2004 F150 Towing Capacity (Full Guide & Charts)

There are a variety of 2004 F150 Pickup Trucks available, all with different trims, engines, cab sizes, bed sizes, and axle ratios.

All of these factors determine the maximum towing capacity of your F150 and they are all listed in this article below.

The maximum towing capacity in the 2004 Ford F150 is between 5,900 lbs and 9,900 lbs. These capacities require either the Trailer Tow Package or the Heavy-Duty Payload Package. Without these packages, the max trailer weight towing capacity is 5000 lbs.

The tongue weight should always be 10% of the trailer weight. So without a weight-distributing trailer hitch, the bumper or hitch tongue weight shouldn’t exceed 500 lbs.

This article will list the trailer weights and GCWR of each of these combinations taken from the owner’s manual of the 2004 Ford F150, but you should always do your own calculations to determine the actual amount you can tow.

To walk you through the process, I made: How is Towing Capacity Calculated to help you out!

Keep reading below to determine the trailer towing capacity listed by Ford, keep reading.

2004 F150 Trims

The 2004 Ford F150 comes in 6 main trims (Source):

Each of these cars has similar builds but varies in terms of compatibility for engine, bed, cab, and cosmetic options.

The selection of the trim should not hinder your ability to determine the towing capacity of your truck, however.

The most important factor to determine the towing capacity of your F150 is by using the engine type.

2004 F150 Cab and Bed Sizes

Cab Sizes

The cab types in the 2004 F150 are regular/standard, SuperCab and SuperCrew.

The regular is a single-row seating cab, while the SuperCab and SuperCrew can support two different rows of passengers.

The SuperCab is slightly smaller than the SuperCrew in both length, rear-seat space, and rear door sizes.

Bed Sizes

There are three main bed sizes for the 2004 F150. These include the short, standard, and long bed.

The short bed is 5.5 ft, the standard bed is 6.5 ft, and the long bed I 8 ft.

Not all bed sizes are available with every cab size. Since the regular cab is the smallest, it can accommodate both the 6.5 ft and 8 ft bed sizes.

The SuperCab, as the middle option is available in all three cab sizes.

And the SuperCrew, being the largest is only available in the short (5.5 ft) bed to keep the overall length both legal and smaller.

The 2004 F150 has either the flareside or styleside truck bed. This doesn’t make a significant impact on the towing capacity listed in this guide.

Packages available

A hitch receiver is only available with the Trailer Tow Group/Trailer Tow Package (code 535). This package also comes with:

The only other package mentioned in the brochure is the Heavy-Duty Payload Package.
This package seems to increases the vehicle GVWR to 8,200 lbs. The brochure, however, doesn’t mention what comes with it.

Though 5th wheel towing is compatible with the F150, there is no package that offers a factory hitch so it must be installed separately.

Towing Capacity by Engine

To determine the towing capacity of your vehicle, you need to know the:

If you know all of these items, then move on to the next section by engine to determine your towing capacity.

If not:

The image below will should you where you can find the axle ratio on this sticker in your car.

You can also see your GVWR for your vehicle here to determine your payload capacity.

Related: What is GVWR?

4.6 L Triton V8

The V8 engines used by Ford during this time period were under the name Triton. This 4.6 L V8 engine is stronger than the V6 and has a maximum towing capacity between 5,900 lbs and 7,000 lbs.

It is available with all cab sizes and bed sizes, so you must make sure you check which F150 you have before determining the max capacity of your truck.

It’s specs are higher with a 231 hp @ 4,750 rpm and 293 lb.-ft @ 3,500 rpm. It is only available with an automatic transmission.

2004 F150 Towing Capacity 4.6 L V8 Engine Chart

5.4 L Triton V8

The Triton V8 engine in the 2004 F150 series is the most powerful engine.

As the strongest and most powerful engine, the 5.4 L V 8 has a maximum towing capacity between 6,800 lbs and 9,900 lbs.

It also has 300 hp @ 5,000 rpm nad 365 lb.-ft @ 3,750 rpm.

It is also available in every cab and bed size but is only available with an automatic transmission.

2004 F150 Towing Capacity 5.4 L V8 Engine Chart

Conventional Towing Chart

The following chart was taken from the 2004 Trailer Towing Guide listed at fleet.ford.com.

2004 F150 5th Wheel Towing Capacity

The 2004 F150 does allow 5th wheel and gooseneck towing, but required proper installation of this type of trailer hitch. There is no F150 of this year that comes with a factory hitch.

One of the most popular 5th wheel hitches is the Andersen Aluminum Hitch. Check it out on Amazon!

Rear Step Bumper Towing vs Hitch Receiver Towing

Towing always requires some type of hitch, but the Ford F150 can allow for bumper towing.

This means that a ball hitch can be installed on the bumper of the vehicle and doesn’t necessarily require a fully installed hitch receiver. In either case, for conventional towing without a weight-distributing trailer hitch, the towing capacity cannot exceed 5,000 lbs and the tongue weight on the ball cannot exceed 500 lbs.

This equates to a 10% tongue weight for all trailers.

This means that all of the listed towing capacities above for everything over 5,000 lbs require a weight-distributing trailer hitch is required with a properly installed hitch receiver.

	Weight Carrying Trailer Capacity (Max Tongue Load)	Weight-Distributing Trailer Capacity (Max Tongue Load)
Rear Step Bumper	5,000 lbs (500 lbs)	–
Hitch Receiver	5,000 lbs (500 lbs)	9,900 lbs (990 lbs)

Payload Capacity

There is no clear way that Ford lists the payload capacities of the 2004 F150. The best way to check the payload capacity is to find the GVWR listed on the certification sticker listed on the inside of the driver’s side door.

There is information, however on the maximum cargo weight (or maximum payload capacity) on F150 trucks with the Heavy-Duty Payload Package (see table below).

All models below are only available with the 5.4 L Triton V8 engine.

	GVWR	Payload Capacity
Regular Cab 4×2 4×4	8,200 lbs 8,200 lbs	2,605 lbs 2,175 lbs
SuperCab 4×2 4×4	8,200 lbs 8,200 lbs	1,845 lbs 1,420 lbs

Additional Resources

Conclusion

You should always calculate your own towing capacity even though this guide shows some of the towing capacities of your vehicle.

These maximum trailer weights come from the GCWR and the curb weight plus an additional 150 lbs passenger.

I walk through how to calculate exactly the towing capacity of your vehicle at any given point in the article How is Towing Capacity Calculated and there’s also a calculator there to make it really easy for you.

The manual is one of the best places to start to make sure you get the most accurate information for the GCWR.