F150 and enclosed trailer?

I pretty quickly banished the idea of ditching the NA and using the NC as a dual-duty car.

My dad is strongly suggesting for 1-2 years down the road when I decide to go back to having a truck as a DD and get a trailer, that I get an enclosed trailer. This would be nice, but some of the guys at work are suggesting I need a diesel to do so effectively.

I figure a Miata, tools, enclosed trailer, etc, is going to come in around 6500lbs........am I way off on this estimate? It seems the 11+ EcoBoost F150s are rated for 8000lbs towing?

They are telling me it will do it, but the extra aero drag of the enclosed is going to be hard on the gas engine for mileage and dramatically lower the speed at which I'll be able to tow.

Thoughts?

What are guys getting for mileage out of 11+ F250 diesels when unloaded? The truck would become the DD and I'd be looking at a Crew Cab 4x4 for either size truck.

An older F150 is rated high enough for your estimate. The fuel mileage is all I would expect you to worry about. Just plan to pay for some nice towing equipment.

I won't have strong data for a month or three but one of my racing friends just swapped from an open Al trailer to an enclosed and plans to tow it all with a 2012-2013 Eco boost F-150. He fully expects it to pull just fine, but also expects to a take a serious hit on mileage. The car in question is a Thunder Roadster slightly lower weight than a Miata but same ball park.

You will want the bigger engine (5.4?) and if you either get a really heavy trailer or load one up a lot you'll want to either add a leaf to the rear, or upgrade to a heavier duty leaf set. You can also do better aerodynamically with a v-nose.

Alternatively, you could get a trailex enclosed trailer and not worry about a thing with even a normal sized SUV.

newer truck diesel mpg (not me just going on what i found researching) seem to be mid teens, unless you delete a bunch of the emissions stuff then you can expect more towards 20.

Depending on how much towing you will do, i think the 5.0 might be a better bet than the ecoboost. Better mpg while towing and cheaper buy in, potentially less things to break depending on how much you trust turbos (I'm scared of them, in case you can't tell )

My future BIL hauled his wrangler on an open top with his ecoboost f150, it didn't really effect the mileage much down the highway. He has pulled my 16x7 enclosed before loaded with furniture, but the resistance ended up yielding 4-5mpg less. (Still teens). Its a good truck, and makes fun turbo noises without rattling. Basically any half ton will do what you want, but it never hurts to go in excess.

I've been towing a 24ft enclosed with a 2004 Nissan Titan since, well, 2004.

It does fine, but I wouldn't tow anything more than that, I am pretty much maxing out the total GVWR. Plenty of power and brakes and never had an issue with sway. I have a wt distribution hitch - which I think is a requirement.

A diesel is definitely not required for a 24ft or smaller, A 3/4 ton wouldn't be a bad idea, but is harder to live with as a DD.

You may be low on your weight estimate though. My 24ft is about 5k lbs empty. It's a steel frame job with no frills.

The aero won't limit your speed for towing - you should have power to tow much faster than is prudent. Mileage will suck, I get 8 while towing cruising at about 70 mph.

I can't imagine going back to an open trailer after having an enclosed.

Mileage will suck. You haven't actually stated if you have a truck or would be replacing one you currently have or buying one a year or two down the road (first post is confusing).

In anycase, any of the newer trucks (sans 5.3L chebby) 1/2 ton will tow that and be within legal limits. Going through the mountains if there are any around you may become a chore though.

The chebby 5.3L max tow capacity is only 8600lbs with the max tow package. Consider that the miata probably weighs what, 2500lbs (maybe a bit less, but lets be on the safe side). A 24' enclosed trailer is going to weigh a MINIMUM of 3500lbs. You are already at 6000lbs, and you haven't added any people you'll be hauling, any fuel, spare tires/rims, or tools, or spare other parts.

It adds up quick. I know that after having towed 7500lbs a couple thousands kms straight with a 5.3L chebby crew cab 4x4 through the mountains, I wouldn't want to go over that (and it's an open trailer). Enclosed trailers really kill gassers.

How much are you going to tow? Every day, once a week, once a month?

The big deal about diesel vs. gas is WHEN you tow, diesel rocks. By enough to totally justify the cost. When not, the diesel should do better, but many gasers can be as good or slighly better now.

As for the towing capacity- unless you are planning on pulling around in the mountain desert in the middle of summer, don't focus too much about hitting the exact tow limit. I've pointed this out before, but the limit is 95% about driving up a steep hill in Nevada, +100F, not slowing, and not overheating. And the testing is also done a lot with trailers who have a bigger cross section than most closed trailers- it's taken very seriously.

But that's all I'll say. Good luck with your choice!

(on a side note, having driven PU's DD sort of, I would much rather DD a small car, like a Miata, and have a second car to pull with. Oh, which is what we do)

asoduk wrote: You will want the bigger engine (5.4?) and if you either get a really heavy trailer or load one up a lot you'll want to either add a leaf to the rear, or upgrade to a heavier duty leaf set. You can also do better aerodynamically with a v-nose. Alternatively, you could get a trailex enclosed trailer and not worry about a thing with even a normal sized SUV.

Yea. That reminded me. I added leaves for towing. Does wonders. Need a good shop? I'll hook ya up.

Where do you live and how far is your anticipated tow? When I was racing, my shortest tow was 4 hrs(Road Atlanta on I-75) and the average tow was 6 hrs(Roebling Road on I-75/I-20 or VIR on I-40 across the mtns). I wanted excess towing capacity and used either 3/4 ton Burbs or Excursion. If you are towing to Daytona, Sebring or West Palm Beach across Fla or lower Ga, I dont see a problem with F-150 or any 1/2 ton but if you are in the hills, you need more to be competitive with the big trucks or heed the sign: slower traffic keep right.

I had an 04 F250 crew cab to tow my 20 foot enclosed trailer with an NA Miata in it. I got 8 miles to the gallon going to Lime Rock, Pocono, etc. I also got 8 mpg without the box. It did tow like it didn't really know there was anything back there. I called the truck the "Dearborn Valdez, the fuel tanker disguised as a pickup".

Guys, I'd also be looking for something smaller than a 24', that wouldn't fit in the area on my lot I have envisioned for a trailer. I may still end up with an open, but wanted to see if a 1/2 ton was really going to have the problems they thought for an enclosed unit.

In reply to HiTempguy:

Sorry, I currently have an NC Miata as my DD. I will be replacing it with a truck in a year or two as the NA Miata track car gets more focused and so I can visit tracks other than my home track (without having to worry about how to get the car home if it breaks, I wreck, etc).

In reply to Alfadriver:

1-2 a month, for a weekend. I would like your idea, except there is simply not room for me to have a track car, tow rig and trailer, small DD, then my wife's car. Which is I'm interested in the EcoBoost, for the mileage I'll get when I'm not towing.

In reply to whenry:

My home track is only 35 miles from my driveway, however, I want to be able to go visit other tracks especially in Texas/Kansas/Nebraska.

If your not towing for a living just stay gas. Yes Diesel's get a few more MPG but they also have higher expenses on oil changes and horse piss urea fluids and when they break its never cheap. Yes add a leaf is good or just swap out for higher rated springs. I replaced a set in my 96 f150 as the door tag told me it had the lightest duty units and one had a crack so I looked up what was available and got 2nd from the stiffest. All the replacements were priced the same regardless of the load rating. F150's are nice as in many catalogs you will find "tow truck" and or "Ambulance" duty parts. so any time you need a replacement part the HD version is out there. Ready Rad and others make 4 core copper rads for them too. I used my 96 f150 with a 5.0 to tow a 20 ft wells cargo enclosed (10000gvw) with two dwarf cars and tools VERY tight fit bumper hit front back and middle no need for straps..(but they got'em anyway) right around the 8500-9000lbs mark. It hauled just fine, slug up a mountain side well.. yes but better then some other rigs i'd had but it had A/C and could easily / safely pull 70mph on the flat section. I did my truck the expensive way I bought a cheap POS then added to it as I needed and always went the extra on any repairs as I was towing 420miles per weekend (210 each way to the track) so when I did brakes pads I looked at the lines and said F it and did 100% of all the steel and rubber lines, when the trany fluid needed a change, it got new lines and a add on cooler, updated valve body mod (Jerry's mod) and RP's Max ATF. I used it two years then we decided to buy new 2010 f350 and a toy hauler trailer. Truck is still around on it 3rd owner since me I see it at least twice a week..

N Sperlo wrote: I added leaves for towing. Does wonders.

I prefer airbags. $250 for a nice airlift kit and a 30 minute install. Bags can also be aired down and then the truck doesn't ride like garbage when unloaded.

44dwarf is right though. I tow 20,000kms a year. I got my chebby 1/2 ton for free and put a $1500 transmission in it rebuilt for towing. I'm going to be up to about $3k once you factor in a modern stereo system, new heads, header back exhaust system, and the airbags.

Even then, at $3k, towing ONLY 20,000kms a year (and even through the mountains, I get 12usmpg, 14usmpg on the highway at 65mph on flatland with no stops), it isn't worth it to get anything else. The 1/2 ton extended cab is "acceptable" as it sits towing 7k pounds, and will be even better with the additional power mods. Newer trucks make more power in everyway. Once you get into the overdrive/extended cab pickups, they all are the same IMO. Buy the best bang for the buck one and have at 'er. Diesel is impossible to justify unless you are towing greater than 9k lbs on a regular basis or as stated, for a living.

HiTempguy wrote: Diesel is impossible to justify unless you are towing greater than 9k lbs on a regular basis or as stated, for a living.

This is what I was thinking, but wanted confirmation.

The guys telling me this stuff both have diesels, one to tow an E36 M3 race car on an open trailer. The other for an enclosed trailer and LeMons Civic.

They like to go way overboard.

I had a 20-foot enclosed trailer for a while that had a big Onan generator right on the front. The guy I bought it from used a 97 F-150 with the 4.6 to haul two Formula Vees all over the Midwest to various races. When I had it, I once towed from mid-Michigan to Chicago with my FB and all my spares behind my 99 F-150 5.4. It towed just fine with a weight distributing hitch, but I was only getting about 8 mpg.

A new Ecoboost truck, with way more torque and power, better brakes, built-in stability control, tow/haul mode, and all the other goodies they have now, would barely break a sweat towing that thing.

tl;dr An Ecoboost F-150 (or a 5.0, for that matter) will have no trouble handling this kind of towing.

Tom_Spangler wrote: I had a 20-foot enclosed trailer for a while that had a big Onan generator right on the front. The guy I bought it from used a 97 F-150 with the 4.6 to haul two Formula Vees all over the Midwest to various races. When I had it, I once towed from mid-Michigan to Chicago with my FB and all my spares behind my 99 F-150 5.4. It towed just fine with a weight distributing hitch, but I was only getting about 8 mpg. A new Ecoboost truck, with way more torque and power, better brakes, built-in stability control, tow/haul mode, and all the other goodies they have now, would barely break a sweat towing that thing. tl;dr An Ecoboost F-150 (or a 5.0, for that matter) will have no trouble handling this kind of towing.

Didn't you also decide that an enclosed trailer was way too much hassel 99.99999% of the time and sell it to get another open trailer instead?

I just recently got a F150 with the EcoBoost (a contradiction in terms, but I digress.) I really like it, getting an honest 19 mph in mixed driving, and really does get 22.X mpg on the freeway with the cruise control set. It's big but is a good multi-use vehicle.

During shopping I checked into what it would take to get a diesel, and boy is that an expensive option. The "entry model" diesel adds $9000 for the engine alone, and as others have said, unless you're towing - a lot - it just doesn't make sense money-wise.

I recommend figuring your daily use versus towing ratio and going from there. Yes I know that nothing beats a diesel while towing, but if that's only 5%, it makes it much less appealing financially.

kb58 wrote: I just recently got a F150 with the EcoBoost (a contradiction in terms, but I digress.) I really like it, getting an honest 19 mph in mixed driving, and really does get 22.X mpg on the freeway with the cruise control set. It's big but is a good multi-use vehicle. During shopping I checked into what it would take to get a diesel, and boy is that an expensive option. The "entry model" diesel adds $9000 for the engine alone, and as others have said, unless you're towing - a lot - it just doesn't make sense money-wise. I recommend figuring your daily use versus towing ratio and going from there. Yes I know that nothing beats a diesel *while* towing, but if that's only 5%, it makes it much less appealing financially.

Does the EcoBoost run on 87 or 91? Not a huge difference, but just curious.

And you guys are right, the % of time I would spend towing, does not in anyway justify a diesel.

z31maniac wrote: My home track is only 35 miles from my driveway, however, I want to be able to go visit other tracks especially in Texas/Kansas/Nebraska.

Don't see any need for a diesel in your part of the country.

Adrian_Thompson wrote: Didn't you also decide that an enclosed trailer was way too much hassel 99.99999% of the time and sell it to get another open trailer instead?

Yes indeedy. But if I was going to races all the time, I can see needing one.

The Ecoboost F-150 uses 87 octane gas.

Another point of reference, a friend towing a travel trailer with his ecoboost f150 was getting 33L/100kms (that's like 6usmpg) in the mountains. His truck is rated to tow 11,000lbs, so I have no doubt he was above 8k lbs with his setup, plus the aerodynamics of a brick wall.

Pickuptrucks.com (an amazing website btw), did a tow-off between the ecoboost and 5.0L fords. They said that while the ecoboost was an overall better tow machine, it also got worse mpg while towing (loooooots of fuel under loaded boooooooosts). They recommended in the end going with the 5.0L if towing a lot. Food for thought. Also, the new hemi dodge's with the 5.7L come with an 8 speed which would be KILLER for towing and they are actually rated for decent mpg now compared to the earlier models.

HiTempguy wrote: Another point of reference, a friend towing a travel trailer with his ecoboost f150 was getting 33L/100kms (that's like 6usmpg) in the mountains. His truck is rated to tow 11,000lbs, so I have no doubt he was above 8k lbs with his setup, plus the aerodynamics of a brick wall. Pickuptrucks.com (an amazing website btw), did a tow-off between the ecoboost and 5.0L fords. They said that while the ecoboost was an overall better tow machine, it also got worse mpg while towing (loooooots of fuel under loaded boooooooosts). They recommended in the end going with the 5.0L if towing a lot. Food for thought. Also, the new hemi dodge's with the 5.7L come with an 8 speed which would be KILLER for towing and they are actually rated for decent mpg now compared to the earlier models.

That's amazing. When we went from Detroit area to Louisville and back to pick up my Saab, Tom's Eco boost averaged 15mpg while not sparing the right foot too much. Admittedly as we had to pass through Ohio the steepest hill we encountered was when we accidently drover over a quarter someone dropped, but I was still very happy with the economy.

z31maniac wrote: Guys, I'd also be looking for something smaller than a 24', that wouldn't fit in the area on my lot I have envisioned for a trailer. I may still end up with an open, but wanted to see if a 1/2 ton was really going to have the problems they thought for an enclosed unit.

Depending on what else you're wanting to put in it, a 16x7 or 18x8.5 should fit your miata quite well.....if you're good with a welder and tape measure, you can always build a rolling "skateboard" to strap your car down to outside of the trailer.....then use a winch to pull the whole thing into the trailer. Lock the "skateboard" down and you're good to go. A couple guys by me built just that for their Diesel pulling truck, granted they're using an old moving trailer behind a semi for their "hauler"

Edit: I'm pretty sure your miata is narrower than my e36, and it will even fit in a 7' wide cargo trailer.