Enough truck?

[richf28]

My son has a 27 ft camper with dry weight of 6500 lbs. He is looking at a 2009 ford f150 with a 5.4 engine, auto, and 3:31 gears. Curious if this is enough truck with that gear ratio. He pulls it fine now with a 2005 Chevy 1500, 5.3, auto and 3:42 gears.

[f6bits]

Not likely. From the Trailer Life Towing Guide (http://www.trailerlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Trailer-Life-Towing-Guide-2009.pdf), a 5.4 with 3:31 looks to have a towing capacity of 7,800 lbs. Check the link and look for that truck’s exact specs (2/4wd, cab and bed size).

A dry weight of 6,500 lbs will easily hit 7,500 lbs, and you’re/he's just about maxed out which isn’t a pleasant experience. More than likely, its gross weight is above the truck’s rating.

Be a good dad and give him your EcoBoost. ;)

[KanTC]

2009 Ford towing Guide see Pg 17
http://www.ford.com/assets/pdf/towing/10_TrailerGuide.pdf

See notes at bottom of Pg 17 for reduced towing numbers on certain configurations...
which may or may not apply to the truck he's considering.

And...

2009 Ford F150 Brochure see Pg 8 & 9
http://www.ford.com/services/cars-proxy/NGBS/Nameplate_SpecificationLiteDoc/Nameplate_SpecificationLiteDoc_8801F25B-1DA7-9E06-32FC-967E32FC967E.pdf

Terri, the co-pilot :)

[SteveC7010]

I may be a bit old fashioned about this, but I would be very uncomfortable towing with any TV that has shorter gears than 3.53's.

I had a nice '98 Dodge Ram 1500 with the 5.2L, HD everything, and 3.53 gears. We towed a 5,500# GVWR trailer all over the northeast for 11 years with it. The only place it struggled was in hills and mountains like the Adirondacks. That truck was rated to pull 7,800# which I think would have been a real struggle.

The same truck with 3.73 gearing was rated nearly 1,000# more towing capacity. 4.10's took it up to just under 10K#.

For a trailer with a GVWR around 7,800#, I would not be comfortable if the truck is not at least 3.73 geared, and fully equipped with towing package and HD cooling. 3.93's would be even better.

[fla-gypsy]

That rear gear is a tow killer! With a 3.73 or 4.10 I would say maybe, with a 3.31, no way!

[richf28]

Thanks all. Sure appreciate all the help. Maybe he should keep on looking. I was afraid the gear ratio would be a factor.

[Philip Saran]

One item not brought up is being able to stop the truck with
the TT on the back.

I'm a big believer in having enough truck to both pull and stop
with a towing load.

My F350 4 dr, 4X4, long bed diesel may be overkill for the size
my TT, but I don't worry too much about being it being stable
and being able to stop while towing.

[richf28]

Yep. Stopping is another good point. Thanks again