Anyone with MAX TOW package ever exceed the limit?

[Hank42]

I might need to tow a trailer a short distance with loaded weight just over 10KLBS. Wondering if anyone has real world experience.

If so, care to share some tips?

Sponsored

 

[Heliian]

You would be exceeding all types of limits if you towed it on public roads.

Check out the owners manual and associated towing guides from Ford.

Towing at or just below max rating isn't easy to begin with, you are 100% on your own when going over any of the limits.

 

[Grease Lightning]

While Heliian is correct of the liability aspect, all engineering comes with a safety margin. Now what that is sadly only Ford knows but if you figure in normal things it is 5-10% safety margin you might be able to go over for a few hundred pounds with out anything seriously happening.

 

[Jseis]

Back in the day I got away with a lot of stupid sh$t towing farm equipment on our rural county roads. What I learned was tongue weight, weight balance, speed, springs, and brakes mean something. A west coast long haul trucker (Seattle-LA Farmers Market run) gave a big hint. The towing rig (truck plus empty trailer) should be close to the product weight and as I vaguely recall his long frame Kenworth weighed ~26,000 and the trailer ~14,000 empty and that about equaled a full load (40,000 lbs) of potatoes/apples etc.

My learning experience was towing 3 tons of berries on a 1 ton trailer with a D200 (3/4 ton) at ~2.5 tons. At about 800 pound tongue weight it towed fine under 50 mph. But I put a 4.5 ton tractor loader backhoe on the same trailer, probably had less than 500 pound tongue weight and the load was rearward w/hoe hanging out the back and due to the short tongue plus unbalanced load, scared me to death. Ended up going barely 30 mph for 12 miles of backroad white knuckle driving. Plus no way in hell could those 40 year-old brakes have helped.

20 years later I used the same trailer to haul a Rolligon swamp tractor to eastern Wa. But I towed it with a ‘99 7.3 Super Duty. Truck & trailer probably equaled or slightly greater than tractor and I went over a scale at 19,900 and that F250 did fine. And it had good springs and brakes. And about 1250 on the tongue. Oh.. and speed magnifies your errors.

I’ve no experience with my Lightning but I watched TFLs towing test up the 8% Ike and they were impressed with stability and power-overall drive-ability of Lightning towing at max rating.

I wouldn’t make a habit of overloading though.

 

[Yellow Buddy]

I might need to tow a trailer a short distance with loaded weight just over 10KLBS. Wondering if anyone has real world experience.

If so, care to share some tips?

You're likely to exceed payload/GAWR prior to exceeding trailer weights typically. I haven't gone over 10k, but I did go over payload as a result of some overzealous bed loading while towing a 9000lb trailer and the truck not so nicely flashed a weight limit exceeded message on the dash.

 

[Hank42]

You're likely to exceed payload/GAWR prior to exceeding trailer weights typically. I haven't gone over 10k, but I did go over payload as a result of some overzealous bed loading while towing a 9000lb trailer and the truck not so nicely flashed a weight limit exceeded message on the dash.

That is good information right there - never occurred to me that I might get yelled at by my truck!

 

[astricklin]

That is good information right there - never occurred to me that I might get yelled at by my truck!

Only if you have the bed scales

 

[dovetaildan]

Only if you have the bed scales

I have a Lariat SR, no bed scales that I know of and I saw a 'weight limit' message once when towing an empty 1700 pound trailer.

 

[sotek2345]

At this point I don't really trust the bed scales. I took a load to the dump recently and the truck told me I was over weight by a little (~1730lbs). Scale at the dump read 800lbs exactly....

Sponsored