V6 Engine - safe to pull with?

[soloudinhere]

You know, I’ve been hauling my two horse bumper pull for two years through mountains of vermont and NY, at 70mph on the highway, on the hottest day of the year, with a 2002 1500 with a 6L v8 and it’s been…absolutely fine.

I have never been pulled off the road by a semi trailer passing me, I have never had any fear that I could not stop or even had that sensation, I have never really worried that the truck is stressed.

Do I LIKE it? no, because I would really like to have satellite radio, and it would be okay to have a fancy digital dash and TPMS. But it’s not because I ever felt like it remotely had a problem pulling the trailer.

I’m trading down to a Bockmann (should have just bought one in the first place) because I have a real fear that in the next 3-5 years, I will not be able to afford the specialty vehicle required to tow a conventional trailer. A new 1500, on deep discount, is mid-30k range and are not nearly as reliable as before. I’d rather have my choice of reliable vehicles like a toyota V6 SUV than be married to whatever the big 4 are producing for supersize trucks.

[TequilaMockingbird]

I have a 2014 ecoboost that is rated to 9,400lbs. Is a two horse bumper pull stock combo trailer doable?

Like this one?
http://www.4startrailers.com/combo-trailers/bumper-pull-trailers/stock-combo-trailers/2-horse-model-11-x-7-wedge-nose/

I’m not looking at buying anything yet but I’m curious if I can keep my truck when I decide to buy a trailer.

[BLBSTBLS]

Im sure this has been stated in previous posts…

Its not just about pulling the load, a big concern is STOPPING the load, even if your truck/trailer has electric brakes.

[Jim_in_PA]

[QUOTE=TequilaMockingbird;8897334]
I have a 2014 ecoboost that is rated to 9,400lbs. Is a two horse bumper pull stock combo trailer doable?

Like this one?
http://www.4startrailers.com/combo-trailers/bumper-pull-trailers/stock-combo-trailers/2-horse-model-11-x-7-wedge-nose/

I’m not looking at buying anything yet but I’m curious if I can keep my truck when I decide to buy a trailer.[/QUOTE]

Yes, it is.

[SecondInCommand]

I have a 2013 Ecoboost with the max trailer tow and HD payload packages, and it has been a delight to tow my steel 2+1 GN with. I have put everything on the scales, and done all the math, and I’m nowhere close to my maximum parameters on anything.

As Jim_in_PA notes in an above post, times and technology are changing. Look at all the relevant specs of the truck you’re considering, rather than just the badge on its side.

[TheJenners]

[QUOTE=soloudinhere;8891115]

I’d rather have my choice of reliable vehicles like a toyota V6 SUV than be married to whatever the big 4 are producing for supersize trucks.[/QUOTE]

Not being a brat; what are the big 4? I assume Ford, Chevy, Dodge, and…GMC? I usually consider GMC and Chevy the same because no one has ever explained the difference beyond trim packages.

FWIW, both Toyota and Nissan’s big trucks have been getting decent reviews and I believe one is bringing a diesel to the market?

[Jim_in_PA]

[QUOTE=TheJenners;8900399]
Not being a brat; what are the big 4? I assume Ford, Chevy, Dodge, and…GMC? I usually consider GMC and Chevy the same because no one has ever explained the difference beyond trim packages.

FWIW, both Toyota and Nissan’s big trucks have been getting decent reviews and I believe one is bringing a diesel to the market?[/QUOTE]

“Big Four” is really “big 3”…Ford, GM/Chevy and RAM. (Dodge branding has not included trucks for a number of years now) And yes, Toyota and Nissan had listened to the market and added a lot to their trucks as of late.

[soloudinhere]

“The Big 4” doesn’t specifically refer only to makers of heavy duty trucks, it refers to the four largest automakers in the American market:

Ford
GM/Chevy
Dodge
Toyota

All of whom produce trucks suitable for towing.

Nissan already has a Cummins diesel on the market and Toyota is reportedly planning one.

[soloudinhere]

[QUOTE=BLBSTBLS;8897392]
Im sure this has been stated in previous posts…

Its not just about pulling the load, a big concern is STOPPING the load, even if your truck/trailer has electric brakes.[/QUOTE]

Why do people continue to hold the belief that a modern 1500, which is larger in length and width, and often uses components off a previous generation HD pickup truck, is completely incapable of stopping anything?

I have towed my 2h, fully loaded, with gear weighing almost 6000 pounds total, with no electric brakes due to a wiring fault in my old truck, and it stopped completely fine from 60mph several times. And my truck is old.

Does it stop in 5 feet like a sports car? No. But neither does a 3500 diesel towing weight, either. That’s just physics. Were the brakes a little hot? Yeah, but they would be for any truck trying to stop dead weight.

With modern sway control, brake controllers (proportional, not a crap time delay controller), proper maintenance, there’s no reason why doing this would be unsafe.

We’re really going to have to adjust our advice rather than just repeating what was true in 1985 until we’re blue in the face. Especially as vehicle prices have gotten so ridiculous that the average person cannot afford even a very-well-abused heavy duty truck.

[TrakHack]

If you don’t have either the tow vehicle or the trailer yet, I would decide what your optimal trailer is and then determine the tow vehicle needed for your trailer.

If you already have the trailer, you can do the weighing and math and see if the V6 Ecoboost will work. If you don’t have the trailer, you can do the math on the V6 Ecoboost and see what trailers it could handle.

From personal experience, I would tow a Brenderup or Fautras with the V6 Ecoboost, but not any “traditional” metal horse trailers. I haven’t pulled a Böckmann to comment on them.

I started with a Brenderup Baron, which my V6 (Lexus RX) could just barely handle (which I knew would be the case based on the math, but I had a friend’s truck I could borrow). I found a Fautras Provan a few years ago, which the V6 handled acceptably with one horse. I moved to a V8 (Toyota 4Runner) which tows two horses in the Fautras very nicely, and would have towed the Brenderup well.

Do the math first, and then drive the combination if at all possible. I buy used vehicles, and when I was shopping for the V8 I hooked up my trailer to confirm I liked how it pulled.

Right now I’m looking at encouraging my future husband to upgrade from a short-box F150 to a 3/4 ton of some variety to allow flexibility with our horses in the future. I love my Fautras almost as much as I love him, but if we get bigger horses that trailer will likely not work.

Best of luck with your research and the decision.

[tangledweb]

[QUOTE=TrakHack;8901509]
From personal experience, I would tow a Brenderup or Fautras with the V6 Ecoboost, but not any “traditional” metal horse trailers. I haven’t pulled a Böckmann to comment on them.

I started with a Brenderup Baron, which my V6 (Lexus RX) could just barely handle …[/QUOTE]

You are extrapolating from the performance of your mini-suv rated to tow 3500 pounds to a truck rated to tow up to 12000 pounds? With all due respect, I don’t think your personal experience is worth anything. The only things those vehicles have in common is that they have 6 cylinders, 4 wheels and one steering wheel. There’s no reason to assume their towing performance will be in any way similar.

[Cuttergal]

My husband has the 2013 EcoBoost, I use it to haul long distances. I have a Shadow 2h bumperpull, and even with 2 horses/tack, I never know it’s back there. Of course the fuel mileage drops but don’t they all when towing?

[Cheltenham]

[QUOTE=TPF Hunter;8866730]
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[/QUOTE]

Like others have said the answer yes…but, but, but…it’s often not real great.

I have always had a diesel 3/4 ton. I like Cummins…so Ram 2500. I had a old 1996 I drove untill 2 years ago. It didn’t take off fast—put it would take off with your house hitched to it in low gear. Now have a 2014—and it will take off with my house hitched to it like the Star Trek Enterprise in warp…

That said, I used to help a old guy with racehorses. To skip back and forth local track and vet—he had a ancient 1980’s Ram 150 and his Niece had a New chevy 1500/1/2 ton. But I honestly can’t recall if they had a V6 or V8—I think you often have a choice with 1/2 tons what engive you get?. IME the big difference in a 1/2 ton is the transmission, axles, gear ratio and suspension. 3/4 ton and 1 tons you are getting a more rubust tranny and suspension to take the loads----which is more valuable technically than the size of the engine.

I used to drive both with his 2H GN Bison steel trailer. The main thing I noticed was they were soft, softer springs/suspension, in turns, stops, downhill. In mountain country back roads, they felt squishy compared to my aircraft carrier battle axe old Ram 2500 that was stiff untill you put 10k on it. I didn’t have an issue accelerating or hill country with their 1/2 tons. Also—this was a GN so it put the weight over their axle in a helpful way.

In these parts there are lots of stories of people towing big things with little trucks…ford fiestas (well, maybe not fiesta, ford ranger ha ha ha) The negative in most of these stories is when one day their transmission is fried. Sometimes on fire fried because the heat created by low gear and -----no transmission cooler. New 150’s sometimes have a tranny cooler now, that would help.

I’ve hauled a lot of hay and crap around with various neighbors tacomas and tundras—way overloaded. It’s mostly that they feel squishy under the loads. If your trailer brakes work stopping not really a prob. The seem to take off oK.

It’s one of those, yes you can do it. Some people do it fine—they typically are just skipping around short distances. The chances of finding it’s not too your liking are pretty high.

[Equibrit]

I have been towing a 2H steel gooseneck, including two large WBs, regularly with a 3.5l Twin Turbo Ecoboost for 5 years. It is fantastic. Also pulls 2500 lbs of hay beautifully. I live in the mountains. My F150 has all the great towing gizmos including engine braking and it is economical enough to use as a daily driver too. Ford have announced a new 10 speed transmission for the new model.

“The F-150’s 10-speed features a wide ratio span and optimized gear spacing for improved acceleration and towing. It will be the first Ford transmission made without cast-iron components. Instead it uses steel, aluminum and composite alloys that help it save a few pounds.
The second-generation EcoBoost engine is about the same as the previous generation, however with added technologies. Engineers kept the weight down with incremental enhancements, including hollowed camshafts that cut four pounds out of the engine. It produces 375 horsepower and 470 pound-feet — 10 horsepower and 50 pound-feet of torque more than the first-generation engine.”
http://www.ford.com/trucks/f150/specifications/towing/

[ytr45]

Was re-reading this great thread from 2016. Awesome info!
I cringe at events where I see everyone towing in an SUV.
Is there any new info on recent truck engine improvements? (like eco-boost).

[Xanthoria]

There are still European trailers available in the US that can easily be towed by a V6. EquiTrek, Bockmann and other brands make giant trucks unnecessary.

I’ll be sticking with that combo until an electric truck that can really tow comes out.

[demidq]

Yes. I tow my Bockman Comfort model with a 6 cylinder SUV, no problem! Maplelane Trailers here in Ontario has an excellent explanation of vehicle specs.