First tow... now im impressed

ford_07 · #1 (**permalink**) 10-19-2009, 11:10 AM

i hooked a load behind my truck for the first time this weekend
and let me say any douts i had about buying a half ton with
a gas engine have been taken care of.

i was towing a 22ft flat deck tandem axel trailer (hydraulic tilt deck which adds a little extra weight to the trailer), round trip was about 150miles, i loaded up 10 round bails (approx 1000lbs each) some might say thats crazy but i felt in control the entire time and the truck handled it considerable well. and i realize this is pushing the limits but wow... there was one 9% grade that i climbed, i just came off a ferry so there was no room to get a run at the hill and the truck shifted through the gears until it found one it could pull the hill in. i belive it was 3rd gear, and i gained speed up to the 50mph speed limit when i backed off the throttle a little bit until we went over the top. i was in tow/haul the whole time i was loaded. the trailer brake controller once set worked flawlessly.
now dont get me wrong i would not want to pull this kind of load all day every day but once in a while this truck is more than capable for whatever i might throw at it.
empty trailer-13.6 average mpg
loaded trailer- 7.4 average mpg

Deluxe05 · #2 (**permalink**) 10-19-2009, 10:18 PM

Glad to hear that you have a new found respect for your truck. They are quite capable, and in working conditions, they definitely give us a reminder of why the F-Series has been the #1 seller for so long!!

ford_07 · #3 (**permalink**) 10-20-2009, 10:19 AM

you got that right, i looked over the competions trucks before i bought this one and IMO there is no comparison!

Greg B · #4 (**permalink**) 10-20-2009, 08:25 PM

There might be a few that may have a feature or two better like engine, but nobody builds the complete performance package that Ford does.

m350 · #5 (**permalink**) 10-21-2009, 07:06 AM

Thats a pretty impressive load for an F-150 !!,,,my 16', 4 ton Equipment trailer weighs around 1800 lbs empty,,,,so your 22',,Hyd tilt deck has to weigh atleast 2500 lbs or so,,,plus 10,000 in Hay bales,,,wow,,,stout F-150's !

ford_07 · #6 (**permalink**) 10-21-2009, 10:38 AM

thats about what we were thinking, i borrowed the trailer from my uncle so i havent actually weighed it.

speedster1322 · #7 (**permalink**) 11-02-2009, 04:35 PM

So I am new here and just purchased and 09 Platinum. The weight you describe is 10K lbs plus the trailer. What do you feel is the max towing capacity is for our trucks?

I have a 31ft Cedar Creek travel trailer that I pull about 2 times per year and just want to make sure that the Capacity will be OK. I had an 04 F150 prior that I used and it seemed OK.

broncobran68 · #8 (**permalink**) 11-02-2009, 07:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by speedster1322

What do you feel is the max towing capacity is for our trucks?

That is a complicated question. Around the farm you can pull as much as the truck can handle. 20k, 30k whatever you have the torque and traction for.

However I would be hesistant to regularly pull near the trucks rated limit of 11.1k or 11.3k, especially at interstate speeds or over challenging mountain passes that require heavy braking, steering, or throttle input.

But if you tow slow, a couple times a year, over moderate terrain, then your F150 can really handle some weight. If your 04 did it, your 09 will do it better.