Howdy gang. I'm sort of new to the world of trucks and towing/trailering. I bought a 2011 Ford F150 XLT with a 3.7L V6 engine 2 years ago and have only put on 8000 miles so far. Vast majority of it has been towing a 19 foot boat with a 2-stroke engine and 60 gallon fuel tank - so probably about 3500 pounds total using a single axle boat trailer.

We are now wanting a bigger boat - a 25 foot boat with one motor, 100 gallon fuel tank - probably a total weight to pull of 6000-6500 pounds.

I looked up my max towing weight allowed on my current truck and it looks like it is about 6400 pounds or so.

So, here's the question - it appears I need to swap out for another truck. I honestly can't imagine getting much larger of a boat, so something that could safely tow 6000-6500 pounds would be ideal. We maybe do 1-2 trips a year down to the Keys (about 500 miles on interstate, at 65 mph or less most of the time). I am a very safe driver, and wife likes to drive the truck as well.

Our only other experience with towing was using a Suburban 2500 with 8.1L engine to tow a 31 foot travel trailer (dual axle with electric brakes). It had an anti-sway system on it.

So, do I need to get a F250 Superduty gas engine (don't really want or need to go diesel) or would an F150 with v8 or Ecoboost v6 do everything I need to do and then some? Again, I'm looking for safety, decent MPG (yeah, I know - you can't expect great MPG when towing - LOL), and reliability. I love the 2011 F150 I have now, and the wife thinks it is more comfortable and quieter than our Sonata) but we definitely need more towing capacity for our new boat.

Any special things to look for, axle ratios, anti-sway control, special towing packages, etc.?

Was thinking of waiting until the end of the year and seeing if I can get a killer deal on a 2012 or 2013 model year at the end of the year as well as a decent trade on my very low mileage truck.

 

If your going to swap trucks a F150 with 5L or ecoboost will pull that no problem just get at least 3 55 gears...Once you get your new boat I would fill it with gas and take it to a weigh station and see exacltey how much weight it is and if its 6k I would even try and see how your current truck handles it before spending the money on a new truck, If it was me Id probaly tow it with what you have, its not like its asking for the impossible..thats just my own thoughts...that being said what set up do you have as gears and drivetrain?

 

It is the Supercab XLT model, 3.73 gear ratio, with trailer tow package, 6700 GVWR package.

The boat I'm considering is I think 3500 pounds dry weight, add 500 pounds for the motor, about 600 pounds with full fuel tank, and about at most another 500 pounds of gear (fishing, safety, electronics, scuba tanks, water, ice, etc.) plus the trailer weight (I have no idea what a dual axle trailer for a 25 foot boat weighs - maybe 1200-1500 pounds) - so now we're looking at close to 6500 pounds - I really don't think my truck can handle that sort of weight safely.

 

Your trailer probably weighs only 1000# and I think your truck would tow it just fine especially with the 3.73 gear ratio. I would at least weigh everything and if it comes in under your magic number, tow it with your current truck. I think you will be surprised.

 

That actually sounds like a good idea. I would assume that I could find a weigh station close by and if things are OK then good, but if it is really pushing the weight, I can slowly limp home and start looking for a new truck - LOL.

 

any excuse for a new truck and boat? lol. JK. I agree you should weigh everything with your current truck to make sure before you dive into another truck.

 

If the weight comes in high though, an F-150 can still meet the needs of towing 7,000 lbs. If you're sticking with gassers, the F-250 only weighs 500 lbs more than an F-150 of comparable configuration. So the heavier tow vehicle argument is almost null at that point (it's the diesels that get a good weight increase). Most of the F-150's have a payload rating around 1,500 lbs. So you should be able to stick with the half tons. There's also the heavy duty 7 lug variant that can take even more payload, well over 2,000 lbs. Otherwise, the gasser super duties will get you more payload and a rougher ride with slightly higher tow ratings than an F-150. It's the diesel versions of the super duties that really up the ante.

 

Sigh . . . so confused about what to do. Part of me is wondering if simply sticking with my current truck (appears to be 6400 towing capacity) would do it - I realize it would be VERY close to max, and worry about performance, ability to pull boat out of the water at a wet ramp, and wear and tear on the truck on a long trip or over the course of "x" years, but the thought of having to trade in my current truck and end up paying another $4000-$6000 to upgrade to another truck kind of suck.

Question - would there really be any reason to hold out for a 3.73 axle and Max trailer towing package, or stick with the 3.55 on the Ecoboost? We're talking 9800 pound capacity with the 3.55 vs. 11,300 lbs with the 3.73, but it really seems quite difficult finding the 3.73 - hell, the 3.55 is tough to find right now - seems like all of the ones I'm finding on the lots or advertised are 3.15s mostly, with a few 3.31s here and there.

 

I believe your 3.7 will pull your boat, but without much reserve power, and that will get tiresome after a while, especially on a longer trip. The best way to go would be 5.0 or the Ecoboost, and 3.55, or 3.73 has the rating to tow the weight your are considering. I do agree to go to the weigh station and see where everything is, but going to a 25 foot boat and trailer and gear will tax a 3.7 truck, IMO.

 

I would agree with the majority The truck itself should handle the weight with no problem and safe but the engine would possibly labor and want to hunt gears which gets tiresome. I haven't driven a truck with the 3.7 so won't say it won't pull it. If you are running up and down hills that engine will run out of steam pretty quick. For what you are pulling, I wouldn't go up to the F250 just on account of that unless you plan on getting heavier trailers over 10K and pulling often. As far as options go, sway control is standard and at least 3.55 gears would be ideal. Ecoboost or 5.0 would be fine. If it was me, I would agree with getting it weighed first and see how it feels to you. I've seen a lot of older pickups with 6 cylinders pulling heavy loads and they didn't have the suspension and power of these newer V6 powered trucks.

 

Keep in mind he's also pulling something that's moderately aerodynamic... not a travel trailer which is akin to towing a brick.

If you're doing a 500-mile trip to the Keys, it's likely that you either live in north Florida or just across the border? The highest point in Florida is less than 400' AMSL, so it's not likely that you're towing up and down any massive hills?

It also might be important to remember that the 2011 3.7 has roughly the same torque and substantially more horsepower than the 4.6 did 10 years ago. I'm sure quite a number of people have towed a boat with a 4.6.

Hook it up, weigh it to make sure you're within the truck's capacity, and give it a try. It's not going to be a speed demon, but I bet it will work just fine without excessive hunting. If you start planning a cross-country trip over the mountains, then you might want to look at an upgrade.

And you definitely don't need a Super Duty to pull that boat, unless you intend to upgrade even further down the road.

 

http://www.ford.com/resources/ford/g..._F150nov18.pdf

the highest listed tow rating for the 3.7 is 6100 lbs, listed for a 4x2 regular cab long box. so your 6400 lbs estimate is a little high.

based on that, you are probably going to beyond what the truck is rated for.

further down the page, assuming 4x2, there isn't a gear ratio listed for either the 5.0 or ecoboost which does not exceed the expected 6500 lbs. so just about anything you get should be fine.

all of that being said .... and i'm not advising you to exceed manufacturer's ratings ... i'd be in the 'wait and see' crowd. i'd like to know that i actually need a bigger hammer before i go and buy one.

you will probably be beyond the truck's rated capacity, though.......

 

So, what about 4x4 ? I think I've decided to go with an F250 for various reasons - should I go ahead and go all out and get a 4WD for those occasions I might really need it, or will a 2WD F250 do the job on a 7000 pound boat/trailer combo at normal, well-maintained ramps?
Reason I ask is I'm looking at these two trucks and didn't know if it made sense to pay less for a 4x4 F250 with 48k miles on it vs. the under 8k mileage F250 with 2WD?
Cars for Sale: 2011 Ford F250 4x4 Crew Cab Super Duty in Tampa, FL 33619: Truck Details - 343392134 - AutoTrader.com
Cars for Sale: 2011 Ford F250 2WD SuperCab Super Duty in Tampa, FL 33619: Truck Details - 342132241 - AutoTrader.com

 

Well if you get the 4x2 and get it with the elocker then you would be ok in most situations on well maintained ramps. I personally want the 4x4 not only for going up to the ski slopes...but pulling the boat out of a ramp that is not as well maintained....OR that well maintained ramp that is really slick.

 

Well, looks like the sales people at the dealership realize it is the end of the month - they really want me in to check out the 2011 F250 4x4 in the link above - say they can go $26,500 on it. My 2011 F150 XLT with 8500 miles on it is coming in on KBB for a trade value of about $22,000

Cars for Sale: 2011 Ford F250 4x4 Crew Cab Super Duty in Tampa, FL 33619: Truck Details - 343392134 - AutoTrader.com


So, what do you guys think? If I got $22k for my trade, do you think I could get the $26,500 price down any more?

It has 48k miles on it, but is a Certified Pre-Owned, which means it comes with a 7 year/100,000 mile (from original date of purchase) power train warranty - which means it has 52k miles or 5 more years of powertrain warranty left.

Truck has new tires on it as well.