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Depending on how many people you have to haul with you I would suggest an Ex cab or crew cab with a 6 1/2' bed. 5.4 engine with a 3.73 rear. Tow package a must. 2WD or 4WD doesn't make much difference.... depends on your needs. I tow a 33'-4" Trail Bay with my 04. Ready to camp it is 8500 LBS.
Not sure of the factory code for the tow pkg. If your looking at an Ext cab try looking at the HD payload pkg also. It comes with 7 lug wheels and I believe you have a 4.10 gear option. It also has a higher GVWR.... 9200.
I tow a 26 foot travel trailer that is 6,500 lbs. (actual) with my 06 SCREW with no problems. Don't make the same mistake I did. I bought an 04 SCAB and I thought I would have plenty of room for me, my wife, our son, one of his friends, and our dog. I was wrong. Now that our son is 13 and he and his friends have grown some (well ok, alot), we ran out of room in the 04 SCAB and I traded it in for an 06 Super Crew. Learn from my mistake and get a Super Crew. Make sure you get at least the 3.73 rear end and be certain to get the factory tow package. You should be able to tow just fine with that. I would try and get a truck with the 17" wheels instead of the 18s or 20s. Larger wheels reduce your tow rating and rob you of power you will need when towing. Besides that, there are many more aftermarket wheel and tire choices available for 17" wheels, and they are less expensive than the larger sizes, too. Anyway, good luck and enjoy your new truck.
No, the manual says to leave the OD on unless it is hunting from gear to gear excessively. I have not had to turn it off due to hunting. On flat ground I am able to get into OD and stay there. The OD does make a difference because once it kicks into OD the tranny temps begin to drop immediately. I have actually seen this with my EDGE Evo gauges. I recommend leaving OD on like the book says. It will also give you a slight increase in fuel mileage but I usually get 9-10 MPG towing the travel trailer.
I tow a 26 foot travel trailer that is 6,500 lbs. (actual) with my 06 SCREW with no problems. Don't make the same mistake I did. I bought an 04 SCAB and I thought I would have plenty of room for me, my wife, our son, one of his friends, and our dog. I was wrong. Now that our son is 13 and he and his friends have grown some (well ok, alot), we ran out of room in the 04 SCAB and I traded it in for an 06 Super Crew. Learn from my mistake and get a Super Crew. Make sure you get at least the 3.73 rear end and be certain to get the factory tow package. You should be able to tow just fine with that. I would try and get a truck with the 17" wheels instead of the 18s or 20s. Larger wheels reduce your tow rating and rob you of power you will need when towing. Besides that, there are many more aftermarket wheel and tire choices available for 17" wheels, and they are less expensive than the larger sizes, too. Anyway, good luck and enjoy your new truck.
This is exactly where I was going to go. A 2wd 3.73 and 17inch tires will give you your highest non-heavy duty tow rating. A crew is worth it. If you will NEVER have any people in the back or park in a tight space, then the ext cab will be ok. You can always swap in a set of 4.10's if you get the crew. The towing package is easy to spot. It will have the factory class III style hitch and a 4 pin and round trailer plug.
When you are towing your rig, I assume that you have the OD off sooooooooooooooo what rpms and speed is on your truck?
I have the identical setup and have been out with it once since buying the trailer and am wondering if I have made a mistake from the get go.
ED
ED, I tow quite a bit more weight but I have the same truck. It is an 04 Screw Lariat 4x4 with 3.73 gearing. I always tow with od off. I see 2400 RPM's at 63 MPH. I can set cruise there and be happy. The trailer I am towing is 8500#. In the mountains it does downshift to 2nd but it maintains speed. It will climb to 3500-3800 until the climb is over then go back to 2nd. The highest temp I have ever seen on the Edge was 200-210. This was in 98 deg heat with the air running pulling a long grade. When I got to the top, the temp went right back down to 173 and stayed there. When not towing It usually runs about 165. On flat ground I get 12-13 MPG. (from here to MB SC), in the mountains I see 9-10. Overall I am pretty pleased with this trucks towing ability. 6500# should be much easier. My trailer weighs more than that empty. Make sure you got your hitch set up correctly and have a good brake controller and have fun. Just because the dealer set up your hitch doesn't mean that it is correct. I had to re adjust mine 2 miles up the road from the dealer ship.
Hey Kevin, Are you referring to frontal area as in whats not covered by the truck? If not then I got BIG problems! Frontal area on my trailer is right at 64 sq ft. It is an 8'x8' box!x 33'-4" long! It still tows great!
From the spec of the Ford towing guide they refer to total frontal area. As you increase total frontal area the tow capacity goes down. It's just another piece in the total weight of the tow package capability. So if you are under the tow capacity of your truck I wouldn't worry about it. Max advertised tow specs are under the assumption of 60sq ft maximum area.