Can I tow with 2006 Ford F-150 XL 4.2 L, 6 cylinder truck?

[Melodyb]

Hello all. I have not purchased my Ollie yet but I would like to do my due diligence. Can I tow with the aforementioned vehicle? It has no tow package. This would be for the Ollie Elite II. Any insight would be much appreciated.

[Shawna and Scott]

A quick look on the internet I found this https://www.ford-trucks.com/specs/2006-2/2006-ford-f-150-specifications/

Without knowing more about your TV I would say looking at these charts that towing the Elite ll might be more than your TV should tow.

I know I would not want to tow with that. I think the Elite ll weighs almost 5000lbs empty. I figure that after we put our things in our that we are pushing 6000 lbs.

 

[John E Davies]

Hi Melody, welcome to the forum, I agree, you don’t have enough power to safely tow an LE2 which can weigh as much as 7000 pounds. Compare the power figures for your engine vs the big V8.

You might be able to CAREFULLY  tow it home to Florida from the factory, but the first steep grades you encounter will show you that it just isn’t going to be satisfactory.  You will 100% need to upsize your tow vehicle, or downsize your trailer. Considering the age of your truck, it makes sense to get a more modern, more powerful, much safer truck.

John Davies

Spokane WA

[Melodyb]

OMG!!!🤗 Thanks so much! Yup....ok, I know what I have to do.  My first day here and the advice has been priceless. Thanks again.🥰

[Ollie-Haus]

3 hours ago, Melodyb said:

OMG!!!🤗 Thanks so much! Yup....ok, I know what I have to do.  My first day here and the advice has been priceless. Thanks again.🥰

Hi Melody, and welcome to the Oliver forum. Like the others have advised prudently, you will be considerably outside of a safety margin towing the LE2 with your current truck. It's age concerns me on top of it's lower capacities.  A few things to help you get started. On driver's door post of every vehicle is a sticker that tells the load capacities for that specific vehicle as it was delivered from the factory. You never want to exceed any of those capacities. And in reality you should get a vehicle that leaves you a safety margin in each category. It's very easy to overload a vehicle's cargo capacity when loading up gear, people and pets on board. Add in misc. stuff in back and then add the tongue weight of the trailer on the back of the vehicle and surprise, you're over weight.

Then you also have to determine how much the trailer weighs fully loaded. That falls under the Tow Capacity on the sticker. This is one you can't afford to be close or over on. The only way to get this number accurately is to weight the trailer loaded on a commercial scale at a truck stop. That's not how you want to discover you're 1200 pounds too heavy for the truck you're using. 

Lastly everything hooked together and loaded can't weigh in at more than the combined weight rating (GCWR) on that sticker.

As you can see there's a lot to consider in a tow vehicle when considering a specific trailer to pull. If you are settled on an LE2 than that shortens the list considerably as to which tow vehicle you will want to buy. There are plenty of capable tow vehicles, but those capacities mentioned will rule your choices. 

There's lots of RV and Truck web sites and Youtube channels that can really get you up to speed on what those choices are today. I will say if not new the lower the mileage the better. Pulling a trailer is a lot of work on a tow vehicle, enough that it's considered "severe duty" by the manufacturers. With that term in mind it's always good to have more tow vehicle than you need. The farther you are from that vehicle's maximum capacities the less wear and tare you will be putting on the vehicle. 

One last thought. Getting the load going down the road with ease is a matter of comfort and enjoyment. Controlling the load during unexpected maneuvering, and getting that load stopped in an emergency situation depends on your trucks capacities compared to the load it's pulling. Better to have plenty of truck. 

Keep asking questions if you can't find answers and good luck finding a the right truck. 

[Geronimo John]

2 hours ago, John E Davies said:

an LE2 which can weigh as much as 7000 pounds.

Totally agree with needing a more capable Tow Vehicle (TV) for 99+% of all owners.  The less than 1% are those that remove the tires and have Ollie on blocks parked at their dream spot.  That said, what JD stated is correct in that the twin axles are rated at 7,000 pounds. 

However, if you were to plot the weight of all the owner's (for over a year), and loaded for camping, the OE2's it likely would look like a very flat sort of bell curve.  The curve likely would start at about 5200 pounds and end up at about 6,600 pounds.  The vast majority I would postulate would be between 5600 and 6200 pound.  There would be just a few outliers from the curve below and above this range.  

Welcome to our family!

GJ

[Mike and Carol]

Welcome, Melody.  I don’t have anything to add to the good advice above.  This is the right place to get your questions answered!  Mike

[SeaDawg]

I would not suggest towing any Ollie , or any other trailer, without a tow package.

 

[Melodyb]

You guys are the best. I wish I had asked this question and been a part of this forum BEFORE I purchased the truck. Oh, well, nothing that can't be undone. I feel like I am amongst friends. 🥰

[topgun2]

1 hour ago, Melodyb said:

I feel like I am amongst friends. 🥰

You are!

[Rivernerd]

As long as you are replacing your 4.2L 6 cylinder F150, I strongly recommend you spend the extra $$$$ to buy a 250/2500 level 3/4 ton truck.  Or even a 350/3500 level 1-ton.

Our tow vehicle is a 2019 Tundra with a 5.7L V8 with tow package.  It is barely enough to safely tow an Elite II, even with an Andersen weight distribution hitch.

There is lots of helpful information in this thread entitled Tow Vehicle:

Good luck!

[Rene]

Melody, while I am sorry you already bought your truck and have some rearranging to do now, I am very thankful that you asked the question.  I am in the market now for a new, or at least maybe new to me, and all of this is so helpful.  I am getting my TV situated before I order my LE2 a few months from now.   Thanks for all the amazing information everyone!  

[Patriot]

On 2/17/2023 at 7:23 PM, Rivernerd said:

Our tow vehicle is a 2019 Tundra with a 5.7L V8 with tow package.  It is barely enough to safely tow an Elite II, even with an Andersen weight distribution hitch.

@Rivernerd,💯 truth.
I felt the same way about our 2014 Toyota Tundra Platinum 5.7. We sold it and bumped up to a 1 ton diesel F350. What a difference in ridiculous power, much more cargo capacity, better mpgs, amazing engine braking, superior handling and a huge difference in comfort on long trips. No Andersen WDH to be concerned with.
There is really no comparison. 👍🏻

Patriot🇺🇸

[Patriot]

11 hours ago, Rene said:

Melody, while I am sorry you already bought your truck and have some rearranging to do now, I am very thankful that you asked the question.  I am in the market now for a new, or at least maybe new to me, and all of this is so helpful.  I am getting my TV situated before I order my LE2 a few months from now.   Thanks for all the amazing information everyone!  

@Rene, Very wise, good for you! 

Patriot🇺🇸

[Geronimo John]

Melody:

There are many half ton trucks that are NOT capable of pulling a heavy Ollie with high truck payloads. That said there are a BUNCH of OE2 owners using highly capable half ton trucks and even a handful using SUV's such as the Toyota Land Cruiser.  I'll not (again) dip my toes into brands but you can search TV's on this forum and you'll get many scores of valid opinions.  For example, there is the diesel vs. gas perspective, the gotta have a super duty perspective, and of course the gotta have a 4X4 perspectives (just to name a few) all with valid justifications. 

Just keep in mind that those valid posts are based upon each owners perspective about their rig (TV and RV) and how they use it.  Some of those factors include:

HOW THEY WILL USE THEIR RIG & WHERE

• TV payload weight?  (Includes weight and number of seats needed, Etc.)
• Ollie weight
• Where they intend on towing?  (Mountain roads, Flat Land, Near Others or boondocking alone well off the grid, etc.) 
• What kind of roads will they be using or not using?  (Interstate, paved,  paved bad condition, maintained fire roads, bad fire roads, etc.)
• Is the TV your daily driver or is it a single purpose vehicle only used to tow Ollie?
• How many of the four seasons do you expect to normally use your rig?
• Your driving style (Aggressive, normal, and uber conservative for example)
• .And I am sure that there are other considerations that my fellow members could add to the list.

WHAT ARE THEIR TV and RV METRICS?

• Axle ratings and the fully loaded certified actual loads on each
• Combined gross weight ratings of the rig and actual weight "all in"
• What towing characteristics does their trailer model exhibit?  For example is it stable under tow with no sway such as OTT's are. 

Point is that opinions from any specific owner that their XXX TV is great/poop to tow an OE2 is useful only if they make clear what their use is.  If they did, then you would know if it's germane to your use. 

Please also keep in mind that the MFG tow ratings are traditionally suitable for flat land towing on good roads.  If you expect to be using your OE2 under more severe conditions, you need more capable TV.  And there are many of suitable TV's half ton and up. 

So if you really want to get the best recommendations from your Ollie Family, you would be well served to draft out your thoughts about the above "meat balls" and your expectations for towing your OE2.

GJ

 

[CnC]

On 2/16/2023 at 1:48 PM, Shawna and Scott said:

after we put our things in our that we are pushing 6000 lbs.

FYI, we scale out at 6200# with full water and a week's worth of boondocking stuff.

Charlie.

[SeaDawg]

On 2/16/2023 at 3:00 PM, Melodyb said:

Hello all. I have not purchased my Ollie yet but I would like to do my due diligence. Can I tow with the aforementioned vehicle? It has no tow package. This would be for the Ollie Elite II. Any insight would be much appreciated.

Maybe, just maybe, we should get back to communicating with the op???

[ScubaRx]

1 hour ago, SeaDawg said:

Maybe, just maybe, we should get back to communicating with the op???

That question ("Can I tow with 2006 Ford F-150 XL 4.2 L, 6 cylinder truck?") was unanimously resolved within two days many posts ago, The consensus was a resounding NO.

Thread hijack moved to https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/8915-bill-and-nancys-towing-vehicle-issue/#comment-87403