I have towed the utility trailer around quite a few times without much of a load. Yesterday I hooked up to the boat. about 4500 lbs boat, motor, trailer and fuel.

Never having towed anything substantial with this truck, I didn't know what to expect. I've had two V10 Super Duties and probably would have bought another if you could still get that engine in an f250. The 3.5 EB has been highly praised for it's towing ability and I really didn't want to deal with the Super Duty ride and death wobble anymore. So I bought the F150 with the Max Tow Pkg, because I believe in a little overkill.

All I can say is Wow! I am more than impressed. Now, I didn't go far with the boat, maybe about 30 miles. The truck very easily pulled that load. From a dead stop I could accelerate with traffic with no problem whatsoever. The tires will even spin from a stop if you get on the pedal too much. That's a lot of torque.

I live in a hilly area, so I went to the incline gauge to see how steep one of the hills I pulled was and it was 5% for about 1/2 a mile. No problem at all. The truck shifted up and down intuitively. The 157" wheelbase was very steady and I never felt the the rear suspension was getting upset by changes in the road surface. Other half tons I have had, I would really feel the trailer back there. There was next to no squat, maybe an inch max with the trailer connected.

This trailer has no brakes, so I cant comment on the brake controller aspect.

All in all, this truck has far exceeded my expectations. Others can tell you how good it is, but you never know until you experience it first hand. I was sure the truck was capable, but it was much better than I expected it would be.

For my 4500 lb load, I would say that 3.31 gears would have been just fine. A 2.7 EcoBoost would just as well tow that load too. The torque from the 3.5 EB is incredible when you experience it. I have no doubt that a 3.5 EB will easily tow twice the load I did and have no problem at the maximum rated tow weight. I don't miss the old F250 as much anymore.

 

Glad to hear she exceeded your expectations!

Your thoughts pretty much mirrored mine when I first hooked up to something heavy with my '13. The diesel-like torque curve combined with the 6-speed auto makes for a fantastic towing experience. Haven't pulled more than my 3,500 lb boat with mine, but I look forward to the day when I can hook to something more substantial.

 

I towed my 25' Sea Ray I/O back from the lake last fall and had the same experience - Wow! The boat and trailer probably go 5500 lbs, and the truck handled it like it was hardly there. And my trailer has electric brakes and the controller worked nicely with them.

We are gearing up for a trip to Lake Powell with it this fall, which is at least 2,000 mile round trip, so will have lots more experience to report late this year. But I'm confident the truck will yawn, shrug its shoulders, and make it a walk in the park. And that's why I like overkill.

 

Friday I pulled our boat across town to have something looked at (8X miles round trip). I have the 5.0 and all I can say is wow also. the truck did great. Coming from 6.0 Excursion. I like the new truck better. Our boat/trailer weighs in about 5700lbs with everything.

 

Even though we have different engines, the transmission is a big part of what makes it tow so well. I'm impressed with how well it shifts under load.

 

Yup, this right here. It's very tough to compare towing with older 3- and 4-speed transmissions and a modern 6-speed.

 

We only towed the racing trailer (8100 lbs) once last year, after getting the truck and it towed nicely, once I got the TW dialed in. This season will be a good test for it, as we have a full season of events from Bowling Green, KY up to Elkhart Lake, WI and in between. Was in BG, KY in March, pretty hilly between Cincy and BG and once again the truck did great, handling the hills just fine. So far the 150 is doing all we needed it to do, very pleased with it.

 

My last F150 was an '06 with a flex fuel 5.4 and a 4 speed auto. It was a crew cab 4x4 with a 6.5 ft bed. I didn't keep that truck long and it tainted my expectations for F150s for quite some time. It was a disappointing truck for towing.

 

I have a 2001.....its got even less power than the 06 has. but what I really dislike is the 4 spd automatic. (And mine has a transgo shift kit which really improved the shifting with a load, Id never have a 4R70W without the kit ever again, I hate the way a stock one shifts). I have learned how to drive it, but its not a relaxing drive when towing.