have oversize and upgraded ST225R75X16 trailer tires rated for 75 MPH, mounted on required 7" wide rims. I learned years ago that to prevent trailer tire problems, you want tires with a lot more weight capacity than the OEM tires. So on the cargo trailer I replaced the stock ST205/75R15C with ST225/75R15E, which required replacing the trailer rims with 7" wide rims, then pumped up the trailer tires to the max on the sidewall = 80 PSI. ST205/75R15C = 1,820 lbs max weight per tire. ST225/75R15E= 2,830 lbs max weight per tire. With 4 trailer tires on the ground, that's an increase from 7,280 GAW to 11,320 GAW, or 70% increase in max weight on the trailer tires. That may be overkill if your trailer is rated for 7,000 lbs. GVWR, but the proof is in the pudding.
Same idea with my other trailers."Proof is in the pudding", I've had zero trailer tire problems on utility, cargo, TT or fifth-wheel trailers over the past 30 years.
Most ST tires are rated for 65 MPH max towing speed. Mine are rated for 75 MPH. And the new Goodyear Endurance is rated for 87 MPH.
My 2012 F-150 had the 3.5L EcoBoost engine with 3.08 ratio. I almost always towed in Tow/Haul mode with cruise control and let the truck decide which gear to cruise in. On the flats or downgrades, it cruised in 6th. On steep upgrades it would downshift to 5th or rarely into 4th. My 2019 is a different beast; 3.55 ratio and 10-speed tranny but the same wonderful 3.5L EcoBoost engine. MPG is about the same but the engine seems to be a lot more relaxed.
Last edited by smokeywren; 07-17-2020 at 02:09 PM.
As I said in my initial reply, I usually tow at the speed limit = 75 in most of Texas, 70 or sometimes 65 in Arkansas and Tennessee.
To do that safely I have oversize and upgraded ST225R75X16 trailer tires rated for 75 MPH, mounted on required 7" wide rims. I learned years ago that to prevent trailer tire problems, you want tires with a lot more weight capacity than the OEM tires. So on the cargo trailer I replaced the stock ST205/75R15C with ST225/75R15E, which required replacing the trailer rims with 7" wide rims, then pumped up the trailer tires to the max on the sidewall = 80 PSI. ST205/75R15C = 1,820 lbs max weight per tire. ST225/75R15E= 2,830 lbs max weight per tire. With 4 trailer tires on the ground, that's an increase from 7,280 GAW to 11,320 GAW, or 70% increase in max weight on the trailer tires. That may be overkill if your trailer is rated for 7,000 lbs. GVWR, but the proof is in the pudding.
Same idea with my other trailers."Proof is in the pudding", I've had zero trailer tire problems on utility, cargo, TT or fifth-wheel trailers over the past 30 years.
Most ST tires are rated for 65 MPH max towing speed. Mine are rated for 75 MPH. And the new Goodyear Endurance is rated for 87 MPH.
My 2012 F-150 had the 3.5L EcoBoost engine with 3.08 ratio. I almost always towed in Tow/Haul mode with cruise control and let the truck decide which gear to cruise in. On the flats or downgrades, it cruised in 6th. On steep upgrades it would downshift to 5th or rarely into 4th. My 2019 is a different beast; 3.55 ratio and 10-speed tranny but the same wonderful 3.5L EcoBoost engine. MPG is about the same but the engine seems to be a lot more relaxed.
And yet most people drive above 65 with tires not rated for that speed, then wonder why they have a tire failure.
Whats the towing cap then? I know i can’t tow 10000 lbs, but that’s just what I calculated was the max towing weight for both truck and trailer combined
What's your payload sticker say? Have you made any changes to the truck since delivery? Subtract the weight of you, your family, all stuff, and any mods made to the truck from payload, then divide by 0.13 (13% average tongue weight). Unless you have an HDHP, it won't be 10,000 pounds. Anything over 500 pound tongue weight needs a WDH, that costs another 100 pounds
My 2013 XLT supercab likely has a higher payload than you, and I have 1,643. Subtracting a family at 500 pounds, 100 for a WDH, 100 for stuff leaves me 943, which at 13% tongue weight allows for a 7,254 pound loaded trailer. As I said, no where near 10,000 pounds.
07-16-2020, 06:13 PM
