402A and Trailer Tow Package-Why?

[Bannerman]

Subbed for updates

 

[Yeti]

On other brands, the gcvwr is clearly stated. So gcvwr-gvwr=tow capacity.
So far, I haven't seen anything on the truck that shows gcvwr or real tow rating

 

[High_Country]

On other brands, the gcvwr is clearly stated. So gcvwr-gvwr=tow capacity.
So far, I haven't seen anything on the truck that shows gcvwr or real tow rating

Kinda crazy - you'd think they could easily add a sticker stating allowable tow rating (or even GCVWR) specific to each build since they can do it for GVWR. I'll ramble on a bit in lieu of more substantive info.
A couple of the major factors that go into a tow rating are: engine output, transmission configuration, tires, brakes, rear differential size and ratio, and the weight of the tow vehicle. ALL Tremors receive the same engine, transmission, tires, brakes, rear differential size and ratio and are relatively similar in weight. So, the major components are the same. It seems the questionable changes might be related to radiator capacity, transmission cooler capacity, perhaps engine oil cooler. I understand how each of those things affect a truck's ability to manage the stresses of towing, but at least they are readily observable and manageable things. IF some of us end up with smaller coolers and it gets hot when really pushing it, just slow down a bit and let 'er cool. It's not as big of a safety issue as say inferior brakes, less than adequate power, etc. Those are all the same regardless across the Termor trim.
I did not mention rear suspension. I'd love to know the answer to whether or not these Tremors are being shipped with different spring packs based on whether they have the Trailer Tow Package or the Tow Technology Package or nothing. That also could affect tow capacity certainly. But, this is a fairly simple / easy change via a new leaf pack or additional air bags. I'm considering airbags regardless to manage any squat when loaded. I love the ability to dial in rear end height and stiffness.

 

[Yeti]

Kinda crazy - you'd think they could easily add a sticker stating allowable tow rating (or even GCVWR) specific to each build since they can do it for GVWR. I'll ramble on a bit in lieu of more substantive info.
A couple of the major factors that go into a tow rating are: engine output, transmission configuration, tires, brakes, rear differential size and ratio, and the weight of the tow vehicle. ALL Tremors receive the same engine, transmission, tires, brakes, rear differential size and ratio and are relatively similar in weight. So, the major components are the same. It seems the questionable changes might be related to radiator capacity, transmission cooler capacity, perhaps engine oil cooler. I understand how each of those things affect a truck's ability to manage the stresses of towing, but at least they are readily observable and manageable things. IF some of us end up with smaller coolers and it gets hot when really pushing it, just slow down a bit and let 'er cool. It's not as big of a safety issue as say inferior brakes, less than adequate power, etc. Those are all the same regardless across the Termor trim.
I did not mention rear suspension. I'd love to know the answer to whether or not these Tremors are being shipped with different spring packs based on whether they have the Trailer Tow Package or the Tow Technology Package or nothing. That also could affect tow capacity certainly. But, this is a fairly simple / easy change via a new leaf pack or additional air bags. I'm considering airbags regardless to manage any squat when loaded. I love the ability to dial in rear end height and stiffness.

I'll grab a picture of my rear spring number. As I remember it though, the springs all show the same number.
There are supposedly 4 different spring packs available for our trucks. 2, 2 spring and 2, 3 spring

 

[RotorHead695]

Goodness! It should not be this confusing for customers. 401a on order here, with only the Tow Technology package because the all the above info wasn't easily findable. It's interesting the door jamb sticker doesn't specify the tow rating. It specifies GVWR - weight of vehicle plus cargo/people on board. This is DIFFERENT from the max trailer rating.
Compelling evidence has been presented to suggest to get the 10,900, you have to get the trailer tow package (not just tow tech). But, it's frustrating there's no clear difference. I tow infrequently and would love a presumed more compliant ride day to day. But I also like the idea of being able to comfortably tow 8K or 9K from time to time.
I hate to ask the dealer because they don't understand this near as well as most on this forum so I can't trust them.
Where on the truck will it actually state the allowable trailer tow rating?

It's dumb that this is even a thing and that we are all having this conversation. The truck should be equipped with it and not an option.

View attachment 874
I don't see an asterisk by Tremor

Tremors don't have a "max trailer tow package" option. The only option on the Tremor is the "trailer tow package".

 

[MtnMan]

First post here, I ordered my 401A Tremor last week on 12/23. I didn't know this was a topic of discussion until after I placed my order. I've been researching this over the last few days now and this is what I've found...(more confusion!)

-Ford fleet guide for '22 says Tremor is rated at 10,900 lbs.

-Ford fleet guide also states not to tow more than 7,000 lbs without trailer tow package

-Ford website lists specs for Tremor at 10,900 lbs

-Building a '21 or '22 Tremor on Costco Auto shows the Trailer Tow Package: "includes towing capacity up to 'TBD' pounds."

-Tremor "Hero" Card shows towing capacity of 10,900 lbs but the annotation says "requires trailer tow package"

-Ford B&P says nothing about increased towing capacity with trailer tow package.

I feel this misinformation is a bit ridiculous so I called Ford twice. I used a new car website to get vin #'s for a 21' 400A and a '22 401A, both without any tow packages. I gave Ford the vins and asked "How much can I tow with my new truck?" In both instances the rep came back and said 10,900 pounds.

I'm not taking this as the definitive answer but I thought it was worth sharing.

 

[Bannerman]

First post here, I ordered my 401A Tremor last week on 12/23. I didn't know this was a topic of discussion until after I placed my order. I've been researching this over the last few days now and this is what I've found...(more confusion!)

-Ford fleet guide for '22 says Tremor is rated at 10,900 lbs.

-Ford fleet guide also states not to tow more than 7,000 lbs without trailer tow package

-Ford website lists specs for Tremor at 10,900 lbs

-Building a '21 or '22 Tremor on Costco Auto shows the Trailer Tow Package: "includes towing capacity up to 'TBD' pounds."

-Tremor "Hero" Card shows towing capacity of 10,900 lbs but the annotation says "requires trailer tow package"

-Ford B&P says nothing about increased towing capacity with trailer tow package.

I feel this misinformation is a bit ridiculous so I called Ford twice. I used a new car website to get vin #'s for a 21' 400A and a '22 401A, both without any tow packages. I gave Ford the vins and asked "How much can I tow with my new truck?" In both instances the rep came back and said 10,900 pounds.

I'm not taking this as the definitive answer but I thought it was worth sharing.

Welcome! I ordered one day ahead of you haha. Did you order from Granger?

 

[ATXcellentGuy]

So I just spent 45 minutes at my dealership trying to figure it out. The equipment manager or whatever his role is was adamant it shouldn’t make a difference. I made him pull up the ordering site and we compared the difference. Even though the trailer tow package is $200 more, you still have to also add on the 360 cameras for another $750 vs. the tech package which includes it. When we dug into the details, the trailer tow mentions an axle difference in the back and tow tech does not. Fortunately, I was still able to add trailer tow and delete trailer tech. A guy in the tremor Facebook group also said his only tows 7100 with the the package. I would have been pretty upset if it got here and towed 4K less lbs..

 

[MtnMan]

Welcome! I ordered one day ahead of you haha. Did you order from Granger?

Thanks! I went with Chapman, they're much closer than Granger is for me.

So I just spent 45 minutes at my dealership trying to figure it out. The equipment manager or whatever his role is was adamant it shouldn’t make a difference. I made him pull up the ordering site and we compared the difference. Even though the trailer tow package is $200 more, you still have to also add on the 360 cameras for another $750 vs. the tech package which includes it. When we dug into the details, the trailer tow mentions an axle difference in the back and tow tech does not. Fortunately, I was still able to add trailer tow and delete trailer tech. A guy in the tremor Facebook group also said his only tows 7100 with the the package. I would have been pretty upset if it got here and towed 4K less lbs..

Do you know where he got the 7,100 lb figure from?

 

[Ru2ped]

I don't know if this has merit or not but before I bought the 21 F150 tremor I had a 350 XLT tremor and 250 Lariat Tremor. You may already know this but the 250 and 350 Tremors have the exact same suspension, springs, axle and all other parts. There is zero difference between the 2. Ford just de-rates the 250 for whatever reason. My guess is they do same here.

I have the 401a with tow package and 360 camera and have the 10,900lb towing capacity. My guess is if someone wanted to spend the time and look at the part numbers for the 400 and 402 we might find the same as with the super duties.

 

[Yeti]

I don't know if this has merit or not but before I bought the 21 F150 tremor I had a 350 XLT tremor and 250 Lariat Tremor. You may already know this but the 250 and 350 Tremors have the exact same suspension, springs, axle and all other parts. There is zero difference between the 2. Ford just de-rates the 250 for whatever reason. My guess is they do same here.

I have the 401a with tow package and 360 camera and have the 10,900lb towing capacity. My guess is if someone wanted to spend the time and look at the part numbers for the 400 and 402 we might find the same as with the super duties.

The F350 tremor has the larger rear axle. As I remember it, it also has a different load spring in the pack.

 

[Ru2ped]

The F350 tremor has the larger rear axle. As I remember it, it also has a different load spring in the pack.

Not on the tremor. Same part number

 

[Ru2ped]

The F350 tremor has the larger rear axle. As I remember it, it also has a different load spring in the pack.

Not on the tremor. Same part number it's been debuged several times

 

[Yeti]

Not on the tremor. Same part number it's been debuged several times

The f350 has a 4" axle tube and about 1000 pounds more capacity unless you get the 10k derating. The f250 has the 3.5" axle tubes. It's been that way for at least 10 years when the new axles came out.

What I'm unsure of is if the bottom load spring is different in the f350 srw than it is with the f250.

For the springs, Ford, in its infinite wisdom has used the same part number for several different versions of springs. As I remember it, a buddy of mine measured the thickness of his springs and the lower was thicker. That said, he had a 2018 f250 and 2017(or 18) f350 so there may have been a change there.

 

[High_Country]

I have the 401a with tow package and 360 camera and have the 10,900lb towing capacity.

I’d like to know (seriously) how you know you have the 10,900 tow capacity. I’d also like to know how the guy mentioned above knows he has the 7,100lb capacity.
They’re not putting a sticker on the truck stating as such, right?
I’m tempted to think all Tremors have the 10,900 capacity. There’s so much that’s standardized in the ‘hardware’ department - body style, drivetrain, engine, trans, differential ratio.

 

[High_Country]

And another thought: we can all agree the Build & Price site is not real trustworthy. BUT, if you compare the features listed between the Tow Technology package and the Trailer Tow package it seems the only difference going with the Trailer Tow is an added LED lamp and NO 360 camera package? So that doesn’t make sense either. It’s also interesting that the Tow Tech package is the only one that lists the Tremor as one of the models it’s available on. The Trailer Tow does not even list the Tremor.

 

[FaKtor34]

VIN Decoder - Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums

Ford Truck VIN Decoder - Decode your vehicle identification number

www.ford-trucks.com

Guys this may help those who have a vin already, if I look up mine it says 10900.

 

[sean80]

I’d like to know (seriously) how you know you have the 10,900 tow capacity. I’d also like to know how the guy mentioned above knows he has the 7,100lb capacity.
They’re not putting a sticker on the truck stating as such, right?
I’m tempted to think all Tremors have the 10,900 capacity. There’s so much that’s standardized in the ‘hardware’ department - body style, drivetrain, engine, trans, differential ratio.

I 100% agree. They all have same wheelbase, engine, brakes, suspension, trans, and axel ratio. That's all that matters for tow capacity. The whole point of the tremor is to be off-road capable, yet still be able to tow/haul. Of course they will still let you add on the fancy gizmos to make towing easier, but it doesn't affect the tow capacity.

 

[High_Country]

A couple bourbons in at this point so I'm just gonna keep going.
Was reviewing Ford's trailer towing guide here:

https://www.ford.com/cmslibs/content/dam/brand_ford/en_us/brand/resources/general/pdf/guides/21Towing_Ford_F150_Dec3.pdf

It's interesting to note this chart:

Package 17T is the Tow Technology Package and 53A is the Trailer Tow package. In the note at the top - all three packages (17A, 53A, 53B) are listed as a "Trailer Tow Package" though. 53B is the Class IV trailer hitch by the way. In this chart, the Tow Tech package (17T) gets you everything the Trailer Tow package (53A) does except a hitch receiver and 4-7 pin connector...but those come standard on the Tremor anyways.

Here's another chart from the same document:

Again, they list all four packages together as "Trailer Tow Packages".

So if we go back to the one chart from earlier....

...maybe there's some weird semantics in the 'with only the class IV hitch...without the Trailer Tow Package (53A)'. I wonder if a guy had the Class IV hitch (we all do) plus one of the other 3 packages listed in this document as a Trailer Towing package, this note wouldn't apply.
Also interesting to note this is all with a 150lb driver. How many of y'all are 150 lbs?!?!? ;^)

 

[Tremorvol]

I really would like to know if there is a difference. I’d seriously think about canceling my order( build date week of Feb 14) if my 400a without tow pkg will only tow 7,100 lbs. That’s pretty significant.