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Old 04-10-2016, 12:49 PM   #1
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Question People towing with 3.5 eco-boost trucks

Would like to hear from the user's of these trucks who tow the 5th wheel light or ultra light trailers with them. Any mods you have done or problems with the trucks. An your option on how well they handle the trailers.
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Old 04-10-2016, 01:15 PM   #2
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Towed 10 k Rockwood in my signature. Did E tires on Truck and kept load light as I had King Ranch that killed some CCC. Stock otherwise. Did the job, would I tow in the Rockies, no way. Small hills OK no issues.

I was able to move up two model years on a F 250 with Powerstroke Diesel with minimal cash outlay.
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Old 04-10-2016, 06:08 PM   #3
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I have a 2015 F-150 Lariat Screw 502a 3.5EB 3.55EL FX4

I would not ever tow a fifth wheel no matter how light they made it with a 1/2 ton. We own a 25KS and would not tow much more than that. Other wise after changing out the rear shocks to the Bilstein 5100's, Installing Air bags, replacing tires to the KO2's the truck tows pretty well. On another note I would not ever buy a 2015+ F150 again. I would rather keep the old steel trucks they were built much better.




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Old 04-10-2016, 06:19 PM   #4
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The 3.5 EB does a great job with the travel trailer in my sig. We've pulled to NC, StL, Yellowstone and various parks around Arkansas in the 15 months we've own the truck. It's handled all the terrain and weather just fine.
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Old 04-11-2016, 09:52 AM   #5
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We have a 2016 Rockwood 2703WS and a 2011 Ford EB. Haven't pulled it far yet but expect no issues. I did put on Airlift 5000's for stability.

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Old 04-11-2016, 11:46 AM   #6
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I have a 2011 EB and pulled a 35 ft Eagle 31.5 FBH for 5 years and over 30,000 km we went to Disney 3 time, Tennisee, Pocono mountains etc with no problems or lack of power

I have upgraded tired to Michlin LT 10 ply and put airbags in the back to stiffen and reduce bounce. Very happy with EB.

Now looking at Deisel 1ton due to new 42 ft trailer, but may go to chev because hearing lots of bad things about both Ford Deisel engines
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Old 04-11-2016, 11:47 AM   #7
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Ok, this seems like a topic that won't quit. We bought a Rockwood fiver model 8280WS. Dry weight comes in about 7800 lbs. Figure we added about 1500 to that, so thinking 9300 lbs total. (Will know soon - getting the whole shooting match weighed on April 29) Our truck is a 2014 ecoboost with heavy duty tow package (larger rad, tranny cooler, slide out mirrors, and sway bar), 6.5' bed and super crew cab. Also a 3.73 rear end (which is what you need to achieve the 11,300 tow capacity. The new ones have a 12,000 lb tow capacity because of a lighter truck.) We added half of a Timbren support on the rear axles to help a bit. Still have the other half - just did not want to be bouncing around when not towing. We are full-timers coming up on two years. We have towed this rig from Ohio to WV, Tennessee (Great Smoky Mountains), across to Colorado through the mountains, over to Utah, down to AZ, then up the California coast to Washington, on to Glacier National Park, across to Colorado again, over to Michigan, and now wintering in Florida. This summer we are hitting the Smokies again, the Catskills, Maine and the Canadian Maritimes. In 2017 we are going west again to Colorada, Utah, Wyoming, Montana and on to Alaska. We'll winter in AZ after that trip.

This thing pulls like a champ. No problems in the mountains, no hesitation to pull when I want it to. Have passed many a motorhome going up those mountain highways. Have also been through the backroads in WV. Not that I would want to do that again, but we did it without a hitch. We get 10.5 while towing, and combined city/highway about 19 mpg.

We now have 50,000 miles on the truck, and I figure between 8,000 and 9,000 on the trailer. Unlike many, we got the right rig the first time, and the right truck to tow it with. Figure we'll get another 20,000 on the tires of the truck before requiring new ones. Zero problems on both the truck and the rig. Oil still running clean, although I change it every 5,000 miles despite Ford saying it is good for 10,000.

When not towing, the truck rides like a limo, which is the key reason we bought it. Only 9,000 on the trailer, but 50,000 on the truck. Wife can drive it easy-peasy. Neither of us wanted one of those big honking diesels - but I can understand those who do. We are small folks, so it all works well for us. Love our full size queen and all the room we have compared to our Airstream buds!

Hope that helps you a bit.
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Old 04-11-2016, 12:25 PM   #8
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I don't think the big Ecoboost will have any problems towing a 5th wheel. Staying within specs, of course. You wouldn't want to pull a 16K Cardinal with any truck rated for 11K.

I made this chart for myself just last month. All numbers come from Ford's own spec sheets. Similarly equipped and sized 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton. The 1/2 ton, using Ford's specs, performs almost as well as a base 3/4 ton gasser ... and for a lot less money. The Ecoboost actually has more torque and just a little less HP.

My only (small) concern would be brakes. I would be more comfortable with larger 6 lug wheels and brakes. But I suppose an argument could be made that if the trailer has adequately sized brakes coupled with a good controller, they should handle the fiver and the trucks brakes only need to stop the TV.

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Old 04-11-2016, 04:26 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeff from Burlington Ont View Post
I have a 2011 EB and pulled a 35 ft Eagle 31.5 FBH for 5 years and over 30,000 km we went to Disney 3 time, Tennisee, Pocono mountains etc with no problems or lack of power

I have upgraded tired to Michlin LT 10 ply and put airbags in the back to stiffen and reduce bounce. Very happy with EB.

Now looking at Deisel 1ton due to new 42 ft trailer, but may go to chev because hearing lots of bad things about both Ford Deisel engines



Wondering? I have a 2015 Powerstroke no issues here at all.
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Old 04-11-2016, 06:04 PM   #10
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F150 EB

2011 F150 EB CC 4x4 LB #8200 package 3.73, HT w/brake controller 11,200, HPayload 2,393, and E tires. There are sure some nice 5rs with 1,200 to 1,500 pin loads weighing in at 10,000. My HT 5r tows a lot better than previous 30 ft. TT.
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Old 04-11-2016, 06:46 PM   #11
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I am going to be old school and believe like many others do; I would not pull ANY 5th wheel with a half ton truck. I had a 2011 Ecoboost and pulled a 4,500# travel trailer with ease. I am sure i would have considered going a few thousand pounds heavier, but to go even heavier with a 5th wheel is crazy in my opinion. Yes, they can PULL that much weight, but it is the stopping and wear and tear on the half ton trucks that would worry me. And remember, the Ecoboost is only a 6 banger, so that is a lot of stress on that motor. We decided to upgrade to a fifth wheel this year and my first investment was a used diesel. I feel much safer. So now i only have to look out for the others that are way overloaded and out of control.
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Old 04-11-2016, 07:41 PM   #12
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I think folks who tow with an F150 EB just don't know what they are missing by towing with a larger rig.

Problem with the F150 is cargo carrying capacity and not tow capacity. If you have a nicely optioned F150 it really eats up into the CCC. My platinum F150 6.5' bed only had 1550 lb CCC. I basically had no residual CCC for pax or pets when hooked up to my F150. Heavy Duty payload packages are rare and you are going to use an F150 to tow a fiver, then HD and Max tow are the way to go.

With my '15 F350, I do not even know that my 5th wheel is back there. I have an extra 1800 lbs of CCC to play with and I don't even worry about the 450 lbs of batteries in the front storage area.
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Old 04-11-2016, 10:20 PM   #13
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2014 F150 EB, 3.73, max tow, E rated 10 ply tires super crew.
2010 Flagstaff 829fkss trailer, 6313 dry, 7500 loaded.

We've towed about 10000 miles thru flat, hill and mountain terraine with m no problems. It actually beat our 2005 5,4l and our 2008 and 2011 5.0L F150'S. All 4 trucks were super crews with the same equipment except the engine.
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Old 04-12-2016, 07:22 AM   #14
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We have a 2014 Rockwood Signature Ultra-lite. Dry weight 7900 lbs. Loaded 9200 lbs. Our 2015 F150 Ecoboost has a towing capacity of 11900 lbs and a fifth-wheel towing of 10500 lbs. We have towed this fiver everywhere (Adirondacks, Poconos, Appalachians, etc) with no problems. Averaging 12.5 on the flats and 8.8 in the mountains. We have added Supersprings to the truck. Makes a difference.
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Old 04-12-2016, 07:44 AM   #15
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And remember, the Ecoboost is only a 6 banger,

So is the Cummins.
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Old 04-12-2016, 07:56 AM   #16
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I posted this to hear from the people who Are towing with the 3.5 Eco-boost trucks. I use to tow with a 2009 ford diesel F350. My trailer being a 5th wheel has a dry weight of 7300lbs . We carry very little with us we don't cook and are not full timers. We use the unit maybe 4 times a year and we don't go to the mountains at all. I just got the 2015 eco 3.5 and was sure the F 350 was an overkill for my trailer. I drove a truck over 40 years over the road so I don't want to hear from the weight police.
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Old 04-12-2016, 08:03 AM   #17
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Thank you, porkchopjack for starting this thread. Your timing could not have been better for someone like me who is about to purchase a new TV. Just yesterday I did the "build and price" on the Ford website for a new EcoBoost F150 and the Super Duty F250, both gassers. My TT choice is a Coachmen Freedom Express 282 BHDS. I figure maybe 9000 fully loaded, that might be high ?
After I built the F150 up to tow 11500, I was only a few thousand dollars away from a F250 that can tow 12900. With a bigger motor, brakes and stability.
The F150 sounds like a great truck when you are not towing which is nice, but when you hook up I'm thinking the power and stopping ability of the F250 will be appreciated. Just makes sense. If I'm wrong, please explain.
I've seen the posts on here of the F150 owners that are content with their TV-TT combo. Got no problem with that.
So my questions are , does the 250 ride that much worse than the 150 (especially when not towing)? And no one has mentioned 4WD.
Is 4WD a "must" for TT towing? I've heard it comes is appreciated in certain situations when off road in camp sites or parking in tight spots. But honestly, how often does that happen ?
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Old 04-12-2016, 09:02 AM   #18
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I had a 2013 EB for 2 years and towed several thousand miles during that time. No complaints ever. I was towing TT's from 30-35' in the 7500-9500 range. I did use a ProPride hitch most of that time. I've towed with gas V8 engines, 7.3L PSD's and 6.7PSD's. The EB outperformed everything except the new 6.7PSD. I even give it the nod over the venerable 7.3PSD. There is much talk about the braking ability of the F150- the brakes on it are infinitely better than the 3/4 and 1 ton trucks of 20 years ago, and no one bats an eye when those hook up to 15K+. I do now drive an F250, primarily because I needed to be able to hook up and tow trailers of significant size without using a WDH. I also had a growing family that carries LOTS of stuff and wanted the additional payload of the F250. With that being said, you'll love the Ecoboost for towing what you are looking at. I will also state that, if a boosted small V8 had been available in the F250 I would have gone that route originally. The basic problem with Ford's current lineup is this: I can choose an F150 with the EB and be more restricted on payload. Or I can go with a 250/350 gas but then lose fuel mileage and a lot of power- especially at high elevations. Or I can step up to a diesel for an extra 8K and have both. For what you are towing, it's a no-brainer that the F150 EB is the way to go, AFAIC.
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Old 04-12-2016, 10:46 AM   #19
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Thanks dustman, that's good info. Maybe in this case bigger is not better.

There you go porkchop. A response by somebody that IS towing with a EB.
That work for you?
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Old 04-12-2016, 05:55 PM   #20
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FWIW here is my two cents. Used to have the EB and towed a 6k trailer. Towed very nicely, etc. but I ended up trading after speaking with a customer at a Ford dealer. He had the EB for a couple years at the time and towed everyday (lawn service trailer). He started having drivetrain problems and he and a service tech attributed that to the fact that the EB puts out a lot of torque on F150 drivetrain. Think same torque on F250 drivetrain, which is much beefier. Longer life with the 250. The torque on the EB comes from the turbo. He made a good point that if the turbo dies, you are left with a 6 banger. At least you have 8 cyls always with the 250 v8. Even with diesel, if the turbo dies, it's still 8 cyls.
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