Sure 10-11K 5th wheels are towable with a properly optioned F150, I see them doing it all the time, trailer manufacturers have many 1/2 ton towable 5th wheel designs.

Okay, now that I put that out there, all the towing police will weigh in...

 

Part of my problem is that I don't have a properly optioned 150 for it. Another part of my problem is having a full family and other gear in the truck. A 250 would probably meet my needs, but a similarly equipped 350 is only a few hundred extra and I won't need to worry about it at all.

 

I pull our 14,700 pound fifth wheel with our 3.31 F350. We go to the Colorado mountains every September and other places during the year. I've not been anyplace or on any road that I've felt like I needed more oomph. Wanting more oomph, now that's a different thing.

 

I've towed a bunch over the decades. If I were doing what you were doing, my preference would be a 350 with 3.55's and skid plates (if you do even mild off road on occasion). Having said that, I agree with what everyone else is saying. You could easily do this with either gears and a 250.

If it is correct and you cannot get the skid plates as a standalone and the FX4 forces 3.31's, I would get the FX4 to have the skid plates. The FX4 shocks and hill descent are worthless to me. I would want the skid plates because on rare occasions, I find myself in tame off-road situations. Even when it is mild, a long wheel base truck has significant vulnerabilities with contact in off road situations. If I was confident I would never be in off-road situations, I would forget the plates and get the 3.55's for the tiny improvement in towing that they would offer over 3.31's.

Also, if I was confident I would never be in off road situations, or dealing with snow, or boat ramps, I would get a 2wd truck. They ride better, are cheaper to maintain, and get better mileage.

 

This is why I wanted the FX4. The skid plates seem worth it for that rare stuff. I will probably replace shocks earlier rather than later anyways and hill descent seems pointless since it's not the engine brake I thought it was. Adding skid plates later would be easier and probably cheaper than regearing an axle. Just trying to get some use cases for info. Thanks for the feedback everyone.

 

As someone who has towed trailers with 1/2 tons, which were totally "capable", and with 3/4 ton diesels, which were "overkill", I'll take overkill every day of the week. Torque is not the only concern. There's just a world of difference between the two different trucks. Besides, the Eco-boost motors work in a special way, they use turbos. Turbos are great, but they force a motor to work harder, and hotter, than it normally would. Diesels are drastically overbuilt, so they're a perfect match for turbos. Taking a light duty truck and putting a small motor in it, then forcing air into the engine for a hotter burn, then marketing it as 12k lb capable, does not sound like a good long-term recipe for success.

The Eco-boost engine is awesome for everyday use and occasional towing, but Ford is duping uneducated consumers with these torque and HP numbers. Then a trailer salesman further pushes someone into a trailer matching their trucks max numbers, or going over because he just wants a sale, and its a dangerous or unsatisfactory situation.

I went through it and have had friends go through it. We all ended up with 3/4 ton+ trucks in the end. Its not fun to have a trailer push you around on the highway with your family setting in your truck. Especially if you're limited to a low speed and can't pass anyone, as was my case with a 2003 4.6 liter F150.

 

Oh heck, don't be such a baby!
Ricky and Lucy towed their LONG, LONG, Trailer with a convertible car! And, Lucy filled it with thousands of pounds worth of rocks!

 

My 2023 F-350 FX4 has the 3.73

 

But, this thread is about diesel trucks, not gas.

 

I've made a few posts about this topic.

The FX4 is available with 3.55 in SRW 6.7. The online configurator is wrong. It wasn't until job 2 3.55 was able to be added to non-tremor. But for a short period when job 2 opened 3.55 was able to be added but it deleted FX4, then the glitched was fixed... I have seen several window stickers with 3.55/FX4/SRW/6.7


The truck I built unfortunately the dora had 3.55 and it showed up with 3.31 so they might re build 3.55 for me. Tow guides for 6.7 HO have higher numbers with 3.55, but like most people said there probably won't be much of a difference.

 

the person who posted it would have been right up until midway through 22 MY, blame this one on Ford. Up until very recently skidplates were standalone options. Ford suddenly took away a lot of stand alone options to force people into taking a higher trim that they otherwise would have ordered, I remember clearly that when I ordered in Feb 2022 skid plates were possible order on its own. A few months later people noticed Ford quietly removed that option.

 

I have had 3 6.7 diesel trucks with 331 rear ends . Two were 6 speed transmission and my 22 is a 10 speed. I have towed all over the United States and I have never felt like I needed any more power or a lower gears..

 

My 5th Wheel is around 12-14k lbs and my truck has no issues towing it in the hills, 2022 6.7L with 3.31 gears/10 speed.