Truck for Cougar X-V30WCV

[edsonm]

My wife and I are planing to become first time trailer owners. We fell in love with the 2012 30WCV and are thinking of pulling the trigger. But we don't have a truck yet and looked a 2006 Ford F150 Supercab with a 5.4L engine and 3.55 axle. It's my understanding that a 3.73 axle is preferable, but I'm wondering if this would still be a reasonable vehicle given the truck's 8600lb towing capacity and the trailer's 7000lb dry weight. I appreciate any opinions yah'll can provide. Thanks.

[Dodgeram3500drw6.74x4]

Nice trailer but you are going to have your foot in the gas hard if you get in a wind or going up hills. you only have a 1600 Lb cargo cap.do your self a favor an go for the diesel it will be alot more enjoyable to tow.:)

[Festus2]

edsonm -
Don't be mislead by the TT's dry weight. You could easily add 1250 lbs+ to that figure with all of your "stuff" and don't forget to factor in the weight of all passengers and all of the cargo that will be in the truck. A 3.73 axle would be better for towing than the 3.55 but with the limited information you have provided with respect to other weights & limits of both the TT and the TV you are considering, it is hard to say whether or not that truck will safely pull your TT.

On another note, welcome to the forum!

[smiller]

Pulling a trailer with a 1/2-ton gas truck near it's limits is just no fun, a lot of us have BTDT (usually as first-time trailer owners :D.) You will just get by on flat highways with no wind and anything else will be more of an adventure than you're probably looking for. If you can I'd strongly advise looking for a clean used diesel tow vehicle and skip the learning experience.

[edsonm]

For the feed back!

[Rick1300]

I own a 1/2 ton truck(dodge ram 1500) and let me tell you, if you do not have a truck yet, buy a 3/4 ton diesel! It will save you a ton of heartache. A 1/2 ton will get you by but that is it. I can't wait to upgrade to a 3/4 and my TT is only 7000lbs loaded!

[Javi]

Just my personal opinion based on experience, but I wouldn't want to pull that trailer without a diesel ¾ ton long bed or even a 350 longbed...

[KanTC]

Welcome to the forum edsonm,

As others have said, you won't be happy with the towing experience of that specific truck & the 30WCV.
The trailer, once loaded, will be 'very' close (too close IMHO) to the truck's max towing capacity.

Here's some things to consider ---

After adding the required battery & LP (+100+ lbs), two people can quickly/easily add the full cargo weight
allowed for 'this particular trailer' [only 1,173 lbs]; & odds are, you will (at some point) load the 30WCV to
it's GROSS weight [8,248 lbs]. So, choose a truck that's rated to tow well-above this trailer's GVWR (not
dry weight)... you'll want/need the towing capability & power, and especially if/when you travel cross-country.

The 30WCV has a front walk-in closet & a bed-slide (with under-bed storage)... LP tanks & battery up front, too?
Based on that, the loaded tongue/hitch weight will likely be close to 1000 lbs (+/-), depending on how you
load the trailer. When comparing trucks, be sure to check each truck's actual payload capacity (door sticker).
You'll need enough payload for the loaded tongue weight, plus passengers (& pets?), plus a trailer hitch, plus
anything else added to the bed/cab of the truck. Think ahead - will you add a tool box, or a bed cover?? Will
you carry your grill & extra LP in the truck?? Maybe bikes, a small boat/kayak, firewood, or generator & fuel??
It all adds up quickly & requires payload!

The 30WCV is labeled an X-lite, but as you can see (by the #'s), it's going to be heavier than many other
light-weight models. 'Some' of the new 150/1500 (with max payload & max towing packages) would work, but
most 1/2 tons won't be sufficient... generally speaking, you should look at 250/2500's to tow this trailer.

Shipping Weight 7075
Carrying Capacity 1173
(Dry/empty) Hitch weight 775
GVWR = 8248
Fresh Water 43 gal = 357 lbs
LPG 60
http://www.keystone-xlite.com/index.php?page=floorplans&model=30WCV&year=2012

Sorry so long, but hope this helps.
Terri, the Chevy co-pilot :)

[OhhWell]

Don't do it.......

You are not in the position alot are where they already have the truck. Get the right truck for the trailer. A small block half ton with 3.55 axle gears is not really the right truck.

You don't NEED a diesel either.

For some reason, I can't find info on that trailer but your dry weight is very close to mine. Now you may not bring as much stuff as we do but we are close to 8,500 lbs loaded to camp. There is no way in heck I would want to pull this thing with a 5.4 and 3.55 gears.

Even if I felt that I could without overheating the transmission, the experience would suck so bad, I would dread camping trips. I know this because I pulled a smaller and lighter trailer with a half ton and it sucked.

Whichever engine type, get the truck with the longest wheelbase. If you do go diesel, then it is a no brainer as pretty much any diesel equiped truck will have no trouble with that trailer. If you stick with gas, I would go with the V-10 if ford, the 6.0l if Chevy or the Hemi if Dodge. Actually, if you were lucky enough to find a 2003 2500 or 3500 with the magnum V10, I would actually get that over the Hemi. I just wasn't that lucky myself.

[Jeebs79]

I just upgraded my TV to a Ram 3500 Dually Diesel. I was towing a Cougar 29RBK with a 2010 Ford F150. Nice truck, but I was over weight on my rear axle and couldn't move enough weight off the hitch. Handling was OK with the Ford, as long as the road was flat. It really struggled on hills and would sway a lot when being passed by trucks and whatnot. I never really felt comfortable with the rig, so I moved up.

Word to the wise, make sure the trailer you pick is OK with your truck - don't push the limits. Pay close attention to axle limits and weights. Payload, towing capacity, hitch capacity are all meaningless numbers. Whatever you do, don't exceed your axle ratings - on the truck or the trailer.

I went with the big truck to future proof myself should SWMBO decide we are upgrading to a 5th wheel.

[rhagfo]

Don't do it.......

You are not in the position alot are where they already have the truck. Get the right truck for the trailer. A small block half ton with 3.55 axle gears is not really the right truck.

You don't NEED a diesel either.

For some reason, I can't find info on that trailer but your dry weight is very close to mine. Now you may not bring as much stuff as we do but we are close to 8,500 lbs loaded to camp. There is no way in heck I would want to pull this thing with a 5.4 and 3.55 gears.

Even if I felt that I could without overheating the transmission, the experience would suck so bad, I would dread camping trips. I know this because I pulled a smaller and lighter trailer with a half ton and it sucked.

Whichever engine type, get the truck with the longest wheelbase. If you do go diesel, then it is a no brainer as pretty much any diesel equiped truck will have no trouble with that trailer. If you stick with gas, I would go with the V-10 if ford, the 6.0l if Chevy or the Hemi if Dodge. Actually, if you were lucky enough to find a 2003 2500 or 3500 with the magnum V10, I would actually get that over the Hemi. I just wasn't that lucky myself.

This is not bad advice, you DON"T need a diesel to pull that trailer.
That and Diesel isn't for everyone, I feel you need to work them often, DW and I are working on getting out at least one weekend a month, so we can make ours work.

You can do fine with a V10 or large V-8, but will pay in fuel mileage, granted it will take a lot of miles to make up the difference, in cost with fuel mileage.

That said you just can't beat the pulling power of a Diesel! I tow a 11.5K 5er with an 01 Dodge Cummins 5.9, at speed up 5% to 6% grades with 3.55 gears.

Keep in mind that diesel isn't for everyone, but most that try them don't go back to gas!
I would put my 5.9 L (360 ci.) Cummins up to a GM 8.1 (494 ci) with the same gears any day.

[smiller]

You can do fine with a V10 or large V-8, but will pay in fuel mileage, granted it will take a lot of miles to make up the difference, in cost with fuel mileage.
It should be noted that from a financial standpoint you don't have to make up the difference in fuel savings as much of the cost of the diesel option will be recovered at resale. In fact it may even be a net positive in that (in Texas at least) you just about can't give away a used 3/4 or 1-ton gas truck, most everybody is looking for diesel.