So I purchased a new 2014 F150 4x4 XLT with the 5.0. I traded in my 08 F350 Dually 6.4 for this truck. I was going to get a new 250 with the 6.2 but the sales guy said that the F150 would pull anything with no problem i.e. 6 speed, power bands shift points blah blah blah. So this weekend I went and picked up my 24ft Pontoon boat and you would think I was towing 15k pounds. The truck tows like a dog and I can't tell any difference between tow/haul on or off. I did some testing with the Tow/Haul on vs. off and the shift points are the same. Do you think I have something wrong with the tow/haul feature? Also the boat is now swaying bad on the highway. The trailer is a Roadrunner double axle Trailer and of course the pontoon is very high profile but I had not issues with my 350 and my past 250, no sway, no nothing. I've also purchase a WDH which should be here tomorrow and I'm going to try that. The other issue is power. While in Drive, I can't maintain a constant speed without have to put the throttle down to make the tranny shift down to a lower gear. I did a test pulling the boat in manual mode and If I keep it in 4th, I seem to be able to maintain a constant speed. Any suggestions or tips would be appreciated. I did read the towing tips article. thanks.

 

The 5.0L was upgraded for 2015 plus the trucks are bit lighter so it now is rated as an optional engine on trucks equipped with Max Tow.

Are you familiar with your axle ratios? The 5.0L in 2014 should be rated to pull around 10K pounds properly equipped.

 

Brother, you went from owning, driving and towing with a F350 diesel daully to a gas F150. Your going to feel some differences!!!

Now that your towing with a F-150 your going to have to start down things a little differently, when you had your daully you could hook up to whatever you wanted and roll down the road. With the F150 you'll have change some things depending on the weight of that boat. Your WDH should solve most of your problems. You'll prob want to add about 20lbs of air to the rear tires if they are E rated. You can pretty much forget 5th and 6th gear unless your towing dead level or down a grade.

I don't know why Ford thinks they need to put these high tow ratings on these trucks. I know it's a competition who can tow the most (ford, Chevy, dodge, toyo) but the numbers aren't realistic. Sure the F-150 can tow 7 ton, but how's it gonna handle that load up hill, down hill, down hill with a sharp turn at the bottom, in the wind, in a panic stop, in the dreaded lt/rt sway??????

There's such a thing as being able to do the job, and being able to do it correctly!!!

 

What's your tongue wt. vs. trailer wt.?

 

Kinda like the tail wagging the dog now. The high profile boat gets hit by any crosswinds so you will feel it much more in a 1/2 vs. 1 ton truck. I had a 1 ton and towed a 36ft 5th wheel that was smooth and steady. I have a 1/2 ton now with a 19ft trailer and I feel more due to the "lightness" of the truck. The WDH will help but I would have stayed with a 3/4 ton. Even then without the duelly you will still feel a bit more. I am guessing yours is more an issue of the size of what you are towing and the wind resistance vs. weight.

 

thanks everyone for the updates, I may have to go back to the SD, probably won't make the wife happy.

 

Make sure you're getting a WDH with sway control.

 

The WDH I purchased does have sway control, so looking forward to hooking up and testing. thanks.

 

Yes I think that's the issue, the boat is not that heavy, but very tall and lots of surface area.

 

I don't know, I'm guessing that's its not that heavy, most of the weight is in the back.

 

Do you guys think the 6.2(gas) in F250 would make a difference? looks to me that the power ratings are about the same.

 

DGMFORD, one very large issue when towing with the F150 is wind resistance. How fast are you driving? Slowing down from 75 to 60 mph can greatly reduce the wind resistance.

As for sway, the F150 will be worse than the super duty, no question. E-rated tires, and the proper WD Hitch with sway control will help, but probably never be as good as the super duty.

Helps to know what springs and axle ratio have have in your truck. Can you look that stuff up or post what's on the door sticker for payload? Do you have the trailer tow/Max tow/Max payload packages?

 

I pull my 20' Bay Boat with no problems after going from an F250 Diesel to an F150. I realize it's a bit more streamlined hull than a 24' pontoon, but I can't believe it would be that much more of a problem. I also pulled my buddy's Dodge 2500 Cummins when his trans died for the 2nd time. No problems there either. I also have a tuned EcoBoost, so I'm sure I have quite a bit more torque than the stock 5.0. They should've let you test drive it with your boat hooked to it to make sure the 5.0 had enough power for your liking. Personally, I opted for the EcoBoost because when I test drove it, it felt very similar to my F250. Bottom line, pulling my boat is only a slightly different experience from my highly modified F250 to my slightly modified F150. But I had double the torque previously, so I expected some difference, but I have no complaints about power.

 

Yes, I will get that info tonight when I get home. Thanks for the info. I was driving @ 65 MPH. I took it out last night and in manual I can stay in 4th gear and maintain speed. As I stated above, I don't see any difference between tow / haul on vs. off. No difference in shift patterns etc.

 

LOL, I was running about 65 MPH