2014 3.6L and 8 speed towing
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2 wheel drive. The trailer I have ordered is a 22' Winnebago that weighs 3800 lbs dry. The truck came trailer ready with a class IV receiver. The engine is rated to pull 7250 lbs. I also have a heavy duty equalizing hitch. Any comments are appreciated.
Last edited by Bigbird65; Feb 9, 2014 at 08:53 PM.
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The 3.6L Pentastar V6 is gasoline and rated at 306 HP with 269 ft/lb torque. Of course, there is a tow mode on the transmission raising the RPM. You can also limit the maximum upper gear that the tranny will shift into. 8,7,6 etc.
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You will be fine as long as you don't have the 3.21 gears. The V6 may work harder then the Hemi or the diesel but you are well under the max at that weight. Did the trailer salesperson recommend the weight distributing hitch? I only ask because my local trailer sales only recommend it for trailers over 5K lbs.
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Yes he did recommend the equalizer hitch although they don't sell them. By the time you add water and all the necessary items for camping I would think the trailer could easily be 4500 lbs. Sure looking forward to the experience. Thanks for the reply.
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I used to tow a 3,500 lb max (single axle trailer) with a 2000 GMC 4.8 liter engine and 3.73 gears and 31" tires. The engine was rated at 270HP and 285 lB/ft, somewhat close to your truck (less HP but more torque). The towing was OK, not great. on the flats it was fine, on the hills, the engine needed to rev to keep up especially with strong head winds. My biggest problem was the transmission, it was a 4 speed auto. 3rd gear (1:1) couldn't handle many situations so it downshifted to 2nd a lot so that limited my speed up long grades (really high RPMs). I got rid of it and bought the hemi and even with the 3.21 gears, it's night and day. Depending on where you tow, the experience will differ. I use a WDH with anti sway bars and it really helps with the rear suspension sag and crosswinds. The 8 speed will help you a lot and may make all of the difference. I did not enjoy towing with my old set up.
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I used to tow a 3,500 lb max (single axle trailer) with a 2000 GMC 4.8 liter engine and 3.73 gears and 31" tires. The engine was rated at 270HP and 285 lB/ft, somewhat close to your truck (less HP but more torque). The towing was OK, not great. on the flats it was fine, on the hills, the engine needed to rev to keep up especially with strong head winds. My biggest problem was the transmission, it was a 4 speed auto. 3rd gear (1:1) couldn't handle many situations so it downshifted to 2nd a lot so that limited my speed up long grades (really high RPMs). I got rid of it and bought the hemi and even with the 3.21 gears, it's night and day. Depending on where you tow, the experience will differ. I use a WDH with anti sway bars and it really helps with the rear suspension sag and crosswinds. The 8 speed will help you a lot and may make all of the difference. I did not enjoy towing with my old set up.
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It should do fine. just remember, it still is a 6 cyl not a v-8. As the ford guys are learning the might eco-boost is still a 6cyl and while the two turbos will give it comparable performance to a small v-8, towing its not all that impressive. P.S., just my opinion, I'd prefer the Penstar over the Eco-Boost. While turbos are fine on Diesels, been there for ever, I'm just not ready for them on a little 3 something liter gas engine. I relate it to whipping a pony to make it do a horses work! LOL