Enough truck

[linux3]

OK, I don't know Fords and Airstreams but a guy in my club just bought a 25 " Airstream and is planning to pull it with a F150 he just bought.
I do not know which model Airstream he bought but the truck is a F150 Crewcab with trailer towing package.

I tried to tell him he doesn't have enough truck.

[chuckster57]

Without the specific numbers from his truck and the trailer he bought, you can’t say for sure that he is over loaded. Odds are he is, have you asked him what his payload rating and tongue weights are?

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by linux3

OK, I don't know Fords and Airstreams but a guy in my club just bought a 25 " Airstream and is planning to pull it with a F150 he just bought.
I do not know which model Airstream he bought but the truck is a F150 Crewcab with trailer towing package.

I tried to tell him he doesn't have enough truck.

Airstreams are "middle weight travel trailers"... By that, I mean there are some trailers that are lighter and some trailers that are heavier.

Typically, all 25' Airstream models are built on a 7300 pound GVWR chassis and most have around a 1700 pound payload, which comes in at around a 5600 pound "dry weight". At 7300 pounds, a "typical 11-15% tongue weight" would range between 803-1095 pounds, which is almost identical to a Keystone Hideout, Passport, Cougar or Outback that weighs in at 7300 pounds.....

Airstreams are not "mythical beasts", they are THOR products with a shiny aluminum skin...

A properly equipped F150 could/would be a perfect match for a 7300 pound travel trailer. The rig would likely perform better than a similar Keystone trailer with a 7300 pound GVWR, simply because of the more sophisticated aerodynamics.

Airstreams are not any heavier than other similarly sized travel trailers.

[NMRandy]

A 25 foot, 7500 lb trailer, behind a F150 is a lot of trailer, and would be heavily dependent on the trailer brakes to stop quickly. The truck would do it, and be legal, (most likely), but he would be much more comfortable with a 3/4 ton truck.

[Falcon67]

As an F-150 Super Crew owner, for that weight/size he'll need a 8~10K weight distribution hitch with sway control. F-150s are IMHO just light in the azz end and need help back there. Sway bar, etc. At least the new trucks have built in trailer controls and some smarts which help a bunch. I've pulled 8500+ with the F-150 but there is a huge difference between a 6000lb skid steer on a steel flat bed vs a 24' x 8' tall box at 8500. At least - from seeing a few - an Airstream isn't jacked up in the air like most smaller RVs seem to be.

[dutchmensport]

If "he" thinks his current configuration is "acceptable", no matter how much you try to tell him different, "he" most likely will just continue to blow you off. THEN when he ends up with some real significant mechanical issues with his truck, he come back again and do nothing but bad mouth the truck. Any comment you make will simply add more fuel to his (now) anger and the fact he KNOWS you tried to steer him in the right direction in the beginning.

He'll eventually get a heftier truck, and you may still loose a friend! Some people are just that egotistical! Good luck, and don't push the issues with him any more. You stated your opinion. Now, he has to open his own eyes with a horrible failed experience.

Good luck with him. Be a friend, not a parent and you'll be OK with him.

[Ribtip]

Originally Posted by dutchmensport

If "he" thinks his current configuration is "acceptable", no matter how much you try to tell him different, "he" most likely will just continue to blow you off. THEN when he ends up with some real significant mechanical issues with his truck, he come back again and do nothing but bad mouth the truck. Any comment you make will simply add more fuel to his (now) anger and the fact he KNOWS you tried to steer him in the right direction in the beginning.

He'll eventually get a heftier truck, and you may still loose a friend! Some people are just that egotistical! Good luck, and don't push the issues with him any more. You stated your opinion. Now, he has to open his own eyes with a horrible failed experience.

Good luck with him. Be a friend, not a parent and you'll be OK with him.

Wtf are we loosing friends over this crap

[wiredgeorge]

I suspect anyone who can afford an Airstream will not be put off if they have to buy another truck. I personally enjoy walking around campgrounds and telling folks I meet that they are badly overloaded. I have never had one run off and buy a bigger truck though. I have also heard some words in what must be a foreign language. Geesh, nobody appreciates my wisdom!

[linux3]

Originally Posted by NMRandy

A 25 foot, 7500 lb trailer, behind a F150 is a lot of trailer, and would be heavily dependent on the trailer brakes to stop quickly. The truck would do it, and be legal, (most likely), but he would be much more comfortable with a 3/4 ton truck.

That's kinda what I told him just before he bought the truck.
We discussed a WDH which he doesn't plan to buy because they are a pain to deal with. Besides, Airstreams tow better.......

At this point I just shut up.

[chuckster57]

No W/D? Just don’t drive behind him while he towing.

[Cougar25]

I've got a 2021 F-150 with the 3.5 eco boost and Max Trailer Tow. The truck is rated at a max tow of 14,000 pounds, but that tongue weight alone would mean the truck would have to be remotely operated; payload wouldn't be enough. I have the 10K Equalizer WDH. That said, I pulled my 2021 Cougar 25RDS about 4500 miles this summer, from Florida to the Thousand Island to the Maine Coast and back. I never wanted for power pulling about 7,500 pounds, got 10.9 MPG, and developed complete confidence in the truck.

[Falcon67]

We tested the 2004 F150 5.4L towing the Springdale 220RD. 10k W/D hitch, set at about 80% to the nose. 1/3 fresh water, didn't have time to fill it as we were losing the day.
Wind out of the south, which is 90 degrees to I-20,
10 mph, gusts to 20.

The truck will make 65, but it has to work at it. wind pushed us arond pretty good. Used the back roads to get the brake controller set then 30 miles of highway both east and west. Driving with the wind required you stay up on the wheel. If we didn't have the W/D, we'd have been in the ditch pretty quick. The nose did not feel light, so I think I have that set right. Wife put in 10 miles of training too.

[jhop_8]

Originally Posted by linux3

OK, I don't know Fords and Airstreams but a guy in my club just bought a 25 " Airstream and is planning to pull it with a F150 he just bought.
I do not know which model Airstream he bought but the truck is a F150 Crewcab with trailer towing package.

I tried to tell him he doesn't have enough truck.

It’s hard to see but I did see a Suburban 1500 pulling a triple axle the other day. I think it all depends on the right question. Can it pull the Airstream? Sure.
Should you pull with a 1500? Probably not. 😅

[FBO Cookie Monster]

Originally Posted by linux3

OK, I don't know Fords and Airstreams but a guy in my club just bought a 25 " Airstream and is planning to pull it with a F150 he just bought.
I do not know which model Airstream he bought but the truck is a F150 Crewcab with trailer towing package.

I tried to tell him he doesn't have enough truck.

My F150 quad cab 4x4 can tow 11,400 lbs and has a 2500 lb payload. Why do you think that is not capable enough? I follow a guy on youtube who has literally criss crossed the country more than once with a 30’ airstream and the same truck. The limiting factor is the hitch stops at 1320 lbs if I recall correctly.

The engine is more powerful than a diesel of the 90’s, the brakes bigger. Yet I doubt anyone would think twice if they were pulling with a ‘95 diesel 1 ton.

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by FBO Cookie Monster

My F150 quad cab 4x4 can tow 11,400 lbs and has a 2500 lb payload. Why do you think that is not capable enough? I follow a guy on youtube who has literally criss crossed the country more than once with a 30’ airstream and the same truck. The limiting factor is the hitch stops at 1320 lbs if I recall correctly.

The engine is more powerful than a diesel of the 90’s, the brakes bigger. Yet I doubt anyone would think twice if they were pulling with a ‘95 diesel 1 ton.

That's pretty much the same assessment that I posted back in post #3:

"A properly equipped F150 could/would be a perfect match for a 7300 pound travel trailer. The rig would likely perform better than a similar Keystone trailer with a 7300 pound GVWR, simply because of the more sophisticated aerodynamics."

Depending on how the "Airstream owners F150 is equipped" it may be exactly the right vehicle to tow a 26' Airstream. And you're right about the capabilities of today's half ton trucks. Many of them are as capable or even more capable than a "1 ton diesel from 25 years ago"....

[NMRandy]

Curb weight on a F150 is about 5000 lbs. Put 10,000 lbs of trailer behind that, let the wind start pushing you around, or blow a tire, and see which vehicle wins. Physics take over at some point. Like I said, the truck will do it, but the driver would be much more comfortable, and safer, with a 3/4 ton truck. The one ton from 1995 probably weighs 10k.

[FBO Cookie Monster]

Originally Posted by NMRandy

Curb weight on a F150 is about 5000 lbs. Put 10,000 lbs of trailer behind that, let the wind start pushing you around, or blow a tire, and see which vehicle wins. Physics take over at some point. Like I said, the truck will do it, but the driver would be much more comfortable, and safer, with a 3/4 ton truck.

To follow on to that line of logic; How is it that large over the road semis or (gasp!) semis pulling double trailers manage? 12,000 lbs hauling 80,000+ pounds?

[NMRandy]

Much of that weight is on the rear tires of the tractor, same with a fifth wheel RV. And Semi trucks have way better brakes than RV's.

[travelin texans]

Originally Posted by FBO Cookie Monster

To follow on to that line of logic; How is it that large over the road semis or (gasp!) semis pulling double trailers manage? 12,000 lbs hauling 80,000+ pounds?

Comparing towing 5th wheels to TTs is comparing apples to oranges.
Comparing semis to a F150 is comparing a bowling ball to a BB.
Half ton trucks, yea! even the F150, have weight limitations that can be exceeded with RVs especially trying to tow 5th wheels.

[notanlines]

Well, then how about a coal train, 92 cars, 20 million pounds, pulled/pushed by only four engines at about 1 million pounds. Same thing?