2011 Ford F-150 Vibrates While Towing 1980 Ford F1500 Tractor When Secured with Chains

Question:

HI, My name is Mike, and I have a 2011 F-150 XTL Crew Cab 4x4 short box truck with the factory towing package. The trailer is a 1999 Big Tex 60CH 16 foot flatbed with twin 5k axles. The load is a 1980 Ford F1500 4x4 Tractor with a 60 inch brush hog attached. I just started to use chains and ratchet binders to secure my tractor and at the same time started to feel a vibration through the truck steering wheel, pedals, floorboard, seat, etc at random speeds between 45 mph and 55 mph. Now the first time i felt that I had a bad tire and associated the vibration with the bad tire. Now that the tire is fixed, the vibration is still there. Im at a loss as to why I have vibration and i am wondering if the chains have something to do with it.

asked by: Mike R

Expert Reply:

Adding chains to secure your Ford tractor shouldn't be causing your 2011 Ford F-150 to shake like that. Does the vibration occur when you are not towing? If this is the case then it is definitely on your vehicle.

The only way that I can see adding chains to the mix causing any sort of shaking is if there is some play for your tractor to move. If there is some slack then any bumps you hit could be cause the tractor to move some which, in turn, would cause you to feel movement inside your F-150.

You might want to try reverting to how you used to secure your tractor to see if adding chains in the mix is actually causing the issue. If they are then use a different way to secure your tractor but if they aren't you may need to have a shop take a look at your towing setup as there are a number of reasons as to why you would be feeling vibration in your pickup.

expert reply by: Jon G