Not every one orders there truck or finds one with the towing package, I just walked in traded in my 2003 and picked the 04 off the lot.

 

The other thing to think about is that if you get the towing package it should(now a days anyways) come prewired for a brake controller. This makes it much easier. I used to work at an RV dealership and I think your going to have a hard time finding a good dealership whos going to install a good class 4 hitch/with wiring and set up a brake controller for much under 200 bucks. I also DO NOT suggest going with a no drill hitch. Most of the time they are universal and are nothing but a pain. I did one on my ranger and dont ya know it wouldn't fit with out modifying the hitch its self. I had to drill out the hitch to make it fit and now the hitch also sits alot lower then it should because its ment for like 20 different trucks. I saved 20 bucks but gained alot of aggravation, its not worth it. If you decide not to get the towing package have an RV dealer install a good rease hitch and then get the wire kit to wire it your self, with alittle wire know how and the wiring diagram for the 7 way round you can easily wire it up, the hardest part is finding a spot to run the wire for the 12v line and brake controller lines. If your concerned about having a four flat plug pick up a 10 dollar 7 pin round to 4 pin flat adpater, just as good.

I would spend the 350 bucks honestly
Not to mention the extra cooling is a big plus weather your truck spends its life towing 10,000 pounds or 10,000 loafs of bread.(not replacing the tranny as soon is worth 350 dollars to me)

 

Phatpharm85,

You're right on the money!!! The $350 (which you can bargin down to about $300) tow package from Ford is worth every penny. If you never tow a single thing it's still worth it. The hitch also has an added bonus of protection to rear end dammage. A few years back I had a Dodge Neon drive right into the rear of my '98 F150 which had the tow package. The neon had a croumpled hood, busted condensor, and a busted radiator, not to mention some crossmembers that had to be straightened. My truck had 3 scratches on the bumber and a bent wiring harness. What more can I say!!!!

 

hahahahah thats why I drive a truck!! I had the same thing happen to my ranger, someone from my college with a little acura don't know how to use the brakes and walked right into the draw bar that I had in my reciever. They also make a very conveinent tow point if you or someone needs to become unstuck, its right there so theres no searching for a hole in the frame and you know its gonna be sturdy enough.

 

Gotta love it!!!!

 

Phatpharm,
Are you the local Rv expert? Have I got a hitch question for you! I found a Arctic Fox 21-5R 5th wheel that I am in love with. It's about 4,400 lbs dry, with 950lb on the pin. The problem is, I am having huge problems finding out if I can do a 5er with my '04 F150 due to the 58" bed rail height (about the same as a 4wd F350 w/ 4" blocks). Am I going to be limited to a travel trailer? What advice do you have for me? I've heard of people doing an axle flip, is this expensive? Or dangerous? Any inputs would be greatly appreciated!
Regards,
Loren

 

A 21 foot 4400 lb 5th wheel is probally going to have a pretty low hitch hieght to it. I would take and measure the height of the bottom of the trailer, not the king pin its self, when the trailer is level and see what the height is. If its any were close to 58" you should be able to get away with doing an axle flip. I do not know how expensive they are but you should need limited parts and you'll only be paying for the labor involved I believe. If thats the case I'de figure on 75-85 dollars an hour and maybe 2 hours or so. As far as being safe I'm pretty sure that theres nothing wrong with it, theres alot of people that do them, it was a huge problem when the first superduty's rolled off the assembly line. I dont know if that trailer has a slideout on it or not but if you look for a trailer with a slide they will already be quit a bit higher then a trailer without(due to all the room need for the mechanicles). either that or look at a slightly bigger trailer say around a 26 foot or so, those might be bigger as well and shouldn't weight to much more then about 6000 pounds. You didnt say what combo you have in your truck so I'm not sure whats it rated to tow but you can pull quit a good size trailer with those new trucks. the only other concern is that since the beds are quit a bit deeper you have to make sure that the hitch itself is going to stick up high enough to accept the king pin with out being to close to the bed rails even with a high trailer. Although I'm sure the hitch companys would of already thought of that. The deeper bed hieght means a taller tailgate as well so I would make sure that you have enough room for the tailgate to clear when you go to hook up, its probaly not that big of a deal but its just something else to think about.

Hope this helps and good luck, any other questions or something I might of missed feel free to ask.

 

I would agree with the majority of the posts. Get the tow pack that comes with Ford and get all the extras... you never know what you'll be towing in the future. It's WELL WORTH the $350.00 especially when you get the extra heavy battery, coolers and wiring.

 

Phatpharm,
I've got a 15,000 lb gcwr on my truck, 9,300 max trailer weight according to the ford site. I am looking for a lightweight trailer, so i'd like to stay with a short 5er or a travel trailer. No slides on this one, also. I'll have to write to Nash and see if they can't measure out the height to the edge of the slide, they might have some info for me. They call this one of their trekker versions, so i think it may have a higher height than some, if not most. Thanks again, and sorry for hi-jacking the thread.

Loren