F 150 will it tow

[DIRTCUTTER]

My ford dealer tells me that a 2009 F 150 4x4 will have no problem towing my Ck30 with a backhoe attached. What do you think, and how safe would it be ?

 

[JoelD]

Ford web site list towing capacity, based on how you option it out, motor and rear end gear ratio looks like it should be able to.

Not sure but guessing your machine would weigh somewhere around 6000 lbs all in, plus trailer, guessing 2000 lbs or so. All in around 8000 lbs or so?

The base 4.6l, 4 spd looks like would not do it.

The 4.6 6spd looks like you should be good.

There are others on this site who are towing experts though, you should try posting in the towing rigs section towards the top of the list of forums.

Joel

 

[Duffster]

My ford dealer tells me that a 2009 F 150 4x4 will have no problem towing my Ck30 with a backhoe attached. What do you think, and how safe would it be ?

Most likely it will be fine.

How much does the tractor and BH weight?

 

[unhappykioti]

It is not a matter whether the truck will pull it or not. It is more a matter of will it stop it, half ton trucks just plain do not have the braking system to handle that amount of weight, yeh yeh i know so and so will say I do it all the time with no problem, but what happens when you have a trailer brake failure will the truck stop you going down a five percent grade? The Ford dealer is trying to sell trucks of course he is going to tell you it will do the job, has the salesman ever pulled a load with that truck himself? Go with a three quarter ton.

 

[JoelD]

HI Unhappy.

My thinking is, if the manufacturer rates a truck to pull say 10K pounds, wouldn't that mean the truck is good to pull 10K all considered?

I've always assumed that the manufacturer's hauling ratings are conservative and you'll be good if you are within those numbers.

Never thought much about brakes other than, if more than a couple thousand pounds then trailer brakes are good to have. I've never hauled more than 2000lbs without trailer brakes.

Would be interested to know what consideration the manufacturers have given to trailer brakes when rating the hauling capacity of their trucks.

For example, truck is rated to pull 10K with a disclaimer (anything over 2000 lbs (what ever the number is) requires dual axle trailer with brakes on both axles..... not sure how they do it.

I have 3/4 ton f250, the thing is rated at silly low GCWR numbers, but I'm thinking that is for a reason (maybe tranny, don't know). I've hauled 2000lbs in the bed, felt like there was nothing there.

Joel

Joel

 

[RickB]

It is not a matter whether the truck will pull it or not. It is more a matter of will it stop it, half ton trucks just plain do not have the braking system to handle that amount of weight, yeh yeh i know so and so will say I do it all the time with no problem, but what happens when you have a trailer brake failure will the truck stop you going down a five percent grade? The Ford dealer is trying to sell trucks of course he is going to tell you it will do the job, has the salesman ever pulled a load with that truck himself? Go with a three quarter ton.

It is not difficult to determine if a half ton Ford can be spec'ed out to safely do the job or not. Published towing data is more reliable than a salesman's talk. I will predict that a properly setup F-150 can do the job safely and efficiently. My GMC K1500 can and does tow 7000lbs within its ratings. Half ton trucks of today probably have more braking capacity than an older 3/4 ton with rear drums or drums all the way around. Without knowing what the tractor weighs, it's all speculation.

 

[darkviper]

Ok here is real world experience for you. I have a CK 20 with a back hoe. water in the tires and fel the machine comes into around 4500-5000 pounds. I pulled it for the longest time with a 1999 Dodge Dakota and it pulled it all day long but i knew going in that it was a little much so i never drove above 45 MPH. Now i pull with a 1996 f-250 desiel. Handles it much better but with all due respect to the guy saying if your brakes on the trailer fail trust me even the f250 does not want to stop that load when you are on a 5% grade. Bottom line the F-150 will do it the F-250 will be far better. As far as brakes are concerned if you find the brakes on the trailer have failed or are not working STOP IT NOW!!!!. Because the f-250 is not going to stop you in time if that nice old lady slams on brakes in front of you to make that turn when the trailer brakes dont work. Trust me i have visited that experience and will not ever do it agian. And that was with new brakes on the f-250. The f-150 needs to have the V8 in it though. Dont try it with the 6 cylinder if you will be hauling long hauls or a lot. There is no replacement for a desiel when hauling anything over 5000lb.

 

[jimmyj]

Post in the trailers and transport forum and include the engine and tranny details in the post. Diamondpilot has all the ratings at his fingertips.

Personally, I think the f150 would be too small. I have a Dodge 1/2 ton and have come to the sad realization that it could not safely tow my CK20 TLB with trailer.

Oh well, I guess one day I'll have to get a bigger truck and a nice big trailer!

 

[LBrown59]

1*It is not a matter whether the truck will pull it or not. It is more a matter of will it stop it, half ton trucks just plain do not have the braking system to handle that amount of weight, yeh yeh i know so and so will say I do it all the time with no problem, but what happens when you have a trailer brake failure will the truck stop you going down a five percent grade? The Ford dealer is trying to sell trucks of course he is going to tell you it will do the job, has the salesman ever pulled a load with that truck himself? Go with a three quarter ton.

1*Stoppin is more urgent than goin.

 

[LBrown59]

Most likely it will be fine.

How much does the tractor and BH weight?

It is not a matter whether the truck will pull it or not. It is more a matter of will it stop it, half ton trucks just plain do not have the braking system to handle that amount of weight, yeh yeh i know so and so will say I do it all the time with no problem, but what happens when you have a trailer brake failure will the truck stop you going down a five percent grade? The Ford dealer is trying to sell trucks of course he is going to tell you it will do the job, has the salesman ever pulled a load with that truck himself? Go with a three quarter ton.

HI Unhappy.

My thinking is, if the manufacturer rates a truck to pull say 10K pounds, wouldn't that mean the truck is good to pull 10K all considered?

I've always assumed that the manufacturer's hauling ratings are conservative and you'll be good if you are within those numbers.

Never thought much about brakes other than, if more than a couple thousand pounds then trailer brakes are good to have. I've never hauled more than 2000lbs without trailer brakes.

Would be interested to know what consideration the manufacturers have given to trailer brakes when rating the hauling capacity of their trucks.

For example, truck is rated to pull 10K with a disclaimer (anything over 2000 lbs (what ever the number is) requires dual axle trailer with brakes on both axles..... not sure how they do it.

I have 3/4 ton f250, the thing is rated at silly low GCWR numbers, but I'm thinking that is for a reason (maybe tranny, don't know). I've hauled 2000lbs in the bed, felt like there was nothing there.

Joel

Joel

But what's it rated to stop?

 

[Highbeam]

It's not about the brakes and what might happen if your brakes fail. Brakes are important but not they will not be a problem if you maintain your equipment and respect what is important to your question....

It's all about the ratings.

Find the truck's ratings, the trailer's ratings, and then the weights of all of the above to set up your load. If you are all within ratings then you will not have a safety problem. You might want more power for pleasure but you can do the job safely.

I towed my CK30 with loader and 500 lb implement on a 2500# trailer for a towed weight of 7000# with my 1998 K1500 chevy pickup all over the place for thousands of miles. No problem. I now use an F350 diesel and it uses less fuel and is much more stable but not really any faster.

There are many components such as brakes that could fail and cause a wreck. If you are not confident in the condition of the equipment then replace or repair that component.

Saying it's all about the brakes is like saying its all about the lug nuts.

 

[Kioti4me]

I use my GMC1500 with a 7000 lb trailer to move my CK35 around. I intalled an AirLift system to keep things level back there. Works great!
If you got the money, get a 3/4 ton Duramax. End of story.

It's not about the brakes and what might happen if your brakes fail. Brakes are important but not they will not be a problem if you maintain your equipment and respect what is important to your question....

It's all about the ratings.

Find the truck's ratings, the trailer's ratings, and then the weights of all of the above to set up your load. If you are all within ratings then you will not have a safety problem. You might want more power for pleasure but you can do the job safely.

I towed my CK30 with loader and 500 lb implement on a 2500# trailer for a towed weight of 7000# with my 1998 K1500 chevy pickup all over the place for thousands of miles. No problem. I now use an F350 diesel and it uses less fuel and is much more stable but not really any faster.

There are many components such as brakes that could fail and cause a wreck. If you are not confident in the condition of the equipment then replace or repair that component.

Saying it's all about the brakes is like saying its all about the lug nuts.

 

[unhappykioti]

Don't want to get on anyone here but the highways are littered with pickup trucks and trailers because they have Highbeams attitude. Because he did it and fortunatly never had a problem you should be able to do it as well. I am familiar with area that Highbeam lives in, how many times did you go down the hill from Buckley into Sumner probably wasn't very fast going up or down. I would'nt want to do it in a half ton truck. Just because someone else did it doesn't mean you can

 

[Gittyup]

My CK25 TLB and 20' trailer combined weigh 8700 lbs. My 1/2 ton truck is rated for 9200 lbs. It tows it fine and stops good with the trailer brakes. But, I wouldn't want to stop it with just the truck brakes. The message is: keep your trailer brakes in good working order, just like those on your truck.

I'd say as long as your total weight is within the specs for the truck, and you don't tow on a regular basis, you are ok close to the maximum. Now, if you are towing a lot, the truck won't take it. Get a bigger truck with a heavy duty towing tranny.

 

[Baucom]

How often, and how far, will you be towing your CK30 TLB?

An F150 w/ a 5.4 and 3.73 gears will handle the load fine, and would be the best compromise between capability and comfort/economy if you're not planning to tow close to the max. often (or far). However, if you're planning to use this truck and tractor in a commercial venture, or planning to tow frequently, then you should step up to a 3/4 ton for durability and a greater safety margin.

 

[Duffster]

I think you need a tractor trailer to haul that CUT.

 

[LBrown59]

*It is still to close to the low end of the scale.

How often, and how far, will you be towing your CK30 TLB?

*An F150 w/ a 5.4 and 3.73 gears will handle the load fine, and would be the best compromise between capability and comfort/economy if you're not planning to tow close to the max. of

ten (or far). However, if you're planning to use this truck and tractor in a commercial venture, or planning to tow frequently, then you should step up to a 3/4 ton for durability and a greater safety margin.

 

[wallace]

The new f150's will be more than safe to complete your task!

Now I am a professional driver (logged over 1 million miles with out incident)and a trailer dealer...now it is not my job to sell safety while selling trailers but I do sell safety with every thing I do.
I know the laws to my state and surrounding states.
Safety is always put first.
As far as bad brakes going down a 5% grade well you should have checked your brakes before descending not only that but remember you should always descend the hill in the same gear as you vehicle would pull it in.

 

[unhappykioti]

I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree. (I too am a professional driver with more than 1 million incident free miles, log books too prove it). F150's don't have jake brakes and very littlle engine braking no matter what gear you descend a hill with that kind of load, that leaves service brakes the hotter they get the less effective they are. There are just too mant things that can go wrong with electric brakes, blown fuses, chaffed wires, bad brake controllers to name a few. I used to tow with an F150, now use a Dodge diesel.

 

[Mike120]

I used my F-150 to haul a 6500# tractor down to my dealer yesterday. Both of my larger trucks were tied up and it was only a couple of miles on back roads. My stopping distance probably increased X3 with that load. I sure wouldn't do it as a regular thing and I certainly wouldn't venture off the back roads.