New to towing and have a 2023 XL

[DcnPat]

Is your pop up a high wall? I almost bought 1 of those 5 years ago

Not a high wall. Rockwood 232ESP

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[kevdog0710]

Not a high wall. Rockwood 232ESP

I was always impressed with how much space those have when set up

 

[CoryB]

Do you have a TBC (shown in pic)? If not you can tow up to the mass of the tow vehicle itself w/ out issue (anything 5klbs and under is a non-issue for an F150). Heavier trims like the powerboost and diesel are good up to 7klbs w/out TBC, but I personally prefer vehicle mass as the limit. A vehicle trailer w/ 2 4 wheelers on it is in the 3klb range -- too easy.

You can buy and add the TBC -- You already have a 7 pin so you're likely fully wired for it (verify to be sure). If so it's an easy ~$200 spend if you can find a used one.

No, there is not one of those in the truck. I have a coin tray there.

The other thing I may tow is my full size Deere tractor and it weighs over 5K pounds without implements.

As far as the TBC, do I just make sure the kit is for a 2023 and that’s it?

 

[UNIKRN150]

Warning: long post.

A little input from my experience trying to get the trailer brake controller installed in my 2021 XLT 302a High...

I tow a 16x7 tandem (elec brakes on both axles) with a 2020 RZR XP1000 Premium by itself most of the time, once in a while a buddy will tag along and we throw an ATV on there also. While the brakes on the truck alone don't struggle to stop the load, the trailer has brakes and I would like to use them (duh) because my fiance and I make several trips a year to ride and the less abuse the truck brakes take, the better.

When I bought my truck in September of last year it was not equipped with the integrated controller but did have the tow package etc. I added that at the time of purchase, paid for the parts necessary and the install upfront. I was made aware the parts were on a backorder and would take ~2 months to get. Fast forward to January, after asking for a status/ETA on the order multiple times with little to no info (mostly dealers fault?) it finally showed up towards the end of January and my install was scheduled. I show up on the day of install and they say it may take a few hours. No big deal. After sitting there for ~5 hours, the service manager comes out to tell me they have been unable to get the programming to take. The part is installed but when they try to activate it it's bringing up some sort of error/fault and the controller is not working.

At this point I'm a little annoyed but trying to be understanding, they say "we have a few more things we can try." I told them I was willing to wait and returned to the waiting room. About another 1.5hrs go by and the service manager returns, they still can not get the controller working. They've tried "everything they can think of" (not telling me what that consists of). They then ask me to keep the truck and keep tinkering with it, at this point I'm visibly annoyed by the lack of info I've been given (even after asking for details they really didn't have a clue) on top of the ridiculous time spent waiting for the controller and (failed) install I said it didn't seem like it would matter how long they kept it if they kept getting the same fault and left with my truck.

Their only "solution" to this is to order (that day) a whole new controller and "harness" and replace the whole thing according to service manager. Wouldn't you know it, still on backorder. Fast forward to the beginning of April, the dealer reaches out to me and says they still haven't received parts and not sure when they will. They suggest that they refund the cost of parts/install and I go the route of an aftermarket brake controller. Needless to say, if I wanted an aftermarket controller screwed into my dash I would've done that myself from the beginning. I told them that and that I wanted the integrated controller and that this has been an extremely frustrating experience.

The manager puts in what he called an "emergency order" for the parts needed. 3 days later he calls and says they are on backorder until the end of June at the earliest. So here I am still waiting and very annoyed by this process. Hopefully you have better luck if you decide you want it.

THIS… is exactly what I have meant when I have posted the fact that Ford Motor Company is an auto manufacturer run by “gearheads” in a Silicon Valley world.

It’s really sad to see how slow the “Legacy” Auto manufacturers are in adapting to the changing environment.

I LOVE all the cool tech in my Fully Loaded XLT but the things they COULD be doing with that tech –vs- the things they ARE doing with it is disappointing to put it obscenely mildly.

I’m not ready to go “EV” because EV isn’t ready to go “off road 4x4” YET but as soon as it is…

I’ve been installing aftermarket electronics in new vehicles for years and to this day I HATE drilling holes in someone’s spanking new vehicle. MUCH LESS “MY OWN”!

I ordered my truck with the Snow Plow package because it came with e 50amp Factory wiring harness and a BUTTON ON THE DASH to activate it.

It never snows where I live and I never had ANY intention of installing a Snow Plow but I was looking forward to adding off road lights without having to mount a switch in my brand new F150 XLT.

But no… 4 months before they FINALLY built my truck, Ford changed the Snow Plow activation from a switch on the dash to a touch screen Menu option (within a Menu option) and replaced my Snow Plow switch with a Hill Decent switch.

So now I have to build relay circuit to activate my lights via my High Beams instead.

Fucking “gearheads”!

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