Towing ratr
01-05-2018, 09:32 PM
#1
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2018
Posts: 18
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Towing ratr
My 2005 5.4 lariat is rated at 8,500 pounds to tow but what I want to tow is passing 7500 dry weight plus my truck. I'm considering a supercharger plus differential gears but I am lost with upgrading the transmission. Any thoughts on how I can get my f 150 to be able to tow this 30 ft toy hauler. Thank you
01-06-2018, 02:01 PM
#2
Member
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Memphis, TN, Earth, Milky Way
Posts: 11,256
Received 1,731 Likes
on
1,487 Posts
Sell it, and buy a truck built for that kind of towing.
01-06-2018, 02:15 PM
#3
I'm not a weight police. But I have to second the statement above. If you want a truck able to comfortably tow your toy hauler, you will be money ahead to sell what you have and buy something designed to do what you want.
Drivetrain:
if you're going to mod your truck for towing, the last thing you want to do is add power to the engine. For the drivetrain, heat management is the issue. If you have the 8.8 rear, it may get hot. Your tranny will need extra coolers. Your radiator might need to be bigger and you may need an engine oil cooler to keep temps comfortable in the drivetrain. Adding power will make all of these heat issues worse.
Suspension:
Your suspension is likely too soft to handle the tongue weight and dynamic forces put on the hitch by a trailer that size. You'll need to beef up your suspension and might as well upgrade your tires as well.
Frame:
Don't know if you plan to beef this up on your current truck as well.
Receiver:
Is it rated for the loads?
You could spend a ton of money, try to upgrade all these things, and in the end, all the legal ratings of your truck would remain exactly what they are today. And it wouldn't tow as well as something designed to do the job.
My first choice for that would be an F250 with the 6.2 GAS. If there is a reason you want to stick with an F150 (garage clearance, MPG etc.) I'd go with a truck with HDPP. With the HDPP F150 you'll still need a WDH. With the F250 you may not but probably better to still use one.
Drivetrain:
if you're going to mod your truck for towing, the last thing you want to do is add power to the engine. For the drivetrain, heat management is the issue. If you have the 8.8 rear, it may get hot. Your tranny will need extra coolers. Your radiator might need to be bigger and you may need an engine oil cooler to keep temps comfortable in the drivetrain. Adding power will make all of these heat issues worse.
Suspension:
Your suspension is likely too soft to handle the tongue weight and dynamic forces put on the hitch by a trailer that size. You'll need to beef up your suspension and might as well upgrade your tires as well.
Frame:
Don't know if you plan to beef this up on your current truck as well.
Receiver:
Is it rated for the loads?
You could spend a ton of money, try to upgrade all these things, and in the end, all the legal ratings of your truck would remain exactly what they are today. And it wouldn't tow as well as something designed to do the job.
My first choice for that would be an F250 with the 6.2 GAS. If there is a reason you want to stick with an F150 (garage clearance, MPG etc.) I'd go with a truck with HDPP. With the HDPP F150 you'll still need a WDH. With the F250 you may not but probably better to still use one.
01-06-2018, 05:35 PM
#4
Grumpy Old Man
Without exceeding any of Ford's weight limits? Yeah, as others have suggested, jack it up and run an F-250 under it. Or better yet, an F-350 SRW.
A toy hauler RV with dry weight of 7,500 pounds is probably going to have a wet and loaded tongue+hitch weight of over 1,000 pounds.
To determine if your F-150 can haul a hitch weight of 1,000 pounds without being overloaded, load the F-150 with everybody and everything that will be in it when towing. People, pets, tools, jacks and jack stands, campfire wood - everything. Drive to a truck stop that has a truck scale and fill up with gas. Weigh the wet and loaded F-150. Subtract the weight of the wet and loaded F-150 from the GVWR of the F-150. The answer is the payload capacity available for hitch weight. If the payload capacity available for hitch weight is not at least 1,000 pounds, then you'll probably be overloaded with that trailer when wet and loaded on the road.
01-06-2018, 06:34 PM
#5
Senile member
30' toy hauler dry, 7500lbs. How much weight in toys you slapping in that bad boy?
Instead of looking at what you want, figure out what you can tow within the ratings limits of your truck.
Frankly, I'd hate to tow a 10,000lb trailer with a 5.4
Instead of looking at what you want, figure out what you can tow within the ratings limits of your truck.
Frankly, I'd hate to tow a 10,000lb trailer with a 5.4
01-06-2018, 07:33 PM
#6
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2018
Posts: 18
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I'm not a weight police. But I have to second the statement above. If you want a truck able to comfortably tow your toy hauler, you will be money ahead to sell what you have and buy something designed to do what you want.
Drivetrain:
if you're going to mod your truck for towing, the last thing you want to do is add power to the engine. For the drivetrain, heat management is the issue. If you have the 8.8 rear, it may get hot. Your tranny will need extra coolers. Your radiator might need to be bigger and you may need an engine oil cooler to keep temps comfortable in the drivetrain. Adding power will make all of these heat issues worse.
Suspension:
Your suspension is likely too soft to handle the tongue weight and dynamic forces put on the hitch by a trailer that size. You'll need to beef up your suspension and might as well upgrade your tires as well.
Frame:
Don't know if you plan to beef this up on your current truck as well.
Receiver:
Is it rated for the loads?
You could spend a ton of money, try to upgrade all these things, and in the end, all the legal ratings of your truck would remain exactly what they are today. And it wouldn't tow as well as something designed to do the job.
My first choice for that would be an F250 with the 6.2 GAS. If there is a reason you want to stick with an F150 (garage clearance, MPG etc.) I'd go with a truck with HDPP. With the HDPP F150 you'll still need a WDH. With the F250 you may not but probably better to still use one.
Drivetrain:
if you're going to mod your truck for towing, the last thing you want to do is add power to the engine. For the drivetrain, heat management is the issue. If you have the 8.8 rear, it may get hot. Your tranny will need extra coolers. Your radiator might need to be bigger and you may need an engine oil cooler to keep temps comfortable in the drivetrain. Adding power will make all of these heat issues worse.
Suspension:
Your suspension is likely too soft to handle the tongue weight and dynamic forces put on the hitch by a trailer that size. You'll need to beef up your suspension and might as well upgrade your tires as well.
Frame:
Don't know if you plan to beef this up on your current truck as well.
Receiver:
Is it rated for the loads?
You could spend a ton of money, try to upgrade all these things, and in the end, all the legal ratings of your truck would remain exactly what they are today. And it wouldn't tow as well as something designed to do the job.
My first choice for that would be an F250 with the 6.2 GAS. If there is a reason you want to stick with an F150 (garage clearance, MPG etc.) I'd go with a truck with HDPP. With the HDPP F150 you'll still need a WDH. With the F250 you may not but probably better to still use one.
Agreed on many things cooling is very important it was one of my priorities. As well as upgrading transmission cause of the supercharger and other things. As far as the suspensions I installed pro comp cool overs (lift kit) and was going to add air bag suspension. And as far as tires It has 315/70/16 on it.
01-06-2018, 07:41 PM
#7
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2018
Posts: 18
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Without exceeding any of Ford's weight limits? Yeah, as others have suggested, jack it up and run an F-250 under it. Or better yet, an F-350 SRW.
A toy hauler RV with dry weight of 7,500 pounds is probably going to have a wet and loaded tongue+hitch weight of over 1,000 I pounds.
To determine if your F-150 can haul a hitch weight of 1,000 pounds without being overloaded, load the F-150 with everybody and everything that will be in it when towing. People, pets, tools, jacks and jack stands, campfire wood - everything. Drive to a truck stop that has a truck scale and fill up with gas. Weigh the wet and loaded F-150. Subtract the weight of the wet and loaded F-150 from the GVWR of the F-150. The answer is the payload capacity available for hitch weight. If the payload capacity available for hitch weight is not at least 1,000 pounds, then you'll probably be overloaded with that trailer when wet and loaded on the road.
A toy hauler RV with dry weight of 7,500 pounds is probably going to have a wet and loaded tongue+hitch weight of over 1,000 I pounds.
To determine if your F-150 can haul a hitch weight of 1,000 pounds without being overloaded, load the F-150 with everybody and everything that will be in it when towing. People, pets, tools, jacks and jack stands, campfire wood - everything. Drive to a truck stop that has a truck scale and fill up with gas. Weigh the wet and loaded F-150. Subtract the weight of the wet and loaded F-150 from the GVWR of the F-150. The answer is the payload capacity available for hitch weight. If the payload capacity available for hitch weight is not at least 1,000 pounds, then you'll probably be overloaded with that trailer when wet and loaded on the road.
Yes the math does have to be done that is for sure I'm just hoping to get the most out of the upgrades I want to do. Super charger with supporting mods as far as cooling and gears and transmission. And suspensions. I'm going to wait to see what power I get at the end to fully see what I can tow. My main question is what I can do to get me closest to my goes then see where I really stand. I don't want to be like some people hauling 8,500 pounds on a stick F150 rated for less lol
Trending Topics
01-06-2018, 07:45 PM
#8
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2018
Posts: 18
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
At the end it will boil down to what I can tow after the mods and tune. As for added weight. I wasn't planning on traveling all over the place with loaded water and what not I was going to wait till I got to my destination city then load up. But what will be added during the trip would be my family, clothes, and my quad and sand rail lol. 🙄
01-06-2018, 07:55 PM
#9
Senile member
At the end it will boil down to what I can tow after the mods and tune. As for added weight. I wasn't planning on traveling all over the place with loaded water and what not I was going to wait till I got to my destination city then load up. But what will be added during the trip would be my family, clothes, and my quad and sand rail lol. 🙄
01-06-2018, 11:38 PM
#10
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2018
Posts: 18
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
True true. I ain't really going to give myself the illusion of towing a semi trailer lol. Just going to see what I can get. With these upgrades bottom torque should increase as far as towing rating and the suspension I added should help on no slamming to the ground. And better breaks will help on stopping. At the end it's just cause I didn't want to get a 1 ton truck cause I just love the f 150. And spending money on a 1 ton can rack me up again with the amount they cost now a days I just prefer to put the money on what I already have. Just my thought