2001 Truck Towing Tips

2001 Ford Truck Trailer Towing

The following information is for educational purposes only. It's content is limited and subject to change without notice. It should not be relied upon. Contact us for a complete list of up to date specifications, towing methods, and restrictions.

TRAILER TOWING TIPS

ACCELERATION AND PASSING

The added weight of the trailer can dramatically decrease the acceleration of the towing vehicle, especially if it is at the maximum recommended weight limitation
If you must pass a slower vehicle, be sure to allow extra distance. Remember, you also have the added length of the trailer that must clear the other vehicle before you can pull back into the lane
Make your pass on level terrain with plenty of clearance
If necessary, downshift for improved acceleration

BACKING

Back up very slowly, with someone outside at the rear of the trailer to help guide
Place one hand at the bottom of the steering wheel and move it in the direction the trailer should turn
Make small corrections instead of exaggerated ones — a slight movement of the steering wheel will result in a much larger movement of the rear of the trailer

BEFORE STARTING

A vehicle will handle and respond differently while towing a trailer
Owners who will be towing a trailer should hitch the trailer to their vehicle and practice turning, stopping and backing up in an area away from heavy traffic to gain experience in handling the extra weight and length of the trailer

BRAKING

Towing a trailer will increase the distance needed to stop
Allow considerably more distance for stopping when the trailer is attached
When approaching a stop, "lead" with the trailer brakes, if possible (with manual brake controller)
For correcting trailer side sway, touch the trailer brakes for a moment without using vehicle brakes, and the trailer should settle down and track steadily again

DOWNGRADES AND UPGRADES

Downshifting assists braking on downgrades and provides added power at the drive wheels for climbing hills

DRIVING WITH AN OVERDRIVE TRANSMISSION

Vehicles equipped with a 5-speed manual overdrive transmission should not use the Overdrive gear for trailer towing
Vehicles equipped with an electronic automatic transmission should operate in Overdrive for best fuel economy

DRIVING WITH SPEED CONTROL

When driving uphill, especially with a heavy load, significant speed drops may occur
A speed drop of more than 8 to 14 mph will, by design, cancel the automatic speed control
Temporarily use manual control through the vehicle's accelerator pedal until the terrain levels off to maintain the selected speed

FRONTAL AREA

Frontal area is the total area in square feet that a moving vehicle and trailer exposes to air resistance. The following "Maximum Trailer Weight" charts show the limitations that must be considered in selecting a vehicle/trailer combination. Exceeding these limitations may seriously affect the performance of your towing vehicle

HIGH-ALTITUDE OPERATION

Gasoline engines lose power at the rate of 3-4 percent per 1000 ft. of elevation
A reduction in gross vehicle weights and gross combined weights (a recommended 2 percent per 1000 ft. elevation) will result in improved vehicle performance

HITCHES

Weight Carrying (Non-Weight Distributing) Hitch — Choose a proper hitch and ball and make sure the location is compatible with that of the trailer. Use a good weight carrying hitch that uniformly distributes the trailer tongue loads through the bumper and frame (body with Escape). Ford rear step bumpers and hitch receivers provide weight carrying capacities as shown in the chart below. (A label, affixed to the hitch receiver, provides both the weight carrying and weight distributing capacities for each receiver, if applicable.) The vehicle owner is responsible for obtaining the proper hitch ball, ball mounting and other appropriate equipment to tow both the trailer and the load that will be towed
Weight Distributing Hitch — Used in conjunction with a hitch platform (receiver), distributes tongue weight to all towing vehicle and trailer wheels. Required for certain Class III and all Class IV applications. (Refer to chart below)
Weight distributing hitch platforms are welded or bolted to the vehicle frame. Bolt-on types are recommended because they can be removed
Properly installed bolt-on weight distributing hitch platform will not weaken the vehicle or underbody as heat from welding might
Equalizing arms are connected from the hitch to the trailer's A-frame, and are adjusted for best towing performance. Lengths of chain are pulled up and tightened to bend spring bars upward, which lifts some of the weight from the rear wheels and transfers weight to the other wheels of the vehicle and trailer
Ford hitch receivers provide weight distributing capacities as shown in the chart below (a label, affixed to the hitch receiver, provides both the weight carrying and weight distributing capacities for each receiver.) The vehicle owner is responsible for obtaining the proper hitch ball, ball mounting, weight distributing equipment (i.e., equalizing arms and snap-up brackets, sway control system) and other appropriate equipment to tow both the trailer and the load that will be towed

**Ford Rear Step Bumper/Hitch Receiver Weight Capacity**
VEHICLE	WEIGHT CARRYING MAX. TRAILER CAPACITY (lbs.)⁽¹⁾	MAX. TONGUE LOAD (lbs.)	WEIGHT DISTRIBUTING MAX. TRAILER CAPACITY (lbs.)⁽²⁾	MAX. TONGUE LOAD (lbs.)
Rear Step Bumper:
Ranger	2000	200	—	—
Econoline Van/Wagon	5000	500	—	—
F-Series	5000	500	—	—
Hitch Receiver:
Ranger	3500	350	6000	600
Econoline Van/Wagon	5000	500	10,000	1000
F-150	5000	500	8800	880
F-Super Duty	5000	500	10,000	1000

(1) Ford rear step bumpers and hitch receivers do not include a hitch ball. The vehicle owner is responsible for obtaining the proper hitch ball, ball mounting and other appropriate equipment to tow both the trailer and its cargo load.

(2) Ford hitch receivers do not include a hitch ball or ball mounting. The vehicle owner is responsible for obtaining the proper hitch ball, ball mounting, weight distributing equipment (i.e., equalizing arms and snap-up brackets, sway control system) and other appropriate equipment to tow both the trailer and its cargo load.

HITCHES cont'd

Fifth-wheel Hitch — The receiver centerline of the hitch should be mounted at least two inches forward of the rear axle of the truck chassis. This mounting location will distribute the tongue load of the trailer for optimum load carrying and sway control performance. Care must be taken to maintain nominal clearance from the back of the cab to the front of the trailer during tight cornering or backing maneuvers. Failure to follow this recommendation can adversely affect the towing vehicle's steering, braking and handling characteristics

ON THE ROAD

After traveling about 50 miles or so, stop in a protected location and double check:
—Trailer hitch attachment
—Lights and electrical connections
—Tire pressure
—Trailer wheel lug nuts for tightness
Check engine oil and coolant level regularly

PARKING WITH TRAILER

Vehicles with trailers should not be parked on a grade. However, if it is necessary to park on a grade, place wheel chocks under the trailer's wheels as follows: —Apply the foot service brakes and hold
—Have another person place the wheel chocks under the trailer wheels on the downgrade side
—Once the wheel chocks are in place, release foot service brakes, making sure the chocks are holding the vehicle and trailer
—Apply the parking brake
—Shift the transmission into P (Park) with an automatic transmission and make sure it is latched there. If your vehicle has
a manual transmission, put the gearshift lever in R (Reverse)

NOTE: With four-wheel drive, make sure the transfer case is not in N (Neutral) (where applicable).

To start, after being parked on a grade:
—Apply the foot service brake and hold
— Start the engine with the gearshift selector lever in P (Park) on automatic transmissions or N (Neutral) on manual transmissions
—Shift the transmission into gear and release the parking brake
—Release the foot service brakes and move the vehicle uphill to free the wheel chocks
—Apply the foot service brakes and hold while another person retrieves the chocks

POWERTRAIN CONSIDERATIONS

The "Maximum Trailer Weight" charts in this section show the minimum engine size needed to move the gross combination weight of the tow vehicle and trailer
Under certain conditions, however (e.g., when the trailer has a large frontal area that adds substantial air drag or when trailering on hilly or mountainous terrain), it's wise to choose a larger engine

SAFETY CHAINS

Always use safety chains when towing. Safety chains are used to retain connection between the towing and towed vehicle
in the event of separation of the trailer coupling or ball
Cross chains under the trailer tongue and allow enough slack for turning corners
See your vehicle's Owner's Guide for safety chain attachment information
When using a frame-mounted trailer hitch, attach the safety chains to the frame-mounted hitch using the recommendations supplied by the hitch manufacturer
For rental trailers, follow rental agency instructions for proper hookup of safety chains

TIRE PRESSURE

Underinflated tires get very hot and can lead to tire failures and possible loss of vehicle control
Overinflated tires can cause uneven tire wear
Tires should be checked often for conformance to cold inflation pressures recommended on the Safety Compliance Certification Label for original equipment tires

TONGUE LOAD

The amount of the trailer's weight that presses down on the trailer hitch. Too much tongue load can cause suspension/drivetrain damage, and can press the vehicle down in back causing the front wheels to lift to the point where traction, steering response and braking are severely decreased. Too little tongue load can reduce rear-wheel traction and cause instability, which may result in tail wagging or jackknifing
For towing trailers up to 2000 lbs. gross loaded weight, the maximum tongue load should not exceed 200 lbs.
For towing trailers over 2000 lbs., the tongue load should be 10-15 percent of the trailer weight
For fifth-wheel trailers, the tongue load should be approximately 25 percent of the trailer weight
To measure actual tongue load, disconnect the trailer and place only the tongue, with the coupler at hitch ball height, on a scale. If the tongue load exceeds the upper weight limit, move more of the trailer contents rearward to achieve the recommended tongue load. If the tongue load is less than the lower limit, shift the load forward

TOWING A VEHICLE BEHIND A MOTORHOME

For safe operation, towed vehicles, or dollies or trailers carrying them, should be equipped with a separate functional brake system
See your vehicle's Owner's Guide for truck models that can be towed with all four wheels down without speed or distance restrictions, or without disconnecting the driveshaft

TRAILER BRAKES

Most states require brakes on trailers weighing over 1500 lbs. when loaded. For your safety, Ford Motor Company urges that a separate functional brake system be used on any towed vehicle, including those dolly-towed or tow bar-towed
There are basically three types of trailer brake activation:
Electronically Controlled Electric — Provides automatic and manual control of electric trailer brakes. Requires the vehicle to be equipped with a controlling device, and additional wiring to supply the electrical power
Hydraulically Controlled Electric — Trailer brakes are applied in proportion to brake pedal pressure. The trailer brake system should not be connected directly to vehicle's brake system
Surge (Hydraulic) — Independent hydraulic brakes activated by a master cylinder at the junction of the hitch and trailer tongue
Be sure your trailer brakes conform to federal and local regulations

TRAILER LAMPS

Make sure the trailer is equipped with lights that conform to federal and local regulations. Do not connect a trailer lighting system directly to the lighting system of the vehicle. See a local recreational vehicle dealer or rental trailer agency for correct wiring and relays for the trailer and heavy-duty flashers

TRAILER WIRING HARNESS

Vehicles equipped with a factory-installed Trailer Tow Package include a wiring harness and a wiring kit
This kit is packaged in a cardboard box and includes one jumper harness (to connect to your trailer wiring connector) and installation instructions

WEIGHT CONSIDERATIONS

Probably the single most critical factor in trailer towing is weight, since overloading a vehicle can put you in danger by reducing braking capability. It also places undue stress on components and can lead to shortened service life or failure. And, you must always remember that added weight of the trailer decreases the acceleration of the towing vehicle

WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION

For optimum handling, the trailer must be properly loaded and balanced
Keep the center-of-gravity low for best handling
Approximately 60 percent of the cargo weight should be in the front half of the trailer and 40 percent in the rear (within limits of the tongue load)
Load should also be balanced from side to side for good handling and proper tire wear
Load must be firmly secured to prevent shifting during cornering or braking, which could result in a sudden loss of control