2010 Ford F150 Regular Cab Owner Guide 3rd Printing - Page 268

2010 Ford F150 Regular Cab Manual

Page 268 highlights

Tires, Wheels and Loading Servicing after towing If you tow a trailer for long distances, your vehicle will require more frequent service intervals. Refer to your scheduled maintenance information for more information. Trailer towing tips • The trailer tongue weight should be 10-15% of the loaded trailer weight. • Practice turning, stopping and backing-up before starting on a trip to get the feel of the vehicle-trailer combination. When turning, make wider turns so the trailer wheels will clear curbs and other obstacles. • To aid in engine/transmission cooling and A/C efficiency during hot weather while stopped in traffic, place the gearshift lever in P (Park). • After you have traveled 50 miles (80 km), thoroughly check your hitch, electrical connections and trailer wheel lug nuts. • If you are driving down a long or steep hill, shift to a lower gear. Do not apply the brakes continuously, as they may overheat and become less effective. Also, see the information on tow/haul mode operation under Automatic transmission operation in the Driving chapter. • If you will be towing a trailer frequently in hot weather, hilly conditions, at GCWR, or any combination of these factors, consider refilling your rear axle with synthetic gear lube if not already so equipped. Refer to the Maintenance and Specifications chapter for the lubricant specification. Remember that regardless of the rear axle lube used, do not tow a trailer for the first 1,000 miles (1,600 km) of a new vehicle, and that the first 500 miles (800 km) of towing be done at no faster than 70 mph (113 km/h) with no full throttle starts. • Vehicles with trailers should not be parked on a grade. If you must park on a grade, place wheel chocks under the trailer's wheels. Launching or retrieving a boat Disconnect the wiring to the trailer before backing the trailer into the water. Reconnect the wiring to the trailer after the trailer is removed from the water. When backing down a ramp during boat launching or retrieval: • Do not allow the static water level to rise above the bottom edge of the rear bumper. • Do not allow waves to break higher than 6 in (15 cm) above the bottom edge of the rear bumper. 268

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Servicing after towing
If you tow a trailer for long distances, your vehicle will require more
frequent service intervals. Refer to your
scheduled maintenance
information
for more information.
Trailer towing tips
The trailer tongue weight should be 10–15% of the loaded trailer
weight.
Practice turning, stopping and backing-up before starting on a trip to
get the feel of the vehicle-trailer combination. When turning, make
wider turns so the trailer wheels will clear curbs and other obstacles.
To aid in engine/transmission cooling and A/C efficiency during hot
weather while stopped in traffic, place the gearshift lever in P (Park).
After you have traveled 50 miles (80 km), thoroughly check your
hitch, electrical connections and trailer wheel lug nuts.
If you are driving down a long or steep hill, shift to a lower gear. Do
not apply the brakes continuously, as they may overheat and become
less effective. Also, see the information on tow/haul mode operation
under
Automatic transmission operation
in the
Driving
chapter.
If you will be towing a trailer frequently in hot weather, hilly
conditions, at GCWR, or any combination of these factors, consider
refilling your rear axle with synthetic gear lube if not already so
equipped. Refer to the
Maintenance and Specifications
chapter for
the lubricant specification. Remember that regardless of the rear axle
lube used, do not tow a trailer for the first 1,000 miles (1,600 km) of a
new vehicle, and that the first 500 miles (800 km) of towing be done
at no faster than 70 mph (113 km/h) with no full throttle starts.
Vehicles with trailers should not be parked on a grade. If you must
park on a grade, place wheel chocks under the trailer’s wheels.
Launching or retrieving a boat
Disconnect the wiring to the trailer before backing the trailer
into the water. Reconnect the wiring to the trailer after the
trailer is removed from the water.
When backing down a ramp during boat launching or retrieval:
Do not allow the static water level to rise above the bottom edge of
the rear bumper.
Do not allow waves to break higher than 6 in (15 cm) above the
bottom edge of the rear bumper.
Tires, Wheels and Loading
268