How does your Tow Vehicle Stack up in the Real World

Ford Motor Company Challenge Advertising
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Fayetteville, NC May 31, 2007 -- RV Education 101, founded in 1999 by Mark and Dawn Polk, produces educational DVDs, books and e-books on how to use and maintain Recreation Vehicles (RVs).

Mark Polk, the owner stated, "I have always been concerned about the lack of consumer education and safety awareness as it pertains to towing issues and weights. The consumer doesn't really understand vehicle tow ratings and nobody on the vehicle manufacturing side of the house is really attempting to educate consumers on this topic.

This was Polk's response to a television commercial that is part of the Ford Challenge Advertising. Take the challenge. See why Ford is the better choice. Polk said, "In this particular commercial they had two competitors vehicles hooked to an 11,000 pound trailer and the guy says something along the lines of, it would take two trucks to tow an 11,000 pound trailer unless you have a Ford F-150 with a fully boxed frame.

Polk went on to explain that there is more to vehicle tow ratings than meets the eye. This is why I produced our DVD titled, Trailer Towing, Weights, Hitchwork & Backing, and I cover the subject extensively in my book, The RV Book.

Polk investigated some published towing guides to confirm Ford's claim. He said, "I started with the 2007 Ford Fleet Towing Guide. When I went to the section on half-ton trucks I discovered that the highest published tow rating listed for a ½ ton F-150 was 10,500 pounds. Upon further examination I found that there was only one F-150 truck, out of 56 configurations available, with this 10,500 pound rating.

Polk went on to explain that there is a simple formula you can use to determine vehicle tow ratings. You take the Gross Combined Weight Rating or GCWR of the tow vehicle minus the curb weight (the actual weight of the truck, less any passengers and cargo) too see how much weight the truck can tow. The Ford F-150 in question has a GCWR of 15,800 minus the curb weight of 5,125 = 10,675 pounds, which is 325 pounds less than the advertised 11,000 pound tow rating. Polk said, "Things just don't add up here, mathematically this truck cannot tow 11,000 pounds.

To get clarification from Ford on this matter Polk made five different attempts to contact Ford representatives, three by phone and two by email. Polk said, "The only response I received at the time of this release was from the Ford Motor Company Customer Relationship Center, regarding the maximum trailer weight of a 2007 Ford F-150. It read, "In an effort to assist you, we have researched on your inquiry. As per our resources, the maximum trailer weight in pounds for a properly equipped F-150 without cargo is 10,500 pounds." There was no mention of the advertised 11,000 pound rating in the e-mail response."

After some additional research Polk said, "An Edmunds.com 2007 Toyota Tundra review stated that a properly equipped 4X2 regular cab Tundra can tow up to 10,800 pounds. This would have been the highest tow ratings in its class for 2007. According to Autodata, Ford saw its F-Series sales slip 14 percent in the first quarter of 2007. Was the Ford claim of 11,000 pounds a result of not being outdone? Not losing sales to its competition? After all Ford trucks have been the king of the hill for quite some time.

Polk said, "In reality, the average tow rating for a half-ton truck purchased by today's consumer is in the 5,000 to 8,000 pound range. Towing an 11,000 pound trailer not only requires a truck that is properly equipped to tow it, but it requires the proper hitchwork, and somebody to properly educate the consumer on other weight issues and concerns."

For a full article by Mark Polk on, Let's Talk Half-Ton Trucks, go to http://www.rvuniversity.com/article.php/2007052910232241

Polk offers a free monthly RV newsletter and numerous free informational RV articles and tips on his two websites www.rveducation101.com and www.rvuniversity.com

Contact:
Mark J. Polk
RV Education 101
3969 Stedman Cedar Creek Road
Fayetteville, NC 28312
Phone: 910-484-7615
Fax: 910-484-8276
http://www.rveducation101.com
Mark@rveducation101.com