Towing - Mod or no?

Num70 · March 8, 2020

First time poster and (basically) first time Chevy owner.

I've had five F-150s in a row, and have had enough.

Yesterday, I bought a 2020 trail boss w. the 6.2.

Very excited to be owning a Chevy again. It's been 27 years.

The ONLY hesitation I had with buying this is that I could buy it with the "max towing" package.

I have a boat that runs about 10k lbs and, as you all know, this truck is rated for more like 9200.

Now, my tows tend to be pretty short (10 miles or less) and on flat ground at non-highway speeds.

Am I safe to assume that I shouldn't be worried about the difference in tow cap.?

If you think it;s an issue,do you think there are any mods I should be looking at to shore up the tow capacity on this rig?

Thanks for any insights. I appreciate it.

Edited March 8, 2020 by Num70

OnTheReel · March 8, 2020

My buddy short distance tows a Tiara 2900 on a triple axle trailer with a Ram Rebel half ton. Probably close to 13-14k pounds of boat/trailer/equipment all in. Think you’ll be okay but airbags wouldn’t be a bad idea. These trucks really get to squatting in a hurry. Obviously be safe and don’t outdrive your brakes. Power will not be an issue.

Donstar · March 8, 2020

1 hour ago, Num70 said:

The ONLY hesitation I had with buying this is that I could buy it with the "max towing" package.

Do you mean it does or doesn't have the Max tow? If it does, you'll be fine. If it doesn't, then you bought the wrong truck for towing a 10k lb trailer. You can not increase the GVWR of your truck with aftermarket modifications.

Num70 · March 8, 2020

Yes. Typo.

What I meant was it doesn't have max tow. Not available for TB trim.

I guess what I'm trying to figure out is...how do they take the same truck with a 5.3, add HP and add torque and somehow the tow rating drops by 200 lbs. It doesn't make sense to me. (9500 to 9300)

So if that answer is something like, "well the stock brakes on this aren't safe to pull more than that", or "it needs extra leaf springs" or whatever, then maybe it's something that can be remedied. But if the entirety of that difference is just the difference between the 3.42 and the 3.23 rear end, well that obviously can't be easily remedied.

Thanks for the responses.

f8l vnm · March 9, 2020

A good weight distribution hitch. But 10k is still too much for a half ton. Short or not. I’m not no payload rowing police either. Do what you like. Good luck.

woodsnwater · March 9, 2020

1 hour ago, Num70 said:

Yes. Typo.

What I meant was it doesn't have max tow. Not available for TB trim.

I guess what I'm trying to figure out is...how do they take the same truck with a 5.3, add HP and add torque and somehow the tow rating drops by 200 lbs. It doesn't make sense to me. (9500 to 9300)

So if that answer is something like, "well the stock brakes on this aren't safe to pull more than that", or "it needs extra leaf springs" or whatever, then maybe it's something that can be remedied. But if the entirety of that difference is just the difference between the 3.42 and the 3.23 rear end, well that obviously can't be easily remedied.

Thanks for the responses.

its do to the lift on the tb. i have a 6.2 slt max tow and when looking to buy the factory at4/tb lift from gm it says its not for max tow package. the only reason has to be the tow rating would have to drop do to lift. the max tow does have heavier rear springs bigger coolers the 3.42 and bigger alt and the shock setup is my guess stiffer to control sway the sway bar might even be larger .. all this gives it a 12200 tow cap.

Edited March 9, 2020 by woodsnwater