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Old 12-08-2016, 03:42 PM   #1
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I'm planning to tow a 30' Flying Cloud with a Ford F-150. Is that crazy?

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.
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Old 12-08-2016, 04:02 PM   #2
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I'm planning to tow a 30' Flying Cloud with a Ford F-150. Is that crazy?

Do yourself a big favor and get the 250. A 150 will move it. But it will be board line on load capacity.
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Old 12-08-2016, 04:03 PM   #3
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It should be fine. What is the F150's payload? That will be the number you will want to watch and manage. Towing 12,200 pounds is more than enough. It's the payload (how much weight you can put ON the truck, not pull with it) that you may exceed.

Which Flying Cloud model are you planning on getting? You should figure about 900 lbs tongue weight, give or take a few pounds depending on the model. Then your passengers and cargo you plan to carry on you truck are added to that. If you don't exceed your payload, you are good to go!
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Old 12-08-2016, 04:06 PM   #4
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It should be fine. What is the F150's payload? That will be the number you will want to watch and manage. Towing 12,200 pounds is more than enough. It's the payload (how much weight you can put ON the truck, not pull with it) that you may exceed.

Which Flying Cloud model are you planning on getting? You should figure about 900 lbs tongue weight, give or take a few pounds depending on the model. Then your passengers and cargo you plan to carry on you truck are added to that. If you don't exceed your payload, you are good to go!
F150 payload is 3180. The FC is 885. Add 900 tongue and we've still got over 1000 without exceeding.

We were looking at the Flying Cloud 30' Bunk.
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Old 12-08-2016, 04:06 PM   #5
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Hi from AZ. . . I certainly don't think an F250 is 'overkill' ! You need to talk to people who are towing these things, not just truck salesmen. An F-250 set up properly is a capable and comfortable TV. Having said that, we are happy with our F-150 Ecoblahblah pulling an FB27 Airstream. I don't think I'd go any bigger with a F-150.. . . Remember, opinions are like noses, everybody has one, so you need plenty . . . good luck, Craig
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Old 12-08-2016, 04:09 PM   #6
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There is no question. An F250 can pull more and has more payload than a F150. And an F350 has more than both those two.

Question is - do you NEED one? If I could park a F250 in my condo parking spot, I'd be driving one. Bigger is better. (Cue Tim Allen -- arghh arghh arghh).

Having said that, I could only fit a Yukon/Tahoe/Escalade. So I got one that had the correct stats and am pulling a 30' Flying Cloud with ZERO issues.

Would I prefer a F250? I would. But I can't have one. So I make do with what I can have. And it works just fine. I just can't bring my golf cart or a Harley Davidson motorcyle with me.

Life is tough....
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Old 12-08-2016, 04:13 PM   #7
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There is no question. An F250 can pull more and has more payload than a F150. And an F350 has more than both those two.

Question is - do you NEED one? If I could park a F250 in my condo parking spot, I'd be driving one. Bigger is better. (Cue Tim Allen -- arghh arghh arghh).

Having said that, I could only fit a Yukon/Tahoe/Escalade. So I got one that had the correct stats and am pulling a 30' Flying Cloud with ZERO issues.

Would I prefer a F250? I would. But I can't have one. So I make do with what I can have. And it works just fine. I just can't bring my golf cart or a Harley Davidson motorcyle with me.

Life is tough....
LOL

So you're using the equivalent of a 150 then? What vehicle do you have?

EDIT: Duh, it's in your sig. Thx!
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Old 12-08-2016, 04:17 PM   #8
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Make sure the payload is for the specific truck. Max payload packages are rare. Yellow sticker on driver side door frame. Payload will be your issue.

I have a 2015 F150, 25' flying cloud. Payload is 1,890, I have to be cognizant about weight.
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Old 12-08-2016, 04:36 PM   #9
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The literature tongue weight of our 2013 25FB International Serenity was 833 pounds. After the dealer installed the Hensley Arrow hitch head, put a 155 watt solar panel on the roof and added street side and rear awnings, filled the two 30 pound propane tanks and fresh water tank, the tongue weight was now 1,150 pounds. A lot of work was required to load the trailer to the rear as the most storage was under the front bed, similar to the 30' bunk bed model. We scaled 1,175 pounds on the tongue weight camping ready.

With a weight distribution hitch properly setup, one would hope that ⅓ of the tongue weight would transfer back to the trailer axles, ⅓ to the tow vehicle front axle and ⅓ to the tow vehicle rear axle. But that means that a 1,200 pound tongue weight could present itself as a 800 pound or higher load on the truck suspension. Then in the back of the truck goes a perhaps a bed cover for lawn chairs, BBQ grill and propane tank, one or two generators, table, fire wood and the list can become endless. And by the way both the passenger and driver weights along with kids and pets all use up payload.

So there is a lot more to consider than an untrained salesman's sales pitch. The braking capacity has to be considered with a gasoline engine as there is much less compression braking than a diesel will provide.

I use the Cummins engine brake to hold the 2012 Ram 2500HD and 2014 31' Classic (the rig scales 19,200+ pounds camping ready) going down 7% grades without using the tow vehicle brakes.

Personally go and look at the driver door jam at the weight stickers for THAT particular truck as it is configured. The best double check is to take a test drive with a full tank of gas/fuel to some scales and find the real empty weight with the driver in the vehicle. You then can subtract that from the GVW to get an actual cargo capacity. Also compare each axle's load against the axle rating also on the door post as well as the load rating of the supplied tires.

Spend lots of time doing the homework before signing any purchase agreements. Reserve the right of refusal if they order a truck and the weight numbers come in all wrong for your application.
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Old 12-08-2016, 04:50 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JuryDuty View Post
F150 payload is 3180. The FC is 885. Add 900 tongue and we've still got over 1000 without exceeding.

We were looking at the Flying Cloud 30' Bunk.
Welcome to the forums! We tow a 25' Flying Cloud FB with a 2014 F150 super crew 4x4. I have a 1780 lb payload, which is on the higher end for pre 2015s. The highest I've seen of actual payload numbers was 2500ish on a stripped down 2016 extended cab with the HD payload package. All that to say I would be skeptical of that 3180 .

I love the ecoboost, it does a great job towing our trailer. I think you'd be alright towing a 30', but you might always be wondering if you should have gone bigger. I know that if we ever decide to upgrade our trailer, I will be pushing pretty hard for a TV upgrade as well.
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Old 12-08-2016, 05:14 PM   #11
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Believe what you want? I say 3/4 ton, we use a 3/4 ton ram diesel for our 31' classic....we have hills and passes in Montana...
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Old 12-08-2016, 06:04 PM   #12
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We travel full-time with our 30 FC Bunk and tow with a 2013 F150 3.5 Ecoboost. We have been all over the country besides the PNW and I feel comfortable towing with it. Although having a F250 might have changed things some I have been more than pleased with my truck.
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Old 12-08-2016, 06:07 PM   #13
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Well, for what it's worth, I have towed my 31' Sovereign some 70000 miles with my old 2004 Titan. The trailer grosses at 8600# but we were never anywhere close to that -- more like 8000#. Sure, I was in third, turning 3500 rpm on those long climbs out west, but I never saw the temp gauges so much as budge. Downhill is technique -- you aren't heading down that big grade at the posted speed limit like the big diesel guys with their exhaust brakes -- you will be rocking between 45 and 55 by intermittent brake application followed by slow acceleration, repeat as necessary.

The Ecoboost has more low end torque than the 5.6 in that old Titan so going shouldn't be a problem. If your trailer brakes are properly maintained and your brake controller set properly, stopping shouldn't be a problem, either. It is all about managing your inertia.

I just sold that old Titan with 213000 miles on it. It never let me down and I never had a "white knuckle" moment towing with it.

The new Titan XD I bought has the Cummins diesel. I wanted another gasser but they gave me 10 grand off of MSRP for the diesel while they only offered 2 grand off the gasser. Still in break in mode so no honest comparison yet...

Payload is a biggie. Once you drop a thousand pounds on the ball, there isn't a whole lot left with most half-tons. But if your F150 has the heavy payload, I think you are good to go.
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Old 12-08-2016, 06:20 PM   #14
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You can get a Ford F-250 with the Super Cable and the short wheel base and it is about the same length as an SUV. That's what I have with the gas engine. Plenty of power and plenty of load capacity.
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Old 12-08-2016, 06:33 PM   #15
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I found a great deal on a 2012 GMC 3/4 ton. After towing our 30' Safari bunkhouse back from Missouri, I'm glad I went bigger. My wife likes the heft and stability of the truck when pulling the trailer. It's rock solid. She's not such a big fan of the 3/4 ton's stiff suspension without the trailer hooked up, though. Her Fitbit was racking up the step count on the rough interstate in Oklahoma... lol. Tradeoffs...

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Old 12-08-2016, 07:38 PM   #16
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F-150 rocks monster torque and Horsepower to spare. It's the perfect match. F-250 is great but most definitely an overkill for the Airstream.
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Old 12-08-2016, 08:08 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Roadhoop View Post
Make sure the payload is for the specific truck. Max payload packages are rare. Yellow sticker on driver side door frame. Payload will be your issue.

I have a 2015 F150, 25' flying cloud. Payload is 1,890, I have to be cognizant about weight.
THIS! Walk the lot with the salesman and look at the yellow stickers. I doubt you'll find an F-150 with over 3,000 lbs of payload.

You'll be fine with pulling power but you will have to watch payload if you go with an F-150.

I pull a 30' bunk with mine but load carefully. I'm thinking of full timing and if I do I will give serious thought to a 250/350.
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Old 12-08-2016, 09:07 PM   #18
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Assuming both set ups are within spec, I think it's a matter of personal preference. Some may be fine towing with a F150, and some may prefer the F250. They feel different. Go with what you like.
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Old 12-09-2016, 08:16 AM   #19
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I'll get a lot of flack and as I'm new here, so here it goes,I just picked up a 1973 31ft Excella 500 that we will be doing a lot of work to bring it up to travel standard and the Ford eco will pull most any AS out there WHEN SET UP PROPERLY I dont have the luxury of having a 3/4ton vehicle but i have a properly set up 1/2 ton, 1, 1970 Chevrolet Pu and a 1989 and an 2004 Chevrolet Suburban both with tow pkg. and will pull it with the best of them stay with in the weight limits and use a lot of thought to when braking and give yourself plenty of room. And yes I have 15 years of experience with tracter trailer experience so i know a little about this. Just saying and the eco boost would be my choice for a new ride if i wantd a payment again.
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Old 12-09-2016, 09:05 AM   #20
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IMHO, an F250, Chevy 2500HD, or 3/4 ton Dodge Ram, all with diesel engines are the best TV's to consider. Fuel mileage, durability, and peace of mind when towing need to be a part of your decision. Also, keep in mind that dealer sales staff are trained to guide you to the vehicles they are trying to get off their lots or have a bigger sales commission.

Also, consider your future travel and assume you'll be heading for the mountains, or at least crossing them somewhere down the road. The diesels are far more capable of powering up and over the hill, as well as having better control going down the other side via exhaust brakes, larger diameter brakes, heavy duty transmissions, etc.

I've been pulling with an 07 Chevy 2500HD Duramax, and have racked up over 120,000 doing so. I've never had an issue keeping up with traffic, passing, or getting up and down the hills.

Good luck with your decision.
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