Ford F150 Towing Capacity

Ford F-150 buyers go for EcoBoost V6 engines

Back then, though, truck buyers had to make big sacrifices in towing and hauling -- the thing people buy trucks for -- for a slight gain in fuel economy and a lower sticker price. This time, even the base V6, without turbocharging, can tow and haul much more than the V6 of a few years ago.

And when it comes to today's twin-turbocharged EcoBoost V6 engine, it provides almost the same power as the much larger 5.0-liter V8. In fact, the turbo V6 truck has even more towing capacity than the 5.0-liter V8. (Ford also offers a larger 6.2-liter V8, but it's available only in some special-edition versions of the F-150 and sells in very small numbers.)

"These products would not sell if buyers had to compromise on capability," Ford sales analyst George Pipas said.

To win over skeptical truck buyers, Ford introduced the new V6-powered trucks last November with a coast-to-coast test drive tour , bringing trucks to potential customers' homes so they could drive the trucks themselves.

Actual fuel savings are still relatively small, according to EPA estimates. Just 1 mpg in combined city and highway driving for the turbocharged EcoBoost engine vs. the 5.0-liter V8. Fuel savings add up to an estimated $185 a year, according to the EPA's fueleconomy.gov Web site.

Those figures don't reflect real-world driving, though, said PickupTrucks.com editor Mike Levine. Levine extensively tested the EcoBoost truck both in ordinary driving and pulling heavy loads.

"The EcoBoost's mileage, while you're unloaded, is just far and away better than the 5.0-liter [V8]," he said.

When hauling heavy loads fuel economy does begin fall to something closer to the V8, though. But for drivers who only push the truck's maximum capabilities occasionally, the EcoBoost V6 makes sense, Levine said.

"If you only tow once a week or once a month, I'd go with the EcoBoost," he said.

It doesn't seem that buyers are just trying to budget gas money, Pipas said.

EcoBoost truck buyers tend, most often, to buy expensive 4X4 and extended cab trucks loaded with pricey options, he said, not the sort of thing you'd expect if they were just calculating savings at the pump.

Instead, said Pipas, truck buyers are getting into the "small and powerful is better" mindset that has gone along with cell phones and computers.

F150 Towing Question - F150online Forums

I have a 2010 F150 SuperCrew with a rated tow capacity of #9500 pounds and a hitch weight of #1050 (with weight distribution). My question is, how close to the rated limits of my truck should I pull at on a four to five times per year basis? I can borrow a 32 foot trailer that has a dry weight of #8300 and a hitch weight of #1055 (I know, #5 over my hitch limit). The trailer itself will be right at the #9500 mark when loaded and the hitch weight will be near the same. Would I or should I pull this trailer on two or three hour trips multiple times per year? I have the full tow package on my truck including transmission cooling and a transmission temp gauge. I know what my gut tells me, but I'm wondering if anyone else has tried, or know someone who has tried this. I pull 5000lb camper behind 02 Supercrew with around 800 on the hitch. I usually have the truck bed full of fire wood, chairs etc too. I had to install air bags and heavy shocks to help with the front end feeling light. 32' seems like a lot of trailer for an f150. For long trips of multiple hours I would look at an f-250 just for a heavier suspension for safety reasons.

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