Truck Help for 5.0TA needed

[trainman]

Originally Posted by Ggtr1996

I hope soon to be a 5.0TA owner and now gathering info regarding the tow vehicle. I am very interested in a 2019 F150 supercrew 2.7 5 1/2 foot bed. Your thoughts please? What kind of mpg are you getting? Any problems? Thank you. Gary Sr.

This is an old post, but I would get the 3.5 V6, or the 5.0 V8 just more of everything all the way around in the F-150. You want to pull an Escape 5.0, I think you would be unhappy with the 2.7 V6 for all around performance. Don't sacrifice engine size to think you are going to save that much in fuel, you won't if your going to pull a travel trailer.

trainman

[Chotch]

Originally Posted by trainman

This is an old post, but I would get the 3.5 V6, or the 5.0 V8 just more of everything all the way around in the F-150. You want to pull an Escape 5.0, I think you would be unhappy with the 2.7 V6 for all around performance. Don't sacrifice engine size to think you are going to save that much in fuel, you won't if your going to pull a travel trailer.

trainman

🤔 I don’t think you could possibly be more wrong ! Been towing our 5.0 for 2 years. There’s no doubt that either of the other options would work well , but as I’ve said before, and speaking from experience, not conjecture, the 2.7 F150 with 6.5 bed is a perfect match for our 5.0. As the all around performance you do know that both the v8 and the 2.7 are putting out 400 ft lbs of torque but the 2.7 does it at a lower rpm and gets better mileage as well. Do yourself a favor and take 2.7 for a test drive, you might be surprised. Now if you plan on a much heavier trailer in the future the 3.5 is still the class leader.😎

[Chotch]

Originally Posted by Ggtr1996

I hope soon to be a 5.0TA owner and now gathering info regarding the tow vehicle. I am very interested in a 2019 F150 supercrew 2.7 5 1/2 foot bed. Your thoughts please? What kind of mpg are you getting? Any problems? Thank you. Gary Sr.

I went with smaller crew cab and larger 6.5 box. For me the extra bed space was more valuable than cab space. I did remove 2/3 of the rear seat to allow for a comfy area for my 80lb dog. He loves it . So now it’s a 3 passenger,1 k9 vehicle. As to mileage worse was 12.5 winding through steep twisty slow roads in the Katskills, NY. Best 16.5 on relatively flat highway at 60 mph. That’s towing. As an everyday driver 16-17.5 around town, 20-23 highway. My truck is a 6 speed, pretty sure the newer 10 speed will as good or better. So far absolutely no problems other than Rowdy thinking that F150’s come equipped with chew toys🤨

[trainman]

Originally Posted by Chotch

🤔 I don’t think you could possibly be more wrong ! Been towing our 5.0 for 2 years. There’s no doubt that either of the other options would work well , but as I’ve said before, and speaking from experience, not conjecture, the 2.7 F150 with 6.5 bed is a perfect match for our 5.0. As the all around performance you do know that both the v8 and the 2.7 are putting out 400 ft lbs of torque but the 2.7 does it at a lower rpm and gets better mileage as well. Do yourself a favor and take 2.7 for a test drive, you might be surprised. Now if you plan on a much heavier trailer in the future the 3.5 is still the class leader.😎

I didn't speak from experience, but from others who have them and what they have said. All being said I'm not a fan of smaller engines and have always wanted a little over kill for my personal satisfaction. My thought on the larger engines is that it's less expensive to buy the added power now then have to pay more later to change vehicles. I do think in a general survey of those who pull travel trailer the larger engines would be the engines of choice.

trainman

[trainman]

Originally Posted by Chotch

I went with smaller crew cab and larger 6.5 box. For me the extra bed space was more valuable than cab space. I did remove 2/3 of the rear seat to allow for a comfy area for my 80lb dog. He loves it . So now it’s a 3 passenger,1 k9 vehicle. As to mileage worse was 12.5 winding through steep twisty slow roads in the Katskills, NY. Best 16.5 on relatively flat highway at 60 mph. That’s towing. As an everyday driver 16-17.5 around town, 20-23 highway. My truck is a 6 speed, pretty sure the newer 10 speed will as good or better. So far absolutely no problems other than Rowdy thinking that F150’s come equipped with chew toys🤨

When I read your post on mileage, my 2019 Ram 1500 4x4 with the 5.7 Hemi is about the same, 13.5-14.0 pulling the Oliver Elite II and 18.5 around town, 21.5 on the highway.

trainman

[marsman]

One thing that nobody has mentioned is regarding the box setup. I have the Ford F150 with a V8 and the 6.5 foot box. Because of the hitch set up in this length of box, you end up with very little room for the tailgate when you open it! In fact I have about 1/2 maybe 3/4" from the tailgate to the trailer's front panel when the tailgate is opened (which it has to be to be able to hook up). This means that is you are not approaching the trailer at a nearly perfectly parallel geometry when you back up, you could back right into your beautiful 5.0 ta! OUCH

I was told at the Escape dealership that this is less of an issue with the short box. I have dealt with it by simply removing the tailgate (takes me about 2 minutes) when I travel; there are a couple of benefits to having the longer box:
1. with the tailgate removed I never have the issue of accidentally backing up into the tailgate when hooking up (this sounds nuts but if you're a newbie to the game like myself, you'll do this).
2. I have a ton of room in the box even with my fifth wheel hooked up (I have the Anderson hitch with goose neck hookup); I am actually going to build a large lidded aluminum box for the front of my box to carry all my dirty stuff like bbqs, chairs, propane tanks etc...)

[steve dunham]

Tow vehicle threads whether intended or not always seem to end up centering around fuel mileage . The notion that because Brand X or vehicle Y gets 40 mpg thusly it is a perfect candidate for a tow vehicle baffles me . I never expected phenomenal fuel mileage from any tow vehicle I’ve owned
When fuel mileage affects braking , steering , handling , ride comfort , safety , towing capacity , visibility , ground clearance , turning radius , ETC then I might get concerned .

[Chotch]

Originally Posted by trainman

I didn't speak from experience, but from others who have them and what they have said. All being said I'm not a fan of smaller engines and have always wanted a little over kill for my personal satisfaction. My thought on the larger engines is that it's less expensive to buy the added power now then have to pay more later to change vehicles. I do think in a general survey of those who pull travel trailer the larger engines would be the engines of choice.

trainman

🤔 a general survey would show you that 60 % of F150 sold are Ecoboost. Now the 3.5 is the class leader in towing so you can’t go wrong there. That said for anything sold by Escape the 2.7 with proper gearing is more than adequate. Up to 8500 lbs. This is coming from personal experience not horror stories on the internet, of which there are many.
Just saying 😎

[Chotch]

Originally Posted by marsman

One thing that nobody has mentioned is regarding the box setup. I have the Ford F150 with a V8 and the 6.5 foot box. Because of the hitch set up in this length of box, you end up with very little room for the tailgate when you open it! In fact I have about 1/2 maybe 3/4" from the tailgate to the trailer's front panel when the tailgate is opened (which it has to be to be able to hook up). This means that is you are not approaching the trailer at a nearly perfectly parallel geometry when you back up, you could back right into your beautiful 5.0 ta! OUCH

I was told at the Escape dealership that this is less of an issue with the short box. I have dealt with it by simply removing the tailgate (takes me about 2 minutes) when I travel; there are a couple of benefits to having the longer box:
1. with the tailgate removed I never have the issue of accidentally backing up into the tailgate when hooking up (this sounds nuts but if you're a newbie to the game like myself, you'll do this).
2. I have a ton of room in the box even with my fifth wheel hooked up (I have the Anderson hitch with goose neck hookup); I am actually going to build a large lidded aluminum box for the front of my box to carry all my dirty stuff like bbqs, chairs, propane tanks etc...)

The distance from axle to tailgate is the same on all size F150’s. The extra length is from axle to cab. I believe this is true for most if not all pickups. When backing I leave tailgate down until pin is past tailgate then put it up. Never have to worry about hitting trailer. The locking tailgate and my tonneau cover gives me a measure of security I don’t want to give up. 😎

[Chotch]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

Tow vehicle threads whether intended or not always seem to end up centering around fuel mileage . The notion that because Brand X or vehicle Y gets 40 mpg thusly it is a perfect candidate for a tow vehicle baffles me . I never expected phenomenal fuel mileage from any tow vehicle I’ve owned
When fuel mileage affects braking , steering , handling , ride comfort , safety , towing capacity , visibility , ground clearance , turning radius , ETC then I might get concerned .

The question was asked what to expect for mileage and my answer was from actual experience. Mileage was absolutely not the first thing I looked at when looking for a tow vehicle. I started looking at tow rating and quickly realized I should pay attention to payload as that’s an issue that’s often overlooked. Once I knew what I needed then I narrowed my choices based cab configuration, comfort and some product research. Now fuel mileage does enter the equation, 2 vehicles both suited to the job , why wouldn’t I choose the 1 with better mileage?

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by marsman

One thing that nobody has mentioned is regarding the box setup. I have the Ford F150 with a V8 and the 6.5 foot box. Because of the hitch set up in this length of box, you end up with very little room for the tailgate when you open it! In fact I have about 1/2 maybe 3/4" from the tailgate to the trailer's front panel when the tailgate is opened (which it has to be to be able to hook up). This means that is you are not approaching the trailer at a nearly perfectly parallel geometry when you back up, you could back right into your beautiful 5.0 ta! OUCH

I was told at the Escape dealership that this is less of an issue with the short box. I have dealt with it by simply removing the tailgate (takes me about 2 minutes) when I travel; there are a couple of benefits to having the longer box:
1. with the tailgate removed I never have the issue of accidentally backing up into the tailgate when hooking up (this sounds nuts but if you're a newbie to the game like myself, you'll do this).
2. I have a ton of room in the box even with my fifth wheel hooked up (I have the Anderson hitch with goose neck hookup); I am actually going to build a large lidded aluminum box for the front of my box to carry all my dirty stuff like bbqs, chairs, propane tanks etc...)

Yes, both box lengths have the exact distance from axle to bumper so the distance from an open tailgate to the trailer is the same.

Sure I would love more length from the tailgate when open and hitched, but connecting is really easy. If my wife is handy I will have her close the gate as I reverse under the pin. Otherwise I reverse alone to the point where I can close the tailgate, then reverse to the point of attachment.

The big plus of this type of setup is a shorter overall towing length because if the pin box was built forward on the trailer would be moved back and it would just add to this.

[trainman]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

Tow vehicle threads whether intended or not always seem to end up centering around fuel mileage . The notion that because Brand X or vehicle Y gets 40 mpg thusly it is a perfect candidate for a tow vehicle baffles me . I never expected phenomenal fuel mileage from any tow vehicle I’ve owned
When fuel mileage affects braking , steering , handling , ride comfort , safety , towing capacity , visibility , ground clearance , turning radius , ETC then I might get concerned .

Steve, I'm with you on this, well our tow vehicle are pretty much the same. All being said, many don't look at the whole picture, they just want a tow vehicle that is better on the non towing end for better fuel mileage and when towing they will sacrifice those things you mentioned, when what is really needed is towing performance for safe operation.

trainman

[Fox hunt]

i have the 2017 F150 2.7 5'5" bed. works perfectly with my 5.0 we have towed over many mountain ranges barely know its there. i don't look at millage so i have know idea . i have the Anderson hitch (not a sliding hitch) attached to a turn over ball hitch. I am very happy with this set up. I wanted more room in the cab so i got the full back seat lots of room inside the truck but more limited in the short bed. i got extra pay load and the big fuel tank.

[Ronn]

Originally Posted by Chotch

The distance from axle to tailgate is the same on all size F150’s. The extra length is from axle to cab. I believe this is true for most if not all pickups. When backing I leave tailgate down until pin is past tailgate then put it up. Never have to worry about hitting trailer. The locking tailgate and my tonneau cover gives me a measure of security I don’t want to give up. ��

ETI gave me the same info, that the 6.5 box has less room for the tailgate. That may be because 5.5 box owners are custom installing a little farther back due to fear of the loft hitting the cab - I did mount mine back some. Only one day of towing so far so I can't speak from experience (towed great). I haven't checked my tongue weight yet, but I would think a 21's tongue weight behind the bumper would have similar or more effect than a 5.0's hitch weight a couple inches behind the axle.

[Fox hunt]

i have never hit my window during a tight turn or reverse turn but we came really close last trip i think its possible. We got a site in a national forest it was very short and slanted in the wrong direction on a narrow one way road. We ended up turning around going the wrong way so we could back into it. difficult spot we were the only trailer in the park tent camping and campers. i have popped out a window before with my horse trailer again an extremely tight backing turn.

[Chotch]

Originally Posted by Ronn

ETI gave me the same info, that the 6.5 box has less room for the tailgate. That may be because 5.5 box owners are custom installing a little farther back due to fear of the loft hitting the cab - I did mount mine back some. Only one day of towing so far so I can't speak from experience (towed great). I haven't checked my tongue weight yet, but I would think a 21's tongue weight behind the bumper would have similar or more effect than a 5.0's hitch weight a couple inches behind the axle.

🤔 I think you’d be hard pressed to notice a couple inches behind the axle verses right over it. Also think the tongue weight on a bumper pull will have a more adverse effect on any given tow vehicle than pin weight on a fifth wheel. Especially if you towed without a WD hitch.

[Chotch]

Originally Posted by Fox hunt

i have never hit my window during a tight turn or reverse turn but we came really close last trip i think its possible. We got a site in a national forest it was very short and slanted in the wrong direction on a narrow one way road. We ended up turning around going the wrong way so we could back into it. difficult spot we were the only trailer in the park tent camping and campers. i have popped out a window before with my horse trailer again an extremely tight backing turn.

Try it in a parking lot with someone watching, it’s a good idea knowing how far you can go without popping a window 🤨 but I guess you already know that.....

[Brian B-P]

If we're talking about load transfer from front axle to rear, the difference between the bed-mounted and "bumper" hitch locations is very straightforward: a ball four feet (48") behind the axle is 24 times more effect than a pin or ball 2" behind the axle, for the same hitch load. (Break out a tape measure for actual distances for your truck). Sure, a 5.0TA will typically have much more hitch weight than a 21', but multiply weight by distance and the 5.0TA will always have much less load transfer effect than a conventional trailer of comparable total weight.