Is this too much trailer for us? Truck Mods?

[wiredgeorge]

Folks the OP posted and left and hasn't come back. Save your breath. Once again, a first time poster posted and fled the scene. Was that person really looking for advice? This seems to have become more common as of late. Some folks call this a troll.

[flybouy]

Originally Posted by wiredgeorge

Folks the OP posted and left and hasn't come back. Save your breath. Once again, a first time poster posted and fled the scene. Was that person really looking for advice? This seems to have become more common as of late. Some folks call this a troll.

I could have predicted as much after the first couple of replies. He already has a 1 - 2 year of truck so most likely won't take a bath on that. He said he and DW were "torn between 2 trailers" so they had made up their minds that one of them was coming home. He asked about "upgrades to his truck, makes me think he's committed to the truck he has and one of the two campers.

People disappear from the Forum for many reasons. Life happens, tragedies, illness, life changing events can make following up on a forum inconsequential. So no one knows with any certainty why he hasn't been back.

With that said, I do see a pattern of people who begin their first post with "can I tow x trailer with y truck". When the answers aren't confirmation that they are making a good choice they will flee, most likely while telling the screen what a "bunch of no nothing you know what's those guys are".

Of course this is just my opinion and I hope I'm correct for I wouldn't want any ill to befall him or his family. Hurt feelings from a post on a forum should heal quickly.
JMHO

[Laredo Tugger]

Agreed George.
Another post on "Bad Customer Service" was a "light the fuse and run" effort as well. I guess if some do not get praise from their peers that their actions (over weight towing, excessive payloads ect..) are justified, they will go somewhere that people will tell them what they want to hear. Human nature really,but for those that stop and listen (on this forum) there is a wealth of knowledge on here.
RMc

[kcamp99186]

I can relate this to my personal experience. I tow a 34 foot Premier that weighs (dry) 6800 lbs with an 8000 lb GVR. My previous truck was a 2013 F150 with the 3.5 EcoBoost and a tow package (not Max Tow). Loved the truck. Simply stated it would easily pull my trailer, up hill or down at any speed I choose. I dry camp every spring to fish and typically carry firewood, generator, spare propane tank, gas can, fish fryer and a bicycle in the bed of my truck. On my third such trip I had a busted rear shock on the truck which I replaced with "towing" shocks, there was a spring built onto the shock. In talking to the fleet mechanic at work, he told me that My truck did indeed have the power to pull but not the capacity to carry the load. I traded in that truck for an F250 with the 6.7 Turbo Diesel and have not been disappointed. No more "pucker factor" on our adventures. I have only a little reserve on this truck. My advice is to listen to the folks on this forum. You've gotten some excellent advice and they will continue to help you if you but ask.

[+Ruff Rider]

Originally Posted by JRTJH

I'm going to beat on the dead horse for a moment, then encourage to OP to check, double check then triple check his truck's capabilities BEFORE committing to either trailer that he's interested in purchasing. It's clear to me that with the limited information he provided, he isn't aware of much that affects his truck's towing capabilities.

What that tells me is that he can't "read between the lines and interpret what we meant to say, but might not have been clear in saying"...…

So, it's true: "Brakes, truck has them and the traielr has them, so don't worry" Let's face it, as an experienced RV'er, I know that can be interpreted on its "face value" or it can be interpreted as "complete BS"... Without casting dispersions, if I can interpret it in more than one way, how can any of us be "even somewhat sure" of how a novice, asking for advice is going to interpret that sentence????

Literally, it's factual, they both have brakes... From a towing perspective, none of us can be even remotely sure that "he'll be fine". What was said has little or no "useful advice" other than acknowledging that both the truck and trailer have a means to stop them, but no means to even begin to establish whether that ability to stop is safe, adequate, even whether it will work together to stop the rig... (Remember, the OP is new and didn't even mention if his truck has a brake controller)…..

So, from a perspective of offering advice to a brand new RV'er who has never towed, hasn't even bought an RV yet, to say something like, "Other than that, you'll be fine" is a reassurance with no earthly means to know whether it's sound advice or about to get a "noobie in trouble".....

Why is is that some people cant read.
Maybe you should go back and read my post again.
i am done with this. OP hasn't posted since he posted in the first place.

[Horse Doctor]

We bought our new Cougar knowing we would be close to the limit on what we could tow with our F-150. After making sure we were not overloaded, we took a short trip. While the truck did fine, it was not a comfortable drive with the trailer at the truck’s towing limits. Hence, we now have a new F250 with the PSD.

[SheriP]

We have the 2018 F150 Platinum with the Max tow, 5-1/2' bed and the 3.5liter with EcoBoost. We tow a 32' Crusader with a dry weight of 8500#. For the most part you don't even know the trailer is back there. The only mod we made to the truck was adding air bags. (Note: the picture in the signature is our first camper...a Cougar 1/2 ton 26SAB. Sadly we totalled it when it blew a tire).

[FBO Cookie Monster]

Originally Posted by JRTJH

IMHO, none of the F150 trucks have the capacity to safely tow the 27SABWE when fully loaded.


.…

The HDPP 3.5 could do it. First limit that would get hit would be receiver hitch limit of 1320.

As far as brakes, if you are below the limits on on weights gcvw etc, all good. The f150 has larger brakes than previous generation 1 tons, and the brake system is considered in great detail when the engineers are computing combined weights.

[travelin texans]

Sorry Ford guys, but when you post your truck is the "Max Tow model with 3.5 liter V6" just doesn't compute to "Max Tow" to me. It at least should be a V8 to be called "MAX"!
Sort of like the "Anderson Ultimate" 5th wheel hitch weighing in at 35 pounds made of 1" aluminum piping, does not compute to ULTIMATE in my tiny brain.
Bigger is "Max" or "Ultimate"!!
I have a new Jeep with the 2.0 liter turbo & it runs like a turpentined cat, but they don't call it MAX or ULTIMATE.

[FBO Cookie Monster]

Originally Posted by travelin texans

Sorry Ford guys, but when you post your truck is the "Max Tow model with 3.5 liter V6" just doesn't compute to "Max Tow" to me. It at least should be a V8 to be called "MAX"!
Sort of like the "Anderson Ultimate" 5th wheel hitch weighing in at 35 pounds made of 1" aluminum piping, does not compute to ULTIMATE in my tiny brain.
Bigger is "Max" or "Ultimate"!!
I have a new Jeep with the 2.0 liter turbo & it runs like a turpentined cat, but they don't call it MAX or ULTIMATE.

It’s a brave new world out there. More hp and torque than previous generation diesel 1 tons, and bigger brakes too. And greater payloads than 3/4 ton diesels.

[flybouy]

Originally Posted by travelin texans

Sorry Ford guys, but when you post your truck is the "Max Tow model with 3.5 liter V6" just doesn't compute to "Max Tow" to me. It at least should be a V8 to be called "MAX"!
Sort of like the "Anderson Ultimate" 5th wheel hitch weighing in at 35 pounds made of 1" aluminum piping, does not compute to ULTIMATE in my tiny brain.
Bigger is "Max" or "Ultimate"!!
I have a new Jeep with the 2.0 liter turbo & it runs like a turpentined cat, but they don't call it MAX or ULTIMATE.

The old "must be bigger" doesn't hold these days and if you talk to European gear heads they haven't understood how American car manufacturers could get so little power out of so much iron for so many decades. Nowadays they are squeezing more hp and torque out of 1/2 the size and at lower and lower rpm curves.

The "max and ultimate" verbiage is just sales hype. Think back to the 1070's and Volkswagen promoting the "Super Beetle". Like "new & improved", "fun sized" snacks, etc. it's all relative. I'll bet the professional haulers, 18 wheeler drivers, and heavy equipment operators get a good laugh at all of us rolling down the highway in our "toy trucks" pulling our "toys" behind.

[Tom Slick]

I have the 24SABWE and tow it with a Nissan Titan XD Pro4X with a Cummins Diesel. I think I have the perfect tow vehicle for the Trailer. It's rated to tow 12,200# and the truck weights 8200 lbs. Its actually heavier than my buddy's Chevy 3500. The Titan XD is actually about a 5/8 ton so it makes a very solid TV for the 24SABWE.

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by FBO Cookie Monster

The HDPP 3.5 could do it. First limit that would get hit would be receiver hitch limit of 1320.

As far as brakes, if you are below the limits on on weights gcvw etc, all good. The f150 has larger brakes than previous generation 1 tons, and the brake system is considered in great detail when the engineers are computing combined weights.

That model F150, from what I can find, is a "one in 40 thousand" as they go down the assembly line. I've NEVER seen one on a dealer's lot, every dealer I'd chatted with says, "They're special order only, we can't sell them to regular buyers". That tells me, the average novice that comes here, looking for "Can my F150 tow...?" not only doesn't know what a HDPP 3.5 is, they've never seen one and don't have a F150 that's "comparably equipped'... So, while you have one, the next 40,000 owners won't have one and likely more than half (20,000) won't have ever seen one or even know they exist... So, telling someone, "Sure if your F150 is an HDPP 3.5, you'll be fine" is like saying, "If you have hen's teeth, you'll be fine".... or maybe, "If your unicorn is blue rather than pink...…"

While it's "possible" to equip and F150 to tow some heavy trailers, it's not "probable" that someone would "walk in off the street with those options"... That said, the typical F150 is not equipped to tow anywhere close to the HDPP 3.5... There's much more to towing with an F150 than just the emblem on the fender. YMMV.

[FlyingAroundRV]

JM2¢ But if you are thinking of towing a sizeable RV you should at least consider upgrading to an HD truck. The HDs are designed from the ground up as towing vehicles and come with heavier suspension and running gear, trailer brake controllers as standard, transmission coolers and probably other things that you'd have to add to a 150 sized truck. By the time you add all those extras to a 150 sized truck, you'll probably be near the price of an HD truck and still be stuck with the posted payload limitation on the 150 for insurance purposes.
As others have said here, the ability of the truck to pull the load is one thing. The ability of the truck to stop it and control it when the semis roll past, or worse, a stiff crosswind over a bridge somewhere are another matter. That's without even considering what happens when you come undone somewhere and the insurance company goes looking for a reason to deny your claim.
And finally, towing with an undersized truck can be (and often is) a white knuckle experience, just do a search through the threads on the forum here. My point is, if your rig is a bear to drive, it acts as a deterrent to using it. Then you'll do one of two things; give up RVing or upgrade to what you should have had in the first place. Again, a search through the threads in the forums here will turn up lots of experiences with this.

[LFord]

Originally Posted by Carmando

I have a 2018 F-150 V6 Ecoboost and the wife and I really like the Cougar line and are torn between the 27' 27SABWE or the 24' 24SABWE. How big of a towing experience do you think there would be and what truck modifications are recommended?

Not enough info about your F-150 to give an accurate reply. I have a 2013 F-150 Supercab (not Crew Cab) with the 3.5 liter V-6 Ecoboost. With the factory trailer tow package (but NOT the Max Tow Package), and 3.15 rear axle ratio, and a 1744 lb. payload, it is rated to tow 8,600 lbs. Therefore, wanting to have sufficient "head room" or margin between the tow rating and actual rig to be towed, I chose a Keystone Passport Ultra Lite Express 199ML with an EW of 3,600 lbs. and GVW of roughly 5,000 lbs. My F-150 easily handles that rig in mountains and elsewhere. Since it's just me, I probably don't get anywhere near the max loading of the 199ML.

Now, if I wanted to go to most 5th wheels or a longer, heavier travel trailer, then I'd need to move up to at least an F-250. Since I have no plans to do so, my F-150 is more than sufficient for present needs. Plus, with the 3.15 rear end (bought it used, so didn't order it that way), it gets between 23 and 24 mpg when not towing on highway/Interstate use.

You need to get more specific with the numbers on your F-150. You can call Ford Motor Co. customer service, give them the VIN for your truck, and they can give you more specific numbers.

[flybouy]

Originally Posted by JRTJH

That model F150, from what I can find, is a "one in 40 thousand" as they go down the assembly line. I've NEVER seen one on a dealer's lot, every dealer I'd chatted with says, "They're special order only, we can't sell them to regular buyers". That tells me, the average novice that comes here, looking for "Can my F150 tow...?" not only doesn't know what a HDPP 3.5 is, they've never seen one and don't have a F150 that's "comparably equipped'... So, while you have one, the next 40,000 owners won't have one and likely more than half (20,000) won't have ever seen one or even know they exist... So, telling someone, "Sure if your F150 is an HDPP 3.5, you'll be fine" is like saying, "If you have hen's teeth, you'll be fine".... or maybe, "If your unicorn is blue rather than pink...…"

While it's "possible" to equip and F150 to tow some heavy trailers, it's not "probable" that someone would "walk in off the street with those options"... That said, the typical F150 is not equipped to tow anywhere close to the HDPP 3.5... There's much more to towing with an F150 than just the emblem on the fender. YMMV.

From what I've read they are only available in XLT trim and basically is a fleet sale.

I think that unicorn is an albino unicorn. JMHO

[LHaven]

Originally Posted by Carmando

I have a 2018 F-150 V6 Ecoboost and the wife and I really like the Cougar line and are torn between the 27' 27SABWE or the 24' 24SABWE. How big of a towing experience do you think there would be and what truck modifications are recommended?

I had an F-150, bought a 26' Cougar "Half-Ton Towable," discovered I was way over the safety numbers (in truck payload), and ended up having to buy an F-250.

I recommend this online worksheet to do your homework. It requires figures that you will have to find at least four different stickers or manuals to collect, and a few of them actually require weighing your TT loaded for travel (you can estimate, but don't be too optimistic). If you PM me, I'll send you a spreadsheet that gives you indications of where to find them and/or how to compute them, then use the online worksheet for the final analysis.

[skids]

Because of the positioning on the trailer, batteries, propane, fresh water, and junk in the compartment can make tongue loading crazy! You can't just estimate load and assume 15% for the tongue. But that is the point... Don't expect that the distribution hitch can solve all of the problems.

[efrulla]

I tow a Cougar Half Ton 25RES with an F-150 Lariat with a max tow package and have been doing it for a couple of years now. The truck handles the unit very well and I am pleased with the performance.

Before I purchased the 25RES, I dug out my vin number on the F-150 and called Ford Support. Not too worried about Ford Support trying to sell me another truck so I felt comfortable with the numbers they gave me.

The 25RES fit comfortably within the specs provided by Ford Support with plenty of capacity to spare. Lets look at some numbers

25RES
Hitch weight - 1505
Total weight - 7852

24SABWE
Hitch weight - 1739
Total weight - 6061

27SABWE
Hitch weight - 975
Total weight - 6679

Based on the info provided to me by Ford Support I would not feel comfortable towing the 24SABWE with my F-150 but would hook up to the 27SABWE without reservation.

Like I said, call Ford Support, give them your vin and have them tell you what you can tow then make a decision.

Having said all of this, if I was buying the tow truck first I would have purchased an F-350 if for no other reason than having the extra capacity to grow into.

Ed Frulla
www.MyRVNotes.com

[FBO Cookie Monster]

Originally Posted by flybouy

From what I've read they are only available in XLT trim and basically is a fleet sale.

I think that unicorn is an albino unicorn. JMHO

Anyone can get one, my first came off a lot. It was not bare by any means, had nav, 110 volt inverter, tow mirrors, etc. Second one I ordered, and got as loaded as you can get one, which means also getting the geazzer step. Crew cab, 4x4, 2500 lb payload, 17,200 gcwr, 4800 rear axle. weighs just under 5200 lbs with 36 gallons of gas onboard.
So, not a unicorn, but you will likely have to wait 8 to 12 weeks for them to build it. Ford does not let dealers order them for the lot because the payload exceeds a 250 diesel, and thus may cut into potential sales.