V6 Engine - safe to pull with?

[TPF_Hunter]

Future non-horsey hubby and I are truck shopping. He is convinced that a V6 Eco Boost F-150 should be able to pull a light weight 2 horse trailer with two horses. The hauling rating on that truck is up to 10k. I told him that a 2 horse trailer is easily 4,000-5,000 pounds and adding in two 16.3 hand warmbloods gets us close to 8,000 pounds already with some equipment loaded. I fear that hauling 2 large horses with a truck like that could really strain the engine/transmission etc. Does anyone have any experience with hauling horses using a 3.5 liter Ecoboost V6 engine or similar?

Thanks in advance!

Update post #24

[Highflyer]

Unless you are hauling a Brenderup or similar, no way.

[enjoytheride]

Are you sure it’s a v6? 10,000lbs is enough towing ability to handle many bumper pulls and quite a few smaller lighter gooseneck trailers out there. Ford lists their v6 f150s with a towing capacity of half that.

They do have a v6 ecoboost which can tow more as it’s a different sort of v6 with a torquey engine.

[DHCarrotfeeder]

The v6 will certainly pull the horse trailer. It will accelerate slowly and maybe not reach highway speed going up hills, but it will pull it. While this can be a safety issue merging in traffic, engine size is not part of a towing rating.

The tow rating is not about how well it can merge onto a highway - fortunately the F-150 can stop, turn, and stabilize a trailer of that weight when properly equipped. These limits are not subjective, and with a “live” load and high center of gravity as horses, you do not want to reach those towing limits.

If it’s an Ecoboost, then it’s turbocharged and that will help a fair amount compared to an old school v6 without turbos.

We can go way deeper but that’s a reasonable start.

Historically, I’d suggest that a big v8 or the v10 would pull better and more reliably (still true), and that the diesel is the creme de la creme (not necessarily true). Diesels are still the most powerful and pleasant to drive, but the maintenance and repair costs have gotten unrealistic.

I sense you’re worried about using this truck for other things - a daily driver?

[DHCarrotfeeder]

One last thing: safety is as much about emergency capabilities (stop, turn, etc with a trailer) as it is about staying out of the breakdown shoulder. Particularly with horses, an unplanned stop along the side of the road is far more than a mere inconvenience. Replace trailer tires every 5 years regardless of visual condition, maintain impeccably, and avoid unreliable engines.

If your engine is working very hard every time you tow, it’s more likely to suffer a failure. So while a given engine might “handle” the load safely, the coolant temps are hotter, the transmission gets hotter, the engine oil works harder, etc. You’re adding risk of a serious breakdown that leaves you in the shoulder. It’s hard to quantify, but it is a real consideration.

Also, since you seem new and are shopping for things, beware both the truck and trailer salesperson. Should you believe: “People pull this with a Cherokee all the time” or “this truck will easily pull a two horse trailer” coming from a person who is rewarded for removing obstructions from a possible sale, and who won’t be there when the vehicle struggles or you get fined for violations. Just food for thought.

[gypsymare]

No. I drove one from PA to NM with one horse loaded well below listed tow rating and traded it in for a diesel F-250 the day after I got there. You can get from A to B but when the speed limit is 75 mph and the trucks are flying past you at 80 and you"re doing 50 with the engine screaming and wanting to downshift to second you will really wish you had gone with a V-8.

[Joozybug]

I tow a with a F150 Ecoboost and use a weght distribution hitch. I only tow one horse. I can feel the trailer back there when I tow. I could also feel it back there when I had my 8 cylinder F150 supercrew. When I had my F250, I always got a surprise when I looked in the rearview mirror because I would forget the trailer was there.
My Ecoboost tows my one horse just fine, but I don’t think I would want to put both my horses in and go for a ride.

[DressageFancy]

No. You want a v-8 and 3/4 ton if you are hauling two warmbloods. It’s not only the weight of the trailer and horses but all the tack and stuff too.Even v8 half ton will have to work too hard when loaded.

[cayuse]

No. I pulled a 2 horse trailer and one pony with a V-6 and it the truck handled it, but just barely. Pony was about 650 lbs.

[mypaintwattie]

I haul my light (2,600lb) two horse trailer with my V6 Toyota Tacoma. My truck has the towing package and is rated to haul 6,500lb. I haul ~4,000lb since I only haul one horse but my truck hauls like a dream. I haul at least once a month about 200 miles. For me the setup works well as I had my truck before getting a trailer, and I have no complaints. It also depends on the terrain you have to haul over, around here it is mostly flat, no mountain passes to cross, although a barnmate has the same set up and hauled long distance over a mountain pass without issues.

[Hulk]

What you can do and what you should do are usually two different things. Get yourself a 250 at the bare minimum if you are more interested in what you should do.

[hokiekat]

The newer V6 in the F150s is the Ecoboost, which is a turbocharged engine. It is capable of towing a 2 horse trailer w/ 2 horses, but it’s not going to be nearly as easy of a ride as something with a bigger displacement (ie- a bigger engine). I currently own a 2011 5.0L F150. Tow package, etc. My 2 horse trailer is approximately 3,500 lbs, and I easily haul 2 large horses. Don’t forget - not just about how much horsepower or torque your vehicle has. Also cooling system capacity, braking power, etc.

[tangledweb]

I think you are a little confused, or at least that your question needs more detail. I don’t know what year you are looking at, but for say 2011-2014 the F-150 with the 3.7 liter engine is only rated to tow about 6000 pounds.

In late model F-150s there are at least two V6 offerings. There’s a cheap, low power, low tech one (with was 3.7 in 2011-2014) and there’s the 3.5 liter twin turbo that they call ecoboost that depending on year and axle ratios is rated to tow up to 12000. I’d happily tow with the later, but it would be various kinds of bad idea to randomly pick a V6 and tow with it.

The 3.5 ecoboost has about the same power and more torque than the 5.0 V8.

Ford has a brochure like this on their website for every year. Make sure you know what trucks you are looking at are rated to tow. http://www.ford.com/resources/ford/general/pdf/towingguides/16rv&tt_ford_f150_r2_oct23.pdf

Usually the easiest way to find it is to google for “ford 2099 towing guide”.

[McGurk]

The key question that is often missed in these discussions is not how much the truck can tow, it’s how much the truck can stop.

I would not haul with the set up you describe, because in an emergency braking situation, the trailer will be pushing the truck.

I haul with an F-150 with the 5.4 liter V8 and the crew cab, and a full towing package, and I think that’s a little underpowered to haul my two QHs in a two horse bumper pull. Like, it’s fine for local towing but I wouldn’t want to take it on a long haul with a lot of hills.

So, IMO and IME, you are asking for trouble hauling two WBs with a V6. It will not be an enjoyable haul - the truck will accelerate poorly and stop slowly. You will likely burn out the transmission in the truck.

[ndirish07]

I’ll just throw in that we had a 2010 F150, crew cab, King Ranch V8 and were towing a boat. Somehow the boat got off the ball on the way home. I think it happened because it was hilly and went down a dip in the road so the ball was the low point for just a split second-- I have no other explanation as I will swear it was correctly hitched until the cows come home. But the boat-- a little speed boat-- was in the other lane and trying to pass the truck, and drag it off the road. The only way to stop it safely was to let it ram the truck liftgate. The boat almost pushed the truck off the road. A boat.

That experienced scared me that I didn’t care what size trailer I got for my horse, but I was only buying the largest truck I could afford. I got a F350 diesel. I know that truck can pull and stop my rig in an emergency. So for me personally, would I pull a horse trailer with a F150? Hell no.

[tangledweb]

[QUOTE=McGurk;8867832]

I haul with an F-150 with the 5.4 liter V8 … IMO and IME, you are asking for trouble hauling two WBs with a V6. [/QUOTE]

That’s magical thinking. The shape of the engine does not determine how well it works. Your old fashioned V8 has 310hp and 365 lb-ft of torque. The current 3.5 V6 has 365/420. Old guys might not like the exhaust noise as much, but assuming it will tow worse than your V8 is just superstition.

[McGurk]

Exhaust noise is not really a factor.

Total wheelbase, total weight and braking ability are.

I have done the vast majority of my hauling with a 3/4 ton truck with full towing package.

I am currently hauling with the 1/2 ton V8, short local hauls only, two QHs in a 2 horse bumper pull.

It’s fine for the kind of hauling I do right now, but I can definitely tell the difference between hauling with it and hauling with a 3/4 ton. If I was hauling more, I’d want to go back to a 3/4 ton.

The OP is asking about hauling much more weight with a smaller truck.

I think it’s a bad idea. I stand by that recommendation.

Are you saying it’s okay to haul that kind of weight the OP is proposing with a 1/2 ton V6? Or are you just quibbling about engine numbers?

[tangledweb]

Yeah I’m saying I’d be happy hauling 8000 in a 1/2 ton rated for 12000. If I was hauling all the time and buying a tow only vehicle I’d get a 3/4 if budget allowed but for many people’s use, where they tow every second weekend and have to park and commute the same vehicle it’s a pretty good compromise for a 2h trailer.

That’s not saying I think every V6 half ton is a good choice, but the right ones are.

[OTTB2]

[QUOTE=ndirish07;8867857]
I’ll just throw in that we had a 2010 F150, crew cab, King Ranch V8 and were towing a boat. Somehow the boat got off the ball on the way home. I think it happened because it was hilly and went down a dip in the road so the ball was the low point for just a split second-- I have no other explanation as I will swear it was correctly hitched until the cows come home. But the boat-- a little speed boat-- was in the other lane and trying to pass the truck, and drag it off the road. The only way to stop it safely was to let it ram the truck liftgate. The boat almost pushed the truck off the road. A boat.

That experienced scared me that I didn’t care what size trailer I got for my horse, but I was only buying the largest truck I could afford. I got a F350 diesel. I know that truck can pull and stop my rig in an emergency. So for me personally, would I pull a horse trailer with a F150? Hell no.[/QUOTE]

That right there is why I am a proponent of making your emergency break away cable shorter than your towing chains. If your hitch is undone you want those brakes activating.

Besides the point, if you were the go-getter pony club mom who was hauling one small horse around town to local meet ups and shows I would say you could get by but once you start adding 2 big horses into a trailer I would never haul with a V6, first off the brakes wont be strong enough for emergency braking unless you upgrade them. Second sometimes your best option is to speed up to avoid something and a v6 wont have that punch. I would find something with a V8 or a diesel, old diesel is better than new. It doesn’t have all the DPF, DEF, BS.

[DMK]

[QUOTE=McGurk;8867979]

Are you saying it’s okay to haul that kind of weight the OP is proposing with a 1/2 ton V6? Or are you just quibbling about engine numbers?[/QUOTE]

I think s/he’s saying not all V6s (or V8s) are created equal and in modern engines there are more things that matter than cubic inches displaced and number of pistons.

In a blast from the past, my first F150 was an I6 (early 90s). I was genuinely shocked when I moved up to a V8 F150 a few years later and it was not nearly as fun to tow with. That I6 rocked.

Also I towed my 2H BP trail et for about 11 years all over the southeast (from WEF to Culpeper) with my V8 expedition (eddie bauer version with all the tow upgrades, biggest engine they put in there) and it was fine. It was a reliable beast and I never felt worried about getting up hills, stopping, long stretches on the highway (I did SFL to Atlanta round trip a few times a year at one point) or much of anything else except the part where I was getting too old for towing 700 miles in one day. But a 1994 Trail Et New Yorker, even the larger size, was a surprisingly light trailer and I only had one horse in it most trips. One big horse and a whole lot of equipment (tack box, tack, feed, shavings, hay, buckets, my scooter, etc.)

I went to an F250 after that because I was planning on getting a 2+1 when a really good deal for a brand new BP came my way so I stuck with that. But the new trailer is longer and taller than the old one. I’m sure an F150 would pull it fine, but it’s length on the expedition (and add’l weight) would have been some serious wear and tear on the vehicle and probably less stable at speeds.

But a vehicle with a modern V6 engine that has the length and weight to be stable while towing and is rated to tow a trailer and is going to get better gas mileage when it isn’t towing? Why not take advantage of advancements in technology? It’s not like the highlight of my week isn’t taking the 35 gallon F250 (gas) to the gas station (thank heavens for Zippy The Focus)