I finally took the plunge! A proud new owner of a 2003 150 XLT Supercab 4x4, Burgundy and Silver, 15k on the od. VERY happy!

A quick question, though. According to the manual, this thing will haul a max of 8 thousand pounds! How close can you safely approach that limit? Does it matter whether you are using a pintle hitch? Would say 7500 or 7800 pounds be too much overall payload?

Any help would be appreciated . . . . Thanks

Tim

 

You didn’t say which engine and axle ratio you have, but you can’t tow 8000# regardless of what Ford says. The maximum you can tow is the difference between the GCWR and the truck’s weight or the maximum loaded trailer weight, whichever is less. Your truck weighs close to 6000#.

Post your info and I can tell you what you want to know or you can look at a piece of the info for yourself in the sticky message at the top of the threads. It doesn’t list GCWR, though.

 

IMHO, anything over 6000 pounds is too much for the F-150, receiver or 5th wheel. Engine, axle, and tire (wheel) diameter affect Ford's tow ratings. If you plan to do close to 7500-8000, I am sure you'll be over the GCWR. You have a GCWR of 12,500 pounds. Subtract the 5k for your truck, then another 800 of passengers and cargo, then you have a max trailer weight of 6700 pounds. On top of all that, you'll stuck in the slow lane sucking 6mpg.

 

Ooops! Should have posted that extra info. It has the 5.4 liter with a 3.55 rear end. 16 inch wheels and according to the chart in the rear of the manual ought to be able to haul 8000 lbs. Now I know that is the limit, the question is how close to the limit can you go?

Thanks for the replies . . . .

Tim

 

Also remember that the tow rating for a 4x4 is lower than a 4x2, and the 3.55 axle is lower than the 3.73.

Its a good thing that your truck doesnt have the "off road" package, as this would have given you the 17 inch wheels and thus lowered your tow rating even more.


Side note about your truck: Also be careful because this may also mean that you dont have skid paltes on the belly of your new beauty and a tree stump could mean major $$ for repairs. The skid paltes were an option and they may be there!

Laters,
Wes

 

The general consensus is that people feel safe and comfortable towing below 75-80% of the MFR tow rating.

I see 7900 pounds as the rating for your truck by hitch and that includes a weight distributing one, not the factory one. 5th wheel rating is the same.

Remember what I said above. Your GCWR is 13k pounds. Take away 5k for your truck and 8k for your trailer, and you can't even drive it because your weight puts you over the GCWR, let alone with any other passengers/cargo. If you are looking at a nre trailer, stick to 6000-6500 GVWR.

 

Regarding your question on the pintle hitch, I wouldn't tow with one. to safely tow over 1000lbs I would use a class 3 hitch with weight distribution and elect. brackes.

 

Thanks all! The truck definitely has capacity for what I need it to do . . . tow a 3100 pund car about. The questions were because I may need to tow some small equipment every now and then . . . things like a small bobcat or excavator and I was just curious as to how close I could go to the limit. In those cases, I think the longest I would tow would be about 135 miles.