I'm trying to get as stable tow platform as possible with my 2013 King Ranch max tow for the 2016 3.5L 5.5, 4x4, 3.55 is 11,700lbs. My 2013 King Ranch, same specs, is 9,600lbs. I'm guessing a portion is attributable to the aluminum body. Putting together the list of what I can do to move what I have now closer to what is now available.

I'm thinking moving from P to LT tires, upgrading springs/shocks should get me closer. Read another thread taking about the cooling factor with water cooled turbos, so I'm guessing there might be a larger radiator? Can't do anything about frame thickness, and have the 9.75 rear axle. GAW is 4050lbs with the P tires. Anyone have a formula for how this changes with 17" LTs? Also, Is there any difference in the break package ? Don't want to change the gear to 3.73, as I don't think I need it. Anyone else go down this path? Anything else you can think of?

Thanks.

Carl

 

Howdy Carl,

What are you planning on towing? The radiator on the Max Tow trucks is a bit bigger, but otherwise they are very close. The only other differences I can think of are axle gearing, slightly higher GVWR, and the steering ratio is a bit slower. Most folks have issues carrying tongue weight with a trailer that heavy, by the time you put 1,200 lbs of tongue weight on the hitch you leave precious little available payload for passengers and cargo.

 

no matter what you do, what your truck is legally allowed to tow does not change. What you are capable of towing, and what you can legally tow are 2 different things.

 

Carl, things get confusing because manufacturers blur the line between what a vehicle can tow and what it can carry.
My truck is rated to tow 12,000 lbs. but it can only carry a fraction of that. The GVWR of my truck is 10,000 lbs. but the maximum weight of all passengers, fuel, food, firewood, tow hitch, and camper tongue is 2611 lbs. (in other words, the truck itself weighs about 7,389 lbs.).
Say my cargo consists of:
people - 450 lbs.
fuel - 640 lbs.
tow hitch - 100 lbs.
bicycles, snacks, firewood, and junk - 150 lbs.
that's about 1340 lbs. of my cargo gone out of a maximum 2611 lbs. That leaves about 1271 lbs. in tongue weight I can carry.
Figuring at 10%, that means I can pull a 12,000 lb. camper, which puts me back at my max tow capacity.
What all this translates to for you, is the difference in cargo capacity between your truck and the 2016 you are trying to match is about 210 lbs.
Changing from P-metric to E rated tires will help the loaded ride feel better, but will hurt your empty ride a lot.
Air bags can also improve the loaded ride and even help the empty ride when adjusted properly.
Changing the gear ratio can increase how well your truck pulls, but will hurt your fuel mileage.
Nothing you can do will increase the cargo capacity of your truck. You can only affect how well it carries that cargo.
If you tow a lot, certainly change to E (or at least D) rated tires. But beyond that, I recommend you determine your maximum TT weight and stick with that.

 

Thanks for the input guys. Someone passed on this link that seems to have all of the data and spec I. One place:

http://https://www.fleet.ford.com/TRUCKBBAs/topics/techspec.html

Starting to make sense of it. To your question Tom, going cross country with my wife this summer. We are trying to figure out what our trailer options are with the truck that we have, taking into account any mods required make it a safe comfortable ride. I'm a farm boy used to pulling stuff without weighing it and I'm sure I've been over legal limits and when younger over sane limits...lol....and I have a bit of understanding what happens when you screw up. Would like to pull a 5th wheel for weight distribution....probably going to heavy no matter how I slice it..and have started looking at trailer options. We aren't buying a new truck...yet...we might after we go for a while, but not yet before we what we have a try. I'm fine upgrading the components we need to to make it more enjoyable.

I'm sure we will be able to find something that will work great without blowing the bank or being a hazard, thanks to the real world information available from guys like you all. I see now payload and rear axle weight are going to be the limiting factor...something I didn't know three days ago thanks to the information from those doing it and Its appreciated.

 

As long as you enjoy it and have fun. (My truck is max tow, and a 7700 GVWR. but the 2015s and later don't have as high as GVWR as mine does, but I think some of that is the 2015s and later are lighter as well so can handle as much as my truck can)

 

My '15 is of the same configuration that my '13 was, and it's a full 692 lbs lighter. I lost 650 lbs of GVWR and gained 42 lbs of payload.

 

Just when I thought I was starting to understand this stuff.......

Anyway, it sounds like unless I find someone who make custom door stickers......I'm stuck with about 1500 payload, which I carry up the mountain every month in corn for the critters without a sweat. I need to move to the acceptance stage. I just don't have enough payload for a legal GW setup if I have to go by the sticker. I really could use the extra 500lb payload.

Looked on Auto Trader and Carmax for a max two 2013 or 2014 King Ranch with no luck. Past on one when I bought the one I have and didn't know the mistake I was making. Live and learn.

So my verdict is I'm going to the dealer and rent a TT close to my max and do a little run and see how it works. Could be worse....

I appreciate all of the input guys.

 

I really wouldn't worry too much about that. I've towed a lot of things with a lot of different vehicles, and my primary concern is typically my GAWRs and hitch ratings. I have yet to see the cop on the side of the road with a scale to hassle pickup trucks with, so I don't worry about it.

 

My payload is 1674lbs. and I have a 7700 GVWR.

 

In my opinion the "real" F150 is Max Tow w/ HD Payload package. That is the truck with all of the capabilities advertised for the F150.

Beyond that (again in my mind) you're really picking other packages to get you some other feature (lower rated spring and tires for smoother ride quality, different wheelbase for ease of parking, different wheel options for more bling, etc). If it was put to people in those terms I think more would choose the Max Tow / HD payload truck.


Read 'em and weep.

 

After all the research I've done the past week I agree with your assessment. I bet you have a 6.5 box? I'm pretty confident if one pays attention to the important components with tires being the first, resonable loads can be pulled with most configurations.

What are the load ratings on your tires?

 

I guess that's a matter of perspective.

The overwhelming majority of us don't need 2,300 lbs of available payload. My truck hauls myself and sometimes my family over 90% of the time. Why would I want to sacrifice my ride for those few times I tow near the limit or haul near GVWR?

My '13 with max tow had 1,794 lbs of available payload, and my '15 with the regular towing package has 1,830 lbs of payload. That's more than enough for my needs, and I'm not afraid of exceeding those by a bit if situations permit. Can only remember one time in the last few years where that's happened, and the truck performed great.

 

You bring up a good point concerning the box size. While the 6.5 ft. bed is sufficient for most needs, if you think you might want to pull a 5er or carry a golf cart, the long bed is the way to go.

 

Final update:

After the debate here, on other boards, and with others, I have come to conclusion that our F150 can do a lot, we need more...not quite goimg all out, but I'm placing the order for our SRW F350 in the morning. I appreciate everyone's feedback and if someone is looking for. '13 Black King Ranch with 22K on the clock point them my way. See you in the SD rooms.