Towing Experience In PIU- Notes after 1400 miles

[Aronedu1]

I wanted to report my experience after towing around 3,500-4000 pounds for 1400 miles in my 2014 PIU with a OEM(after the fact installed)hitch hauling a 6X12 U-Haul trailer. My hitch height was around 2FT, and it was pretty balanced, and felt steady during the trip with only feeling any issues during windy sections with high crosswinds. The trailer felt most steady at 60 MPH.

Like others in the forum, I have seen the limit at 2000 pounds as the end word for the number you can legally tow. Personally I had a massive worry due to the nature of the trek and the fact it was very steep at times, but felt the number was just a number and carried ahead but was concerned for the first few hours of travel.



Fuel economy started good at around 21 mpg but as the road became more difficult and elevation began changing drastically to 12 mpg, the entire trip was around 16 mpg . During the drive there were no real issues with the performance, beyond the odd gear searching in some of the big hills, but for 99.99% of the time, it was a steady 2-2.5K RPMS. For the start of the trip I was freaking out about the temperature but the coolant never really moved, albeit it was chilly with most of the trip done at 60-70 degrees.

Some pictures of the trip:

Overall, I think its more than capable of this and shorter trips, i think the biggest thing is just being active with the throttle and weight distribution.

 

[BrettS.]

I would agree 100%. I believe the frame, suspension, hitch, brakes (different pads), tire/rim, transmission, ptu, cooling system components, body, etc are all exactly the same between my 14 PIU and Sport. In fact I believe my PIU has upgraded transmission programming, larger grill for airflow, oil cooler, and extra transmission cooler. (I think, hard to tell from the Ford marketing BS.) It is my opinion Ford de-rated the PIUs to reduce the number of warranty claims from improper use of towing by PDs or the hitch may cause gas tank puncture so they can't claim the 75 mph rear impact rating (FMVSS 301) they love to brag about.

Looking at the PIU sales brochure they did not offer a towing package in 2019 so possibly Ford wanted to reduce liability for warranty claims of toasted transmissions and turbos, there is no demand in the LE market for SUV towing and they didn't bother, they didn't add a hitch to screw up the rear impact mph rating, or they are trying to up-sale to F-150s for towing. I also noticed they didn't pre-wire my 14 for towing as it only has a 4 flat in the back to connect to. I had to run the wiring for my trailer brakes and 7-way.

I tow a 3.5k popup and it pulls it fine. Easy to tow, the EB has plenty of power to pull, no unnecessary shifting or trouble keeping the converter locked, suspension and brakes are capable, no trailer sway, no overheating or high trans temps, etc. I never felt unsafe or the vehicle was not capable of safely pulling the weight.

 

[peterk9]

The recommended towing weight for an aftermarket hitch on the 2014 PIU with the 3.7L engine is 2500 lbs compared to 2000 for the retail unit.

Peter