I'm planning to tow a 30' Flying Cloud with a Ford F-150. Is that crazy?

[Matt Kline]

I started out pulling my new 23FB with a new F-150 V8. It's fine on the flatlands, but in the mountains, or any steep hills, it's certainly not going to keep up with traffic. I drove truck for ten years from about 1970 until 1980. No engine brake on any truck I ever drove, and going down the mountains was white knuckle to say the least.
I'm on my second diesel now, a 2012 F-250, and presently a 2016 F-350 I bought last Christmas Eve, that now has 36,000 miles on it, at least 90% of those miles pulling the Airstream. One thing I have, that no one's 150 has, is the power to go up any mountain road the speed limit. That's fun. What's even more important than power is the engine brake. Going down 12,000 foot passes several times I simply engage the "Jake Break," apply the brakes till I am at the speed I want, and it takes me down the mountain without touching the brakes again. I never fail to remember my white knuckle truck driving days, and grin like a jackass eating briars. NO stress, just a pleasant ride down.
If you can afford the diesel 250 it's the way to go. Mine is a 350 because it had the extras I wanted, and the color. 350 is simply an extra spring and the emblem over the 250 which is the only difference.
Every time I tout my diesels on this forum, somebody tells me I'm full of it. I challenge any of them to take a trailer up the mountain, and down the other side, with more ease. Heavy duty pickups with the towing package have extras you can't get on a 150. Much larger brake pads, engine brake, and diesel power. New diesels are more powerful, and fuel efficient, so don't compare todays F-350 diesel with any model since the 6.7 came out. I think in 2012, but I might be wrong about that.
I'll close by saying, If you can't afford a truck like mine, that's fine, but don't tell me anything less is a BETTER tow vehicle. It ain't so.

[sheriff1]

Originally Posted by Matt Kline

I started out pulling my new 23FB with a new F-150 V8. It's fine on the flatlands, but in the mountains, or any steep hills, it's certainly not going to keep up with traffic. I drove truck for ten years from about 1970 until 1980. No engine brake on any truck I ever drove, and going down the mountains was white knuckle to say the least.
I'm on my second diesel now, a 2012 F-250, and presently a 2016 F-350 I bought last Christmas Eve, that now has 36,000 miles on it, at least 90% of those miles pulling the Airstream. One thing I have, that no one's 150 has, is the power to go up any mountain road the speed limit. That's fun. What's even more important than power is the engine brake. Going down 12,000 foot passes several times I simply engage the "Jake Break," apply the brakes till I am at the speed I want, and it takes me down the mountain without touching the brakes again. I never fail to remember my white knuckle truck driving days, and grin like a jackass eating briars. NO stress, just a pleasant ride down.
If you can afford the diesel 250 it's the way to go. Mine is a 350 because it had the extras I wanted, and the color. 350 is simply an extra spring and the emblem over the 250 which is the only difference.
Every time I tout my diesels on this forum, somebody tells me I'm full of it. I challenge any of them to take a trailer up the mountain, and down the other side, with more ease. Heavy duty pickups with the towing package have extras you can't get on a 150. Much larger brake pads, engine brake, and diesel power. New diesels are more powerful, and fuel efficient, so don't compare todays F-350 diesel with any model since the 6.7 came out. I think in 2012, but I might be wrong about that.
I'll close by saying, If you can't afford a truck like mine, that's fine, but don't tell me anything less is a BETTER tow vehicle. It ain't so.

I agree!


2015 F350 CC 4X4 6.7 Diesel
2010 27FB Silver Cloud "The Silver Spoon"

[Countryboy59]

Wait a minute. You need an F350 diesel to pull a 23'?

[MelGoddard]

Originally Posted by PecanMan5

Where. Did you get that 12000 lb. tow wt? I hope not from the salesman, because they don't have a clue. Don't use the sales brochure either.

MY F-150 Ecobeast's handbook says that I can tow 12,200 lbs; 3.55 Final drive Ratio, 4X4, Crew cab, short box,, with full tow package installed. So There!
So does Ford's towing chart.

Trailer Trash........"

[franklyfrank]

Originally Posted by Aviator

I've towed our 34' for the past seven years with a F150 5.4L. It would have been nice to have the Ecoboost two summers ago towing over Red Mountain Pass at 11,000', but the Ecoboost wasn't available in 2009.

The ONLY caveat I would offer is to get a good hitch such as the ProPride which we use. I would definitely factor the hitch cost of $2500 into your decision.

For me our F150 is also my daily driver, and I would get tired of feeding a 250 all the time.

I thought with a $ 2,500 ProPride installed by CanAm he could tow it with a Ford Fiesta.

[franklyfrank]

Originally Posted by Matt Kline

I started out pulling my new 23FB with a new F-150 V8. It's fine on the flatlands, but in the mountains, or any steep hills, it's certainly not going to keep up with traffic. I drove truck for ten years from about 1970 until 1980. No engine brake on any truck I ever drove, and going down the mountains was white knuckle to say the least.
I'm on my second diesel now, a 2012 F-250, and presently a 2016 F-350 I bought last Christmas Eve, that now has 36,000 miles on it, at least 90% of those miles pulling the Airstream. One thing I have, that no one's 150 has, is the power to go up any mountain road the speed limit. That's fun. What's even more important than power is the engine brake. Going down 12,000 foot passes several times I simply engage the "Jake Break," apply the brakes till I am at the speed I want, and it takes me down the mountain without touching the brakes again. I never fail to remember my white knuckle truck driving days, and grin like a jackass eating briars. NO stress, just a pleasant ride down.
If you can afford the diesel 250 it's the way to go. Mine is a 350 because it had the extras I wanted, and the color. 350 is simply an extra spring and the emblem over the 250 which is the only difference.
Every time I tout my diesels on this forum, somebody tells me I'm full of it. I challenge any of them to take a trailer up the mountain, and down the other side, with more ease. Heavy duty pickups with the towing package have extras you can't get on a 150. Much larger brake pads, engine brake, and diesel power. New diesels are more powerful, and fuel efficient, so don't compare todays F-350 diesel with any model since the 6.7 came out. I think in 2012, but I might be wrong about that.
I'll close by saying, If you can't afford a truck like mine, that's fine, but don't tell me anything less is a BETTER tow vehicle. It ain't so.

Ditto.
To state that a F-150 will be just as good as a F-250 is willful ignorance.
I loved my 2012 Platinum F-150 Ecoboost. It had 3.79 axle, HD tow ,36 gl tank and all the bells and whistles and I had deep anxiety giving it up. The first day out with my 2017 F-250 Lariat Ultimate, with the 6.7 Power stroke made me forgot all about the F-150. The first remark to my wife out on the road was " Why did we wait so long" .
We spend most of our AS time out west in the Rockies and the Sierras and had a number of scary days with the F-150 being pushed and overheating making me abort climbs a couple of times. And under those conditions I had to use 92 octane fuel. The owners manual clearly state that and it would perform much better with it. Last Septembers journey out west in the mountains I averaged 7.8 miles per gl with the F-150 Eco pushing it up and down.
So considering that the diesel gives me 12 to 14 and that the cost of premium fuel is the same as diesel the fuel issue favors the F-250.
You can get yourself into a 2017 F-250 PowerStroke with a base Lariat Crew package for well under 60k.

[dmslawson]

Yes, that dates me.

Anyway, Stuart Brand wrote that when buying tools (e.g. a tow vehicle), start out with the simplest solution. Over time, upgrade if necessary.

Personal case: we had an F-150 for years and eventually it was necessary for our piece of mind to upgrade to an F-250 diesel.

It's a process.

[Countryboy59]

"I'll close by saying, If you can't afford a truck like mine, that's fine, but don't tell me anything less is a BETTER tow vehicle. It ain't so."

Best quote ever. To quote my mechanic, "the F350 is a heavy light duty truck. A heavy duty truck has a high torque inline six and a real Jacobs brake". As he looks at my F350 lol.

"If it has a payment book you couldn't afford it". Another great quote, can't remember who said it.

[dkottum]

Originally Posted by JuryDuty

I'm planning to get our family their first Airstream and truck. I had planned to get an F-250, but after visiting the dealer, he said that would be overkill.

Apparently an F-150, 3.5L EcoBoost with 420 torque has a 3180 max payload and 12,200 lbs max towing. The 30' Flying Cloud tops out at 885 payload and 8800 lbs towing. So on paper, it sounds like an F-150 is more than enough truck. But seriously, I'm still learning what these numbers mean.

Is that crazy? We're planning on cross country trips, so I don't want anything underpowered, but I like the idea of the F-150 since this is all new to me.

Let me put it this way, and I think others may agree.

I would hook our half-ton pickup with our hitch system and take a 30' Flying Cloud the throughout country, and enjoy the trip. Because we know the truck and it's loading, and how to drive it through the mountains and rough weather and roadways.

But I would not hand the keys over to someone with little towing experience to do the same thing. A 6-7% curving five mile descent in the rain is not the place to begin learning.

Knowing your tow vehicle, how to load it, how to set up the weight distribution system properly, and how to use the transmission and brakes are as important as the tow vehicle itself.

[Rich Jenkins]

Originally Posted by dkottum

But I would not hand the keys over to someone with little towing experience to do the same thing. A 6-7% curving five mile descent in the rain is not the place to begin learning.

Good advice.

This would be me, a year and a half ago, buying a first time AS 27' FC.

Wife said, get the truck you want, so I checked with the experts about what TV would work across a range of AS at the upper (30' ish) range of lengths, and got the Ram 2500 with Cummins Diesel.

Having gone across the country a couple times now, and into Canada, I've done almost 26K in the truck in the last 13 months, with maybe 8K miles of that towing.

I have a lot more respect for the truck than I did when I knew nothing. I have not had to change my underwear more than daily after any downhill run. Although there was that sporty 10% grade down into Death Valley on the way through Furnace Springs...

I'd definitely listen to the experts here (not me) about picking a tow vehicle, including paying attention to cargo and tongue weights.

Good luck.

Rich

[Alluminati]

Originally Posted by Matt Kline

I started out pulling my new 23FB with a new F-150 V8. ...for ten years from about 1970 until 1980. No engine brake on any truck I ever drove, and going down the mountains was white knuckle to say the least.

This pretty much sums up my point, that most of what we know about 1/2 ton pickups we learned from guys who were driving them 30 years ago. If I were buying a 30 yr old truck, I would highly value their opinions.

I'll admit the steepest grade I've descended with my 10K GVWR trailer with what some of you have labelled as a 1/2 ton truck, was 8%. No white knuckles, just downshift. The hard part of downshifting is learning to let the engine race with the knowledge that it is perfectly harmless. IIRC, my redline is 6500, but the fastest the engine was spinning was in the low 4000s in 2nd gear as I calmly meandered down the mountain, only occasionally touching the brake at all. Maybe I'd love a jake brake, but so far my descents have been a breeze.

Torque is torque, and diesels have it in spades. But the superiority attitude that nothing else is good enough is seriously unrighteous.

[Alluminati]

I'll admit, it was while I was studying for my commercial driver's license that I learned proper hill descent. I guess not everyone is forced to learn. But the technique is simple, and easily learned. If nothing else, go online and look it up. It's not magic.

[slowmover]

Originally Posted by Alluminati

This pretty much sums up my point, that most of what we know about 1/2 ton pickups we learned from guys who were driving them 30 years ago. If I were buying a 30 yr old truck, I would highly value their opinions.



I'll admit the steepest grade I've descended with my 10K GVWR trailer with what some of you have labelled as a 1/2 ton truck, was 8%. No white knuckles, just downshift. The hard part of downshifting is learning to let the engine race with the knowledge that it is perfectly harmless. IIRC, my redline is 6500, but the fastest the engine was spinning was in the low 4000s in 2nd gear as I calmly meandered down the mountain, only occasionally touching the brake at all. Maybe I'd love a jake brake, but so far my descents have been a breeze.



Torque is torque, and diesels have it in spades. But the superiority attitude that nothing else is good enough is seriously unrighteous.

Good point.

I learned it from childhood with family trips across the continent. Far later came learning to do it with a 105,000-lb rig and no jake brake.

There's no reason for it to be white knuckle all the time. There are instances of traffic, wet roads and winds that should get ones attention. It isn't a given.

It most certainly isn't good advice. Too big is not superior if it means worse steering, handling, braking and increased chance of rollover.

[jimgillio]

I have towed my 28' FC with 2 kayaks & 2 bikes with my F150 Eco Boost for 20,000 miles without a single problem. In addition, the ecoboost is a quiet engine which, to me, is a bonus on extended trips. I average 12 mpg when towing and 22 mpg when not.

[Iowa Bumpa]

Never assume a smaller tow truck is adequate just because it will tow it. Being able to stop quickly is the real issue. And the roll cage around you. Always consider your worse scenario. You get run off the road, over an embankment with 1000' feet to the bottom, a 12% grade, and you cannot stop. Perhaps you roll over once or twice or more. My brother is retired Highway Patrol and he would tell you the same. Buy to give yourself the best chance of survival in a wreck that will protect you. I have pulled 5 trailers over a million miles, all with a F-350 Crewcab 4x4 with an 8' box. Tried 2 duallys but back to single rear wheels. Pull a 27' Flying Cloud. I see some pulling 30 footers + with a small SUV or a small station wagon and I shudder to think what would happen to them in a roll-over. Sad to say my brother has seen it all and he would tell you that every trooper out there would tell you the same.

[Dabler]

I've been away from this forum for a long time (seven years), but had to respond to this post. To be fair, I haven't read all that precedes my comment, but I hope this is helpful. I haven't been on this forum since we sold our 31' 1971 Airstream, which we used to tow with an F-150. In fact, we took a 6 week long trip from Los Angeles to Wisconsin (crossing the Rockies) and back to LA again via the northern route and down the California coast. So can it be done? We had no problems with the F-150, though there were a couple times I wished we'd had four wheel drive. Will an F-250 give you a greater comfort range? Yes. But I'd say, if you're a good driver and know how to handle the rig (we were over 50' long from bumper to bumper), and for whatever reason the F-150 is all you can get, you'll be fine. I'll share something a truck driver told me a long time ago, one that all trailer haulers should know. "You can go too fast up a hill many times, but you can only go too fast down hill one time." Learn how to use your transmission and breaking systems properly and drive with a proper respect for the load you're carrying, and you'll be fine.
All the best.
Duane

[Dstep5312]

Just wanted to say I pull a 25 ft flying cloud r ear bed 2016 with a Dodge Ram 5.7 hemi I do fine

Good luck
Dennis

[ldireland]

I am kind of a straight talking guy so please take no offence to this post.
I am not a truck salesman but I am a man who has driven both half ton and now a 3/4 ton diesel truck to tow a 30' Classic. Nearly any half ton will get you to the top of a hill one way or another but after the summet there is always a downhill. Brakes get hot on an under rated half ton and could at least cause enough anxiety to wish for a diesel powered truck with an exhaust brake.
On the uphill both the transmission and rear end take on more heat on a half ton pulling a 30 footer. Heat is nearly never your friend be it in the transmission, rear end, or engine.
Unless a person enjoys buying gas, the alternative 3/4 ton diesel will likely get better mileage....my Cummins regularly gets 15-17mpg pulling our Classic. My Cummins will last at least twice as long as an under powered half ton V8. Sure... an oil change is a bit more expensive but longevity is my goal.
A half ton will get by just fine if that is all you ask of it. If reliability and longevity are your goals...think about a 3/4 ton diesel.

[Streamer1492]

No opinion on what you should buy, just my experience. Had a 2012 3.5 eco f150 and pulled a 2010 28' intl over 40000 miles, mainly in the west. No problems about 11 mpg towing, 17 not towing 4x4 super cab lariat max tow max payload door sticker 1887#. Now have a 2016 2.7 eco max payload, 373 rear end, door sticker is 1927#, 4x4, lariat pulling 2014 27FB intl over 20 mpg not towing around 11 towing but have only towed 6500 miles so far 11000 on truck again no problems. Again mainly between 2000-10000 feet. Worked a bit hard going up to brian head ski area in Utah, but that is 16+degree hill and a 10mph s curve that is tough on every truck/trailer I've every had. But it's only a few miles. I chose the 2.7, because I wanted the start stop technology and better mpg when not towing about 1/2 of the time. Do whatever feels right to you, but watch the real tounge weight and look at max payload on door, not in brochures or online. FYI, I tow at 65mph and drive speed limit not towing which is usually 75-80.

[Countryboy59]

The exhaust brake on a light truck diesel is not a Jacobs brake. Can't believe this thread is still going lol