Ford 150 3.5 Ecoboost and 5.OTA combination

[Fox hunt]

just make sure you get a truck with a lot of pay load so you can carry heavy stuff in your truck mine is a bit limited so I'm careful. i seem to have enough room for what i carry. i have a short bed so a clam would most likely be too long - i don't like setting up a bunch of stuff outside anyway. i have the 2.7 super crew with additional pay load maybe the 3.5 has more pay load? Anyway I'm very happy with the combination. Hitches easily tows great. I also have the Anderson. Tradmasters in Chilliwack installed the ball hitch too they do a great job.

[JStelly]

Originally Posted by Fox hunt

just make sure you get a truck with a lot of pay load so you can carry heavy stuff in your truck mine is a bit limited so I'm careful. i seem to have enough room for what i carry. i have a short bed so a clam would most likely be too long - i don't like setting up a bunch of stuff outside anyway. i have the 2.7 super crew with additional pay load maybe the 3.5 has more pay load? Anyway I'm very happy with the combination. Hitches easily tows great. I also have the Anderson. Tradmasters in Chilliwack installed the ball hitch too they do a great job.

Thanks. The Ford specs show 1,940 payload for the 2.7 EB and 2,040 for the 3.5 EB both SuperCrew with 5.5 bed so I feel comfortable with this package and your and other’s experiences. I also appreciate the comments about Trademasters. We are visiting Escape in early October so I will add them to my list to visit and discuss pricing, etc.

[Chris R]

Originally Posted by JStelly

We love our Clam but it barely fits in our 6.5 bed on my Tundra Double Cab so I know it won’t fit in the 5.5 bed.

It does fit to 5.5, it has to be placed diagonally in the box. It fits even with the Andersen hitch. It is easier to travel with it in the trailer. Not perfect, but manuvering the shorter truck makes up for it.

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by JStelly

Thanks. The Ford specs show 1,940 payload for the 2.7 EB and 2,040 for the 3.5 EB both SuperCrew with 5.5 bed so I feel comfortable with this package and your and other’s experiences. I also appreciate the comments about Trademasters. We are visiting Escape in early October so I will add them to my list to visit and discuss pricing, etc.

Remember though, as you add options your payload decreases by the weight of these options. My payload ended up being around 1500 lb.

[Chris R]

Originally Posted by JStelly

Thanks. The Ford specs show 1,940 payload for the 2.7 EB and 2,040 for the 3.5 EB both SuperCrew with 5.5 bed so I feel comfortable with this package and your and other’s experiences.

Just be aware that the published payload is before adding any options to the truck.

[Vermilye]

The payload on my 2018 SuperCab 4X4 3.5EB is 1826. (No maximum payload or trailer). A big improvement on the Tacoma!

[JStelly]

I’m already thinking about a “gear diet” and review our accumulated stuff we hauled with us the last 3 years. The payload limit will be my motivation.

[Little Richie]

Originally Posted by JStelly

We are seriously considering moving from our current rig (Toyota Tundra 4.6L and Escape 19) to a F150 3.5L Ecoboost and 5.OTA. I have done a lot of research on the forum that answered most of my questions save a few. So here goes!

1. For those who have switched from a 19 to a 5.0 considering the combination above what is the difference in towing? Better? Same? Worse? We make several short trips and a couple of long 2,000 -6,00 miles plus trips every year. I’m looking for an improvement in ease of towing, hookup and unhooking.

2. What hitch are you using? Is the Anderson 5th wheel hitch the most common? Does Escape have a local supplier they recommend for installation of both the gooseneck ball and hitch? Or did you arrive with it already installed?

3. I’m concerned about all the stuff I currently store in the bed of my truck and the storage box on the 19. Did you find sufficient storage options on the 5.0? If so, ideas? Will a folding bed cover be ok? Will it cover the hitch and gear in the bed when unhooked? Specifically we have a Clam for the buggy Texas Gulf Coast. Will it store/ride nicely inside the 5.0 on the road?

4. There appears to be more Interior storage. Is there still storage under the dinette on at least one side like the 19? If we opt for the wrap around dinette what is the under bench storage like? (Note. I plan on keeping the surge suppressor, 1500w inverter and transfer switch like we have on our 19 and I assume this equipment is under the dinette. Is this a correct assumption?).

We already have a visit to Escape planned for early October. Just trying to get as many questions answered in advance as possible which I know only leads to more questions!

Thanks for all your help.

John

As I have been noted in other post, EcoBoost engines are great, but they are Eco or Boost not both at the same time. I do not know how they will do with a 5.0. That being saiid the larger engine can produce a lot of work quickly as in pulling out in a short express lane.

1. I cannot comment on ease of towing with the F150 as I tow with an F250. However there are several users on the forum who can. I only recommend that you note the available payload with your configuration and compare it to the hitch weight, etc. Exceeding the weight will effect the component life and breaking distance. i really like the towing in my particular truck hitch combination. Tracking is great and it it stops well. (I am of the opinion that stopping is under rated and is significantly more important that acceleration up hill.) Escape can recommend a hitch installer. Several people have used them successfully.

2. Talk to Escape about the distance you need from the hitch to the end of the truck. The 5.0 does not have the space available between the camper and hitch that the monster fifth wheels do. It works fine, just ask about the distance for their reference point to the center of the hitch. i use a BW companion with their hitch kit. This has the ability to offset. It is a fantastic hitch. That being said, it utilizes available payload (which I have a lot of); and it takes more effort to get out. if you use the Ford OEM hitch kit there are a large number of available hitches that will work with it.

I have talked to number of non-Escape users of the Anderson hitch and they seem to be happy with it. They really like the weight. If payload is an issue, this does save a lot of weight. It is not my preference, but it is an interesting product which has a big following.

One of the possible advantages concerning the Anderson hitch is that it is possible to get a 9 inch offset, depending on how the king pin connection "block" is positioned. This offers the potential for a great turning radius. This is, however, contingent on the king pin clearing the side of the truck when the block is installed this way. Clearance will depend on the height setting for your hitch, the angle of the king pin and the available space between the hitch center and the side walls. (Tonneau cover rails can significantly reduce the distance.) I recommend talking to some users on the forum on the setting of the block and clearance specifically. Also, note that there can be significant differences in bed rail height between model years and models.

3 Our experience is that storage from our travel trailer is reduces, mostly in the form of truck space. The 5.0 is adequate storage for us. The key in our case is to continually review what you need. We do shift some stuff between the truck front seats and the camper when traveling such as fishing gear and a screen tent. (After our last trip I have decided to reduce my fishing gear. I cannot pack for every contingency.)

I think there is a storage option to have a full cabinet as you come in the door. We did not know about it at the time and probably would have put it in. We did put in shelves in the clothes cabinet and the large kitchen cabinet and bagged the underpowered microwave. Our observation when choosing Escape was that people with bigger rigs just filled the space. Most people we talked to who had second bathrooms, tubs or ovens had them filled with stuff.

4. The dinner storage is limited to one side. The side with the hot water heater is full, If you put any thing in the back bench (U shaped option) you need to secure it so it does not damage the electrical components. In addition, buy need to maintain cooling space around components.

[Little Richie]

Originally Posted by JStelly

Thanks. The Ford specs show 1,940 payload for the 2.7 EB and 2,040 for the 3.5 EB both SuperCrew with 5.5 bed so I feel comfortable with this package and your and other’s experiences. I also appreciate the comments about Trademasters. We are visiting Escape in early October so I will add them to my list to visit and discuss pricing, etc.

The real question is not what the specs say, but what option packages are included in the specs. I do not know and had difficulty finding out. I recommend going to a dealer, reading the door sticker for available payload and asking the dealer why they are different. I had an F150 EB Lariat with an aluminum body and the payload was equivalent to my Honda pilot. When I did a dealer survey two years ago I saw payloads ranging from 1300 to 2000. I recently looked at a F150 Lariat diesel with lots of options. The payload was less than my F150 EB Lariat.

[Hilola]

So would it be fair to say that a payload (as read on the doorjamb sticker) of 1,500 lbs is the minimum if towing the 5.0TA?

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Hilola

So would it be fair to say that a payload (as read on the doorjamb sticker) of 1,500 lbs is the minimum if towing the 5.0TA?

I don't think it is reasonable to pick a single minimum value for the truck's payload. The minimum for someone who travels solo, without much of any cargo in the truck, with a lightly loaded 5.0TA could be 1,000 pounds. The minimum for a family of four with a huge pile of stuff in the truck and a loaded-to-the-max 5.0TA could be perhaps 1,800 pounds. 1,500 pounds seems like a reasonable and typical value to me.

[Little Richie]

Originally Posted by Hilola

So would it be fair to say that a payload (as read on the doorjamb sticker) of 1,500 lbs is the minimum if towing the 5.0TA?

It will depend on the hitch kit and hitch, the number of passengers and other stuff. I have a heavy hitch+hitch kit

[padlin]

I always suggest allotting 900 lbs for the trailer. Add to that what you want to haul in the cab and bed of the truck, include body weights.

If you have a pair of people that add up to 400 lbs, add the 900 for the trailer & hitch, and you have a minimum of 1300. If you want to carry a couple hundred pound worth of cargo in the truck, add that to the 1300.

Personally I could get away with 1400 absolute minimum, 300 lbs worth of bodies and a couple hundred of cargo, but I'd look for more. For me more is better.

[Little Richie]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

I don't think it is reasonable to pick a single minimum value for the truck's payload. The minimum for someone who travels solo, without much of any cargo in the truck, with a lightly loaded 5.0TA could be 1,000 pounds. The minimum for a family of four with a huge pile of stuff in the truck and a loaded-to-the-max 5.0TA could be perhaps 1,800 pounds. 1,500 pounds seems like a reasonable and typical value to me.

I think the maximum hitch weight estimate is high. That being said you have to induce the hitch kit and hitch in your estimate. I would also add that you should consider your driving patterns the closer you get to payload. The payload limit is important not only on the swings/sag, but also on the breaking distance. (There is a lot of web chatter about adding air bags to solve a payload issue. These argument typically ignore the breaking distance.)

I would note that the typical "estimate" used by Ford is 150 lbd per adult. For two people that is 300 lbs. (I do not remember if the available payload includes the driver and a tank of gas.) Something like a generator, sewer tote and 2 chairs is at least 125- lbs/ Add in another 300 lbs for a child, rain gear, cooler, dog or fishing gear, etc and you have an additional 725 lbs. (The additional two people alone would add between 200 and 300 pounds on average, depending on their age.)

[Hilola]

Thanks, I see a diet in my future, lol!

[Little Richie]

Originally Posted by Little Richie

I would agree that it all depends on what you carry. I would also add that you should consider your driving patterns the closer you get to payload.

I recently weighed my truck and truck and camper.

My measurements indicate that the loaded camper weighed was 4580 lbs and the hitch weight was 480 lbs. (10%). The hitch weight was significantly different than Escapes estimate of 600 pounds which is about 15% of their total dry weight (3885) measurement. This could be for the following reasons: The escape numbers are not accurate; the scale measurement was not accurate; the way the camper was loaded pushed weight off of the hitch; I made a calculation error; all of the above; some of the above. It is noteworthy that the camper handles well while driving at all speeds, changing lanes, etc.; and stops in a straight line if the breaks are applied hard and fast. That is to say, there are no problems that I can attribute to the weight distribution.

These numbers at face value w indicate the subtraction from the payload on my truck which has a BW Companion hitch and Turn-a-ball kit should be in the 800-850 pound range. If I had more weight up front or less in back (holding tanks for example) it might be higher. My initial estimates using Escapes numbers was in the 900-1000 pound range

Has any one out there measured the weight and hitch weight of their 5.0 TAs ??

[PGDriver]

Just checked mine again.
Pin weight 748 lbs
Trailer weight 4981 lbs
So I’m running around 15% pin weight

[Little Richie]

Thank you,

This is very helpful to me and to others. The magnitudes are what I would expect. It is best to deal in real world measurements rather than purely engineering estimates. As others respond it will also provide some idea of the variance around the average.

[escape artist]

Originally Posted by Hilola

Thanks, I see a diet in my future, lol!

Hi: Hilola... There's always "Slim fast" and light beer !!! Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

[escape artist]

Originally Posted by PGDriver

Just checked mine again.
Pin weight 748 lbs
Trailer weight 4981 lbs
So I’m running around 15% pin weight

Hi: PGDriver... My pin weight seems more than that. The trailer weight is less. Must be the "Licorice ice cream" Eh? Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie