F-150 Max Tow vs. Trailer Tow?

[Chama]

I have a chance to buy one of two 2023 F-150s both with 3.5 EB engine, 4WD, Supercab, both with integrated trailer brake. One has the Max Tow package, 3.55 axle (the one with the open recall) and a 400 watt inverter and one has Trailer Tow package with the 2000 watt inverter but with 3.31 axle. I am leaning towards the one with the 2000 Watt inverter and trailer tow for towing our E-21. What do you F-150 experts advise?

[SageRpod]

Personally, I think either one will pull the E21 easily. We have the one with the 400w inverter but has the 36 gallon gas tank. That tank makes all the difference for us.

[SRS]

Originally Posted by Chama

I have a chance to buy one of two 2023 F-150s both with 3.5 EB engine, 4WD, Supercab, both with integrated trailer brake. One has the Max Tow package, 3.55 axle (the one with the open recall) and a 400 watt inverter and one has Trailer Tow package with the 2000 watt inverter but with 3.31 axle. I am leaning towards the one with the 2000 Watt inverter and trailer tow for towing our E-21. What do you F-150 experts advise?

My F-150 is the same as your first choice. Overkill for towing a E17A, but I purchased it during the pandemic and I didn't have many options. No regrets so far. We've never used the 400 watt inverter. The tongue weight of my trailer is 420 lbs and I don't need a weight distribution hitch since the tailgate only sags less than 2 inches and the truck still sits higher in the rear than the front. Mileage wise I get 20 city and up to 27 highway driving at 65 mph or less, 14-15 mpg towing. I have a tonneau cover over the truck bed which may help with gas mileage. The axle recall doesn't have me worried. This is an issue that cropped up several model years back and it appears there have been enough incidences to force a NTSB recall.

Your second choice seems like it would also be perfectly fine but the 3.55 axle will get you a little better pulling power which could be an advantage if you drive in mountainous terrain. You may have other considerations to help make your choice.

[DanK]

The 36 gallon fuel tank is a game changer . We drive 5 hrs from home and never have to worry about fuel . Pull into campsite with a 1/4 tank left and can deal with filling up without the trailer before we leave . Also allows you to pass up sketchy gas stations while on longer days

[SRS]

Originally Posted by DanK

The 36 gallon fuel tank is a game changer . We drive 5 hrs from home and never have to worry about fuel .

Forgot to mention that. That large fuel tank is fantastic. If you actually drive off road, you might want a skit plate for it. The one that came with mine was plastic. Probably work fine for hwy road debris but not a rock or deep rut.

[WillyB]

3:55 gear all day vs the 3:31 and the larger gas tank makes life simpler.

[Chama]

Thanks everyone for the sage advice. We decided to go with the 2023 F-150 XLT with the Max Tow package, the 3.55 rear axle and extended range fuel tank. Hope we like the F-150 as much as we have our 2017 GMC Canyon diesel.
Chama

[Perry Butler]

Originally Posted by Chama

Thanks everyone for the sage advice. We decided to go with the 2023 F-150 XLT with the Max Tow package, the 3.55 rear axle and extended range fuel tank. Hope we like the F-150 as much as we have our 2017 GMC Canyon diesel.
Chama

FYI. With the 400 watt inverter in our 2019 F150 we can run a Victron IP22 charger set to 27 amps like you would a generator. It may not run an AC unit, but it charges the batteries if you get stuck in a site with complete tree cover.

Last fall in Cumberland Gap NP, I wasn't watching our SOC and we ran out of batteries at 3 am on a below freezing night. There were no campers even remotely near us, so I ran a 120v extension cord from our truck to the charger in the camper and the heater started running again, so went back to sleep. When I got up the next morning the batteries were over 50% full (I don't really remember but at least 50%).

Enjoy your new F150!

Perry

[hondasaurus]

Originally Posted by Chama

Thanks everyone for the sage advice. We decided to go with the 2023 F-150 XLT with the Max Tow package, the 3.55 rear axle and extended range fuel tank. Hope we like the F-150 as much as we have our 2017 GMC Canyon diesel.
Chama

I've change my Canyon 2016 diesel with a 2022 almost new f150 with 2,7 and 3,55 axel. Love the truck and with the Trailler I,ve manage an average of 16 liter /100 km on 5 000 km from Canada to Louisiana with is less than 3 litres average for the Canion diesel (13,5 l/100). The same calculation goes on when not towing.

[Chama]

Perry,
Did you connect the F-150 from the truck bed plug recepacle with extension cord to the 30 amp Escape shore power cable with an appropriate adapter? I want to make sure we have the right plugs and cables on our first outing (a week of boondocking in TX for the eclipse).
Thanks,
Chama

Originally Posted by Perry Butler

FYI. With the 400 watt inverter in our 2019 F150 we can run a Victron IP22 charger set to 27 amps like you would a generator. It may not run an AC unit, but it charges the batteries if you get stuck in a site with complete tree cover.

Last fall in Cumberland Gap NP, I wasn't watching our SOC and we ran out of batteries at 3 am on a below freezing night. There were no campers even remotely near us, so I ran a 120v extension cord from our truck to the charger in the camper and the heater started running again, so went back to sleep. When I got up the next morning the batteries were over 50% full (I don't really remember but at least 50%).

Enjoy your new F150!

Perry

[Gary737]

Originally Posted by Perry Butler

FYI. With the 400 watt inverter in our 2019 F150 we can run a Victron IP22 charger set to 27 amps like you would a generator. It may not run an AC unit, but it charges the batteries if you get stuck in a site with complete tree cover.

Last fall in Cumberland Gap NP, I wasn't watching our SOC and we ran out of batteries at 3 am on a below freezing night. There were no campers even remotely near us, so I ran a 120v extension cord from our truck to the charger in the camper and the heater started running again, so went back to sleep. When I got up the next morning the batteries were over 50% full (I don't really remember but at least 50%).

Enjoy your new F150!

Perry

What are the advantages of using the Victron battery charger versus plugging the shore power cord with adapter into the 400 watt outlet which would charge the house batteries?
Does the truck engine need to be running or does the truck battery have enough amperage to provide power for the amount of time you used it for?

[oldwave]

Originally Posted by Gary737

What are the advantages of using the Victron battery charger versus plugging the shore power cord with adapter into the 400 watt outlet which would charge the house batteries?
Does the truck engine need to be running or does the truck battery have enough amperage to provide power for the amount of time you used it for?

Perry can answer that, but he has a unique setup.

[Perry Butler]

Originally Posted by Chama

Perry,
Did you connect the F-150 from the truck bed plug recepacle with extension cord to the 30 amp Escape shore power cable with an appropriate adapter? I want to make sure we have the right plugs and cables on our first outing (a week of boondocking in TX for the eclipse).

No. The charger runs directly to the batteries. You only need a 25' extension cord. The IP22 is hooked directly to the batteries when charging, eliminating any wiring losses.

Originally Posted by oldwave

Perry can answer that, but he has a unique setup.

Our setup is unique because we have plenty of solar on our roof(s).

Originally Posted by Gary737

What are the advantages of using the Victron battery charger versus plugging the shore power cord with adapter into the 400 watt outlet which would charge the house batteries?
Does the truck engine need to be running or does the truck battery have enough amperage to provide power for the amount of time you used it for?

First of all, the WFCO in our 5.0 fried a set of batteries when it tried to charge them at 20.3 volts. After plenty of research, we found there were others who had the same issue with that cheap WFCO charger.

The standard charger (WFCO or Progressive Dynamics) would overload the 400 watt inverter charging at 50 amps and shut down any charging. The advantage is the IP 22 is fully configurable, and is very easy to configure.

The most amps our F150's 400 watt inverter can run into the batteries with the IP22 is 27 amps (the IP22 can be configured to run from about 10 amps to 30 amps). At 28 amps the 400 watt inverter is in overload. We charge with solar and have only needed the IP22 for charging twice in the past 1 1/2 years. We didn't have a charger installed at all in our 5.0 for 4 years and didn't miss it because we either had 170 watts on the roof and a 100 watt portable, or eventually 470 watts on the roof and never used the 100 watt portable even once.

When setup, the charger is only hooked to the truck (we have an extension cord running from the truck to the camper), so the truck must be running the entire time. Think of it as a generator, with the F150's engine/alternator as the generators motor. It's much easier in practice than it seems when I write the description.

Since we had 470 watts on the roof of our Escape 5.0 and 600 watts on the roof of our Bigfoot there is no good reason for a DC-DC.

Another advantage of Victron's IP22 charger is it can be quickly used as a separate charger, or can be used as a power supply, something a fully wired in WFCO or Progressive Dynamics charger can't do. It's really a versatile piece of kit.

Sometimes you need to think out of the box.

Food for thought,

Perry

[Gary737]

Thank you.

[John in Santa Cruz]

Yeah I was gonna say, my pd4655 sucks about 700 watts when it's charging my lithiums....

[oldwave]

My multiplus has a digital control module allowing me to limit the amps drawn from shore power. In that scenario I can set a low amp draw from a limited shore power connection. It’s variable and can be set on the fly. It would work with the lower power f150 inverter output without a separate charger.