How Much Tow Vehicle for a Cougar 29 BHS

[admpss]

We already had a 2016 Ford F-150 with the 5.0 litre V-8 and heavy duty tow package. We fell for the RV sales guy's pitch that we could easily pull this Cougar all day long with no trouble. NOT! Flat terrain is OK, but the truck gasps for air on any grade over 2%. Has anyone else had similar experiences? Should I move up to the F-250 Diesel or will the F-250 6.2L Gas V-8 get the job done for us?

Thanks

[slow]

I pull a 23RB with a 6.2 gas F250. It is well matched but for a 29BHS I recommend diesel.

IMO, any TT with GVWR above 7,000 deserves a diesel.


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[sourdough]

I think you will find many, many folks on this forum have gone what you are going through.

As you are finding torque is king when towing a heavier trailer. The 5.0 doesn't have enough, and yes, the salesman will tell you anything to sell the trailer. As you have found, the publicized tow rating of a truck is meaningless. There are many more variables that drag that number down quickly.

For a 7500lb trailer the big Ford gasser would probably suffice. I have the 6.4L Hemi and it pulls my 10k trailer up 6% grades fine; not as fine as a diesel would but it is acceptable.

If you upgrade the truck, and it sounds like you should, and go to a 3/4 ton only you will be able to decide if the additional cost of a diesel is worth it. It is a personal choice predicated on many aspects including how much/often you tow, financial position etc. If towing in steep terrain often the diesel might be the way to go. You sure don't want to buy a new truck and then be wishing you had more torque....which is where the diesel can't be beat.

[busterbrown]

You do not...let me repeat...you do not NEED a high torque diesel to pull a 7000 pound trailer. If you have the desire to own a 3/4 ton diesel truck, by all means, buy one. But it's not a requirement to pull a 7000 pound trailer. As previously mentioned, owning a diesel depends on how often you tow with it and how much elevation you will encounter on your trips. If, for example, you're pulling up the Eisenhower pass in Colorado on a weekly basis, yes, buy the diesel.

On the other hand, if you're only going to experience a handful of typical in-state camping trips with an occasional long distant trip (even over those steep Colorado passes), any of "The Big 3" gassers will safely (and comfortably) get you to your destination. And you have to consider the up-front cost of a diesel power plant. Do the math to see if the $8,000 engine/trans upgrade along with the higher cost of diesel fuel will ever be offset by the amount of efficiency you'll gain (diesels do tend to get higher MPGs) and the admiration (not financially measurable) of getting to the top of the hill the fastest.

I recently bought a Ram 3/4 ton gasser Mega Cab with all the bells and whistles. Pulls my 7,200 lb loaded trailer with ease. Tested its pulling power going up and down a mile stretch of coumty road up north at 10% grade. The engine downshiftrd to 3rd but maintained speed. You'll never see 10% grades on US interstates. On the downhill, the engine braking helped tremendously and the truck always had control.

Again, a diesel is NOT a requirement, just an torquey option, mated to a very modest sized trailer. Sourdough has a much heavier trailer and has given you his opinion as well. Good luck.

[chuckster57]

You don't have to buy new and give the extra $$ for Diesel. I'm willing to bet there are plenty of trucks with lots of life left that would be up to the task.

[xrated]

Originally Posted by chuckster57

You don't have to buy new and give the extra $$ for Diesel. I'm willing to bet there are plenty of trucks with lots of life left that would be up to the task.

That's a fact ^^^^^ because I just traded in my 2011 F250 Diesel XLT with 54,xxx miles on it.....new tires (less than 8K miles), a brand new set of air bags, etc.......so yes, they are out there, you just have to look diligently!

[Canonman]

Originally Posted by xrated

That's a fact ^^^^^ because I just traded in my 2011 F250 Diesel XLT with 54,xxx miles on it.....new tires (less than 8K miles), a brand new set of air bags, etc.......so yes, they are out there, you just have to look diligently!

X2 here. 3/4 ton is an absolute. Diesel is really really nice. I upgraded my 1/2 ton and just by luck found a used diesel set up just right for our needs. "Yes they are out there". Don't short change yourself. If diesel is an option at all, DO It! You won't be sorry.

[CaptnJohn]

You do not need a diesel to pull your current trailer. After 10,000# is where the diesel shines, as well is on steep hills. If you are going to upgrade and never get a heavier rig, go for a gasser. If you have any plans of upgrading to a heavier TT or a 5er get the diesel now. Another opinion ~~ if going to diesel I'd look hard at a 1 ton for the payload as that will make 5ers more available to you. At times you can find a 1 ton for less than the 3/4.

[dwlyon]

I have the same trailer and I pull it with a 2017 F150 with a 3.5 Ecoboost and max tow. I've really had no problems pulling it. Recently went to Grand Lake and I was passing other vehicles frequently while going up Berthoud Pass.

Only problems I've had is when I overloaded the tongue one trip and in strong cross winds.

So IMHO a diesel isn't necessary to safely pull your Cougar. Nice but not necessary.

[GMcKenzie]

I pull a 30RKS with a GMC Sierra (1/2 ton) with the max trailering package and am happy with it. But if you move to a 3/4 and are looking at diesel, check the payload. You may not have much more payload than a decent 1/2 ton. I've seen posts (on here and elsewhere) where the 3/4 ton diesel had payloads in the 2250 range, vs mine that is 2015. Now clearly the diesel will have less issue pulling the same trailer, but I doubt I would look at a diesel in a 3/4 ton for this reason. I'd step up to a 1 ton if I wanted diesel.

[cpaulsen]

Pull my Montana 5ver which is at 12.5K with my F250 and V-10....does a great job.

[slow]

Originally Posted by admpss

We already had a 2016 Ford F-150 with the 5.0 litre V-8 and heavy duty tow package. .........................Flat terrain is OK, but the truck gasps for air on any grade over 2%....Thanks

Further to my original response:

You have already experienced the consequence of a gas engine. They need to rev to hit their hp and torque peaks. The engine reving over 4,000 rpm can be unnerving due to the noise.

Our 4WD 6.2 gasser CC with a 6 speed and 3.73 rear end is not any different when on an incline or into a head wind. Most times it will hold 4th gear (~2,800 rpm) in these situations, but other times it will drop as low as 2nd if I try to hold anything above 60 mph going up hill.

During most of our towing on the flats of the prairies, it will stay in 5th gear (~2,100 rpm). With a tail wind it may hold 6th for a very short period of time, but it is so rare, I just lock out the 6th gear. With a head or cross wind it is down to 4th if I try to maintain 65 mph. If I slow down to 60 mph, it will hold 5th gear in most wind conditions.

We have driven in the mountains numerous times and we just had to accept the engine reving and associated noise to keep up with the traffic flow to a reasonable degree. It became easier to accept over time, but were reminded of the situation when filling up with gas later.

Will you be happy with a 6.2 gasser? Depends on what your expectations are. If you want to maintain 65 mph, but do not mind the frequent down shifting and the engine reving, you will be fine. Or if you tow at speeds less than 60 mph, you will also be fine. If the downshifting bothers you now with the 5.0, it may bother you with a 6.2. If so, you should then consider a diesel option IMO.

So will a 6.2 F250 pull your TT, sure it will as others have experienced/claimed. But be prepared for the engine to rev and some associated cabin noise just like the 5.0.

BTW: Other than the 6.2 being a good match with our smaller TT, the 6.2's reputation of reliability was another factor why we went gas vs. diesel.

Another consideration not discussed is the receiver capacity on 1/2 vs 3/4 and 1 ton TVs. If the 29 BHS is fully loaded to 8,200 lb, at 15% on the tongue, that is 1,230 lbs. When I was in the market for a new TV, I believe the F150 max tongue rating was something around 1,170 lbs with WD, whereas 3/4 and 1 tons are at least 1,250 lb.

[Canonman]

The OP's signature says they are from Aurora. If this is Aurora, Colorado I'm sure they will be experiencing plenty of "Rocky Mountain Highs". I know we have.
We didn't by our diesel for the added payload or better milage, we bought it so we could tow better and easier without the engine having to work so hard. Turbo diesels are made for towing. Plain and simple. Turbo torque for going up grades and automatic downshifting and engine brake when descending those long downgrades.
When we were ready to upgrade to the Cougar, we had the truck that could handle that upgrade. Now we just set the the cruise at 65 and sit back and "watch the movie". As stated before, If diesel is an option I'd recommend go for it. You won't be disappointed.

[tech740]

Originally Posted by dwlyon

I have the same trailer and I pull it with a 2017 F150 with a 3.5 Ecoboost and max tow. I've really had no problems pulling it. Recently went to Grand Lake and I was passing other vehicles frequently while going up Berthoud Pass.

Only problems I've had is when I overloaded the tongue one trip and in strong cross winds.

So IMHO a diesel isn't necessary to safely pull your Cougar. Nice but not necessary.

Some will disagree but this setup works great. I had an ecoboost truck and the turbos put plenty of torque to the ground for towing a trailer of your size. I would still have mine if the wife wouldn't have picked a bigger trailer. I know have the 3/4 ton diesel and in cold climates, and only pulling in the summer it is more truck then I need. Glad I didn't go with gas though in a 3/4 ton because I like better then low double digit MPG's.

[bsmith0404]

So many times on this forum we have seen people shopping for a new truck either because they initially bought too much trailer for their current truck or they have decided to upgrade the trailer and their current truck doesn't have the capacity. Both scenarios seem to be very common. I don't know your situation, but probably the best advice I can give is don't buy a truck for your current trailer, buy a truck for your next trailer. I can see the scenario where you upgrade the truck now for what you currently tow, then a year or two down the road you decide to upgrade to a heavier trailer and you're right back into the same situation you're in now. I've said before and I'll say again, you can never have too much tow vehicle. Have you considered a Kenworth or Peterbilt?

[Barbell]

Whether a diesel TV is right for you is your decision only. As you can see from the replies, opinions vary. Right now, in our area at least, diesel fuel is cheaper than gasoline. Diesels get better fuel mileage than gas engines, Diesels last much longer than gas engines. And of course, diesels pull much better than gas engines. If you, like me, keep your vehicles for a long time, a diesel is the way to go for all the above reasons. If there is a possibility that you will be upgrading your RV in the not too distant future to something bigger/heavier, ditto. On the other hand, if you are going to stay with the smaller rig and you trade TVs every few years, you can live with the gas rig for a while. Your choice.

[ADQ K9]

I bought the truck then the trailer. Previous was a 98 F150 Ex cab with a 4.6 and 4 spd auto revved high with small trailers on 7% grades but did the job. Bought a new F350 CC diesel and after all the numbers were crunched it was the best value for me.
I wanted an 8 ft bed and could not get that in a CC F150 The 350 ended up being about $3k more than a 150 in the end and only $300 more than a 250. My Cougar 29rkswe weighs about 8 K loaded and I have no problems climbing hills, not to mention building materials fit in the bed with the tailgate and bed cover closed.

[Dave-Gray]

I hate reading about those stories about the dealer said you could tow it. If you had only known about and used RV Tow Check, you could have saved yourself from a costly mistake.

[ctbruce]

Ouch, feel for you. There are a lot of us who have been where you are. Good luck with your decisions, they are never easy.

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[KeithBook]

Will the 1/2 ton pickup's transmission handle the load?

When I got my 1st travel trailer weighing 4,300 pounds, the dealer said my Honda pilot would be able to tow it. I checked with Honda and asked if I would be OK assuming it weighed 5,400 pounds with gear. Honda service department told me it would not hurt the engine. (Both told me to use the weight transfer bar system)

Well, my first trip was from Cincinnati, OH to New Orleans; roughly 1,600 miles round trip and only moderate hills. My gas mileage went from 22mpg to 9.9mpg and only that high if I used premium fuel with fuel additives. With regular fuel, I was getting 7.7mpg.

When I got the the RV park in New Orleans, I spoke with some of the experienced RV'ers I was tole: Honda is correct with not hurting the engine, however, I will likely wear out the transmission quickly.

When I got back, I bought a used 2007 F350 diesel and between its cost and repairs I did, I spent about $26,000. It towed the 4,500 pound travel trailer like it was not back there. A few months ago, I traded that one in for a 2014 Cougar High Country 321RES at about 9,000 pounds, which it also pulls like it is not there.

The issue that I researched is to make the 1/2 ton pickup trucks more efficient, they don't have or need a heavy duty transmission. The 3/4th ton and 1 ton pickups are heavy duty with stronger frames axles, transmissions, etc. (note, I am not a mechanic or engineer) With a trailer and gear above 8,000 pounds, what do you want to risk. In my case, I use the Honda Pilot as my daily use car and use the old F350 as my tow vehicle.

Toyota ran an ad showing their Tundra pickup towing the 350,000 pound space shuttle. Of course it was on absolutely flat ground and the top speed was probably 1 mph.