Tow vehicle planning

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by AdvToaster

. . .
Might as well do it right the first time.

Bingo!

Good discussion. For a 30' trailer, in which you want to full time, you will quickly regret not getting at least a 250 IMO. With the 150, are you going to weigh every item you want to add to the pickup's payload, and then toss out something else because you have gone "over-limit?"

Our rigs are "magnets-for-stuff-you-can't-live-without."



Get the right steps/running boards, and 250 access is no prob. Weight of options might be though . . . they add up and decrease payload.

Good luck,

Peter

PS -- Do you know the bluegrass tune, "You Don't Miss Your Water 'Til Your Well Runs Dry?"

[Piggy Bank]

Also if you are considering a pivot hitch (hensley or pro pride) these can be heavier than simpler models. With the rig you are looking at that would be a likely hitch to use. Be sure to include this into your math.

FWIW we have a Tundra Max and have owned and 22, 25, and now 27. Would not consider even a 28 with this same truck. And we do pay close attention to what and who we bring with us.

[OTRA15]

PS -- In addition to the thread linked by wulfraat in Post #17, here are some "Ford 150 250" search results for similar AF discussions:

https://www.google.com/search?q=Ford...com&gws_rd=ssl

Peter

FYI/FWIW

[uraljohn]

You did not mention gas vs diesel, but I would take a hard look at the new 7.3 gas engine (it has been named "Godzilla"!). The initial cost is a bunch less and maintenance costs are lower. Yes you give up a bit in brute torque ratings but it will tow the 30' and all your full time stuff. Bonus is the payload or cargo capacity rating is higher with the gas engine as it is much lighter than the diesel. Another bonus is you do not have to buy DEF for the emissions.

This come from someone that has almost 2 million miles driving class 8 diesel trucks. The maintenance costs alone would make me take the 6.2 or 7.3 gas engines.

I truly hope DW will feel comfortable driving a properly equipped F250. You will have a more relaxed towing experience with the F250 as it will handle the full timing duty better than the F150. Good luck on your test drives. Happy travels.

[SailorSam205]

Originally Posted by Piggy Bank

Also if you are considering a pivot hitch (hensley or pro pride) these can be heavier than simpler models. With the rig you are looking at that would be a likely hitch to use. Be sure to include this into your math.

FWIW we have a Tundra Max and have owned and 22, 25, and now 27. Would not consider even a 28 with this same truck. And we do pay close attention to what and who we bring with us.

FWIW, the Hensley and Propride both add about a foot of distance between the trailer axles and the weight transfer point onto the TV. There are reports of TW being LOWER with one of these. I suspect that in most cases, the difference is under 50 lbs. Given that the best scales only provide wieghts +/- 50 lbs, the difference is a rounding error. The 50 lb number is what RVSEF states when they do a weighing.



I picked the following gem up off of a trucking site. Poster claimed to be a weigh master:

"According to the laws, scales must be accurate to 1/10 of 1% of the capacity of the scale.
Highways scales in most locations are either 200 or 300,000 pounds capacity. So multiply that capacity by the accuracy and it means the scale is only accurate within 200 lbs. "

[Spaggs]

My wife is a little thing as well, but when younger we purchased a new 2000 Ford Excursion 2wd V10. She got very comfortable with the size in no time. The new F150 4 door long bed is actually longer than the Excursion.
Spaggs

[AdvToaster]

Originally Posted by wulfraat

My wife prefers towing with the 3/4 ton hands down.... for what it is worth (we split driving duties)

Good to hear, thanks!

Originally Posted by OTRA15

Bingo!

Good discussion. For a 30' trailer, in which you want to full time, you will quickly regret not getting at least a 250 IMO. With the 150, are you going to weigh every item you want to add to the pickup's payload, and then toss out something else because you have gone "over-limit?"

Our rigs are "magnets-for-stuff-you-can't-live-without."



Get the right steps/running boards, and 250 access is no prob. Weight of options might be though . . . they add up and decrease payload.

Good luck,

Peter

PS -- Do you know the bluegrass tune, "You Don't Miss Your Water 'Til Your Well Runs Dry?"

You make some very good points. I have no interest in playing the scale game, and we're bound to find things along the way that we "can't live without". I've never heard that song, but the concept definitely applies!

Originally Posted by Piggy Bank

Also if you are considering a pivot hitch (hensley or pro pride) these can be heavier than simpler models. With the rig you are looking at that would be a likely hitch to use. Be sure to include this into your math.

FWIW we have a Tundra Max and have owned and 22, 25, and now 27. Would not consider even a 28 with this same truck. And we do pay close attention to what and who we bring with us.

Good points. I'm still researching hitches, but those two are on my list.

Originally Posted by uraljohn

You did not mention gas vs diesel, but I would take a hard look at the new 7.3 gas engine (it has been named "Godzilla"!). The initial cost is a bunch less and maintenance costs are lower. Yes you give up a bit in brute torque ratings but it will tow the 30' and all your full time stuff. Bonus is the payload or cargo capacity rating is higher with the gas engine as it is much lighter than the diesel. Another bonus is you do not have to buy DEF for the emissions.

This come from someone that has almost 2 million miles driving class 8 diesel trucks. The maintenance costs alone would make me take the 6.2 or 7.3 gas engines.

I truly hope DW will feel comfortable driving a properly equipped F250. You will have a more relaxed towing experience with the F250 as it will handle the full timing duty better than the F150. Good luck on your test drives. Happy travels.

Thanks for the tip on the 7.3. After doing a lot of reading on it that engine has moved to the top of my list. Saving likely $8k and 900 lbs of weight over the diesel would be great, and the work that Ford put into designing that beast for heavy towing is impressive.

Originally Posted by SailorSam205

FWIW, the Hensley and Propride both add about a foot of distance between the trailer axles and the weight transfer point onto the TV. There are reports of TW being LOWER with one of these. I suspect that in most cases, the difference is under 50 lbs. Given that the best scales only provide wieghts +/- 50 lbs, the difference is a rounding error. The 50 lb number is what RVSEF states when they do a weighing.



I picked the following gem up off of a trucking site. Poster claimed to be a weigh master:

"According to the laws, scales must be accurate to 1/10 of 1% of the capacity of the scale.
Highways scales in most locations are either 200 or 300,000 pounds capacity. So multiply that capacity by the accuracy and it means the scale is only accurate within 200 lbs. "

That's useful information on the scale accuracy. I'd never heard that before, but I'm not surprised. Our entire GCW is practically a rounding error on one of those scales.

Originally Posted by Spaggs

My wife is a little thing as well, but when younger we purchased a new 2000 Ford Excursion 2wd V10. She got very comfortable with the size in no time. The new F150 4 door long bed is actually longer than the Excursion.
Spaggs

Thanks for the additional data point. I have no doubt my wife can handle an F250, or even something larger. She's traded driving duties with me moving across country in a 26' Budget truck with a car hauler behind it, so this should be cake. The trouble is just getting her to believe she can get used to it after several years of driving small VWs. My Jeep even feels big to her right now.

[OTRA15]

Thanks for the thorough update.

Happy Trails,

Peter

[jeffmc306]

Originally Posted by AdvToaster

She still strongly prefers the F150, but after a lengthy discussion on payload and 1/2T vs 3/4T differences during a Lowe's run today (have to finish some updates to sell the house) she agreed that we should go out one day soon and drive the F150 and F250, and the Ram 1500 and 2500 all back to back, with no prejudices about size. (Chevy is out as the new ones are hideous, and the GMC is out as there's just too much chrome (we're in our 30's, chrome just doesn't do it for us)).

Hi AdvToaster,

We recently upgraded from a 2019 Ram 1500 to a 2500 6.4 gas for our 27’ Globetrotter and just got back from a trip to Rocky Mountain National Park. The difference in 1/2 to 3/4 is peace of mind. Yes, the 1500 could tow but our 2500 is over 1000 lbs. heavier while getting the same if not a little better fuel economy. Payload jumped to 2940 lbs. too.

I know Ford makes a great truck but check out the new Ram’s interior. Also the Ram 2500 has coil rear suspension. The 12” radio display is pretty awesome for navigation too.

Good luck with your quest - you can’t go wrong with any of the new trucks optioned correctly.

[AdvToaster]

Originally Posted by jeffmc306

Hi AdvToaster,

We recently upgraded from a 2019 Ram 1500 to a 2500 6.4 gas for our 27’ Globetrotter and just got back from a trip to Rocky Mountain National Park. The difference in 1/2 to 3/4 is peace of mind. Yes, the 1500 could tow but our 2500 is over 1000 lbs. heavier while getting the same if not a little better fuel economy. Payload jumped to 2940 lbs. too.

I know Ford makes a great truck but check out the new Ram’s interior. Also the Ram 2500 has coil rear suspension. The 12” radio display is pretty awesome for navigation too.

Good luck with your quest - you can’t go wrong with any of the new trucks optioned correctly.

Thanks for the input! That truck looks great, and is definitely on the "try" list. What's with the grill thermometer on the dashboard?

[jpaine4]

Don't worry about factory mirrors. Check out etrailer.com I ordered a set, specific to my F150. Very easy to snap on and off. When installed they look just like it came that way. No vibration, and if I recall were less than $60.00. Very nice product. If you go the F250 route, most will have extendable mirrors.

[jeffmc306]

Originally Posted by AdvToaster

Thanks for the input! That truck looks great, and is definitely on the "try" list. What's with the grill thermometer on the dashboard?

Hi Jeremy, the grill thermometer is my freezer/fridge monitor! I have a Big Green Egg grill and a ThermoWorks Smoke 2 channel alarm. It’s got a 300 ft. Range. Our GlobeTrotter has a 3-way fridge and I wanted to make sure when running on 12v it was cooling enough. We ran the main monitor 12 days straight and use the remote when on the road. You can set high and low alarm points and it will beep if temps go out of range.

https://www.thermoworks.com/Smoke

Here’s a photo of 10 hour pork shoulder smoke for pulled pork.

[Pimms]

“Think of it this way, if you were parachuting, and you weighed 200 pounds, would you want the string used to hold the 'chute to be rated at 200 pounds? or 400?”

I love that parallel !! Good reason to loose weight!

[tojimmiller]

Get the f250

[napabill]

A lot depends on how the truck is optioned. Here is a good guide: https://www.consumerreports.org/pick...-that-trailer/

[DC Bruce]

My wife and fulltimed in a Sierra 1500, pulling an FC 27. The truck payload is 1940 lbs per the door sticker. We, plus our 90 lb. dog used every bit of that capacity. We are perfectly happy with that arrangement, but if I were pulling a 30, I’d go for a 2500/250 for the extra payload. Both GM and Ford have new gas engines for their 3/4 tons. We test drove a Ram with the 6.4 gas engine and I thought it drove very well. For sure the 3/4 tons, with their longer wheelbase than the half ton short beds (like we have) are heavier and more ponderous to drive. To pull an Airstream you don’t need the extra capacity of the diesel. The gas engines in today’s 3/4 tons are plenty capable (unlike a few years ago) and whatever fuel economy benefits from the diesel are negated by the higher price of the fuel as compared to regular or mid grade gas.
Another point, I’ve run into some Ecoboost owners who complain about the relative lack of engine braking on their truck. This is because of the small displacement of the engine. My truck’s engine, at 6.2 liters is almost twice as big and I don’t have that complaint. All the gas engines in the 3/4 tons are even bigger than mine, so they should be ok. That said, IMHO the only reason to go for one of the 3/4 ton diesels is their exhaust brakes, which are superior at holding speed on a downhill grade. So you have to think about that, the weight of your trailer, where you’re going to be driving and your driving style (I.e. how fast do you want to go). You can certainly descend big grades in the Rockies safely with a gas engine, but you might need to start the downhill more slowly and descend more slowly. The energy of your vehicle (which is what the brakes have to dissipate) increases with the square of speed, so slowing down and keeping slow a little can make a big difference in how much work your braking system has to do.

[kendrick.l.j]

<~~~ 5’3”, female with a 30’ Classic and a 2500 TV as my daily driver. Would not even consider a smaller truck. Previous vehicle was a Mini Cooper. When you go to test drive trucks she’ll need to go as well because they do feel slightly different. Trucks today are super easy to drive and handling is excellent. I got the running board which makes getting in easy.
One of the things I’ve noticed when I switched from my Mini to the truck is that I’m cut off less often in the truck and because it’s so much taller I can easily see above other cars which I prefer. I loved my Mini Cooper but I feel safer in the truck.

[OTRA15]

Well said, Lauri.

Peter

[ForteePlus]

Originally Posted by AdvToaster

I looked at stepping up to an F250, but my wife is only 5'2 and she was very uncomfortable with a truck that large, especially since it will be our only vehicle.

Thanks folks!

- Jeremy

We ordered an F250 and Ford is due to start building in 2 days. After a year plus of reading, visiting various dealerships and thinking, we opted for the 4x2 for a few reasons, one of which is my wife’s ability to climb into the 4x4’s is limited. It’s kinda of surprising how much lower a 4x2 is vs stepping into a 4x4.
The 4x2’s are difficult to find, but it might be worth considering.

No Airstream yet, but we’re leaning heavily to the 30 FC in our upcoming retirement.

Have fun!

[JonDNC]

Also regarding truck height, make sure you look at a truck with retractable boards, they are lower than the fixed ones. Our F350 Platinum FX4 has a lower step in height (but taller overall) than our old Sierra 1500 did with fixed boards.