Towing a 5ER with an Eco-boost F-150

[Walke]

I have been looking at the new Lite Fifth Wheel units. I have the Max Tow F-150 Eco-boost 3:73 rear end with the 11,300 lb. rating.
What is the experience of those who have towed the 9000lb Fifth wheel units loaded to 10,000 / 11,000lb with all the "stuff" ? Do you find at the end of the day you should have an F-250?, or is it a relaxing drive without a lot of stress.
I have always towed a 8500lb / 30ft travel trailer loaded with the "stuff", always repacked the bearings with high grade grease, and changed the original tires to Maxxis and always used a Hensley Hitch to make the drive stress free, as we usually do 10,000 miles per year at Interstate speeds.
I would like to hear what you have experienced towing these new Lite weight fifth wheels with your Eco-boost F-150 !!

[asquared]

I haven't done it but have a camping buddy that tows a crossroads cruiser fiver with his max tow/HD eco boost. We have had many conversations on the subject. He has driven his rig through the mountains of pa and VA without issue. He claims it drives really well. He has been driving this setup for a couple of years and has no intention of upgrading to a 250/2500 or 350/3500 level truck.

These were his weights and what he said about how it handled.

Originally Posted by mark5w

Drum roll please.

Picked up the Patriot 10-25-12 right when the forum went down. But here's the facts jack.
Loaded 5th, included 50 gallons of water:
CAT scale results: Steer axel 3950
Drive axel 4710
Trailer axel 7810
Gross weight 16470

That included full tank of gas, myself, my wife,
Chloe our 13 lb Westie and a stocked trailer.

Towed like a charm, often had to look in rear-view mirror to see that it was there.
No sway, shimmy, bounce or vibration. On the 77 mile return trip home the truck averaged 9.8 mpg.(42 miles of I 81/78 and 35 miles of hilly state road. Only had about 1000 miles on new truck.
Rear of truck dropped about 1". Still do not have the airbag on truck, and headlights were not blinding oncoming traffic.
At a intersection close to home the twin turbo's spun the rear tires from a dead stop and surprised me a little bit.
Have it winterized and unfortunately will not be using it until next spring. The east coast storm changed our mind about camping last week.
By the way, I don't know if I have the 2 year warranty or the new warranty. Dealer is still trying to get an answer from Crossroads.




Edited by: mark5w

[acadianbob]

You likely would have plenty of power. The limiting factor is likely to be your payload capacity versus the loaded pin weight of the 5er and the passenger/cargo load in your truck. Without the HD payload package, your 5er choices are likely to be limited. Do your research before you jump into a purchase.

Check the yellow sticker on the door jamb of your truck. It will tell you your payload capacity. Remember family and cargo come out of the figure as well as hitch weight. My Max Tow is payload is 1,820 pounds but I've seen Lariats as low as 1,300. Work some of those number out; look at your net payload; then determine if you have enough left to work with to consider a 5er.

[bikendan]

i wouldn't tow any fiver with the Ecoboost, UNLESS it had the HD payload package.
just having the Max Tow package isn't enough for towing a fiver.
if it doesn't have the HD payload packages, you'll be limited to a handful of choices.

[X96mnn]

Reading the care and caution you have put into hauling a 8500pd TT with the Hensley hitch, I do not think you will be stress free and feeling fantastic on long haul days, with a 11000pd trailer on your 150.

Many people I think would have no issues in hauling an Eco boost at its Mac, I know you will feel the trailer behind you and that for some can be very concerning.

[dcheatwood]

See if you can make contact with coverdog on this forum he tows with eco boost, a wildcat 5er. I saw it at Goshen last year. I was impressed. He can give you some specifics.

[merrykalia]

We have a Wildcat 5er and tow with a 2012 Ford F150 Ecoboost, but we have the MAX tow AND the HD Package. Without the HD, we would be way over our payload. What are the sticker #s on your door post? Does it have the 11,200 lb rating listed? How about payload #s.

Those should be your determining factors, not what you read in the propaganda.

That being said. We are very happy with ours and have towed over 6,000 miles and we live in the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia, far from the interstate. We have no desire to upgrade (if you can call it that) to a F250 or F350 or their counterparts.

We have a crew cab and it rides like a dream and gets fair gas mileage for a truck.

PM me if you have any specific questions.

[MtnGuy]

Originally Posted by bikendan

i wouldn't tow any fiver with the Ecoboost, UNLESS it had the HD payload package.

My thoughts, also. Even with the HD payload package, the axle weights may be exceeded.

Typical GVWRs for the F150s with the Ecoboost are in the 7100 lb. range (depending on cab/bed configuration) without the HD payload package. The HD payload package boosts the GVWR up to around 7600 lbs (again, depending on cab/bed configurations and wheel sizes).

If you look at Asquared's friend's stats, his truck weighs 8660 lbs with the 5th hooked up...........1000 lbs. over an F150 with the HD payload package, and about 1500 lbs over the standard payload package. The rear axle is carrying 4710 lbs.........probably exceeding the RAWR by 900 lbs or so (my RAWR is 3850 lbs.). That is a lot of weight where the weight is carried on a semi-floating axle setup, as typically found on 1/2 ton trucks. I have seen the results of broken axles on a 1/2 ton truck, and it was not pretty.

[jaydubya]

Originally Posted by MtnGuy

My thoughts, also. Even with the HD payload package, the axle weights may be exceeded.

Typical GVWRs for the F150s with the Ecoboost are in the 7100 lb. range (depending on cab/bed configuration) without the HD payload package. The HD payload package boosts the GVWR up to around 7600 lbs (again, depending on cab/bed configurations and wheel sizes).

If you look at Asquared's friend's stats, his truck weighs 8660 lbs with the 5th hooked up...........1000 lbs. over an F150 with the HD payload package, and about 1500 lbs over the standard payload package. The rear axle is carrying 4710 lbs.........probably exceeding the RAWR by 900 lbs or so (my RAWR is 3850 lbs.). That is a lot of weight where the weight is carried on a semi-floating axle setup, as typically found on 1/2 ton trucks. I have seen the results of broken axles on a 1/2 ton truck, and it was not pretty.

Just to clarify, a standard f150 has a 7200 gvw. Max-tow is 7700, and HD is 8200. There has been some discussion on the f150 forum that the HD payload package is nothing more than some stiffer springs and 7 lug axleshafts

[acadianbob]

Here is the link to the official Ford Towing Guides. It has sections for slide-in campers, pull trailers, and 5er's; by engine and cab configuration. I'd be careful in viewing it in that you can fall within the GCWR and yet exceed GVWR.

http://www.fleet.ford.com/towing-guides/

Good luck. Be safe. Have fun.

[DocGTO]

The new F150s are more stout then before but with all my years of towing, I still like to have a heavier tow vehicle in front of my trailer. There is quite a difference when you tow 12K with a 5500-6000lb truck and a 7700-8200lb truck

My last 2500 Dodge 2wd Cummins weighed 6600lbs and now my 2014 Chevy 2500HD weighs in at 7300lbs and there is a noticable stability difference.

You have to pull, stop, and handle the loads.

[MtnGuy]

Originally Posted by jaydubya

Just to clarify, a standard f150 has a 7200 gvw. Max-tow is 7700, and HD is 8200. There has been some discussion on the f150 forum that the HD payload package is nothing more than some stiffer springs and 7 lug axleshafts

I was just going by the chart here: 2015 Ford F-150 | View Payload Specifications | Ford.com

The largest GVWR I see is 7850 lbs, with the HD payload package. Other years could be different.

[jaydubya]

Originally Posted by MtnGuy

I was just going by the chart here: 2015 Ford F-150 | View Payload Specifications | Ford.com

The largest GVWR I see is 7850 lbs, with the HD payload package. Other years could be different.

Ah, you were looking at the 15s. I was talking about the previous generation, as that's what I'm familiar with. Sorry to add confusion.

[B and B]

Ken and Judy,

I tow a 5er fully loaded weight is 9500 lbs. I have just 2 of us in the cab and a couple of bikes on top with a Thule rack. The limiting factor is the pin weight. i have mine right at the the limit without water on board. When I fill the tank I am over.
I upgraded truck to LT tires one size bigger actually, stands 1 inch taller. Absolute necessity in my mind. Trailer has lift kit on the axles and GY Marathon D tires.

Some will say you can not tow a 5er with a F 150 and need a F 350 with Power Stroke Diesel.

The 2015 F 150 can tow 12,200 lbs, just amazing as this surpasses 3/4 ton capacity in other badged trucks.

It is up to you what you tow with. I weighed, many times. Am confident that i am within most limits, just pin is a bit high at times. No air bags or timbers and the truck doesn't say or bottom out at all.

Brian

[DKRITTER]

A very wise man once told me;


Never bring a knife to a gun fight.

[Rodgers]

Walke
I don't and won't pull with a 1/2 ton truck. But that's me and shouldn't mater for anyone else. There are two issues that have not been talked about here that are very important.
1 Any chance of going over the load weight limit and you could open yourself to legal problems, and some one taking all you own. 2 What type of plates you should have on your truck. I don't know about other states but in IL if you 1Lb over 8001 Lbs you need a D plate not a B-truck like most in IL drive with. And you will have a big fine to pay. Also I didn't know that having a D plate you must have your truck inspected 2 times a year. So how much weight you can put on a F150 is to me a lesser issue to think about.
Just my 2 cents worth

[norwood12800]

I am looking at the 2015 Eco Boost and with the 3.55 axle, HD towing and 18" wheels it says it can handle 12,000 towing a TT.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by norwood12800

I am looking at the 2015 Eco Boost and with the 3.55 axle, HD towing and 18" wheels it says it can handle 12,000 towing a TT.

towing a TT is different than this discussion about towing a 5th wheel, with a 1/2 ton truck.
payload is way more important with 5th wheels, than with TT's.

[bruane]

I have a 2013 F150 Ecoboost crew cab with all of the tow pack options and is rated at 12,200 Lbs tow capability. I expect that will improve with the 2015 F150 aluminum body weight savings. I tow a Signature 8250 nominally rated at less than 8,000 Lbs. I went through the Rockies twice this year with all of the family on board. With the tow technology in play on the vehicle even on 8% grades it didn't even sweat and was easy to manage and this was my first time out in this type of configuration. I looked at the 250 option, decided these were difficult and uncomfortable rides compared to a properly configured 1/2 ton and provided miserable mileage to boot. The Ecoboost configuration is giving equivalent performance to a 5+ litre diesel configuration with less weight and easier access to energy sources and without winter start up requirements. Ford have done a good job with this machine and I swore that I would never buy another Ford after a disastrous relationship with a Windstar that was a two time experience (first and last time). I have come to the conclusion Ford Trucks and Automobiles are different companies and the latter is definitely not to be bought from.

[Walke]

Thanks to all the Eco-Boast people who answered my request.

Thanks to all others who gave their opinion. I have been involved with Engineering Technology for over 40 years, therefore, I have read the math, and I understand the math and have done the CAT scales.

Special thanks to "asquared" and Mark for the complete picture. It is one thing to talk the numbers but there is nothing like CAT scale facts. Good job !

Thanks again !