Towing question

[LegaZ88Z]

Hey all, I have a 21 Lariat 3.5EB 6.5ft bed max tow that I will be potentially needing to use to tow a 3200lb car hauler and my Lifted 98 Jeep GC over two knarly local Colorado mountain passes and back. This will be the first time towing this heavy of load in it so not sure what to expect from it. Largest thing prior is our 17ft TT.
I'm not too worried about the trucks ability to tug the load but more looking for opinions on how the truck will handle the down hill parts of that journey. Brakes and transmission etc.
I have access to a 2500 Cummins with an exhaust brake if I'm asking too much of my truck. Not looking to over do it. But if I will be ok with not borrowing a vehicle even better.
Thanks for your thoughts and insights.

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[Sneezy]

Hey all, I have a 21 Lariat 3.5EB 6.5ft bed max tow that I will be potentially needing to use to tow a 3200lb car hauler and my Lifted 98 Jeep GC over two knarly local Colorado mountain passes and back. This will be the first time towing this heavy of load in it so not sure what to expect from it. Largest thing prior is our 17ft TT.
I'm not too worried about the trucks ability to tug the load but more looking for opinions on how the truck will handle the down hill parts of that journey. Brakes and transmission etc.
I have access to a 2500 Cummins with an exhaust brake if I'm asking too much of my truck. Not looking to over do it. But if I will be ok with not borrowing a vehicle even better.
Thanks for your thoughts and insights.

The only thing you’ll have to do is check your rear view mirror to make sure the load is still on your trailer as you blow past everyone else going up the pass with the 3.5 ?

In all seriousness the F150 will handle that no problem, even from a brake/suspension standpoint. You will be impressed how effortless it is

 

[SRMD]

You probably need to provide a bit more information - like total trailer and cargo weight, are you using weight distribution hitch, what speeds will you be traveling, when you say gnarly, it is tight turns, very steep 8%, 10%, grade or more, how long are the steep grades? Will ur brakes have opportunities to cool off?

in general, the 3.5L Eco does not provide much engine braking, even when manually shifted, under heavy load. You will be relying on your truck brakes and trailer brakes heavily.

 

[SRMD]

The only thing you’ll have to do is check your rear view mirror to make sure the load is still on your trailer as you blow past everyone else going up the pass with the 3.5 ?

In all seriousness the F150 will handle that no problem, even from a brake/suspension standpoint. You will be impressed how effortless it is

he is worried about coming down the mountain, not going up.

 

[Sneezy]

he is worried about coming down the mountain, not going up.

Yep, that’s why I said there’s nothing to worry about in the brake/suspension department. As long as he keeps his speeds in check, he’ll be fine with these weights. He definitely shouldn’t expect to be cruising at the speed limit going downhill, but these weights are well within the capabilities of the trucks downhill performance. It’s better to be the guy doing 15-25mph in the slow lane than the one taking the runaway truck ramp.

One tip they taught us in truck driving school is the 10 second rule. You should never be on your brake pedal for more than 10 seconds, and it should take longer than 10 seconds to gain 10mph without touching the brakes going downhill. Generally it means using one or two gears lower going down the hill than you used to climb the hill with a semi truck. It’s a bit of an apples to oranges comparison but still relatively applicable

 

[DT400]

I'll be curious to hear your report after you do this.
I live in Colorado Springs and go west often. I haven't towed anything of significance over any of the passes yet but one thing I noticed is the lack of compression braking out of this V6 even at 12+:1 comp. ratio.
So I have the same concerns as you...all I can say is better to be safe than sorry...start down slow and see how what gear you need to keep off your brakes as much as possible.
Of course the Cummins with the engine brake would be ideal.
Safe travels.

Darrell

 

[ELKillian]

I just used my 22 F150 EB to bring 12000 pounds of trailer and Hay from Nashville to North Ga, about 200 miles. I had to cross Mont Eagle Mountain one of the most treacherous mountains in the southeast. It is short but it is steep. The truck pulled it easily, fuel economy bottomed out at 10 MPGs. I would suggest going down hill that you be sure that you have GOOD trailer brakes, use tow mode and put your transmission in manual mode so you can downshift it yourself. Keep your speed low coming downhill and you will be fine. Mine is a 4X4 with the tow package. My Max Tow is 14400. I hope this helps.

 

[Kidder]

Get your trailer brake controller set properly and you should be good to go. Sport mode has engine braking! Lol

 

[LegaZ88Z]

You probably need to provide a bit more information - like total trailer and cargo weight, are you using weight distribution hitch, what speeds will you be traveling, when you say gnarly, it is tight turns, very steep 8%, 10%, grade or more, how long are the steep grades? Will ur brakes have opportunities to cool off?

in general, the 3.5L Eco does not provide much engine braking, even when manually shifted, under heavy load. You will be relying on your truck brakes and trailer brakes heavily.

Trailer is 3200 lbs and jeep I'd guess at around 4200-4500 with add-ons and gear. No distribution hitch on this setup. Highway speeds under 65 or what ever the truck is comfortable doing. As far as the Pass roads it's going to be all of the above. Not sure if anyone's familiar with Coal Bank and Red Mountain passes from Durango to Ouray. But they are tight and steep but not sure of grades. Speeds down the passes will be much slower.
The lack of engine braking ability in this truck is exactly why I'm inquiring with more knowledgeable folks. I'm not a complete stranger to trailering things just to how these trucks handle it

 

[powerboatr]

I just used my 22 F150 EB to bring 12000 pounds of trailer and Hay from Nashville to North Ga, about 200 miles. I had to cross Mont Eagle Mountain one of the most treacherous mountains in the southeast. It is short but it is steep. The truck pulled it easily, fuel economy bottomed out at 10 MPGs. I would suggest going down hill that you be sure that you have GOOD trailer brakes, use tow mode and put your transmission in manual mode so you can downshift it yourself. Keep your speed low coming downhill and you will be fine. Mine is a 4X4 with the tow package. My Max Tow is 14400. I hope this helps.

did you stay on the highway or go the old 2 lane route?
either one is a nail bitter

 

[ELKillian]

I stayed on the Interstate. I was pulling a gooseneck. I confess I was kind of nervous and it kept wanting to pick up speed, I did not ride my brakes, I just pumped them when necessary to keep my speed down.

 

[Aron]

I recognize that it's not 100% the same as your situation, but it's probably similar: I towed my 6500lb travel trailer through Colorado using my 2015 Expedition, which has a 3.5 Ecoboost. I went over a handful of 10k - 11k passes without issue. Engine braking is present in tow/haul mode, but maybe it's not as strong as some bigger trucks. If you're at all concerned about the ability for the engine to slow you down, just keep the speeds lower in the first place (maybe 10-15mph slower than the speed limit while on the steepest grades), and then you won't really give the vehicle a chance to get in trouble before you can correct it.

 

[Samson16]

Trailer is 3200 lbs and jeep I'd guess at around 4200-4500 with add-ons and gear. No distribution hitch on this setup. Highway speeds under 65 or what ever the truck is comfortable doing. As far as the Pass roads it's going to be all of the above. Not sure if anyone's familiar with Coal Bank and Red Mountain passes from Durango to Ouray. But they are tight and steep but not sure of grades. Speeds down the passes will be much slower.
The lack of engine braking ability in this truck is exactly why I'm inquiring with more knowledgeable folks. I'm not a complete stranger to trailering things just to how these trucks handle it

8000lb. without WD hitch I would expect some squat since your tongue wt. will be +800lb. Properly adjusted trailer brakes hopefully. Tow/Haul mode nice and easy. Safe trip and let us know.

In fact, you are over the non-WD tow rating which I think is 5000lb., now that I think about it, but check your manual to be sure.

 

[Calson]

With a 13,000 lb trailer load my 2500 diesel with the GM exhaust brake was amazing. I never needed to touch the brakes on steep long downhill sections of up to 10 miles. So the diesel with the exhaust brake is the optimum tow vehicle.

The F-150 may be fine but you do want to control your speed without doing a lot of braking which is more of a problem with the drum brakes found on most trailers that cannot shed heat the way your trucks disc brakes are able to do.

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