Trailer Towing Capacity of 2005 Ford F-150 with 4.6L Engine

Published 09/19/2018

Question:

My truck said GVWR 6200 and my trailer 26ft said GVWR said 7460. Wiil my truck ok to pull

asked by: Larry B

Expert Reply:

The photo of your F-150's door jamb sticker indicates a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 6800-lbs. This is the most the truck itself can weigh, including passenger, cargo weight and trailer tongue weight.

I checked the online owner's manual for your truck and starting on page 179 the manual notes the towing capacities for each of the many versions of the truck. The manual states: "If your vehicle is not equipped with a heavy-duty trailer towing package, the maximum weight your vehicle can tow is limited to 5,000 lbs".

Many features affect trailer towing capacity; these include the engine of course, but also the rear axle gear ratio, cab style, transmission type (2WD or 4WD) and wheelbase.

The LEAST trailer weight that can be towed by any version with the 4.6L is 6500-lbs; this is for the regular cab 4 x 2 with 3.55 axle ratio and 126-inch wheelbase. The MOST trailer weight any 4.6L version can tow is 6900-lbs; this is for the super cab 4 x 2 with 3.73 axle ratio and 145-inch wheelbase.

So based on your quoted trailer GVWR of 7460-lbs your truck would be under-rated for towing this trailer.

expert reply by: Adam R