Does anyone know the difference here? All I can see on paper is that the Max Tow has the telescoping mirrors and "upgraded rear bumper" along with the trailer brake controller.

Say I were comparing a Limited to a Platinum. The Platinum can get the Max Tow package, but the only difference I see comparing a Platinum to a Limited would be the 20" v.s. 22" wheels and then being the telescoping mirrors if you're comparing a Supercrew to a Supercrew. It appears you can't get Max Tow in a 6.5' Supercrew anyways.

Thoughts?

 

Might have different springs, and max tow forces the 4.10 axle ratio.
Dig through the trailer tow guides on Towing Guides | fleet.ford.com, there is a lot of info hidden in there.

 

The contents of the max tow package will vary depending on what else is specified. On mine, I think that it only actually included mirrors and the upgraded rear bumper. It REQUIRES that you have the tow package, brake controller, 7650# GVWR, 3.73 e-lock rear, ecoboost, and probably limits wheel/tire options. The base trailer package gets you the hitch, wiring, aux. trans. cooler, upgraded rad, select shift trans.

FWIW, mine is a '14 screw XLT, 5.5, 4x4, 302A package. Max tow was only a $335 option on mine, but you have to pay elsewhere to get all the requirements.

 

It doesn't seem to force the 4.10 axle ratio as all I can find is that it requires the 3.73 LS axle.

That's what I'm thinking. As far as I can tell if you've got a Limited or Platinum that comes standard with the regular tow package and trailer brake controller and is equipped with the 3.5 or 6.2 and a 3.73 LS or E-lock axle along with the 145" WB Supercrew you've got the Max Tow package minus the "upgraded bumper" and towing mirrors. I understand that wheel and tire packages can limit the Max Tow as well, but I'm assuming any of the 20" (or smaller) wheel setups will work for Max Tow.

 

If we are talking 2014 and older you can get Max Tow with 157" wheelbase trucks. I own one....an FX4 with a 6.2 as a 2013 and my mother has my trucks twin as 2014 but in black instead of white. The 6.2 unlike the ecoboost forces the 7700 lb gvw ( not 7650) regardless of max tow anyway. My FX4 is an appearance package truck ( as is the 2014) and of course has 20's. I own a 6.2 XLT and its only a 3.55 gear truck. Still has a 7700 lb gvw, trailer brake controller and whatever else... just no 3.73 gears. If the hitches are actually different I honestly fail to see physically how lol... same for the rear bumper. My XLT and FX4 look identical and I am willing to bet money that they have everything else the same, and actually are, minus 3.55 gears versus 3.73. The XLT has way more payload than the FX4 ( just a SCab xlt so a lot lighter) and is still legal to tow 9700 lbs.... and with more payload likely could do it legally. With only a 1350 lb payload my FX4 never could tow it's rated 11000 lbs anyway. The XLT has a 1850 lb payload so it's actually legally useful as a truck. But this way you get 3.73 gears. In Canada you don't need dumbo mirrors for Max Tow either as its an option, and one that my FX4 lacks... thankfully.

 

The standard supercab fx4 was 7200 gvw, the maxtow supercab is 7700 gvw, this w/ecoboost and 3.73 gears, drove two lariate crews with ecoboost and theyonly had 7200 lb gvw's . with the max tow, you get the heavier bumber and heavier hitch as well, also the big mirrors, trailer brake controller and larger radiator, I do not know if their are any suspension changes, on some trucks(not fx4) you could combine the heavy payload pkg and max tow and have a gvw of 8300 lbs which came with 7 lug wheels in steel or aluminum, typically in a supercab w/8' bed or supercrew w6'5" bed, in the higher trims, I don't know.

 

I think if anybodys worried about hauling that much/often with their 1/2ton step up to a 3/4ton diesel. Not that my F-150 doesn't haul well, it does great, but I don't see these extras that they give you with the max tow pckg worth it because of the limited amount of hp of the engines. That's what my next truck will be...diesel.

 

Max tow is a numbers game based on engine, springs, axle and body. They then add the mirrors but most trucks in XLT have the bumper, most in Lariat have the hitch and tranny cooler, I think FX4 adds the brake controllers, Plat and Limited usually have all the parts. Different cost per level adds all the pieces.



Of note the 5.0 cant have max tow. Why? Probably a numbers game to get the eco to sell more. Ford needs more eco sales to meet the min fuel milage numbers fed government requires. (Average of all units built gives this number, so build more trucks that get 1-3 mpg more, average increases)


So look at a 5.0 with a 3.73 rear end, rated 200 lbs trailer max below the eco max tow truck. I think the 5.0 would be fine with one more fat girl in the trailer.


I don't know how many of you ever towed 10k lbs. I had a F250 v-10 supercab long bed and a F350 crew cab 4x4 v-10 which I pulled a 38 ft 10k trailer. It would pull fine, stop ok and get pushed around at times. A 6k truck empty. Heavy brakes, axles, frames, everything. Much heavier duty. I pulled about 3k with new truck and it felt the same way, went fine, slowed ok and got pushed around a little on the road. Cant really see these trucks with 10 k not squatting like crazy even with a load equalizing hitch and being pushed hard down the road. I wont say diesel is needed as for 15 years I used gas v-10 in two models

 

I guess at this point I'm just trying to not completely give up all of the capacity of the 06 F-250 I'll be replacing. I found an 11 Platinum Max Tow Ecoboost with the 3.73's and long bed. I'm also looking at Limiteds, but I'd hate to be stuck at 7300 lbs. or lower. Also, it's a kick between the Ecoboost or the 6.2 at this point.

 

Distribute weight and the trailer won't squat the truck too crazily. I have had 10k behind most everything I have ever owned and it's been fine. I have never owned a weight distributing hitch either.... and probably never will buy one. Most of the time I swap the factory receiver out for one that's rated. My FX4 has seen 10000 lbs and it pulled it and stopped it fine. .. i dunno weight doesn't scare me. I suppose that's the farmer and class 1 driver in me... As long as the trailer has proper working brakes it's not a big deal. But most people seem to have trouble towing 2000 lbs... so 10000 behind them would pretty well spell disaster.

 

If you want to talk being legal look at the door sticker on that Platinum. If it's any more than 1400 lbs capacity I would be surprised. Legally you can't pull much of anything with the truck and a trailers hitch weight with more than you in the cab. The 11000 or 10000 lb tow rating doesn't mean anything. Somewhat humerus is a lot of 3/4 ton diesels aren't legal to haul much either... again based on the sheer weight of the truck. Within the confines of this province I live in that sticker doesn't matter... as long as the tires aren't over their rated capacity you are good to go....

 

I am not saying they cant do it, and I thought the weight dist hitch was a requirement above 5 k for the hitch specs, which is recommended when you get above half the max weight rated. Good write up, and shows the tongue could be 1000, but with a weight dist hitch , the truck fells half that. SO looking at 1400 haul weight, you still can get 4 fat girls inside the truck.


How Towing Weight Distribution Systems Work - HowStuffWorks


But if a F-350 feels bullied by a trailer, a lighter by 20 percent F-150 got to feel it more. Glad to hear someone put 10 k behind one and didn't mind. Trailer brakes are fine, till you come down a long grade and they are hot. That's where the 250/350 will like the load better.


But to buy a truck only max trailer/ lots of others with close to same capability, just no mirrors!

 

The thing with these F150's is you aren't really a half ton anymore. I have towed for a long time with GM 8600 GVWR 3/4 ton trucks and had zero issues with weight. Now look under that 3/4 ton and this F150. Those trucks didn't have full float rear ends..... just the 9.5" semifloater. An 8" C channel frame that necked to 6" channel over the rear diff.... versus the boxed chassis on the F150. The brakes which are the same that GM used on all trucks with 9900 lb GVW or less are roughly the same size as these on the F150. Hitches were the same junk that said 5000 lbs or something like that without a weight distributing hitch. So I tossed those hitches in favor of a Curt that costs like $250 lol. So really..... what exactly makes those trucks more capable? The badge on the door? Lol. That's about it. They were legal for the 10000 lb pull... and these trucks as comparable as they are were too. But they had 8 lugs attaching the wheels so that just meant you had 2 more lugs to put stress on and thus raise the GVW higher lol. Kind of like how 7 lug wheels on one these trucks along with a couple minor tweaks makes it legal for 8200 lbs.


These aren't a half ton from the 90's with an 8.8" out back and a 6" at best frame with like 11" single piston discs and 10" drums out back anymore. Even 10 years ago they were comparable to a lot of badged "3/4 ton" trucks. If you problems on hills that's what downshifting the transmission and not constantly riding the brakes is for. Although the Ecoboost especially provides more or less nothing with regards to engine braking.


Curt offers a Class IV hitch for these F150's rated for 10000 lbs/ 1000 lb tongue weight with no weight distributing hitch. I might buy a couple..... the only thing is it says "without factory hitch". Well.... if I unbolt mine then technically I don't have a factory hitch either lol.

 

Your saying a distribution hitch is a requirement? I assume your from Pa since your location says Steeler Country. Lol me too! So anyways I've been inspected by the DOT in Pa while pulling over 5k. They never said anything about not having a dist. hitch. I think we're safe here at least.

 

don't know if its a requirement legally. Guess a weigh station might be able to figure the weight on rear and front got to much for the GVWR. But at least old hitches had 5000 max without eight dist. hitch.