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Old 12-30-2014, 11:43 AM   #1
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F150 2with 6.5' box. Regular cab or super cab?

Hi everyone,

I won't be buying a truck for another year, and won't be buying the trailer (hopefully a 5.0TA) for another year after that, but I am trying to consider all my options.

I've only towed a utility trailer a few times, so this would be my first RV. My truck will be an F150 with the 6.5' box (and most likely a 4x4 and with the 2.7L ecoboost) , but I am currently trying to figure out if I need to get an extended cab or not. A lot of people say they wouldn't tow with a regular cab short box, but those people are talking about bigger and heavier fifth wheels. With how light the Escape 5.0TA is, would a regular cab short box truck be adequate?
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Old 12-30-2014, 12:30 PM   #2
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Reece is happy with his Ford CC short box and a 5.0TA. There are pictures here somewhere that I can't just find. He/Tammy would be great to shoot some Q's to.

Personally I'd be looking at cargo capacity numbers before box length issues.
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Old 12-30-2014, 12:47 PM   #3
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It's more a wheelbase length issue. It's a pretty short truck. I was wondering if anyone had experience with that configuration towing a 5.0TA.
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Old 12-30-2014, 02:07 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by notquitesane View Post
It's more a wheelbase length issue. It's a pretty short truck. I was wondering if anyone had experience with that configuration towing a 5.0TA.
Look at posts #12 and #13 of this thread:
http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f7...html#post76876
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Old 12-30-2014, 02:34 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by notquitesane View Post
It's more a wheelbase length issue. It's a pretty short truck. I was wondering if anyone had experience with that configuration towing a 5.0TA.
Hi: notquitesane... I know the feeling.
We towed our '07 5.0 for the first few years with a 6.5' GMC std. cab. Not enough room in the cab for #one and didn't like the galloping of the short wheelbase for #2. The 5.0TA rides better and the Crew Cab 6'1" long wheel base Frontier has room for an extra passenger or Grand kids car seats.
Reace and Tammy have the Ecoboost F150 4dr. truck... Their family is growing up!!! Ours only come back once in a while...but the Grands are different. Alf
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Old 12-30-2014, 03:26 PM   #6
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If I read your question right, you want to know if you can tow a 5.0TA with a regular cab F150 2.7L EB with a 6.5' bed. According to the truck capacity chart 2015 Ford F-150 | View Towing Specifications | Ford.com you can tow 7600 lbs with the 3.55 axel and 8400 lb with the 3.73. Both are fine for the 5.0TA. The payload for these configurations are 1580 and 1700 respectively, again your fine. I don't have my exact figures, but the trailer is about 4400 lbs loaded with a 600 lb pin weight.

The supercab is roughly the same.
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Old 12-30-2014, 03:45 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BCnomad View Post
Reece is happy with his Ford CC short box and a 5.0TA. There are pictures here somewhere that I can't just find. He/Tammy would be great to shoot some Q's to.

Personally I'd be looking at cargo capacity numbers before box length issues.
He's not just happy with it, he's ecstatic. When I mentioned we might get the Ecoboost V6 F150 as a tow, he smiled and told me I'd be very pleased with it. He said it almost brought tears to his eyes how well it tows and how well it accelerates to pass when towing.
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Old 12-30-2014, 04:41 PM   #8
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The box length is relevant to how much space there is between the cab and axle, and the 6.5' box would be suitable; a shorter box would require a compromise in hitch position or in turning clearance.

The cab length is relevant to towing only because it (in combination with the box length) determines the wheelbase, and long wheelbase is good for towing. A regular cab short-box 2015 F150 doesn't exist, and even a regular-cab with 6.5' box (which I think you'll have trouble finding here) has a 3109 mm (122.4") wheelbase, which is longer than any of the SUVs that people are using to tow the Escape 21'; a 21' is nearly as big as the 5.0TA and less stable.

I think it's a good idea to ask about these factors, and understand their significance, but in this case I suggest that you get whatever cab length suits you for other reasons, not for towing... since you're not considering the SuperCrew/5.5'box combination which would not be good for clearance (although that's what Reace uses).
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Old 12-30-2014, 04:55 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by padlin View Post
If I read your question right, you want to know if you can tow a 5.0TA with a regular cab F150 2.7L EB with a 6.5' bed. According to the truck capacity chart 2015 Ford F-150 | View Towing Specifications | Ford.com you can tow 7600 lbs with the 3.55 axel and 8400 lb with the 3.73. Both are fine for the 5.0TA. The payload for these configurations are 1580 and 1700 respectively, again your fine. I don't have my exact figures, but the trailer is about 4400 lbs loaded with a 600 lb pin weight.

The supercab is roughly the same.
I don't think you'll see any significant difference in rated towing capacity, because the cab and box only change the curb weight, and the trailer rating is just whatever is left after subtracting the curb weight from the Gross Combined Weight Rating. Similarly, the payload is likely just the GVWR minus the curb weight.

Shorter boxes and especially shorter cabs reduce the curb weight. Although the payload numbers look great, it could still be an issue with enough passengers and cargo - lots of travel trailer owners run into GVWR limits with much less hitch weight than that of an Escape 5.0TA. I think every number I've seen in this forum for an actual pin weight in loaded condition of either version of the Escape 5.0 is significantly more than 600 pounds.

Ford Canada's version of the towing data chart is F-150 Specifications - Towing; the values are probably the same, but I haven't checked.
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Old 12-30-2014, 05:02 PM   #10
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Originally Posted by escape artist View Post
We towed our '07 5.0 for the first few years with a 6.5' GMC std. cab. Not enough room in the cab for #one and didn't like the galloping of the short wheelbase for #2.
I get that - our old Chevy regular-cab shortbox would annoyingly pitch even without a trailer... but I hope that trucks have improved a little bit in the 35 years since the piece of junk we had was made.
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Old 12-30-2014, 06:26 PM   #11
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Originally Posted by Brian B-P View Post
Although the payload numbers look great, it could still be an issue with enough passengers and cargo - lots of travel trailer owners run into GVWR limits with much less hitch weight than that of an Escape 5.0TA. I think every number I've seen in this forum for an actual pin weight in loaded condition of either version of the Escape 5.0 is significantly more than 600 pounds.
The list of real world weights that Jon is keeping up has 3 of them, pin weights are 520, 610, and 728. Mine was the 610, loaded for travel.

The OP could get more payload, but not with the little engine.
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Old 12-30-2014, 10:56 PM   #12
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The list of real world weights that Jon is keeping up has 3 of them, pin weights are 520, 610, and 728. Mine was the 610, loaded for travel.
That's a great list, based mostly on Fred's weighings at meets, but when I did a search in this forum other numbers appeared:... and I'm sure there are more, since that was just the first page of Google hits.

I note that Reace was quoted as saying
Quote:
Originally Posted by alanmalk View Post
"Keep the 5.0TA in balance at 750-800 lbs on the pin..."
Quote:
Originally Posted by padlin View Post
The OP could get more payload, but not with the little engine.
The engine (and final drive ratio) determine the GCWR and thus the maximum trailer weight... but drivetrain has little to do with the GVWR which determines payload. Within the same payload package level the engine choice makes small differences in GVWR; the big change is due to the payload packages (which is primarily suspension), and the length (shown in terms of wheelbase) and engine determine which payload package is available.

The SuperCab and 6.5' box combination gives a wheelbase of 3683 mm (145"), for which the payload selector says a 980 kg (2160 lb) payload is available. That's not far off the 1057 kg (2330 lb) of the highest payload available with any other engine in that cab/box combination... and hopefully more than anyone needs to tow an Escape 5.0TA!
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Old 12-30-2014, 11:08 PM   #13
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Thanks guys. Whatever I get, I'll probably factory order it. Might as well have exactly what I want rather than compromise. When I bought my Fusion 6.5 years ago I had 2 to pick from, really expensive or within my price range...

I'm leaning towards a supercab, more practical... but I just love the look of a regular cab with the shorter box! Who needs to have room to haul your friends around!
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Old 12-30-2014, 11:33 PM   #14
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Have you noticed that parking spots in mall lots are getting narrower?
At some point there will be all these cars and trucks in the lot, filled with obese people who can't open their doors, so they can go buy their groceries. They'll all leave Thrifty's and go to a fast food drive thru.
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Old 12-31-2014, 05:34 AM   #15
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Happened to notice just yesterday that we could hardly even back out of a lot at a shopping center, almost required a K turn maneuver. Looks like they aren't just shrinking the spaces, but the space between the rows too. And that was with the Corolla.
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Old 12-31-2014, 06:09 AM   #16
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I love my truck. Don't need or want something with four big doors. The back seat in the 2014 is so much nicer than the back seat was in my 2000 Ford. For the ocassional passenger(s), I think it would be more than adequate.

Alf mentioned galloping with a 6.5 box. I don't notice that either. I looked at a white Ford F-150 long box. Didn't care for it at all. Looked like something a contractor drives... that's not me! YMMV
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Old 12-31-2014, 06:15 AM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BCnomad View Post
Reece is happy with his Ford CC short box and a 5.0TA. There are pictures here somewhere that I can't just find.
The pictures, etc. are here, direct link: http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f2...html#post48917
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Old 12-31-2014, 02:05 PM   #18
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Alf mentioned galloping with a 6.5 box. I don't notice that either.
I believe that Alf's truck was like mine - a 6-ft or so box and regular cab, for a wheelbase around 3 metres (120"). Donna's truck has the same box but a much longer cab, stretching the wheelbase out half a metre (to 145" or so). The extra wheelbase would help.
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Old 12-31-2014, 02:17 PM   #19
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Whatever I get, I'll probably factory order it. Might as well have exactly what I want rather than compromise. When I bought my Fusion 6.5 years ago I had 2 to pick from, really expensive or within my price range...
Unlike cars, pickup trucks still offer a wide variety of configuration choices. If you have the time, energy, patience, and interest to go through them and choose the best for you, this can be a real advantage.

Of course, if you make an unusual choice and it doesn't work out for you - maybe your needs change - it can be hard to sell. I saw a pair of regular cab longbox base-trim Tundras on a Toyota lot, and just had to ask a sales person what they were doing there: they were special-ordered for corporate customer... the dealership never would have brought them in otherwise, as no one here chooses that. Another time I was curious about the front suspension of a 2WD SuperDuty pickup, and asked at the local Ford dealership if they had one to look at. This place is big - 83 F350 SRW truck in stock today - and they only found one 2WD F-250 or F-350 in stock... and they couldn't find it in the lot. I wouldn't want to be looking for a buyer for that truck.
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Old 12-31-2014, 02:24 PM   #20
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Hi: Donna D... Of the two pic's. I put in post #5 the black F150 and 5.0TA is Reace& Tammys combo. The TA was sold at the Escape Rally in Osoyoos though. An Albertan with a new 5.0 sold his and bought theirs on the spot!!!
Here's a pic. of our GMC and 5.0 combo. The truck had to have helper springs added to keep the ascend up Alf
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