F150 V6 turbo for hauling

[TPF_Hunter]

Otay - I have another thread on this forum about the Tundra v6 turbos for hauling and so far no one has provided any first-hand experience. Thats likely bc they are still pretty “new”.

SO figured I would see if anyone has first-hand experience hauling with the F150 v6 turbo (since they have been around for a while) and provide feedback on how the power felt… was it basically hauling in turbo mode the whole time… etc etc.

Yes hauling with a v6 sounds scary as (like me) its common to think “only haul with v8 or greater”, but the hauling capacity for v6 turbos is similar to that of the v8’s and in some cases the v6’s have completely replaced the v8 engine (Tundras)

[BraveSC]

I had a 2017 F150 V6 Ecoboost 3.5L and I LOVED that engine. I hauled a 2h gooseneck with tack room with no problem! Felt plenty strong enough when the trailer was loaded for starting and stopping. Before the Ecoboost, I had the V6 and was surprised to find out how much I liked the Ecoboost engine better.

[ThreeWishes]

I haul with a 2017 Ford F150 V6 turbo eco boost. My old tow vehicle was an F150 2003 V8. it’s got a really good tow package and I do not notice a significant difference between the V8 and the V6, except for the V6 gets way better gas mileage. I pull a two horse aluminum bumper pull with a side ramp. I upgraded my trailer this year from a two horse bumper pull aluminum without a side ramp so I will say definitely the side ramp is heavier, but it seemed I had to be more concerned about tongue weight and finding a good hitch ball system then it’s ability to tow and stop. Keep in mind I live in Florida where our terrain is flat as a pancake. I haul generally one horse, a warm blood who weighs 1400 pounds. But about 30% of the time I haul with two horses, the warm blood and a little quarter horse paint cross that probably weighs about 900 pounds and I don’t notice a significant difference in pulling capacity. Without the trailer attached my truck gets about 24 miles to the gallon with the trailer attached and hauling I get about 16 miles to the gallon.

[ThreeWishes]

Also, my truck is a 10 speed automatic transmission with this nifty little button that you choose between regular,sport mode ,or hauling towing mode. I just put it in towing mode and it keeps the engine from revving too high, but it certainly has enough power

[gradytb]

I drive a 2011 F150 Ecoboost and it kicks butt. Even though it’s a short bed, I haul an Exiss gooseneck stock combo trailer with tack room and get 18 miles to the gallon. I’m not into going super fast or crazy and going up a steep hill will slow it down, but I don’t care. I LOVE my truck and it has been super reliable.

[gradytb]

Just to further clarify, without the trailer, my F150 Ecoboost has so much power I have to be careful pulling away from lights or stop signs, especially if the road is wet, because I can make that thing fishtail like a son of a gun if I"m heavy on the gas!

[Walleye84]

I took a 1st gen 3.5 ecoboost across the country w/ a 2 horse and it did just fine, would only expect the performance to improve w/ time. Also, I stopped getting caught up in the 6 vs 8 cylinder when i jumped into my HD truck shopping. The Cummings 6cy has been step for step with the Duramax and Powerstroke over the years. Its all the engineering of the motor, not the necessarily the size. Otherwise ford would never stopped with the V-10s.

[kaya842]

How big is your GN on the floor? I have a 2018 Ecoboost and am debating getting a GN.

[gradytb]

The horse box area is 12’ and I think the tack room is 4’ so the total length is 16’. Here is a link to what I have: [https://www.exiss.com/livestock-trailers/gooseneck-livestock-trailers/stc-6816-stc-6824/trailer]. I have the 6’8" height, but routinely hauled a 16.3 horse in it with no problem. I have a B&W turnover ball hitch in the bed, and when I got this trailer, they offered a 4" extension ball—so you take out the B&W turnover ball and use this instead and it moves the ball 4" toward the rear of the truck. It makes a WORLD of difference in turning backing up so you don’t take out your rear window—I have a short-bed F150. I’d hauled a Featherlite big stock trailer (24’ at least) with my previous V-8 F150 and taken out the back window. OK, so I did it twice .

[ake987]

“Hauling capacity” or “tow rating” is an irrelevant and unregulated number and should not be considered when assessing a tow vehicle.

Weigh your rig. Weigh your rig empty. Weigh your rig for a 1-horse quick haul and weigh your rig for a month-log trip to head south for the winter or a multi-day show. Get that tongue weight.

Calculate your weights and ID your lowest common denominator. I’d put money on a half ton’s axles or payload being the issue. A GN on a half ton’s axles? Do the math and get your answer.

I have a detailed spreadsheet for all of these calculations - if anyone is interested, shoot me your email and I will send you a copy. Be safe out there.

[Samondel]

2013 3.5L Ecoboost. Hauled all over Alberta (including through the mountains with a travel trailer, and foothills with a 2h slant) and also hauled everything I own to Ontario with it. Now hauling all over southern Ontario.
I’ve swapped from a 2h aluminum stock-style slant to a 2h with extended dressing room enclosed Featherlite.
Zero issues hauling. I’ve never felt under powered. I did have to add helper springs when I changed trailers.
BUT. I’ve replaced the driver side turbo once, and the passenger side turbe THREE TIMES. So.

[DMK]

@Walleye84

Its all the engineering of the motor, not the necessarily the size. Otherwise ford would never stopped with the V-10s

So true. 26 years ago I had a F150 I6 (inline) and I traded it in way too early because I bought into the V8 hype for towing. Imagine my surprise when I ended up with less power and worse gas mileage! Years later I learned that inline beats side by side every time

[Justmyluck]

I haul a three horse Hart slant with my 2015 F150 3.5L Ecoboost. I adore her. I did add in an antisway hitch because of the length and I’d never haul three horses in it (I needed the extra length for a horse with loading problems), but she’s got tons of power she is sporting the additional max tow package which has a massive payload capacity for a 1/2 ton truck.

[TheHunterKid90]

Ya’ll are scaring me hauling decent size trailers with 150’s.
It’s not about pulling, it’s about stopping and having a truck heavy enough that a trailer isn’t going to overpower it.
Blow a couple tires on the trailer and then tell me how the 150 handles it…hopefully it doesn’t pull you off the road and roll.
I got hit last year on the passenger side passing a tractor trailer. His front tire hit my dual wheel and then he went down the entire trailer with that wheel and blew both trailer tires and bent the axles. The whole trailer swung towards the blown tires and then swung back around. I know if I hadn’t been in the truck I was in we would have been absolute toast. Fortunately when he hit the rear axle of the truck is only blew the outside dual tire.
I’m not saying everyone needs a dually to haul but please take into consideration the weight of the truck and it’s ability to be stable and stop your trailer completely loaded.

[endlessclimb]

You realize that the F350 dually pulling 6 (or better) horse trailers are equally “underweighted” in your comparison, correct?

My truck (cummins diesel, 8’ bed, 4 door, longest they make) is 6000#. A 6 horse trailer is going to weigh what, 7-10k dry, depending on if it’s all aluminum or has a steel frame. Add the 6 horses at 1100# a piece and you’ve got a trailer that is well over double the weight of the truck.

What people need to do, without fail, is 1) maintain the equipment. Brakes, plugs, tires, frame - both the trailer and the truck. 2) set the brakes correctly for the load in the trailer. 3) drive like they have some brains.

If you blow a steer tire or have someone cut you off sharply or crash into you, the crap creek you’re in is the same if you’re pulling a smaller trailer with a smaller truck or if you’re Brookledge.

[TheHunterKid90]

I have a 4 horse that weighs a bit over 5,000lb empty and my truck weighs in at about 7,000lb.
However I’m also referring to wheelbase of a full sized truck compared to a 150.

But I will 100% agree with you that people need to maintain their tires and brakes and frequently test their equipment.

[Leather]

@TheHunterKid90

However I’m also referring to wheelbase of a full sized truck compared to a 150.

A half ton (F150, 1500) is in the “full-sized” truck category.

We have a 2020 GMC 3500 crew cab with the “standard” bed and a friend of ours has a 2023 Chevy Silverado 1500 crew cab/standard bed. The wheelbases of the trucks differ by less than 3 inches.

Obviously ours blows his out of the water in terms of towing/payload, but it isn’t because of the wheelbase.

I’m of the thought that many of the modern 1/2 tons are more than capable of safely towing a 2 horse trailer. The caveats are of course that you have looked into the specifics of your actual truck and going to a CAT scale and weighing your trailer (fully loaded) to know how much weight you’re putting on your tow vehicle and you’re within the axle ratings.

IMO the biggest thing that is overlooked is the fine print where manufacturers say for most 1/2 ton vehicles is when towing more than 5k you need a weight distribution/load leveling hitch. Not having one of those is where you can get into trouble with overloading your rear axle rating even if you are below your towing capacity.

[enjoytheride]

All I hear is “it’s not about the towing it’s about the stopping” I have to ask these people if they are not aware that horse trailers have brakes. Your truck should not be stopping your trailer. You should have a properly adjusted trailer brake controller and your trailer should be stopping itself.

In the event of an emergency, if your truck brakes go out, you can most likely use your trailer to stop your truck (depending on speed and other factors). Been there. Done that. Have the dirty underwear to prove it.

[fivestrideline]

I agree. Obviously you don’t want to be so underpowered that if your trailer brakes go out you’re up a creek, but maintaining your rig is more important than buying a semi to haul 2 horses.

Honestly, wheelbase is most important to me (assuming you’re otherwise within safe specs). I HATE the feeling of being driven by the trailer, and buffeted around by big trucks on the highway. My WD hitch made a HUGE difference with my BP, and a gooseneck is even better. Wheelbase is what makes hauling a “traditional” American horse trailer with most SUVs so sketchy to ME.

(Note I said MOST - some SUVs are built on truck chassis and have all the same specs. Not the same as a Jeep or a RAV).

[enjoytheride]

Oddly I’ve never had issues with trailer brakes going out and have had several instances with truck brakes. Always know how to manually activate your trailer brakes! I think the trailer system is more durable than liquid filled brake lines.

I have had a trailer which had the brakes disconnected as the owner couldn’t get them to work right. It was a wiring issue with the truck and once repaired worked fine for me.