F-150 Ecoboost

[triley2280]

We just bought a 2012 F-150 V6 ecoboost to pull our 30' Trail Runner. Anyone have experience with the turbo engine? I did quite a bit of research and they seem to be a no brainer for towing and gas mileage.

 

[priorguy]

I bought the 5.0L because it would handle what I wanted to tow and it was the first year for the Ecoboost in the F150. The mpg ratings weren't far apart when I looked at the window sticker either. I do see lots of them on the roads pulling heavy loads though. Only time will tell.


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[Ray LeTourneau]

I've heard good things about Ford's Ecoboost V6.
I should have tried to snap a picture of a sighting we had yesterday. We were coming up on an "RV" of some type leaning badly to the right and pretty low in the rear. As we passed, we noticed it was a truck camper. A rather large one at that sitting on an F150. It was squatting about 6" low in the rear and to the right side. I'd guess this camper would have been heavy even for a 3/4 ton truck. Scary!

 

[triley2280]

Maybe an air ride suspension system would have helped them??? That would have been some picture!

 

[triley2280]

I bought the 5.0L because it would handle what I wanted to tow and it was the first year for the Ecoboost in the F150. The mpg ratings weren't far apart when I looked at the window sticker either. I do see lots of them on the roads pulling heavy loads though. Only time will tell.


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We bought the 3.5 for two reasons. We felt it would handle our trailer well enough and it was a good deal. I opted to buy an extended warranty on it since it is still a newer motor and time will tell how the engine holds up. If you get time you have to watch the "torture test" on YouTube. It speaks towards the twin turbo's durability and strength.
An added benefit to our truck I just discovered two days ago was it has larger fuel tank, 36. That will help out on making pit stops.

 

[Rob63]

I have a 2012 F150 with the Ecoboost. It does not have the Max tow package. It has the 3.55 rear end. I also recently bought a Trail Runner 27RKS (30'5") overall length. I towed it home from the dealer and had no problems with acceleration or braking but there was nothing in it (no cargo). Every forum I've gone to though says that based on what the F150 with Ecoboost will handle and the weight specs of the camper, I'm about at the max limit before adding cargo so I'm not sure what to do. I can't afford to buy a new truck and I haven't even used the camper yet. Short of leaving it in my yard and using that as my camping location, it sounds like I would be at risk of something really bad happening to the truck or to me!

 

[priorguy]

We bought the 3.5 for two reasons. We felt it would handle our trailer well enough and it was a good deal. I opted to buy an extended warranty on it since it is still a newer motor and time will tell how the engine holds up. If you get time you have to watch the "torture test" on YouTube. It speaks towards the twin turbo's durability and strength.
An added benefit to our truck I just discovered two days ago was it has larger fuel tank, 36. That will help out on making pit stops.

I watched the video in fact 30 min infomercial on Speed channel and still went the traditional way. I plan to keep the truck a long time. Also, in 2011 the larger fuel tank only came with the V8 so it was a no brainer for me to get longer between fuel stops.
I'm only at 9300 instead of 11300 towing but I'm way below with my NT. All of the trailers we were looking at were at about 7000lbs or less so plenty of room. My 28BRS tips the scales as equipped at about 5900lbs. More then enough margin.

Rob63 I found my TT towed better loaded then empty anyway. The suspension is designed to be carrying weight. As long as you have a decent WD hitch you should be ok. What is the towing capacity of your truck as equipped and the weight of your trailer?


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[Rob63]

priorguy, the towing capacity of my truck is 9700 and my trailers dry weight is 6442. I don't think that weight includes the weight of the awning, both 30Lb propane tanks being full, the battery or the weight of the WDH, so figure 50 pounds for the awning, 100 pounds for the WDH, 100 for the 2 propane tanks and 50 pounds for the battery, making the trailer weight in the neighborhood of 6750.

 

[Jasonrs1319]

I owned a 2011 ecoboost f150 and pulled our 35' sunset trail that weighed about 7800 lbs overall. I did have max trailer tow package. However this package adds a transmission cooler and the 3.73 rear axle. While you will have slightly less power to accelerate and will have to watch transmission temps if you're in the hills with gear hunting occurring the horizontal load will be no problem with the weight. The use of a weight distributing hItch is a must. Sway control is also a must as the sway control that is built into the electronics of the truck is there to keep the sway from overtaking the truck. Not to eliminate the small amount of sway that makes it uncomfortable to drive. You will be just fine but like all trailer towing just don't get in a hurry and you have no problems. My honest educated opinion from my time working for Ford as a product trainer.

 

[priorguy]

Rob63 I think you will be fine based on the numbers provided. As long as you have the standard tow package (oil cooler, harness, etc.) you will be good to go. Without it the tow drops to 5K lbs. if I recall. The transmission and transfer case (4X4) are the same as are the rear ends (save for axel ratio) no matter which engine is selected. When you do load the trailer for travel and enjoyment you will need to adjust the WDH. My TT pulled better loaded then empty. My dealer set me up for full travel weight and told me to add a link to the chain once loaded and they were right on. It was a bit of a handful empty and I was warned to keep my speed down until I got home and loaded. If your handling changes drastically once loaded you need to adjust the WDH.


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[Rob63]

Thank you to both priorguy and jason. This is our first TT and although I've towed utility trailers with tractors on them, I've never pulled something with this kind of weight before. When I brought the trailer home from the dealer, there were sustained winds of 15-20mph and gusts up to 30mph. It was 45 degrees and raining to add to the experience. I do have a WDH and anti-sway bar but I still noticed some slight sway. Nothing to give me white knuckles but enough that I noticed and made me nervous. The truck seemed to pull the trailer fine and I didn't notice any issues when trying to slow down or stop. Then agaian, I was only going 45-50mph on the way home and didn't have any large hills to deal with. I've read that most people with campers add 1000-1500 pounds to their trailer weight with all their gear and essentials so I just want to make sure I'm going to be ok. Losing some power in the hills isn't a huge concern to me. I'll just stay in the slow lane. At my age, speed isn't something that excites me anymore. I am concerned with the brakes however and not having a transmission cooler. Do these trucks have adequate brakes to handle that kind of weight behind the truck and should I be overly concerned about the transmission cooler? I haven't been able to find any information on whether the f150 with max Tow has any different brakes or rotors than the f150 that I have. It's interesting though that I posed this same concern on RV-Net and just about everyone says I am at the maximum towing capacity now (as far as payload and tongue weight) and should upgrade my truck. Then again, it's not their money so it's easy to tell me to buy a new truck!

 

[JohnD]

I have a 2012 F150 with the Ecoboost. It does not have the Max tow package. It has the 3.55 rear end. I also recently bought a Trail Runner 27RKS (30'5") overall length. I towed it home from the dealer and had no problems with acceleration or braking but there was nothing in it (no cargo). Every forum I've gone to though says that based on what the F150 with Ecoboost will handle and the weight specs of the camper, I'm about at the max limit before adding cargo so I'm not sure what to do. I can't afford to buy a new truck and I haven't even used the camper yet. Short of leaving it in my yard and using that as my camping location, it sounds like I would be at risk of something really bad happening to the truck or to me!

Also . . . when towing, don't fill the water tanks unless you absolutely have to.

My fresh water tank when full adds around 800 pounds to the trailer.

I bought 200 feet of hose and two water jugs with wheels so that I can fill the tanks from water pumps when staying at campgrounds without water hookups.

Now . . . if only I could find a suitable funnel to use when pouring the water jugs into the fresh water tank . . .

It is a two-person job!

 

[Rob63]

John, Everyone I've talked to that has a travel trailer has advised the same thing. Put a couple gallons in to keep things sloshing around but not to fill the water tanks. I was told that not only does it add a lot of weight, it can make driving more squirelly. We don't plan on camping anywhere that there isn't water and electric hookups. At least not this first year. I want to get comfortable with the camper and learn all the things that need to be done before I attempt any camping where water and electric aren't present. What about one of those Beer Bong funnels like this one http://www.amazon.com/Beer-Bong-Ultimate-Funnel-Tube/dp/B0016RMG4O

 

[priorguy]

Rob63 take a closer look. If you have the factory standard tow package (hitch and 4/7 pin plugs) you have the tranny cooler. The max tow is only available on the Ecoboost and adds only the brake controller. I added mine after the fact cheaper then the option as a service part at a ford dealer. The factory tow package adds all the other things you need.

You have plenty of truck for your trailer and shouldn't need to worry. It's not a 40' toy hauler.

Having any fluids in your tanks is what is known as a dynamic load. The fluids will slosh back and forth adding to any other motions and possibly causing sway.


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[d_fergie]

I dry camp and pull my NT with an '08 F150 with no problems with the water tank full ....

 

[Rob63]

priorguy, I do have the standard tow package with both the 4 and 7pin plugs. I also have a brake controller that was added when I bought the trailer along with a Husky WDH and Sway control setup. Interestingly, when I bought the truck, there was a quick connect with wires for a brake controller in the glove box. I assume that plugged in under the dash somewhere and the other end to the controller itself. That was used when the controller was put on. But there has to be something more that you get with the Max Tow package to allow for the extra payload and towing weight allowances. Without Max tow, it's rated to tow 9700 and with it it's 11300. The payload is also boosted with the Max Tow package.

 

[priorguy]

According to the Ford website (2013) the max tow package upgrades the rear bumper and adds trailer tow mirrors. When I ordered mine (2011) it also included the brake controller. The standard tow package has the 4/7 pin harness, class v receiver, trans cooler, and upgraded radiator. Of course the door sticker will reflect the extra 2000 pounds as well with max tow.


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[westxsrt10]

I was considering a Eco F-150 for the wife.
I saw to many owners on FTE forum stating the F150 Eco's make oil on the dip sticks. (rise oil levels from blow-by gas in the oil from the boost)

 

[Rob63]

I stopped at my local Ford Dealership service department today to see what they had to say. They said pretty much the same thing as what priorguy found on Ford's website. Max Tow only adds a beefed up bumper, brake controller, the 3.73 gears and trailer tow mirrors. They looked up my truck in their system and it came standard with the beefed up radiator, trans cooler and oil cooler which some said they thought mine wouldn't have so I'm good there. As a side note, these things don't come standard with ecoboost models with the 3.15 or 3.31 gears) So I asked why is the GVWR and Payload so much more with trucks that have the Max Tow package? They said they didn't know so I asked them if they would call Ford and ask. They got right on the phone while I was there. I thought that was very nice of them. The answer that was given was because the brake controller and 3.73 gears comes in the Max Tow package so the controller would be operational when you plug in so the trailer brakes would handle some of the burden when stopping and the 3.73 gears would make the truck work easier on big hill climbs. They also said that the 3.55 gears are adequate with the added weight but I would lose a little fuel mileage. Finally they said that if I had an after market brake controller (which I do) not to give it a thought. The truck is more than capable of handling the weight I will be towing even if I add 1000-1500 pounds of gear in the trailer. This is great news to me because now I don't have to spend thousands and upgrade my tow vehicle.

 

[brianharrison]

Glad you got your answers...... Have fun with your new trailer.... and peace of mind...

Brian