Towing
 

I'm headed down to Tennessee next month to start cleaning out my father's storage space. It appears the most economical way to move stuff from Tennessee to my house is going to be to pull a trailer with my F150.

I have the 4.2 V6, and it has a factory towing package. There is the flat four-pronged connector for the lights and a round connector that I assume is for trailer brakes.

I've pulled a trailer once in my life, and it was a 400 lb. painting trailer when I was a house painter in college.

I'm looking at renting the following trailer:

http://www.uhaul.com/guide/?equipment=trailer6x12

This trailer has a maximum loaded weight of 4400 lbs., and if I read my owner's manual correctly, my truck can tow up to 4500 lbs.

My questions are:

What equipment do I need? All I can think of is a hitch ball, a ball mount, and chains.

How do I determine what size drop I need on the ball mount?

Any hints, tips, recommendations?

UHaul can be picky about what they allow you to tow their trailers wiht. I've read on 356talk that several times people were forced to rent a uhaul truck to tow a uhaul trailer.

I was going to swing by a U-Haul this weekend (I'm not going down to Tennesse until the middle of March) to see if I could sort that all out ahead of time. I haven't thrown out the idea of buying a trailer, but it would be significantly cheaper to rent.

U-Haul is actually the best place to have a trailer hitch installed. I know you already have one, but go to them, and let them finish what you have. That way you know there wiill be no problems come rental time. Find one of the centers that does the hitch installs, not the storefront / service station place.

The U-Haul place should be able to give you the information you need. That trailer looks like it has a low to medium height coupler, so I'm guessing you will probably need a drop of 1-2", assuming you have a 2WD F150.

Legion, you will have no problem at all towing that.

You'll need some facitlity for braking. I wouldn't want to haul that thing down in a hurry without trailer brakes! Electronic brakes will require a brake controller box installed. $55 plus installation cost.

Do hydraulic surge brakes require a brake controller, though? I have no idea. I just run electric drum brakes.

How many pounds of cargo, legion?

U haul trailer all have surge brakes

i am a ******* when it comes to towing. i almost died once. (now i am a big fan of overkill.) if i had to do what you need to do, i would call penske and rent a moving van. i bet the cost arent that high when you consider, how much easier it will be. no backing up a trailer for a newb, less wear and tear on your 6 banger, etc.

having said that, i do see some people doing some amazing towing with what i consider a small truck. good luck.

Re: Towing
 

Per the Uhal site:

Your towing vehicle:

* Must be equipped with a hard top if it is an SUV. U-Haul does not allow any type of sport-utility vehicle not equipped with a hard top to tow U-Haul equipment.
* Must weigh at least 3,500 lbs. (curb weight)
* Must have Class 2 tow hitch (3,500 lb. minimum weight-carrying rating)
* Must have 1-7/8", 2" or 2-1/8" hitch ball (3,500 lbs. minimum)
* Must not exceed maximum allowable hitch ball height 25"
* Must have external mirrors on both sides
* Must have fully operational lighting
* Trailer lighting must be operational at all times, day and night
* Maximum recommended speed is 45 MPH


Correct on the round plug as the electronic brake controller. However, Ford did not supply the electronic controler in the vehecile until 2004/05. You need to purchase one. It plugs in under the dash on the driver's side.

You will have no probelm towing with the 6 banger. Although I have the 5.4l, I've towed 40' trailers with my F150, lifted, 35" tires and stock gears.

That';s the same trailer I have reserved for my move to Florida, but I changed out the R&P for the long drive.

Good luck.

Thanks for the replies everyone!

I just read the whole Uhaul flyer. It says repeatedly that I should not exceed 45 mph when towing even the heavy 6' x 12' dual-axle trailer.

It takes 7 hours to drive from Nashville to here doing 70 mph. I was thinking that 60-65 would be safe trailer speeds until I read that. Is that statement extreme over-caution, or should I really do 45 mph the whole way on the interstate, making the trip take 11 hours?

Heck, I've been passed by people towing trailers doing 85-90 mph.

The 45 MPH limit is to cover themselves in the event of an accident. Depending upon how heavy the load, you can do the speed limit while towing (or more). Just be aware of how a trailer affects the driving characteristics of your truck--and be sure to load the trailer evenly--don't put too much weight near the tongue, or behind the axels. Even distribution.

I routinely tow my 32' 10,000 boat at 75mph but I also have my trailer balanced perfectly. And my truck is heavy.
There are alot of variables to consider when towing. The weight placement on your trailer, brakes on it, brakes on your tow vehicle, weight of tow vehicle, experience, etc.... It's real easy to have a trailer go out of control on you. Ive towed the boat with my Bronco, and my old f150 ( Very, very short moves) both have electric brake set up, but it still was a ***** to stop. 6x12 is not a huge trailer, it just takes loading it properly and getting the feel of it.

I towed that trailer from CA to MI with my Subaru Outback Sport, trailer was as long as my entire car. You'll be fine.

Legion,

I have no trouble with my 4.2 5-speed pulling my wife's horses. Up over the mountain is usually 3 rd gear for the most part and, with the horses we usually don't get over 55mph. (don't want to have to brake suddenly & break legs or anything.) If you have the factory 'trailer wiring' package, it is likely you also have a transmission oil cooler.

"There is the flat four-pronged connector for the lights and a round connector that I assume is for trailer brakes."
You might have two kinds of connectors, there. One the flat 4-pin, for small trailers with no brakes, the other round with 6 or 7 pins for larger trailers with brakes. The hitch place can straighten you out on them.

Make sure you have about 500 lbs of the weight on the tongue when you are towing. You should get along OK.

Now, backing up should be fun the first time you try. Can I come & watch? (Sorry, that wasn't nice. Sorry you have to make this trip.)

Good luck.

Les

In my view, driving the speed limit is okay, as long as you keep WELL BACK from the vehicles in front of you, take due caution of weather conditions, and are always aware of traffic entering the roadway you are on.
You stopping AND manuevering ability will be much worse than you are accustomed to. Don't ask me how I know...;)

On recent cross-country drives I have seen 2 different accidents where someone was towing a large trailer and it whipped or rolled on them, taking the tow vehicle in a barrel roll with it. One of the cases might have involved strong cross winds, not sure. Both tow vehicles were large GM pickup trucks, (one was a Suburban), I can just imagine how terrifying that experience must have been. Shorts cleaning time.

Both were on the interstate and the people towing were amateurs, (like me), it really gave me pause. Be careful and take your time. :cool:

Does nayone know is a LEO would, or could, cite you for driving over the 45 mph marked on the trailer?

Not a chance.

Re: Towing
 

Dennis had great advice. Take your time. My little brother rode his jeep through a ditch and into a field with his ski boat doing the steering. :eek:


If you thought you would tow different trailers more often, one of these is handy. http://www.trailerandtruckparts.com/rapid_hitch.html

Strange but some trailers pull better nose up and some down.
If you feel it doing something wrong, then do something about it. Get to the next stop and adjust the load. Maybe it will need more weight up front. Maybe it needs less. Taking a few extra moments to dial it in will make the trip much less stressfull.

My wife wants me to get the truck checked out by a mechanic before I do the towing. (No arguments from me.)

I've had the oil changed (Mobil 1), differential fluid changed, coolant changed, transmission fluid changed, an alignment, new tie rod ends, and four new tires in the last two months. The brakes were redone up to specs a year ago (including a brake bleed).

What are the potential points of failure due to towing I should have scrutinized?

That is a pretty good list and it hits the usual cooling, transmision, and tire suspects.
You are not going that heavy but it may make you feel better to check out the drive line AKA U joints and give the wheel bearings a look. Do a pre flight and set your tire pressures and you will be way ahead of most folks pulling trailers.

I make it a practice to stop about 10-15 min into the trip and do a walk around. I look for loose thing, feel the tires and hubs for excessive heat or other strange things. I repeat that at fuel stops and check oil and coolant too.

Driving home today, I'm at a stop light on the main drag in town. I look down at my oil pressure guage (in the F150) and I see it flicker back and forth. (It's normally solidy pinned at one single position. In fact, I've never seen that gauge so much as move with the engine running before. The temperature gauge did not move.) Then it slowly (in about 3 seconds) fades from full pressure to zero. The engine itself does not make a sound. I turn off the ignition, open the door, and look under the truck for a large pool of oi...not so much as a drip. I start it back up (and it behaves perfectly normally). I drive home. The oil pressure gauge does not move again. I drive it again later. No movement on the gauge. I've purchase a new oil pressure sensor and plan on changing it tomorrow. I'm going to watch the situation, but I suspect that that sensor has shown its first sign of going bad and it's not a serious problem. Second opinions?

A valuable tip handed down to me by a old time driver. ( I worked for a Truck leasing co. and got to shuffle trailers to pay for school)

When backing
1: set it up so you turn as little as possible
2: A) Place your hand at the bottom of the steering wheel.
2: B) push your hand in the direction you want the trailer to go.
3: If in doubt, get out and look or have a spotter help you.
I have seen being too lazy to look become very expensive.

Last a bump for your mechanical / oil pressure issues.

safe trucking