Towing a Boat or RV? Ford Trucks That Make Weekend Adventures Easy

Life in San Angelo offers plenty of opportunities for weekend adventures. You can take the boat out on Lake Nasworthy, or load up the RV for a few days among the mesquite trees of San Angelo State Park. To tackle these weekend adventures confidently and with a minimum of stress, you need a truck you can rely on. In this guide, our team at Jim Bass Ford will explore the most popular Ford truck options and their impressive range of capabilities and technologies to help you find the one that can perfectly power your driving adventures.

Why Ford Trucks Lead the Way

For decades, the muscle and capability of Ford trucks have made them a popular choice for anyone who needs to haul some serious weight around, be it for work or play. Ford’s impressive lineup — from the compact Maverick to the powerhouse Super Duty — offers a truck for virtually all driving needs.

Finding the right Ford truck first involves properly understanding what your needs are. When buying a truck, a major performance factor is towing, so it’s important to know the basics. Ford trucks have a specified towing capacity, which is the maximum weight they can safely pull. This is different from payload capacity, which is the maximum weight the truck can carry in its cab and bed, including passengers and cargo.

Ford Truck Towing Guide

Here’s a rundown of some of the most popular trucks in Ford’s lineup and how they might just be exactly what you’re looking for to power your weekend adventures.

Ford Maverick: Compact Power Perfect for Light Towing

The Maverick is a compact truck that’s big on capability. A properly equipped all-wheel-drive Maverick with the available Max Trailer Tow Package can tow up to 4,000 pounds, making it an excellent choice if you need a truck to tow a light trailer.

The Ford Maverick is perfect for towing a utility trailer to transport recreational gear, such as small fishing boats, personal watercraft, ATVs, or motorcycles. If you’re packing up for a weekend getaway in a small teardrop camper, then the Maverick is up to the challenge.

Ford Ranger: Midsize Muscle To Tackle Any Adventure

The Ford Ranger marks a step up in size and power. This midsize truck is a perfect blend of towing capability and maneuverability. A 2.3-liter EcoBoost engine is standard, offering an impressive maximum towing capacity of 7,500 pounds when properly equipped with the Trailer Tow Package. This extra towing capacity opens up a whole new world of possibilities for your weekend getaway.

This hefty maximum towing weight makes the Ranger an ideal choice for towing midsize campers. If you’re a watersports enthusiast, you’ll be happy to learn that the Ranger’s power allows it to easily transport small to medium-sized pontoon or ski boats.

Ford F-150: America’s Heavyweight Towing Champion

The F-150 is a titan in its segment. The F-Series has been the best-selling pickup in America for decades, and this unprecedented popularity is fully justified. The F-150 is built on an unmatched foundation of reliability and power. The F-150 continues to lead the pack, offering a best-in-class maximum towing capacity of 13,500 pounds. This showcases why it’s one of the best trucks available for hauling campers and large boats.

There’s more to the F-150 than just raw power, however. The F-150 lineup offers impressive versatility, largely due to the numerous powertrain options. A 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 unlocks the maximum 13,500-pound towing capacity, but the available 5.2-liter supercharged V-8 on the F-150 Raptor can still tow up to 8,700 pounds while also offering the classic sound and feel you only get with a V-8, not to mention a staggering 720 hp.

A 3.5-liter PowerBoost hybrid V-6 is also on offer for those who value fuel economy and a more eco-friendly ride. This powertrain provides efficiency without compromising on performance and still delivers an impressive 11,200 pounds of towing capability.

Ford Super Duty: Weight Warriors

If you’ve got a large RV or boat, you need a heavy-duty truck. This is an area where Ford excels, thanks to its Super Duty lineup. Vehicles such as the F-250, F-350, and F-450 offer unparalleled towing performance. These vehicles have towing capacities well in excess of 20,000 pounds. The Ford F-450 is the undisputed king of heavy-duty towing; this behemoth is designed for hauling the largest trailers and is capable of handling up to 40,000 pounds when properly equipped with a gooseneck hitch.

Whatever you need for your weekend adventure — even if it’s a large fifth-wheel RV — Ford’s Super Duty trucks can tow it with ease.

Innovative Ford Towing Technologies

The towing prowess of Ford’s truck lineup goes beyond simple raw power. Ford trucks come equipped with a suite of intelligent technologies designed to make towing and hauling safer and more convenient than ever before, including:

• Pro Trailer Backup Assist: This is an innovative assistance feature that takes the guesswork out of backing up your trailer. Simply turn a knob in the direction you want the trailer to go, and the truck will automatically steer to guide it.
• Intelligent towing features: Ford trucks come with a suite of technologies and engineering features designed to aid towing, including Trailer Sway Control and a smart trailer tow connector that alerts you to any issues with the trailer lights.
• Advanced towing cameras: Multiple camera views are available to help make hitching and maneuvering easier, including a dedicated trailer camera and a 360-degree bird’s-eye view.

Find Your Perfect Ford Truck With Jim Bass Ford

Ford’s impressive roster of hard-working vehicles means you really can find the best Ford truck for towing what you need to haul. Find the right one for you by experiencing them for yourself. Contact us today to arrange a test-drive, or stop by the dealership to discuss Ford’s dynamic lineup of capable pickups. Our team is on hand to talk you through the available features of each, answer any questions you might have, and help match you with the perfect driving companion for your weekend adventures.