f150 Cargo Trailer Towing
 

Afternoon, Thought I would see if anyone has any experience towing cargo trailers with the F-150 ecoboost? The wife wants a t trailer to use for some markets and shows she does in the summer and fall and I need one for work. We thought maybe we would just buy one however I need one capable of towing heavy loads. We are looking at an 8x18 Enclosed v nose with 6000 pound axles. Dry weight is 3100lbs. My one ton will tote it fine but im curious how her 2017 f150 ecoboost with the 3.5 will handle it. She probably wouldn't have more than 3000Lbs of cargo in it at the very most. Im well aware of the payload the two rating for the truck and im not to concerned about weight or payload problems more just how well do they tow behind those trucks in wind etc? Anyone have any experience?

I dragged my father's torino around the kootenies on a beefy Uhaul trailer with my 2014 3.5 with not an issue, I can only guess it was around 6-7,000lbs Averaged around 17L/100, the only time it every really geared down was to attempt to slow down the hills. Ive the tow package and 3.73s in the back end, if that matters, but Id wager anything under 10,000lbs wouldnt slow it down.

Thanks for the info!

I wouldn't worry. Pulled 7000 lbs trailer through to Kelowna in 30C + -no issues whatsoever

No problem. My F-150 with the 3.5 pulls our current RV (5,500 lbs or so) easily; and I had no issues pulling my well-loaded 16 ft car hauler / cargo trailer across the country.

Gas consumption goes way up though. It makes a big difference if I keep it under 90 km/hr when towing the bigger trailers.

Just make sure you use a good load-leveling hitch and the trailer brakes are set correctly, the truck is light!

I had a 2013 3.5L Ecoboost and we hauled our holiday trailer around all the time with it. When loaded we were around 8,500 lbs. The truck handled it amazingly well. Fuel mileage went to crap but that's to be expected.

Not sure what tires yours came with but one thing to note with mine was that the tires weren't rated for the payload capacity the truck was so ended up buying better tires just to be safe. At 3,000 lbs you probably don't need to worry though.

I pull a travel trailer, with 2018 3.5 eco, 7000lbs plus, through the mountains, exceeded my expectations. You won't even know it's back there with the weight your pulling. The 3.5 is fords gas pulling engine, lots of torque at low RPM. Park along side the highway and watch the traffic, You would be surprised at what people are pulling with the F150.

Cargo trailers are different than flat decks (car haulers) or even travel trailers. Typically they have lower frontal area than a travel trailer so they tow better. I wouldn't tow anything heavy than 7000#ish with a 1/2ton, even though they are "rated" .
higher. In other words, a cargo trailer shouldn't be a problem at all.

We had one at our dealership with the v-6 eco boost
trailering with this truck was a nightmare. Trailer swayed all over the road.
It was traded off and bought a gm and the trailer followed it perfect.
Pin

I would suggest it wasn't the track that caused the trailer to sway.

just remember with the ecopoof ALL the power is made by turbo, more air going through means more fuel being consumed means massive heat which means increased wear and tear and reduced engine life. ANY trailer behind a 3.5tt and the truck will feel it. Yes it will pull it but the tiny turbo engines are not made for pulling trailers, they are built for economy and make decent power through boost. Count on heavy fuel consumption and remember they are aluminum bodies now, light and delicate. I have a 2016 lariat crew cab, it is a great dd and grocery getter but when you want real power unless you are trading off every year or 2 and do not care about fuel remember the old saying, there is no replacement for displacement. When I need to tow any trailer I use a different truck.

Sorry Ken but I have to disagree. So what other vehicle do you suggest? A Ford powerstroke TURBO diesel, or a Cummins TURBO diesel, a Duramax TURBO diesel ? Turbo doesn't make an engine any less reliable. Never had a problem and have had 2 ecoboost towing a travel trailer at about 8000lbs.

These 3.5 are only putting out about 6lbs of boost. They were made to tow and they do it very well.

I wouldn't worry at all about towing a cargo trailer behind an ecoboost.

Does this look ok?

https://www.facebook.com/bcpowell1/v...Y4NTk5MDE4OTQ/

Didn't mean to derail just thought I'd lighten the mood a little

Pulled around a cat232 skid steer, with augur, bucket, forks for 3 years on a 2013 ecoboost with 3.55’s.
Never had any mechanical issues. No turbo issues. That truck was driven hard!
That load was definetly close to the top pulling capacity.
We only run ecoboosts at work. Never had any issues with any of them.
Hard on gas towing but good on gas as a commuter.
I would recommend. I personally bought a 2016 and tow our 27’ camper.

From a 2015 3.5 ecoboost.
 

Just came back home frm Nebraska. I towed a 24 foot camper with fresh water tank full. Was getting an average of 22L/100km’s @ 100 kph.th The dash meter for gas tank normally says 999km’s per tank on regular gasoline. After having the trailer hooked up the gas gauge would mark average km’s from 570 km to 615 km’s. Don’t know why the difference 4 to 500 less km’s for the same quantity?? Unhooked it and after filling up the meter still says 999.

Whent to Sioux Falls and drove the truck at 80 mph speed limit and was getting 10.8l per hundred.

On the way up may be 4 -5 times after slowing down for exits or stop signs i noticed that while hauling the rv the transmission would down shift to first gear but at speeds around 50-55 km’s. Twice whent to 4th at 100 km’s going down a 2-3 per cent hill. On the trip back and hauling about 10-2 times the trans would down shift to first still @ 50-55 and some in second @ 80kph. I hand the truck checked out in Niobrara Ford. No codes nothin. The only thing the service department said is that they’re programmed the trans. Now on monday i will check out here.

Can’t say nothing about the towing capacity. 7000 lbs trailer and other 6-700lbs of cargo and never slowed down the trafic. Got average of 20.5L on way back. Wilm have to check out what the total km’s are and how many liters it took.

Lol you mean a Ford TURBO 6.7L or a Cummins TURBO 6.7L or a Gmc TURBO 6.6L each with nearly twice the displacement and much heavier components? You can pull with a lawnmower too but not far fast or for long.

So now it's not the turbos but the displacement? Sorry Ken, still out to lunch. The 3.5 ecoboost is made to pull and does so very well. Perfect for what the op wants imho. That is why they put out so much torque at a low rpm, towing.

Did you not read my reply?
Specifically; there is no replacement for displacement.
Ford eco boost makes power through boost.
Without turbo it is less than useless.

Round and round the merry go round.

Yes it uses twin turbo technology to go from 250hp to 365hp (at lesst in my 2015) all at about 6lbs of boost. Its the torque that matters and that is at low rpm. Made for towing exactly what the op wants.

Just think about this, The 3.5 twin turbo and the older dodge 440's have close to the same HP and torque.

My 2013 pulls my buddies 19.5 ft 150 hp crestliner bass style boat with no problem. Can hardly feel it behind. No problem passing other vehicles at all. When the turbos kick in with the trailer 130 to 140 km/hr while passing is no problem at all. With no trailer, 150 to 165 while passing if you put your foot to the floor.

The hitch to trailer height can make a difference on how the trailer pulls. When his boat is on a different height hitch , the boat pulls like a pig. Different vehicles, Ford or GM , the same thing happens. If your trailer pulls hard it might be just as simple as raising or lowering the ball by an inch or two.

I love my ecoboost . thinking about trading it in for newer one, maybe a Raptor Ecoboost. Even more HP and more Torque than the normal one.

^^^^^^

Nice to here you like them. Some of you on your 2nd or 3rd. Is there anyone who has one with over 200,000 Kim that has been used for pulling 7000 to 8000 lbs for at least 125,000 of those Km’s. I want to here how those ones lasted or what repairs were need. Anything will pull for short time I want to know longevity while working it. I ask this because I own mine for at least 10 years and don’t rent them for 3. I know even certain diesels had issues for longevity.

Have one at work that pulled trailers 90% of the time
Does it pull? Yes
Does it suck gas while pulling? Sure does
Repairs?
Lots
Plugs lost count
16 coils
1 trany
3 rear diffs
Lots of brakes
Over all?
Terrible trailer puller
Better than the old 5.4 for sure
If you want to pull a trailer all the time buy a bigger truck
If you pull the odd time not a bad truck

X2
Ecoboost is an awesome towing engine,tho it does suck gas when doing so...but what half ton gasser doesnt.
Power is never an issue pulling my loaded 7k lb trailer and truck loaded with bike and stuff.

This is my 2nd EB.....

My BIL has had a 3.5 Ecoboost, and now he was the 6.2L Chevy. He pulls JD tractors all around southern Alberta for deliveries.

He said the Chevy will outpull his Ecoboost all day, while getting way better gas mileage.

The Ecoboost was working and in boost all the time, sucking back the gas, where onc ethe Chevy is up to speed it just pulls.

Boys boys boys. Woh. He asks will it pull a 6000lbs load, and not even on a regular basis? Yes, itll pull that thing all day. Will the gas mileage go down while pulling it? Yes. Will it explode. No. Does it pull better than diesel and gas jobbies twice its size? No.

LOL...Had a 15 Chev 6.2L with max tow package....
It does not out pull the EB, it does pull very well tho
It does get a bit better mpg pulling as well except you have to use premium in the 6.2L(recommended all the time and if I didnt mine pinged badly).
So mpg was a wash....
Sadly my 6.2L had highway vibes,tranny issues,and lifter/pushrod issues(3 times) before I finally got rid of the POS.
Read anything and the EB is pretty much the best towing half ton made...with emphasis on boost,not eco

The olds man's 3 year old EcoBoost exploded. Just off warranty with 130k. Pulling his 7k holiday trailer by Strathmore.

He's gunshy now...selling the trailer and getting a smaller one. Engine bills are not cheap, ya know??

Sounds unlucky, or wasnt properly taken care of. Did he use premium? Its recommended in the owners manual to do so while towing. And Ive seen them fail when they were neglected. Cheap oil, long intervals, ect ect.

Nope was maintained its whole life. Factory oil changes. Was just bad luck I think, as we haven't heard of the same thing happening to anyone else we know. Just got the short straw I guess.