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Old 01-19-2004, 02:10 PM   #1
ryanra
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Default Towing 2720SL with F150

I just traded a 1998 Mazda B4000 in for a 2001 F150 Super Crew Cab with a 5.4L V8 for my towing vehicle. Does anyone have experience with this to know if a WD hitch is needed for a 2720SL with this type of truck?

Thanks,
Rudy ???
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Old 01-19-2004, 02:27 PM   #2
dlajoie
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Default Re:Towing 2720SL with F150

Rudy,
Everything I have seen says that you should get a WD hitch. However, I would doubt that you need one with that size truck. We tow a 2003 2720SL with a 2000 GMC Safari AWD van with a 3.1 liter V6. We did not have time to install a WD hitch when we took it home from the dealer in Cape Cod. We have been on two trips since with no problems. The weight distribution measurements are within an inch. Of course we do travel light. I remove the back seat in the van and that seems to make it just right.
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Old 01-19-2004, 02:32 PM   #3
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Default Re:Towing 2720SL with F150

There are lots of folks on here who will not tow without one, I'm not one of them.

There is a real easy way to tell. On flat surface hook up the trailer. Did the rear bumber of the truck lower more than two inches? If so get a WDH, if not, not needed.

Sway controll on these trailers are not needed except if you load heavy behind the axle of the trailer.

I think you are going to really enjoy towing with the ford, you will not even know the trailer is back there but keep reminding youself. You will still have to take a little more room when turning corners!
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Old 01-19-2004, 02:36 PM   #4
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Default Re:Towing 2720SL with F150

One more suggestion, get yourself a capper/camper top for the truck. It allows you to carry lots more toys and helps improve gas usage.
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Old 01-19-2004, 04:47 PM   #5
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Default Re:Towing 2720SL with F150

I used to sell those Ford F150s and owned a 2000 4x4 myself. I would be shocked if you needed WDH. The cowboys out here pull twice the weight you will have and you never see one, not to say some of them don't need them but you should not.
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Old 01-19-2004, 05:58 PM   #6
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Default Re:Towing 2720SL with F150

I didn't know Ok had cowboys, I thought you all were Indians.
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Old 01-19-2004, 06:21 PM   #7
mjlaupp
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Default Re:Towing 2720SL with F150

[quote author=TNcamper link=board=20;threadid=1620;start=msg11434#msg1143 4 date=1074546629]
I just traded a 1998 Mazda B4000 in for a 2001 F150 Super Crew Cab with a 5.4L V8 for my towing vehicle. Does anyone have experience with this to know if a WD hitch is needed for a 2720SL with this type of truck?[/quote]

Rudy,
I traded my F150 for an F250. I tow a 2720SL and will/would not tow it with either truck without the WD hitch. Neither truck settled much with the trailer attached and no WD hitch, The difference is in the ride. On uneven or bumpy roads the 400 lb tongue weight will make the truck bound like a boat on rough water. The WD hitch stops most of it. Most of the dealers and a lot of people on this board will tell you the WD hitch is not necessary and I guess it isn't as far as handling is concerned. But I didn't like the resulting ride. It would wear me out by the end of a trip. Just another opinion to help the confusion factor.
MJL
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Old 01-19-2004, 07:51 PM   #8
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Default Re:Towing 2720SL with F150

Mike most likely has a good point but one more thing to consider is that the WD removes lbs from the rear wheels of the truck and adds lbs to the front wheels of the truck AND the wheels of the trailer. Translated in English that means you can carry less stuff in the trailer.

My suggestion, try it without and if you feel ill at ease with out, add one later. why spend a grand you might not need?
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Old 01-20-2004, 01:32 PM   #9
Bill
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Default Re:Towing 2720SL with F150

[quote author=TNcamper link=board=20;threadid=1620;start=msg11434#msg1143 4 date=1074546629]
I just traded a 1998 Mazda B4000 in for a 2001 F150 Super Crew Cab with a 5.4L V8 for my towing vehicle. Does anyone have experience with this to know if a WD hitch is needed for a 2720SL with this type of truck?[/quote]Rudy -

The answer varies greatly, depending on your truck's configuration.

By the time you are ready for the road, your 2720SL will weigh 3300-3400 pounds, and the hitch weight will be about 14% of this, a bit over 450 pounds. To find out what this means to you, you need some info from Ford. You'll find a lot of the information at the Ford web site. Towing questions in particular are addressed at https://www.fleet.ford.com/truckbbas...1/campercd.pdf.

On page 6, for example, Ford summarizes some of the towing information for the F-150 series as a whole. We find that if you use a weight-CARRYING hitch, the towing ratings for the F-150 series as a whole are 5000 pounds trailer weight and 500 pounds tongue weight. With a weight-DISTRIBUTING hitch, the heftiest F-150 rates 8800 and 880 pounds (but see the details on page 17 - it's less than that for your truck).

So the first thing you conclude is that if you use a weight-CARRYING hitch, the best F-150 is rated 500 pounds hitch weight - and your TM will have about 450 pounds hitch weight. Do you want to operate that close to your vehicle's rated limit? I sure wouldn't, especially considering that car/truck makers are inclined to be a bit overenthusiastic about their ratings - it's a marketing thing.

OK, now go to page 17 of the same document, which breaks out the various configurations of the F-150. The first question that this page raises is, does your vehicle have the factory towing package? If not, your trailer is limited to 4000 pounds max. PERIOD. NO EXCEPTIONS.

IF you have the factory towing package, and IF you use a weight-DISTRIBUTING hitch, then look in the table and find your vehicle. The configurations with the 5.4 L engine and super cab can tow somewhere between 7000 and 8600 pounds, depending on rear axle ratio. This implies a hitch weight of 700-860 pounds, so if you fall into this class, you have plenty of margin.

This is really a pretty good document. I printed out the same document for my Explorer, and learned a lot from it. But to summarize for your F-150:

1. Your TM will weight about 3300-3400 pounds, and will have a hitch weight in the neighborhood of 450 pounds.
2. If you do NOT have the factory tow package, then your max trailer weight rating is 4000 pounds. You don't have a lot of margin. The weight-CARRYING hitch rating is probably 400 pounds (though not specified), which you will exceed. You need a weight-DISTRIBUTING hitch.
3. If you DO have the factory tow package, but you DON'T use a weight-DISTRIBUTING hitch, then your trailer weight rating is 5000 pounds (you're probably OK), and your hitch weight rating is 500 pounds - you are uncomfortably close.
4. If you DO have the factory tow package, and you DO use a weight-DISTRIBUTING hitch, then you have a ton of margin all around.

Hope this helps.

Bill
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Old 04-06-2004, 10:51 AM   #10
2manypets
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Default Re:Towing 2720SL with F150

I'd like to thank Bill for pointing out the complete information about the F150. This morning we had a weight distributing hitch (eaz-lift) put on our F150 and 3124KB at a local RV dealership (not where we bought our TM). My husband noticed a nice difference with it just making the trip back home, and we have the F150 SuperCrew with the factory towing package. The man who put it on for us said "Now you're setting level like you should be." I'm a little disappointed that the dealer where we bought the TM didn't recommend a WDH at time of purchase.

Thanks again,
Loretta
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