skyefalcon6

I tried doing some searches here in the forum but came up empty so here goes:

In the market for a used F150 crewcab to carry the fam and tow a TT, and I'm looking to max out my tow capability. The TT we've decided on is lightweight and we may want to upgrade later so ideally I only want to upgrade the trailer at that time (not truck AND trailer!).

TT we're interested in: Keystone Bullet 274BHS
Shipping Weight 5095
Carrying Capacity 2490
Hitch 585
Length 30' 9"
Height 10' 7"
Fresh Water 43
Waste Water 30
Gray Water 30
LPG 40
Tire Size ST205/75R14C

The Ford towing guides sometimes list multiple towing capacities based on GCWR. How do I determine GCWR for a given truck?

Also, how do I determine if the truck I am considering has Max Trailer Tow Pkg?

The ETIS database really only lists two packages that I've found:
1. Heavy Duty Trailer Tow w/ 9.75" axle
2. Load Levelling Trailer Tow w/ 9.75" axle

Is "Load Levelling Trailer Tow" the same as Max Trailer Tow?

Is there a different way to determine installed equipment in a used Ford truck? Chevy has RPO codes in their glove box, does Ford have similar? Am I automatically banned for saying 'Chevy'.....?

I really don't want to purchase a truck and find out I can't tow the TT we like.

Thanks in advance!

smokeywren

Dry hitch weight of 575 pounds is extremely misleading, so ignore it,and compute it as follows:


GVWR is 7585. If loaded to 7,500, then assume 13% tongue weight (TW), or 975 pounds wet and loaded TW


Regardless of your drivetrain, your limiter as to how much trailer you can tow without being overloaded is the payload capacity of your tow vehicle (TV). On newer F-150s, the maximum payload capacity will be included on a sticker in the door frame.


So add up the weight of everyone and everything that will be in it when towing, including the WD hitch, and see how much unused payload capacity you have left for TW. If it's less than about 975 pounds, then you need a heavier-duty truck.



Usually engine plus rear axle ratio is all you need, plus access to the RV and Trailer Towing Guide for that year. For example. the 2012 towing guide shows the GCWR varies from 10,400 to 17,100 depending on engine and axle ratio. My 2012 Ecoboost with 3.15 axle ratio has GVWR of 14,000 and tow rating of 8,400.


But ignore those tow ratings. They are way overstated for most folks. The tow rating assumes there is absolutely nothing in the TV except a skinny dirver, and the TV has no options except those required to achieve that GCWR.


For 2011-up F-150s, max tow includes trailer tow mirrors (elephant ears). For 2011 through 2014, those elephant ears were available from the factory only on F-150s that had the max tow pkg.



There are at least four levels of trailer tow.


1. None, other than place to add trailer ball in the rear step bumper. Only "work truck" XL trim and toe lowest level of XLT trim will have no receiver hitch as standard. There is also an option for these work trucks to add just the receiver hitch, but that is not considered to be a tow pkg - it doesn't change the tow limits of the standard bumper hitch.


2. Regular. Includes receiver, trailer plug harness, auxiliary tranny cooler. Also replaces regular automatic tranny with Select Shift in those low-level- trim models that did not include the Select Shift tranny.


3. Max tow. Requires 3.5L EcoBoost engine. Adds some GVWR (payload capacity), tow mirrors, integrated trailer brake controller (ITBC).


4. HD Payload pkg. Requires max tow. Adds several hundred pounds payload capacity more than max tow, with 8,200 pounds GVWR. This is what you need for any trailer that grosses more than about 6,000 pounds, but it's a rare option.





Best way is to have a friend in a Ford store. Put the VIN in the Ford computer and you can produce a "build sheet" that will show you every item that was installed on the truck at the assembly line, whether standard or optional. I don't know of any other way,





Not, but it advises everybody that you were probably standing behind the door when they passed out the brains.


Then do your homework. A half-ton pickup that can tow a tandem-axle trailer that grosses more than about 6,000 pounds is a rare find. For an F-150, it probably means it has to have the heavy duty payload package. And those are rare F-150s. Much easier to settle for an F-250, which are plentiful on the used pickup market.

skyefalcon6

Thanks for the answers. Now I'm even more confused b/c the ford website doesn't list tow mirrors with the max tow package. Maybe just a change for 2016?

I remember reading that ITB was optional equipment so I'm not sure I can safely assume that a 3.55 geared truck with ITB would have Max Tow. That *would* make life easier for sure.

I think I need to consult the ordering guides for each year to see if package components are in there.

More reading!

Cover Dog

This spring I will have the truck in my signature for sale. Payload is #2162. 10,200 miles. 3,500 towing. Going to buy a motor home.

acadianbob

You should really decode the VIN on any used truck you buy to make sure of the equipment level. Max Tow used to include the elephant ear tow mirrors. Later trucks do not. So there can be no blanket statements. It can depend on the year of mfr.

skyefalcon6

I've been using ETIS to decode VINs thus far but it doesn't list equipment codes and the equipment names are a bit off. "Medium Duty Trailer Towing" is one example. No idea what that is or includes.

smokeywren

Yeah, I didn't word that very well. I thought you were looking for a "used" F-150, so that would not include the new ones.


I wrote "For 2011-up F-150s, max tow includes trailer tow mirrors (elephant ears). For 2011 through 2014, those elephant ears were available from the factory only on F-150s that had the max tow pkg.."

Should have said 2011 thru 2014 F-150s with max tow include the elephant ears tow mirrors, and those mirrors were not available without max tow. For 2015 and 2016 those mirrors are optional with any F-150 and no longer part of the max tow pkg.


Some folks, like me, want the tow mirrors without the 3.73 axle ratio that was required for the 2012 max tow pkg. So I ordered the dinky little mirrors, then ordered the tow mirrors from the Ford Accessories catalog. It's nice that Ford now makes the elephant ears available without the max tow pkg. My 3.15 axle ratio does just fine dragging my 5,000-pound TT.


BTW, the forum allowed me to edit the above post this morning, to replace GCWR with the correct GVWR. I hope no one was confused by the error before I corrected it.

skyefalcon6

No worries, I was looking for used truck but bought a new one. Go figure. The payload information is good stuff so thanks for that.

If the inspection goes well on Monday then I'll own a Tuxedo Black Lariat with some interesting gadgetry.

Enived2

Question for smokeywren: I plugged in my vin on my 2014 5.0 and looked at everything it has. It says "with heavy duty tow" I have never heard that term on this forum what is it

smokeywren

Assuming you are in the USA, then I don't know. I don't have a 2014 order guide, but I'm pretty sure it didn't change from the 2013 order guide. For 2013, there were three different levels of trailer tow:


1. None. No hitch or wiring or nothing for towing a trailer, other than the hole for installing a trailer ball in the rear step bumper. Only the lowest trim levels of XL, STX and XLT trim work trucks were like this.


2. Regular trailer tow pkg (535) available on XL, STX, FX and XLT as an option. Standard on Lariat and above.


3. Max Tow (60C, 60M or 60P). Not available with 5.0L engine, so that's not what you have - unless Ford changed the rules for 2014.


So it sounds like by "heavy duty tow" they meant the regular tow pkg that included the auxiliary tranny cooler.