Sexy Driveway Addition

[Robert_o]

Yup. I tow a 28' Whitehawk (7000 lb trailer gross) with my Eco 150. If you haven't yet, check out a dual catch can for it. You'll be running a lot of boost and it is amazing how much crud runs back through the intake (causes problems). The new 17 eco has both direct fuel injection and fuel spray on the intake valves so they don't accumulate carbon like the original 3.5. It is a lot of trailer so be safe. I had to upgrade brakes after a trip to the mountains. Also get that brake controller dialed in. They don't adjust the trailer brakes at the factory and mine were way out (doing nothing at 10). After adjusting I can finally lock the tires from 20 mph at a controller setting of 8 (factory). Sorry if you know all of this. Just trying to share my lessons learned from a recent expansion of our towable fun portfolio.

what upgrade did you do to the brakes? and how did you calibrate the brake controller? please explain the catch can.
Thanks

 

[AZDANSX230HO]

That is a beauty! I have great concerns about you towing that with a half ton truck. Remember, it isn't just about power to get up to speed. More importantly it is about controlled stopping. IMO, you are way out of your weight class with that truck. It is not just about your safety but everyone else you encounter. It is a shame that sales people don't have the same concern. Sorry to sound negative. It is a beautiful camper and I wish you a lot of happy camping adventures!

I agree 100%, I remember back when we had our Tundra and were looking at travel trailers & 5th wheels, we found a 5th wheel we really liked, asked the salesman what he thought about towing it safely, said no problem. Did some further research and there was no way it was safe to tow that 5th wheel with a 1/2 ton even though the truck was capable of pulling the weight. So we bought a 30 Ft travel trailer prior to our recent upgrade, the Tundra towed it fine, but when we went to a 3/4 ton diesel it was a night and day difference between the 1/2 ton & 3/4 ton. The feeling of towing with a 3/4 ton is that of confidence when it comes to going down the road, stopping, wind, etc.

 

[PEARCE]

Congrats!! Looks great!!

We bought a 37 foot last Fall and we are loving it! I am currently looking for a bigger truck to pull this beast. The truck has enough power, it is the suspension that is lacking. Semis push me all over the place on the highway. I do have a WDH with sway control.

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Your suspension may be part of it, but it's really the weight of the truck itself that makes the difference. I went from being pushed around by the 18 wheelers in my previous 1\2 ton pulling my lightweight camper to my 3\4 ton and the pushing stopped. Towing my 36' 5th wheel I don't feel the push from big trucks as they pass me unless we're in extremely wind conditions. The size of the tow vehicle makes the biggest difference no matter what's under the hood.

 

[AZDANSX230HO]

Your suspension may be part of it, but it's really the weight of the truck itself that makes the difference. I went from being pushed around by the 18 wheelers in my previous 1\2 ton pulling my lightweight camper to my 3\4 ton and the pushing stopped. Towing my 36' 5th wheel I don't feel the push from big trucks as they pass me unless we're in extremely wind conditions. The size of the tow vehicle makes the biggest difference no matter what's under the hood.

Good point @PEARCE our 2016 2500 HD Crew Cab 4x4 Diesel weighs almost 8000 Lb's, our 35 Ft Travel Trailer weighs 7445 Lb's dry weight, I like the fact that our tow vehicle weighs more than what it is towing and it has the capability to pull it easily as well as the big brakes to stop it easily.

 

[2nazt]

@Robert_o a catch can goes inline from the breather tube to intake that accumulates oil. It catches the oil as the air passes through and collects it in a can you can unscrew and empty every so often so the oil is pulled into the intake gumming anything up and messing with sensors. I had one on my Ram 1500 and every 5000 miles I was amazed how much oil was in it. Here is good little link about them. http://oilcatchcan.com

 

[mrmeaniemeateaterman]

From my internet 'research" when I was thinking of buying an ecoboost F150, I think the oil catch cans also trap humidity/moisture that comes in from the turbos as well. High humidity (even rain) was causing some problems in the ecoboost trucks, as the air being spun into the engine is essentially saturated with water. I think the oil catch cans have been put on to alleviate some of that as well. The subject has been beat to death on various ford forums.

 

[Matt Phillips]

Moving from the gas to diesel in the truck would be interesting. I'll be curious to see what Ford does on a tow rating for it. As others have said, that ending will be coming across the pond and I believe it's the same one they are currently putting into the Range Rover Sport.

When I first got my boat, I had an '09 Cayenne with the v6 gas engine in it. I've since switched up to a Cayenne Diesel and the change is a night and day difference. That diesel torque is amazing. I also figure that my boat and trailer are between 5500-6000 pounds when the cayenne is rated for 7700. I also don't feel I get pushed around by other big rigs on the highway. Generally speaking the diesel just hunkers down and pulls all day long...it's also easier on fuel as the old one only got about 12-13 on the highway where the new one gets closet to 20.

That's what I've experienced.

 

[MattFX4]

Moving from the gas to diesel in the truck would be interesting. I'll be curious to see what Ford does on a tow rating for it. As others have said, that ending will be coming across the pond and I believe it's the same one they are currently putting into the Range Rover Sport.

When I first got my boat, I had an '09 Cayenne with the v6 gas engine in it. I've since switched up to a Cayenne Diesel and the change is a night and day difference. That diesel torque is amazing. I also figure that my boat and trailer are between 5500-6000 pounds when the cayenne is rated for 7700. I also don't feel I get pushed around by other big rigs on the highway. Generally speaking the diesel just hunkers down and pulls all day long...it's also easier on fuel as the old one only got about 12-13 on the highway where the new one gets closet to 20.

That's what I've experienced.

I don't think the diesel F150 will be rated any higher than the current gas model. The '17 f150 with a 3.5 Eco has 470 ft lb's of torque. The Ram Ecodiesel only has 420. The Ford Ecoboost is an impressive engine for a gasser.

 

[2nazt]

The EcoDiesel has a lower tow rating than the gas Hemi and I would expect the same for the Ford motors due to the increase of weight of a diesel motor and other items needed to support it. It should be well inside the limits for these boats though, but I doubt it will be anything over 9000lbs. Just a guess but they also have aluminum bodies which saves weight so it will be interesting to see. I love my EcoDiesel for fuel economy and towing. I am within my means and hauls what I need it to.

 

[Seadeals]

what upgrade did you do to the brakes? and how did you calibrate the brake controller? please explain the catch can.
Thanks

The stock rotors seem to have a reputation for warping easily and I had one rotor warp which greatly affected braking. The main cause is often holding brakes after they have been heated up (say slowing down a long downgrade to a stop and then holding brakes at the stop). After research, I personally felt slotted and drilled "performance" brakes did not offer me any advantages with towing. Cryogenic treatment; however was a logic I could understand, so I got a full set of Cryo-stop rotors with Hawk LTS pads. The burnishing instructions were fun to follow on some backroads. I have been very happy with them.

The factory controller on my 2011 (like most) has a sensitivity setting. Per Ford's instructions you want to keep increasing (from 1-10) until the trailer brakes start to lock when braking heavily from 20mph. Once they skid, you back down a number. Each controller will have specific instructions.

As for the catch can, @2nazt said it well. I'll still take a stab at answering for you. Oil, unburned fuel and condensation can make it past piston rings into the crank case. The stock PCV system normally just circulates that back through the intake. In the case of the Ecoboost, that means back through the intercooler (where it can collect) and especially when stomping on it, sucked back into the engine. Since the engine is direct injected, the "gunk" can accumulate on the intake valves since there is no fuel spray on them. The catch can setup routes the "gunk" to a canister with check valves to prevent the fluid from going back into the engine. It accumulates there until you drain it. On a 1200 mile trip hauling the camper it kept this from going through what I feel should be the clean side of an engine.

When the turbos stay spooled up a long time like towing at highway speeds, the higher pressures in the combustion chamber mean more "gunk" gets past the rings into the case. If that normally were to get dumped back into the intake, you would see more rapid carbon buildup in the intake. Using chemical treatment to clean induction carbon deposits has also been known to trash the turbos, which is why I felt it a worthwhile prevention investment. Hope that helps!

 

[jcyamaharider]

Took care of the power and truck issue Friday before the boat show. @AZDANSX230HO and @PEARCE

Think I will be fine towing now.

 

[AZDANSX230HO]

Took care of the power and truck issue Friday before the boat show. @AZDANSX230HO and @PEARCE

Think I will be fine towing now.

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Nicely done Sir!

 

[buckbuck]

Man! Haven't you spent enough money in the past year?

 

[bronze_10]

Took care of the power and truck issue Friday before the boat show. @AZDANSX230HO and @PEARCE

Think I will be fine towing now.

View attachment 50475

I want one... but that 6.4 scares me after research!

 

[jcyamaharider]

I want one... but that 6.4 scares me after research!

The 6.0 scares me more. With good maintainence and the right know how these seem to be decent motors. Everything has problems just have to cross that bridge when you get to it.

We have a 6.4 at the shop with over 300,000 on it with no motor issues.

 

[Eric Ballard]

i put my 1200 lb weight distribution hitch on my Nissan Frontier.... who wants to see I can tow the new 10,000 pound RV with this......

Just kidding - I wanted to see what that beast looks like on my small truck.

 

[jcyamaharider]

i put my 1200 lb weight distribution hitch on my Nissan Frontier.... who wants to see I can tow the new 10,000 pound RV with this......

Just kidding - I wanted to see what that beast looks like on my small truck.

View attachment 50485

Did it make the truck squat...lol

I know my wdh looked out of place on my F 150


So when and where is the first campout?

 

[Eric Ballard]

Did it make the truck squat...lol

I know my wdh looked out of place on my F 150


So when and where is the first campout?

Yes it squatted, that thing is heavy. Looking at options now, but Lake Gaston or Somewhere on the Outer Banks maybe. Lots to learn and practice. Lots of driveway RVing in my future.

 

[PEARCE]

Took care of the power and truck issue Friday before the boat show. @AZDANSX230HO and @PEARCE

Think I will be fine towing now.

View attachment 50475

That's a very nice looking truck! Well done! Those 6.4's do scare me though. There's ways to make them more reliable and more powerful so you'll have to do some research. You'll love towing with it for sure.

 

[bronze_10]

they only made them for two years... now a lot of diesel shops are having trouble finding usable cores when they need to be replaced.. they have the overall same issue as the 6.0.. they only have 4 head studs per cylinder.. and fords original design used stretchable head bolt with the thought of making it easier to have uniform head pressure when installing.... but only 4 soft head studs per cylinder isn't enough. Once the 6.0 and the 6.4 are worked over with head gaskets and head studs they are true power houses and last for a long time as long as you don't get carried away with a tuner. However most of the engine work, esp on the 6.4 will be body off work. i wouldn't be opposed to owning either engine if it had all the good things done to the motor. But at least with the 6.0 there are tons and tons of them out there.... I will prob wait till the 6.7 become cheap enough for use poor folks to own... other than the ceramic bearings in the first years turbos they are turning out to be a good and reliable diesels. It is a completely in house ford design.. the 6.4 was international and the 6.0 was designed in Europe , cant remember by who... in any regard its a good looking truck... I hope it lasts you for miles and miles..