2023 Ford F150 Trailer Package retrofitting

[nitekillerz]

Hello everyone, I made an oopsie and bought a used 2023 F150 XLT(300A) vehicle without doing a ton of towing research. I do not intend on towing a lot and maybe not at all but I would like to be more aware of my capabilities. Originally I saw online that the 3.5L EB with 3.11 rear axle, 4x2, 145.4" WB should tow a max of 11,200 pounds. Since I did not instead to tow, that was all the research I did. Now I see that my vehicle according to Ford can only tow 5000lbs and I assume because that is "bumper" towing since it does not include a hitch by factory. I would like to be able to tow 7-8000lbs with no issues in future. I am attempting to retrofit my vehicle with parts that would allow this.

The trailer brake system seems to be the easiest, with a kit made with the bumper and both 4 and 7 pin wiring(ml3z19h332cb).
The next thing would be an actual receiver which is also something easy to get.
I do not need the LED lights for towing and all models seem to include the trailer sway controller. I see that package 53C also does not include a radiator upgrade nor aux auto trans cooler.

Would there be anything else I would need to retrofit to add this capability as if my car came with the 53C package. Again I am not looking for the max towing package that is the 14k max, just theoretical 11.2k. And no I will not back up a 10k pound boat in a slippery boat ramp. I am not a mechanic but I have rebuilt engines and swapped a few vehicles. New to trucks. For those that care, the truck has 33k miles and it cost 30k after everything.

Source for towing capabilities: https://www.ford.com/cmslibs/conten...cpo/pdf/2023_Ford_F-150_Towing_Info_Dec16.pdf

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[mwheue]

Put your vin in the towing calculator.. should tell you your max tow rating. https://www.ford.com/support/towing-calculator

 

[nitekillerz]

Put your vin in the towing calculator.. should tell you your max tow rating. https://www.ford.com/support/towing-calculator

Please see my message about how i already did this. Thanks

 

[mwheue]

The towing guide and what I posted is two different things. Towing calculator is info specific to your vin#

 

[nitekillerz]

The towing guide and what I posted is two different things. Towing calculator is info specific to your vin#

Hello, I posted that the ford website you linked says I can tow maximum 5k lbs due to no hitch receiver. 5k is the “bumper” towing limit. I know this. I’m not asking about what my capacity is. I listed what I’m trying to accomplish if you could read the entire thing.

 

[mwheue]

I read your whole post. My truck which is a super cab standard bed with the hitch, brake controller, and wiring is rated to tow 11100lbs with 1110 lb tongue load. Truck has a 2115lbs payload on the door sticker. Window sticker attached. Don't know if this helps or not because there are so many variations. I don't have a larger radiator or anything more than hitch,brake and wiring.

 

[nitekillerz]

I read your whole post. My truck which is a super cab standard bed with the hitch, brake controller, and wiring is rated to tow 11100lbs with 1110 lb tongue load. Truck has a 2115lbs payload on the door sticker. Window sticker attached. Don't know if this helps or not because there are so many variations. I don't have a larger radiator or anything more than hitch,brake and wiring.

That actually does help a ton! So you I believe have the 53b or 53c or equivalent for that year. So you don’t have any aux transmission cooler either? I don’t get my vehicle till tomorrow so I’ll have to check it in person but from my understanding all f150 ten speeds come with a stock transmission cooler and the tow packages for year 23 at least don’t have any differences. I will see if anyone else can chime in. Thanks again.

 

[mwheue]

This may help also
https://www.f150gen14.com/forum/thr...ass-iv-vs-tow-vs-max-tow-updated-doc-v4.1188/

https://www.f150gen14.com/forum/threads/tow-package-breakdown-for-2021-f-150.698/

 

[nitekillerz]

This may help also
https://www.f150gen14.com/forum/thr...ass-iv-vs-tow-vs-max-tow-updated-doc-v4.1188/

https://www.f150gen14.com/forum/threads/tow-package-breakdown-for-2021-f-150.698/

Wow thank you. Great resources. I’m only halfway through the first but it seems like a solid sway bar is also in the package. I’ll look at adding this.

 

[Rossi6998]

Put your vin in the towing calculator.. should tell you your max tow rating. https://www.ford.com/support/towing-calculator

Love that Tow Calculator. Never knew it existed. Thanks!

 

[FormerRangerRaptorOwner]

OP, I am in the same exact boat as you. I have a 2023 F150 XLT 300A package with the 3.5L. I purchased it used--previous rental vehicle--and it had a factory hitch and 4-pin. I upgraded to a factory 7-pin harness (finding the correct one was a little crazy, but eventually found it) and added the OEM Trailer Brake Controller. I changed all the correct settings using Forscan and viola--now I can tow the exact same amount as I could before--5000 lbs, according to the Ford website.

I have done a ton of research on increasing your towing capacity by adding the additional factory towing hardware, but there is no definitive answer one way or the other. Some folks say it all depends on your GCWR--which is around the 16000# range for our vehicles. Others say, your truck is rated at time of production from the factory, so any changes to the vehicle do not increase your tow rating. Then, there are other considerations such as rear-end gearing, alternator size, cooling system (larger radiator), transmission cooler, upgraded suspension, etc.. that Max Towing vehicles may come with.

All that being said, I have come to one conclusion. It depends. If you're willing to take the chance of towing heavier than your truck was originally rated, then that is your decision. If you feel adding the TBC and using a WDH means you can tow up to the 11000# weight limit for the OEM Ford Factory hitch, then that is also your decision. For me, I think I'll stick to around the 5000# towing limit. With a TBC and WDH, I would feel comfortable with a little more than 5000#, but likely would not do it on a regular basis. Just my .02 worth. Good luck with your own adventures and be safe.

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