F150 tow vehicle

[thoms]

Hi All, I need a little advice, just got a 2001 ford f150 ext cab. with a 5.4L motor. GVWR 6300 lbs. I think it has the 3.31 rear end.
it also has the full towing pkg. hitch,shocks,cooling,etc.
looking to buy another tt. 20`to22` range.
My question is can I safely tow around 5500 to 6000 lbs???
Wish I could give more info, but no manual came with it.
I have all the equipment from last camper, WD bars,hithc,sway control
ect. just can`t find how much to tow.
Thanks for any help.

[Camper_G]

Desert Captain wrote:

Camper G wrote:
if that's the case, i Wonder where TL gets their info from then? they have to get it from some source.

They get and print exactly what their advertisers tell them to. You might as well be listening to the salesman on the "Honest John's" RV lot.

Read any of the reviews in Motorhbome and or Trailer Life magazines... have they ever reviewd a coach they did not love and fawn over? Even when the "actural" numbers scream this rig is piece of garbage the article spends multiple paragrapghs telling you how great is inspite of...

Arrrg!

:S

Good info. Thanks. I've never read the magazine, only used the towing guides. Sorry to read here they are not unbiased. Good to know.

[Desert_Captain]

Camper G wrote:
if that's the case, i Wonder where TL gets their info from then? they have to get it from some source.

They get and print exactly what their advertisers tell them to. You might as well be listening to the salesman on the "Honest John's" RV lot.

Read any of the reviews in Motorhbome and or Trailer Life magazines... have they ever reviewd a coach they did not love and fawn over? Even when the "actural" numbers scream this rig is piece of garbage the article spends multiple paragrapghs telling you how great is inspite of...

Arrrg!

:S

[bikendan]

Camper G wrote:
if that's the case, i Wonder where TL gets their info from then? they have to get it from some source.

It's not as detailed as Ford's guide.

[Camper_G]

if that's the case, i Wonder where TL gets their info from then? they have to get it from some source.

[bikendan]

Ford's Towing Guide is so much better than not only TL, but Dodge and GM too.

[jerem0621]

bikendan wrote:

Camper G wrote:

Terryallan wrote:

Camper G wrote:
i towed the rig in my sig with a 2000 Ford expedition eddie bauer for 2 years with no issues. it had the 17" wheels also, which reduced tow rating.

Actually that is not true. 17 inch wheels in fact adds 500lb to the tow rating. Look at the manual. I had a 2002.

the info i mentioned i believe came from trailer life's towing guide. makes sense too as with the same gear, 3.31, a larger diameeter tire will reduce torque manipulation and thereby reduce tow rating. if you want to argue the outside diameter of the 16" versus 17" wheels/tires are the same, i can't prove it either way, but I'd believe the 17s are larger overall.

maybe your correct, i don't have the info from TL handy to quote it. i believe it had a 6900 lb tow rating if i remeber correctly.

Ford's Towing Guide is WAY better than Trailer Life's lousy towing guide.

Thanks for this info! I just looked up my F150 and found it had 1400 more lbs of trailer weight rating than I thought with my configuration.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

[bikendan]

Camper G wrote:

Terryallan wrote:

Camper G wrote:
i towed the rig in my sig with a 2000 Ford expedition eddie bauer for 2 years with no issues. it had the 17" wheels also, which reduced tow rating.

Actually that is not true. 17 inch wheels in fact adds 500lb to the tow rating. Look at the manual. I had a 2002.

the info i mentioned i believe came from trailer life's towing guide. makes sense too as with the same gear, 3.31, a larger diameeter tire will reduce torque manipulation and thereby reduce tow rating. if you want to argue the outside diameter of the 16" versus 17" wheels/tires are the same, i can't prove it either way, but I'd believe the 17s are larger overall.

maybe your correct, i don't have the info from TL handy to quote it. i believe it had a 6900 lb tow rating if i remeber correctly.

Ford's Towing Guide is WAY better than Trailer Life's lousy towing guide.

[Terryallan]

Camper G wrote:

Terryallan wrote:

Camper G wrote:
i towed the rig in my sig with a 2000 Ford expedition eddie bauer for 2 years with no issues. it had the 17" wheels also, which reduced tow rating.

Actually that is not true. 17 inch wheels in fact adds 500lb to the tow rating. Look at the manual. I had a 2002.

the info i mentioned i believe came from trailer life's towing guide. makes sense too as with the same gear, 3.31, a larger diameeter tire will reduce torque manipulation and thereby reduce tow rating. if you want to argue the outside diameter of the 16" versus 17" wheels/tires are the same, i can't prove it either way, but I'd believe the 17s are larger overall.

maybe your correct, i don't have the info from TL handy to quote it. i believe it had a 6900 lb tow rating if i remeber correctly.

Well. Truth is. IF you are comparing 16 to 17 inch. You are correct. I foolishly thought we were comparing 17s to 18s. My manual only compared 17s, and 18s. My bad.

[TurnThePage]

jerem0621 wrote:
BTW.. they are not small full sized trucks. It was the first body style of the sloped front end. But that trucks dry Weight is just a little less than my current SCREW.
Jeremiah

Glad you pointed this out. Those trucks are essentially the same size weight as all the rest of the half tons then and now.

My '97 F150, same basic body and drive train options, came with the 4.6L V8 and 3.55 gears. It sucked to tow my 6000 lb trailer with it, until I upgraded to 4.10s. Still didn't win any races, but it was competent. The rear springs were kind of soft, so I added a leaf. That truck was awesome for towing hauling after that. It was usually loaded with a couple small ATVs, gas, firewood, etc. which put it over GVWR, but usually under GAWR. It was a great truck for many years.

[Camper_G]

Terryallan wrote:

Camper G wrote:
i towed the rig in my sig with a 2000 Ford expedition eddie bauer for 2 years with no issues. it had the 17" wheels also, which reduced tow rating.

Actually that is not true. 17 inch wheels in fact adds 500lb to the tow rating. Look at the manual. I had a 2002.

the info i mentioned i believe came from trailer life's towing guide. makes sense too as with the same gear, 3.31, a larger diameeter tire will reduce torque manipulation and thereby reduce tow rating. if you want to argue the outside diameter of the 16" versus 17" wheels/tires are the same, i can't prove it either way, but I'd believe the 17s are larger overall.

maybe your correct, i don't have the info from TL handy to quote it. i believe it had a 6900 lb tow rating if i remeber correctly.

[Terryallan]

Camper G wrote:
i towed the rig in my sig with a 2000 Ford expedition eddie bauer for 2 years with no issues. it had the 17" wheels also, which reduced tow rating.

Actually that is not true. 17 inch wheels in fact adds 500lb to the tow rating. Look at the manual. I had a 2002.

[Camper_G]

i towed the rig in my sig with a 2000 Ford expedition eddie bauer for 2 years with no issues. it had the 17" wheels also, which reduced tow rating. the truck had the 5.4 and i believe 3.31 gears, not optiomal for towing

my rig is around 6k loaded and it pulled out just fine, even in the mountains. it had the factory lls which i hated.

I'm sure i was probably over my payload limit, but never checked.

i think if you watch your weights, you'll be fine if you stay under 6k loaded weight and 25' or under for the TT, Again, considering the truck is sound mechanically. good luck

[TomG2]

Weigh the new tow vehicle, or accept all the guesses our members are offering. It would not surprise me if you only have a few hundred pounds of payload available after loading up the vehicle with people and gear. 6,300 minus actual weight equals actual payload.

[jerem0621]

I pulled my 31.5 ft which was 4,950 lbs dry home with a 3:31, 5.4 equipped Expedition. Let me tell ya, it was miserable.

I bought a F150 super cab with the 5.4 and 3:55 gears and it towed much better. Imho opinion based on experience, dump those 3:31 gears and step up to 4:10.... that’s what I wished I had done.

One thing, make sure you have a transmission cooler...you will fry the transmission without it.

There is a small cooler on the drivers side in front if the radiator. Don’t mistake this for the Transmission cooler. It’s the power steering cooler.

BTW.. they are not small full sized trucks. It was the first body style of the sloped front end. But that trucks dry Weight is just a little less than my current SCREW.

Thanks!

Jeremiah