Roseanne Rosanna-Dana would have said, "Nevermind.'

 

The bottom line is that it pulled it safely and securely. It just didn't perform up to your expectations. There may be a fix for it, as others mentioned. The dealership may be able to correct it with a simple re-flash of the ECU. Did you ever try that?

You did the math.... 14k with a V-8.... that's pushin' it with anything smaller than a diesel. Anyone that tows regularly can tell you that. It's not rocket science. Hell, for that matter, throw a small 4-cylinder in the truck and it'll pull it, but the performance will not be good. The truck will carry the load, and may have some difficulty getting up the hills, but it'll do it.

The problem with tow ratings is that there's no performance standard associated with it. Sure it *can* tow right up to its rating, but at anything remotely near its limits, it's going to be a dog through the hills. You can't move 14,000 lbs with anything and expect anything else.

I'm closing the book on this one. Like Raoul said.... nevermind.

 

Anybody remeber the 2000 Dodge Viper RT10, top speed of 206mph. It didn't have a rev. limiter, or a governor. So, if you have enough road it will do 206mph, but the upper radiator hose will blow if you ever did that.

My point being just because something is capable, doesn't mean it should be done.

The F150 can haul more than it should. But, I would rather have that capability for emergencies than for it not to be there. It reminds me of the '80 trucks in half ton. If you hauled 1/2 ton in them they were overloaded. I would much rather have the capability and not use it then to need it and not have it.

 

i think one factor is the wind resistance of the trailer.
last summer i puller a 21 ft prowler loaded down with stuff and wife and kids. it was a slug and no way i used overdrive. i figure it was 6500 maybe 7000 pounds 6 to 7 mpg. latter that summer i pulled a car trailers with a 77 f150 and it pulled great, think i got 10 to 11 mpg and used overdrive. the wind resistance coupled with pulling the maximum weight makes for a dog.

the dealer and the trailer dealer should have known better, be mad at them not ford.

 

Another thing to go along with what Dave said..... Ford never states what "kind" of trailer to tow with that kind of weight..... Actually, if you look at that trailer link, someplace on it they have a 'frontal area' restriction. I want to say it's in the 60 sq-ft range?? Not sure if it makes any diff with a canopy on the truck or not, but there you go..... Also, ever notice that in the TV commercials, they seem to be towing boats more then anything else?? Hummmm....

Mitch

 

Good rule of thumb for tow ratings is not to exceed 75% of any the rated capacities of the truck. If you exceed 75% then you need a bigger truck. Simple as that. I tow a 6500# (actual) 7700# GVWR 26 foot travel trailer with my 04 F150 FX4 Scab with 17" wheels and 3.73 LS differential. I tow with overdrive on and haven't had any serious problems. Does the truck work hard? Sure it does. Does it drop out of OD going up hills? You bet. I have towed up hill going 65 MPH in third gear at about 3200 RPM, no problem. I only tow my trailer once or twice a month during the spring/summer/fall months, so I'm not worried about killing my truck towing the trailer. If I towed very frequently, I would have bought an F250 or F350 and gotten a diesel engine. Bottom line is that GVWR and tow ratings are not the whole story. You have to take into account ALL the weights and ratings and then apply the 75% rule. I'm OK for the towing I do with my F150. Bottom line: It is the consumer's job to do their homework, not the dealer's (truck or RV) job. They are just in the business of selling things. I'm sorry, but YOU bought the wrong truck for your application. Best of luck resolving your situation.

 

Thanks for all the help. The original postings were out of anger, because those massive tow ratings are every where and well I'm one that got caught up in it. All of the info. I received from you folks should be presented upfront before any purchases are made at the dealerships, but the manufacturers need to set the right example. The dealerships are following the lead of the MANUFACTURERS and passing it on to us. Hopefully all of this will help someone else before they plan for this type of adventure. I know of 3 other people in this area that are having similiar problems. All 3 of them are toy hauler related and there is a F150, a Nissan Titan, and chevy 1500 involved. I'm sorry for not getting to question that said what is a toy hauler. A toy hauler is a camp trailer that has a ramp in the back so you can load quads, mx bikes, whatever and take them with you to your camp-riding area. I only had mine 10 days and absolutely loved it. It was 24' long with a front bedroom, made by Tahoe, a division of Thor. Just about the neatest thing I've ever owned. To bad it went from the lot to my house and back to the lot. Didn't even get a speck of dirt in it. Savin' pennies and goin diesel. Thanks again.

 

Not to stir the pot, but, you guys who think your truck should drive like it's not pulling a trailer when it is just kill me. I pull a 35' 3 axle travel trailer that weighs 9500# loaded. I think it pulls it great. I went on a 2500 mile trip, TX to Orlando Fl. in March and averaged 10.5 miles to the gallon. Most of the time I drove between 65 and 70. I did not try to go up the hills as fast as I could, but I still kept it around 55. If you don't want to slow down on the hills buy a Peterbilt with a 500 Cat in it. The F150 makes a great towing vehicle if you don't expect to much out of it. If you are wondering about my expiernce I have over 1.5 million miles in an eighteen wheeler and own a trucking company now.

 

wow. i by no means towed anything real heavy yesterday. i towed a 3000# trailer(that was loaded) about a 100 mile round trip. i thought the truck did well. i think i might push it one day. hey blueghost. where in tomball.

 

I agree with blueghost that do not expect to much from the truck. If it can pull up hills at 55 thats great. I pull 4500lbs with a V-6 and I am O.K. with the performance. I averaged 11 miles to the gallon the other day pulling on a 4 hour trip. The idea thing is not to get in a hurry. Take your time and don't push it. If you have to leave a little early to make up for the time lost.

 

Or....set the cruise control at highway speed on a Super Duty.

 

The F150 is a great tow vehicle I towed with mine and it did well in the rolling hills of TN. I've seen many F150's towing all across this country when i traveled on Vacations or weekend trips. You just gatta know what you have and what it can do and use what you have in its range.

 

Blue Ghost,

What "hills" are you talking about between Tomball and Florida? Oh, you must mean the overpass from I-45 to I-10

Is that 35' a BP or 5th wheel?

I think the title of this posts needs help. Maybe, "Do your homework, read you manual and don't take what a salesman tells you as gospel" before you start blaming manufacturers for your own negligence.

I tow a 30' BP at 8000lbs fully loaded with no problems and get 9-11 mpg doing so depending on terrain, wind, etc.... I leave overdrive off and keep her at 65 and she's more than happy with that.

 

The frontal area/wind resistance issue brought up is a good one. I pull a 2,000 lb tent trailer with my 4.2. Now admittedly, this is not a heavy trailer but the key point is that the top of the trailer is level with the fiberglass lid on my truck. Virtually no wind resistance; just the mass to deal with. As a result, I lose only 1 mpg when towing this trailer versus empty. Towed it from Minnesota to Bryce Park in Utah and back (through Colorado) and averaged 18 mpg for the entire trip.

 

Sackett, I have a bumper pull Avion. I have a Hensley-Arrow hitch so there is no chance of sway. I did say hills not mountains. Maybe you have never taken the trip, or maybe you forgot the bridge going in to Lake Charles or Baton Rouge. There are hills in the panhandle of Fl. also. Nothing huge but some are long.