Towing with F-150 Powerboost

[GregColdewey]

I ordered an new F-150 Powerboost (hybrid) in January and picked it up last week. The main reason I wanted it aside from better fuel economy is the ability to plug in our escape to the 7.2 kw generator that’s powered off the hybrid battery. First test was yesterday and I ran lights and AC for about 3 hours. The engine kicks on occasionally for a couple of minutes to recharge the battery. This is an incredible set up for boondockers providing unlimited power for the trailer. I haven’t towed with it yet, but I know the 3.5 eco boost will easily handle things…hopefully with a bit better fuel economy as the electric motor assists the gas engine. Non towing I’m getting around 23 mpg city or highway.

[Ron in BC]

Sounds like the best of both worlds.

Keep us updated when you've done say a week's worth of running the A/C with that combo and monitor how much the engine actually is used.

I tow my 21 with a 2.7 feel like I have lots of power. Yours is probably tow like a rocket ship.


Ron

[brroberts]

I’m sure it will be a wonderful tow vehicle. I like the concept, but it cost more than my truck and trailer combined. It’s not something I could do, but will follow with interest on fuel consumption while running the trailer boondocking.

[GregColdewey]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

Sounds like the best of both worlds.

Keep us updated when you've done say a week's worth of running the A/C with that combo and monitor how much the engine actually is used.

I tow my 21 with a 2.7 feel like I have lots of power. Yours is probably tow like a rocket ship.


Ron

I’m curious about that as well. One test I saw on YouTube a guy connected his airstream and ran everything for 24 hours. As I recall, he used about 8 gallons of gas. I can’t conceive us ever doing that…maybe a few hours at night to cool things off for bed. Or if our campsite is shaded and the solar isn’t keeping the batteries charged.

[GregColdewey]

Originally Posted by brroberts

I’m sure it will be a wonderful tow vehicle. I like the concept, but it cost more than my truck and trailer combined. It’s not something I could do, but will follow with interest on fuel consumption while running the trailer boondocking.

Totally agree that trucks are ridiculously expensive these days. But I was going to trade my 2018 F-150 anyway and the Powerboost only adds about $2500.

[YakRV]

We picked up our 21C in Sumas in mid-June and towed with our 2021 F-150 3.5L PowerBoost (Super Crew + 5.5’ bed + 4x4 + 20” rims) down to Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Mt Rushmore, Custer State Park, Badlands, then home to northern Kentucky. We averaged between 12-14mpg on the trip.

We encountered a LOT of wind most of the trip (one stretch with gusts over 50mph), and towed through some elevation as well, so you might experience better gas mileage. Keep in mind, however, the electric motor aspect of the PowerBoost engine provides little to no advantage while towing. It just doesn’t have the kind of power to add much under the load of towing.

That being said, we love this truck for towing our 21C. We’re very happy with our choice of tow vehicle, and expect you will be too. Happy camping!

Edit: I wanted to add that our mpg was also affected by stretches of interstate where the speed limit is 80mph. We didn’t want to impede traffic too much, and the 3.5L PowerBoost engine tows the 21C like it’s nothing, so we upped our speed a little and the mpg’s dropped accordingly.

[Centex]

Originally Posted by GregColdewey

Totally agree that trucks are ridiculously expensive these days. But I was going to trade my 2018 F-150 anyway and the Powerboost only adds about $2500.

Perhaps with dealer discount(or back when you ordered), but the current online Build & Price tool shows +$3300USD MSRP for the PowerBoost option on a Lariat, +$4495MSRP on an XLT(!). That includes the 'base' Pro-Power 2.4kW capacity, add ~$750 (MSRP) for the 7.2kW Pro-Power capacity (Pro-Power being the auxiliary AC-power component of the system).

Still, I can see pros and cons for RV (and other) electrical support, but the Pro-Power is certainly a nice alternative to an external generator / inverter for consideration, the 'Hybrid' benefits of the PowerBoost notwithstanding.

Alas, to date (through model year 2023) the PowerBoost / Pro-Power is only available with the full 4-door SuperCab (a constraint given the way its components fit in the chassis with the current design); fine for many but a deal-breaker for we die-hard fans of the shorter SuperCab

[GregColdewey]

Originally Posted by YakRV

We picked up our 21C in Sumas in mid-June and towed with our 2021 F-150 3.5L PowerBoost (Super Crew + 5.5’ bed + 4x4 + 20” rims) down to Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Mt Rushmore, Custer State Park, Badlands, then home to northern Kentucky. We averaged between 12-14mpg on the trip.

We encountered a LOT of wind most of the trip (one stretch with gusts over 50mph), and towed through some elevation as well, so you might experience better gas mileage. Keep in mind, however, the electric motor aspect of the PowerBoost engine provides little to no advantage while towing. It just doesn’t have the kind of power to add much under the load of towing.

That being said, we love this truck for towing our 21C. We’re very happy with our choice of tow vehicle, and expect you will be too. Happy camping!

Edit: I wanted to add that our mpg was also affected by stretches of interstate where the speed limit is 80mph. We didn’t want to impede traffic too much, and the 3.5L PowerBoost engine tows the 21C like it’s nothing, so we upped our speed a little and the mpg’s dropped accordingly.

That’s interesting. I get about 10MPG towing with the 2018 F150 with the 5.0 engine, so 12-14 would be welcome and about what I expect. Did you ever use the generator to power your trailer?

[GregColdewey]

Originally Posted by Centex

Perhaps with dealer discount(or back when you ordered), but the current online Build & Price tool shows +$3300USD MSRP for the PowerBoost option on a Lariat, +$4495MSRP on an XLT(!). That includes the 'base' Pro-Power 2.4kW capacity, add ~$750 (MSRP) for the 7.2kW Pro-Power capacity (Pro-Power being the auxiliary AC-power component of the system).

Still, I can see pros and cons for RV (and other) electrical support, but the Pro-Power is certainly a nice alternative to an external generator / inverter for consideration, the 'Hybrid' benefits of the PowerBoost notwithstanding.

Alas, to date (through model year 2023) the PowerBoost / Pro-Power is only available with the full 4-door SuperCab (a constraint given the way its components fit in the chassis with the current design); fine for many but a deal-breaker for we die-hard fans of the shorter SuperCab

You’re numbers are correct, but the 3.5L is about a $1900 upgrade without the Powerboost (I think).

[YakRV]

Originally Posted by GregColdewey

That’s interesting. I get about 10MPG towing with the 2018 F150 with the 5.0 engine, so 12-14 would be welcome and about what I expect. Did you ever use the generator to power your trailer?

We haven’t needed the Pro Power Onboard yet. Since this is our first RV and we knew our heads would be spinning with all the new stuff like hitching, towing, hookups, RV systems, etc, we made sure to set campground reservations for sites with electric hookups wherever we stayed.

The only exception was when we boondocked one night on The Wall in the Badlands area (awesome spot). We have the solar/lithium package, so we were able to camp that night without plugging into the F-150.

We have a trip to Mammoth Cave coming up this weekend, followed next month with a weeklong trip to Asheville, NC and Great Smoky Mountains NP. I’m sure we’ll be trying it out on one or both trips. We can report back and let you know how it worked out for us - unless you beat us to it, of course.

[GregColdewey]

Originally Posted by YakRV

We haven’t needed the Pro Power Onboard yet. Since this is our first RV and we knew our heads would be spinning with all the new stuff like hitching, towing, hookups, RV systems, etc, we made sure to set campground reservations for sites with electric hookups wherever we stayed.

The only exception was when we boondocked one night on The Wall in the Badlands area (awesome spot). We have the solar/lithium package, so we were able to camp that night without plugging into the F-150.

We have a trip to Mammoth Cave coming up this weekend, followed next month with a weeklong trip to Asheville, NC and Great Smoky Mountains NP. I’m sure we’ll be trying it out on one or both trips. We can report back and let you know how it worked out for us - unless you beat us to it, of course.

Sounds like a great trip. We're doing a similar trip from Texas in Sept/Oct. Great Smoky Mountains NP for 5 days and then up to Mammoth Cave on the way home. Will be gone about 16 days. I assume that you know you need an adapter to go from the 240 twist lock in the truck to your trailer power cord? Got mine on Amazon for about $20. With solar and lithium the only time you should ever need to plug it in is to run AC. Enjoy you trip.

[YakRV]

Originally Posted by GregColdewey

Sounds like a great trip. We're doing a similar trip from Texas in Sept/Oct. Great Smoky Mountains NP for 5 days and then up to Mammoth Cave on the way home. Will be gone about 16 days. I assume that you know you need an adapter to go from the 240 twist lock in the truck to your trailer power cord? Got mine on Amazon for about $20. With solar and lithium the only time you should ever need to plug it in is to run AC. Enjoy you trip.

Ha! I guess great minds think alike when planning trips.

Yes, we have the adapter needed to plug into the PowerBoost inverter. Thanks for checking on that, though. It sure would be frustrating to go boondocking and not realize you needed it.

[brroberts]

Perhaps with dealer discount(or back when you ordered), but the current online Build & Price tool shows +$3300USD MSRP for the PowerBoost option on a Lariat, +$4495MSRP on an XLT(!). That includes the 'base' Pro-Power 2.4kW capacity, add ~$750 (MSRP) for the 7.2kW Pro-Power capacity (Pro-Power being the auxiliary AC-power component of the system).

Plus the cost of the truck that, when I shopped for my Ranger was 8-10K for an equivalent F150. So for me it would have been around 12-14K more for a truck than I spent.

[mrjl]

I should have my new Powerboost within the next month and potentially new Escape RV Jan-Feb next year. Like you, of course I'm getting the generator option. As I think about the build, I don't really think I need or want solar day to day, but I'm worried solar install will be prohibitive later. Curious what others think.

[cpaharley2008]

Originally Posted by mrjl

I should have my new Powerboost within the next month and potentially new Escape RV Jan-Feb next year. Like you, of course I'm getting the generator option. As I think about the build, I don't really think I need or want solar day to day, but I'm worried solar install will be prohibitive later. Curious what others think.

I recommend solar as it is out of the way, environmentally friendly, silent, and simple to use. Generators should be left at the store, IMHO. Noisy, pollutes and needs fuel.

[Donna D.]

Solar has it's place and so do generators. You'll need a generator if you want to boondock and it's HOT so you can run your air conditioner. Of course, if you're boondocking there probably isn't anyone close by to listen to the generator sound either...

[ColoradoSwany]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

I recommend solar as it is out of the way, environmentally friendly, silent, and simple to use. Generators should be left at the store, IMHO. Noisy, pollutes and needs fuel.

Totally agree with Jim. Plus, it helps resale value.

We are currently in a National Forest Service campground and our neighbor has run his noisy generator for HOURS every afternoon. Pretty damn irritating to smug little ole me as I sit here attempting to enjoy the silent charging of my 240 watts of rooftop solar.

[GregColdewey]

Originally Posted by mrjl

I should have my new Powerboost within the next month and potentially new Escape RV Jan-Feb next year. Like you, of course I'm getting the generator option. As I think about the build, I don't really think I need or want solar day to day, but I'm worried solar install will be prohibitive later. Curious what others think.

I would get the solar. It will provide all the power you need as long as you don’t need AC, and you’re probably correct that to retrofit for solar will be much more expensive. The generator on the truck can be reserved for AC or other unusual circumstances.

[GregColdewey]

Originally Posted by ColoradoSwany

Totally agree with Jim. Plus, it helps resale value.

We are currently in a National Forest Service campground and our neighbor has run his noisy generator for HOURS every afternoon. Pretty damn irritating to smug little ole me as I sit here attempting to enjoy the silent charging of my 240 watts of rooftop solar.

I agree with most generators being incredibly annoying…we had that same circumstance in Colorado last summer. One advantage of the Powerboost generator is that it’s running off the battery most of the time, and when the truck engine does kick on it’s only for a few minutes and I can barely hear it standing right next to it.

[mrjl]

Originally Posted by GregColdewey

I agree with most generators being incredibly annoying…we had that same circumstance in Colorado last summer. One advantage of the Powerboost generator is that it’s running off the battery most of the time, and when the truck engine does kick on it’s only for a few minutes and I can barely hear it standing right next to it.

This is what I've gathered from Youtube... it's mostly going to be quiet and then kick on just to juice up. Unless it's for A/C, I'll mostly be running lights, water pumps, fans, etc... none of that has a huge draw.

All that said, I'm likely to get a basic solar setup. Was just curious what you thought so far as a PB owner.