First off forgive me if my question is remedial. I am looking into a new F-150 fx4 with a supercab and 5.5 or 6.5 foot box, our intent is too pull our horses. We will probably be pulling once to twice a month for distances rarely over 250 miles, with the occasional road trip. We do however live in the mountains of colorado, so basically what I'm asking is will the 5.4 v8 pull our horses properly and safely.

I was thinking we would get the 6 foot box because according to Fords site it increases the pay load to 9700lbs.

Our weight is well within the tow capacity but what kind of engine strain would I be encountering

Trailer weight: 3250
Horses: 2850
Gear/Passengers: 500

Any help would be great.

thanks

 

If it's an '09 F150, you'll handle the trailer fine for the most part... In the thin air of Colorado and tackling hills, any load you are going to feel, so don't be surprised if you are in 2nd gear and pulling around 3500-4000 rpms to maintain about 50-55 mph... Go slower if you need to because there is not really any need to be the first one up the hill.... Especially if you have live critters in tow!

You gotta let a gas engine run to get to it's performance potential, so also figure on running with OD off on the flats for the most part and you'll run about 2500 rpms to keep a good solid 60-65 mph...

The new F150's will have the new 5 speed, so there might be some difference in the actual 'gear' you are in, but I think '5th gear' is just an extra OD anyway??

You'll need a Weight Distribution hitch setup and if you get the F150 with the integrated brake controller, you are good to go..

Don't just take those weight ratings you see in the brochures as Gospel either.... They are meant as marketing tools only and in the real world, you will never be able to get close to them without exceeding some other weight rating on your truck...

For example, you don't have a 'payload' of #9700... That's probably the brochures "tow rating" and that's what is pure marketing hype IMO...

Stick to around #7000 fully loaded trailer (no 'dry weights', because trailers do the same thing on their broaches too!) or under and you'll be fine...

Oh, and expect only about 10 mpg or so while towing too... That's all you'll get towing, so budget for that too!

Good luck!

Mitch

 

thanks for your help, this will be the first tow vehicle I own and want to make sure i get something that safely delivers us to the trail head.

 

If you've never towed before, you'll want to 'practice' some with the empty trailer first... Find an empty parking lot and practice turns and backing up, stopping, etc.. You'll soon learn that it's very different then not towing anything..

Mountain driving with a live load will be a new experience too.... I've only towed horses on the 'farm' and that was when I was a teenager working for $5.00/hr! I was in a F250 with a four stall trailer in tow and only two horses in there and when they decide to shift their weight, you feel it in the truck! If they do that while going down a grade and around a corner..... Well, lets just say you better be prepared!

You'll be working the truck for sure when towing, so don't think it's not performing if you have to be in the higher rpms to maintain speed.. That's just the way it is... The truck won't perform like it does empty and it won't perform like a 1 ton diesel either....

If you've been to many trails or places where other folks haul in their horses, take note to what they are using for tow vehicles and you'll probably not see a whole lotta '1/2 tons' in the group.... Not saying a 1/2 ton can't handle your load, just saying look at what others are using to tow the same load as you...

Mitch

 

no i grew up on a horse farm so I've towed plenty in the past, but my dad had a strictly diesel rule cause we had our own mini tank/pump. I guess back then I never even thought about tow capacity numbers and all this other stuff, just kinda hooked up and went..... yeah i'm trying to be more responsible now days, their will be practice sessions for sure, especially since it'll be a new truck to me.

 

Lets try this post again.

The 09 has a 6R80 Transmission. Ratios are as follows:
4.17
2.34
1.52
1.14
.87
.69

5th and 6th are a "overdrive" but are usable for towing. I'd venture to say that he'll easily stay at 45+ mph on any hill there. If you check out the pickuptruck.com special reports on 1/2 tons even the ford was able to 53 mph from a dead stop on a 7% grade within 1,700 feet. That being said, I'm sure there are steeper grades in CO and higher altitudes but I'd think a 09 F-150 would tow that fine, is it a turbo diesel nope, but it is at least 10 grand cheaper to buy and cheaper to run over it's life. I'd say this, if I were towing horses I would be a Crew Cab 6.5' bed truck, this would get you the long wheelbase (157") and add a great amount of stability in those nasty towing days (Snow, wind etc). Now, if I had a expandable budget and was towing horses I'd get a F-350 CC/SB (less then 250 bucks more then a F-250) with the V-10 4.30 gear and torque shift auto. That's just me though.

 

Wow, no 1:1 ratio?? Sure, 1.14:1 is probably fine... Never have driven anything with more then a 5 speed in it (manual or auto), so I'm probably not all that up to 'speed' on it all....

I ain't saying an F150 can't do the job here.... Just trying to give some realistic 'expectations' on it... I see posts all the time, here and there, that go to each extreme of "you'll be fine.." "I tow the same thing and I don't even know it's back there.." to "you'll be a menace on the road..". "Let me know when and where you are going to be so I know not to be on the same road..." comments...

While pullinghorses had towed before, I didn't get that impression initially, so hence my more conservative response....

While you can be all 'pink and Rosy' on the 'good' towing days, when that 'bad' towing day occurs, the severity of the aftermath is all in the 'details' of fate....

Mitch

 

Well i was going to start with the obligatory "your going to kill everyone on the road if you don't pull your jet skis with a F-350 Dually" but figured I should just cut to the meat. I think a F-150 will be fine. If I had 20 or 30 grand in horses behind me I'd probably have a Superduty gasser.

 

If I were buying a truck to tow horses with in the mountains, I'd get a diesel Super Duty. Even a V-10 is going to run out of breath at altitude. The diesel has a turbocharger to compensate for the thin air.

 

I'm thinking the f-150 will do fine we have fairly modest expectations but I think I should start reconsidering the f-250, for the engine options alone. And although my horses are not worth "20 - 30 grand" they mean the world to me so i'd like to get the best I can (afford) for them

 

I'm leaning towards a 250, and with that I would get it with a diesel. Just my .02.

 

I know diesel is great in the MNTs but we've got at least 1/2 a dozen 6.4s here and they just don't impress me, EVERYONE of them is having problems. I wouldn't touch a 6.4 with a 100 foot pole. Yes the V-10 will slow down some at altitude BUT it's still got a lot there. There are just too many issues that I'm seeing with new emissions engines. The premium you pay up front, at each oil change, fuel filter change and then to worry about the particulate filter at 100K miles (at least 1 grand) just isn't my bag of chips. Not to mention the similar fuel prices and similar fuel economy.

 

Whoa... He DOES NOT need a 3/4 ton diesel truck to be pulling a two horse trailer with two horses. The F-150 will do it just fine. Engine strain will be there, as there is with any load, but it is well within the capabilities of the truck. Get a truck with the tow package and built in brake controller and you'll be set.

 

I said that in my first post!

Mitch

 

Z and Mitch - you have to consider altitude and mountains. You ever try to tow with a NA gas engine at 9k feet and a 8% grade? That poor thing would be down in 1st gear and a diesel would be doing 55.

How about a used 7.3 if the 6.4 has too many issues? There's always a Dirtymax..........please don't shoot me.