Please bear with the longish post.

I own a 2003 F-150 SuperCab with 4.2L V-6, auto tranny w/OEM cooler, and 3.55 rear-end. I have installed a class-IV hitch and a trailer brake controller. New tires (P265/65-17 2337 lb capacity @ 44psi), new brakes, new fuel filter, oil change & new filter, as well as new tranny filter & fluid all within the last 500-1000 miles.

The truck weighs ~6000 lbs fully loaded (family & pet) & full tank of gas.

I just bought a Trail-Cruiser TC26QBH travel trailer. I bought this unit based on the RV dealerships sales & service people saying it would be no problem for my truck to tow it because of the TT's low dry weight (as long as I didn't put much more than LP, luggage, & linens in the TT). The trailer has a dry hitch weight of 525 lbs, a dry weight of 3881 lbs, and a load capacity of 2242 lbs. I have a weight distributing/anti-sway hitch that was set-up by the RV dealer.

The more I read & learn about weights & capacities, the more concerned I become that the truck is not capable. My wife is planning a trip from Norfolk, VA to Denver, CO towards the end of June with just her and the kids. I will be at sea (active duty Navy).

Her plan is to travel no more than 300-400 miles per day, driving 50-55 mph as this will be her first trip towing and she wants to enjoy spending time at different RV parks along the way.

A new truck is really out of the question unless absolutely necessary. I might be able to swing it, but it would make things really, really tight - if I could get financing. At the same time, the last thing I want to do is place my family in any danger. I have never had a lick of trouble with the mechanical ability of the truck. My plan was to let her use the truck to tow the trailer out West this one trip, and then buy a new/new-to-me F-250 or F-350 after my next deployment (which will be over before next summer).

Would adding helper springs help or hurt? Is my limitation based solely on the V-6 and auto tranny?

Comments & suggestions please.

 

Get a larger trans. cooler than stock, stay at conservative speeds and stay out of OD on any kind of hills........Just drive conservative, anticipates stops and you should be OK.....a 4.6 OR 5.4 would make the job easier, but your V6 150 should handle it.

 

I'll echo Dave's advice here. Most of the time, it's an owner on here contemplating which truck to buy. Since you already have the truck and TT and money is of concern, I would agree with Dave on this.

First thing I would do is look at the setup when everything is hitched up. With the WD hitch, you should be able to equalize the weight and distribute it front to rear on the truck to somewhat level your setup. Auxiliary springs are always a good addition but you may not necessarily need them with the setup you have.

Definitely have her get out and drive the truck with the trailer hooked up and have her practice backing, etc. Get it up on the interstate and let her get used to the feel of it with the crosswinds, etc.

Watch your GVWR, GCWR, and GAWR to make sure you don't exceed them. You'll probably be fine where the weight is concerned. Likely, the biggest thing she'll have to worry about will be lugging and dropping speed on hills and mountains. No biggie. Hit the slow lane with the semis and keep on going.

One other thing she may want to do is limit the first few legs of the trip to a couple hundred miles each time until she builds her confidence a little if need be.

To answer your question, the engine will probably be the biggest stumbling block in the equation. The auto tranny will be better pulling that load than a manual would with the same engine.

Here is the link to the '03 Ford towing guide where you can find your truck's ratings:

http://www.sunrisefordfleet.com/pdf_...uides/2003.pdf

Good luck with everything, be careful, and come home in one piece. Thanks a million for your service my friend!

 

Good advise, John......I spend a lot of time towing boats with a Ranger and know ALL about towing with less than a powerhouse of a engine......Like to stress again, protect that auto trans!, go for a large aftermarket trans. cooler...And definatley have her get used to pulling the trailer in city and hi-way.

 

That's another great point Dave...the Transmission. If possible and you don't mind spending a little bit of money, get a good aftermarket trans temp guage. I don't know if your truck has one or not but the factory guages leave a little bit to be desired. Aftermarket tranny guage and have her keep an eye on it. Like Dave said, an aftermarket high capacity cooler would be a great addition too.

 

John & Dave,

Thanks for the advice.

I've had her pull the TT around town a little, as well as spending about an hour in the school parking lot pulling and backing into the bus parking spots. We will be going camping in the middle of May and I will follow her on my FJR (simulate her being alone but with me readily available should she need help).

I will look into a heavy-duty tranny cooler & temp gage.

John - I've been trying to do a lot of reading on the different truck & engine folders here to keep from repeating questions that have already been asked. At this stage, my plan is to go with a F-350 Crew Cab SRW 4X4 w/ 8' bed & V-10. I typically only put 5,000 - 6,000 miles on my Jeep Cherokee a year - my FJR is my primary ride, as long as there is no ice/snow. I don't tow heavy enough or far enough to justify the cost difference between the V-10 and the diesel.

 

The first thing that popped out to me is that you're running P series tires on a F-150. I would think you should at least be running LT (Light Truck) tires and at least load range D, maybe E if you can get them.

 

All the above is great advice, I cannot stress practicing and a trans cooler and guage. Watching the speed too.

You are in the Navy, thanks for the service. I did 21 years in the Army. Let her know If she is coming this way we are here to assist. If she plans to go the I 70 route to Colo, the route is not too bad once she gets on I70 no real hills or anything.

 

The tires are Firestone Destination LE tires - now that I think about it, I'm not sure if they are designated P or LT.

Will have the wife verify, but nothing I can do about it now as they are brand new with less than 500 miles on them.

 

tires will be fine based upon the load you are putting on them.

 

senix,

Thanks for the offer.

We'll be getting a little practice in soon. Fortunately for her - she enjoys putting along and enjoying the scenery.

Now I just need to work on getting a tranny cooler and gage installed. With me underway more than at home between now and when she leaves, I may end up having to pay a shop to do the work.

 

In your/her training rides, be sure she learns that she wants to keep car-in-front distance be double that of the tow vehicle alone! That'll give her plenty of room to stop if it's becomes an emergency stop......With all the advise you've gotten above, I think she'll do fine. One more thing I didn't see above, use a good tire pressure gauge - check 'em each morning before getting underway... bring along a good DC air pump (cig lighter. with a LONG cord). Newer trailers usually have an outside connection point too.

 

Thanks Bud.

I will have to pick up a new 12-VDC air pump. I can't seem to find mine.

I have three air pressure gages in the truck now - one heavy-duty stick-type, one dial-type with air release button, and one digital. They are all within a couple of pounds of each other and I test them regularly.

While practicing the other day - I also had her use just the trailer brakes a couple of times to slow down. Not completely stop the truck - she knows that the trailer brakes are not designed for that and that overusing them will burn them up faster than the trucks brakes. Trying to let her get a feel for everything.

 

TBC adjustment procedures-what works for me:

1. Pick a straight road, no traffic (like big parking lot). Get up to about 25 mph. Using the TBC only stop the trailer. Trailer brakes alone should be able to stop truck and trailer in a resonable amount of time. Trailer should be able to keep both stationary while truck is in gear. Do this to adjust the gain.

2. Try it out using the normal braking procedures you would in traffic.

3. Road test!

 

I cant stress enough protecting your trans with a large cooler, if you have a shop do it, dont let them talk you into bypassing the internal radiator trans cooler. Leave it in line and just get a larger than stock external cooler, about 14x14in. would be a good size, Hayden makes good ones. Your V6 F-150 is positively musclebound compared to some rigs I have towed with.