Hi, all.

I have a new-to-me 2013 F-150 SuperCrew 4x4 XLT with the 3.5L EcoBoost engine and 145" wheelbase.

I currently tow an 18' Summerland Mini 1800BH with a GVWR of 3940 lb, and a stated tongue weight of 440 lb.

Right now, my truck squats when I attach the trailer, but I think this is probably because a previous owner installed a leveling kit in the front, and it appears as if there might be some leveling/lift blocks in the rear between the axle and the leaf springs. Not sure if those are stock. It's obvious there is a leveling kit up front, so I have a specific question about the back: On a 2013 XLT with offroad package, how many blocks exist between the leaf spring and the axle? On mine, there are two blocks, and I just don't know if both of those are stock.

Anyway, this weekend was my time towing with this setup. My previous tow vehicle was a 2009 Chevy Suburban 1500, which worked very well with this trailer. The F-150 was a little squirelly on the road, and I'm not sure whats causing that. My guess is that the squireliness is caused by the squat that seems to be caused by the front leveling kit.

I would be truly surprised if the F-150 really has more trouble towing this trailer than the Suburban did, so I'm guessing its something else. It might be the leveling kit, or maybe I need a WDH with this setup, but 3940 lb and 440 lb seems low for a WDH.

What do y'all think?

Is removing the front leveling kit the place to start here, or should I be looking at something else? What about the WDH? I would appreciate any advice y'all can give here.

Thanks so much.

 

I'm brand new to a nearly identical truck, haven't towed with it yet, just drove it home tonight. But coming out of a 7.3 diesel with air bags and a rear sway bar the body roll on these things really startles me. The ride and quiet-ness is leagues apart though.

I have a feeling a sway bar might help a lot with your problem. And making sure all the ball joints are tight. But I'm curious to hear what people with some seat time in these things have to say.

 

It's wild, I used to think I needed a 3/4 ton to tow, but that was back in 2000. By 2010 that wasn't the case anymore, and a 1/2 ton is all that I would need now. It blows me away that a truck with a V6 engine has a tow capacity of nearly 5 tons!

I am super impressed with this truck -- completely blown away, to be honest. I just need to fix this towing issue, then I'm good.

 

I thought I'd post a couple of pics, since I know pics are always helpful.

Here are pictures of the front and back suspension. The front leveling blocks are clearly visible inside the coil springs, and hopefully my question about the blocks between the leaf springs is obvious from the picture here -- we can see two blocks between the spring and axle here, and I wonder if both of those blocks are stock on this truck. Thanks.

And, as I look at this picture more, maybe it's just one block (with nothing on the end) and one "something else" (with a bolt).


Front leveling kit

Two blocks between springs & axle -- one with a clean end, and one with a bolt -- are both of those stock?

 

I think the back looks stock. There's usually a spacer block between the welded on block and springs. But I'll go take a pic of mine later after I get the kids down since your thread doesn't seem to be catching traction.

 

Thanks. My suspicion is that the only suspension mod was the front leveling kit. I just want confirmation of what to tell my mechanic to remove.

 

I didn't measure but they look about the same to me.

 

Looks exactly the same to me. Thanks for the pic!

I'm still debating whether I need to start with removing the leveling kit, or if I need a weight-distribution hitch. If I need a WDH anyway (I doubt I do at ~450 lb tongue weight), then removing the leveling kit is just wasting money, unless it would help the WDH.

Also, I had another thought last night: maybe some of the squireliness I detected was due to me having put new tires on there -- and a new tire size -- and not getting an alignment. Still, it squats, so I need to fix the squat and make it more solid on the road.

It was sold with 33.5 x 8" tires (oversize) and wheel spacers. I had those removed when I bought it, and I had original size tires put back on (P275/65R18). I'm glad I did that, but I didn't get an alignment yet.

I'm thinking the order here is: remove leveling kit, get alignment, and tow to check level and sense how solid it is. Then, if it still needs help, get a WDH.

This F-150 should be able to tow this trailer without any trouble, so I am certain it's the leveling kit mod and maybe the alignment.

The trailer has an anti-sway unit (a Hayes Sway-Master) which seems to work very well. It's possible that unit died too, but I doubt it.

Thanks for all of your help and feedback - I really appreciate it.

 

Would recommend installing a rear sway bar.

Me:.

 

Thanks, I'll definitely investigate that. I added a rear swaybar to my 2003 VW Jetta 1.8T and it was awesome.

 

Personally I'd add a full length leaf to the rear pack. Get donor packs from a JY, take the main leaf out and lop off the eyes (cutting leafs with abrasives is 100% acceptable)

Slap it under your main leaf, install a longer center pin and order up new u-bolts.

I've done this on numerous vehicles over the years. It'll corner and handle way better and won't squat as badly when you throw a few hundred lbs in the bed. On longer wb's like this ride quality rarely suffers much if at all.

Beware aftermarket AAL's as they use short, heavily arched leafs which is the textbook way to a harsh ride and a short service life.

 

Thanks, all. Also, yesterday I tested on level ground with practically nothing in the truck (maybe 20 pounds of regular supplies). The front is about 1.5" higher than the rear, so it already squats with nothing in it! Definitely the front leveling kit needs to be removed!

Anyway, I keep telling my friends and family that I absolutely love this truck. I ask the kids at dinner every night what their favorite part of the day was, and recently mine is driving my new F-150. All I want to do is drive the truck, and I look forward to every errand. I jokingly said to a friend earlier: What I want to know is... does my truck dream of the times I get to drive it??

 

Just a thought: have you tried increasing tire pressure....Also confirm adding an extra rear leaf will help also !!
Rear sway bar added will also help.....

 

Hey, thanks, no I didn't increase tire pressure. But I can see that on level ground, my truck already squats because of the front leveling kit -- apparently the "leveling kit" overshoots it on the front and jacks the front so high that the rear squats. I'm having that "leveling kit" removed on Monday, and I'll tow again later this month and see how it does.

 

Good to see you're getting it sorted out. If removing the leveling kit doesn't do it for you. Personally I'd start with adding a rear sway bar. Mostly because I think it's a shame that any truck that's not a raptor doesn't come with one from the factory. They make such a huge difference in controlling, you guessed it, sway. But then again if F150s came with sway bars it would probably be harder to sell the bigger trucks.