Skapp

I have a 2017 F-150 Limited (3.5 EcoBoost) with Trailer Tow Package and 3.55 locking rear axle. I don’t have much experience with towing and want to be sure I can tow my V10 TDI VW Touareg on a flat car trailer. (Touareg weight is 5,300 pounds)

I called Ford and gave them my VIN, they said I can tow up to 17,100 pounds. That sounds insanely high to me but maybe this truck will keep impressing me.

Any insight is appreciated. Thanks!!

redranger04g

Brochure max towing for a 2017 F-150 is 12,200 pounds. Not sure who told you 17,100 but that is at the upper end of F-350 territory.

Your tow rating for a limited will be based on the payload. I'm guessing payload is around 1,300 lbs, but check the yellow sticker on the driver's door and let us know what it says. 8000 lbs to account for the trailer and miscellaneous items, your tongue weight @ 15% will be 1,200 lbs. That only leaves you 100 lbs to play with for passengers, added truck accessories, WDH, etc. Assuming you don't have passengers you should be able to tow the VW, though you are very close to maxing out your limits.

Skapp

Just checked the factory hitch rating and payload. Posted both up as attachments along with the window sticker. Thanks again for all your help, am really hoping I’ll be able to tow the Touareg but obviously want to play it safe.

RubyRed Canadian

It will tow fine.

Not that I want to do it again anytime soon, but I towed a 2011 F350 Superduty, long box 4x2 King Ranch 6.7L diesel on a 4000lb flat bed from Tennessee back to Ontario. About 11,500lbs all loaded up.

That was abut 1200km and I got 11mpg.

The 6.7L engine seized.

redranger04g

Do I get a prize for guessing 1300 lbs payload?!?

You will be just within your limits if you are towing by yourself. Do you expect to have any passengers?

Skapp

Ha! And no passengers

smokeywren

Yeah, what we have here is a "failure to communicate".

The Ford guy gave you the maximum GCWR of an F-150 with that engine and rear axle. But those numbers do not apply to your fancy-dancy Limited. For your limited the GCWR is probably 16,700 pounds with a tow rating is 11,000 pounds...But no, you cannot tow 11,000 pounds either, without being overloaded. In order to tow 11,000 pounds without bein overloaded your wet and loaded F-150 must weigh less than (16,700 minus 11,000) = 5,700 pounds when wet and loaded for the road. But your F-150 is going to weigh a lot more than that, so your real world tow rating is going to be a lot less than 11,000 pounds.

Now I'll cut to the chase and reply to you real question.

Your max trailer weight is not 11,000 pounds. and it's certainly not 17,100 pounds.

Your max trailer weight is limited by the payload capacity available for hitch weight.

You won't find that number anywhere because nobody knows who and what exactly you haul in your wet and loaded F-150 when towing. So let's get a good estimate (guesstimate).

GVWR of the F-150 minus the wet and loaded weight of the F-150 = payload capacity available for hitch weight. Subtract 100 pounds from the payload capacity available for hitch weight and the result is the payload capacity available for tongue weight of a conventional ("bumper pull" or receiver pull) trailer.

Divide the payload capacity available for tongue weight by 13% and the answer is the heaviest wet and properly-loaded trailer you can tow without being overloaded

So how do we do that?

1] Load the F-150 with everybody and everything that will be in it when towing. Kids, pets, toys, tools, everything.
2] Drive to a truck stop that has a CAT scale and fill up with gas,
3] Weigh the wet and loaded F-150,
4] Subtract the weight of the wet and loaded F-150 from the GVWR of the F-150 = payload capacity available for hitch weight.
5] Subtract 100 pounds from the above weight to get the payload capacity available for tongue weight.
6] Divide the payload capacity available for tongue weight by 13% and the answer is the heaviest wet and loaded trailer you can tow without being overloaded

Challenges:

1] Your Touareg is a heavy rascal. 5,300 for the SUV plus maybe 3,000 for a flatbed utility trailer to haul it on is 8,300 pounds gross trailer weight, At 13% tongue weight, that's 1,079 pounds tongue weight (TW), plus another 100 pounds for a quality weight-distributing (WD) hitch = 1,170 hitch weight. So the receiver on your F-150 must be rated for at least1,200 pounds TW with a WD hitch.

2] U-Hual and other renters of car hauler trailers do not usually allow a WD hitch to be attached to the tongue of their trailers. So you must find a trailer that has a WD hitch, or that will allow you to install a WD hitch. (Your F-150 requires a WD hitch for any trailer that grosses more than 5,000 pounds or has TW of more than 500 pounds.)

Meetthetwins

How do the numbers work out if you tow the F150 with the Volkswagen? Those are tourqey motors them tdi’s, maybe not enough payload though.

chimmike

whoa nelly. 1300lbs payload. That means your truck has 600lbs of 'options' more than my truck. Wow!

Skapp

The Touareg has 553 lb-ft of torque and even weighs more than the F-150. This is also a thought.