Please help: 2018 Globetrotter => 2018 F-150 Lariat SuperCrew Confirmation

[labans]

I have a 32 Silver Streak that the books shows to weigh about 8000 lbs. I bought a 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4wd with a Mercedes Diesel engine. It was the top of the line with every possible option. But still I upgraded the shocks, cross-drilled brakes, largest front and rear sway bars with polyurethane bushings and etc. Also a friction anti-sway device on the trailer.
Engine towed the trailer right nice---lots of power and about 14.5 mpg.
But towing back across Texas on IH10 I found that the winds were causing a lot of loss of control and had to slow down to 50 mph or less in order to be safe. And coming down long grades I often felt that maybe the trailer was stronger than the tow vehicle. In other words, I did not feel confident at all times. So I sold it after 3 months.
Bought a 2000 Dodge 3500 with 5.9 diesel. Picked the truck up in Kentucky and dead-headed back to Austin----clocked 24.8 mpg at 70 with 3.73 gears.
Rebuilt the suspension and brakes and bars and rubbers and a-arms and new steering box etc. I finally got a chance to hook up the trailer with no extra bars or WD or anything and went for a drive for a couple of hundred miles. I was shocked to realize that I could NOT tell that I had a trailer hooked up except when I took off from standstill!!! OMG what a difference. TOTAL confidence now with not a blip from wind or trucks or bad road or hills or anything. AND---I just measured 17.5 mpg on a trip. What a winning combination this is.
So my summary is: Buy the biggest truck you can put up with---period.
Only caveat is that if this was my daily driver I would not be happy as the truck is huge and noisy. But what a relief when towing!!!

[DubleDeuce]

You are looking at a GVWR on that truck. What you need is a Gross Combined Vehicle Weight Rating or GCVWR. This is a rating given to trucks that combine the trailer AND the truck as a unit. You say you want a tow unit that can be used as a daily driver but once you start looking at trailers in the higher weight ranges this becomes a chore and there WILL be some trade off in the selection process.

GCVWR information is always a maximum number and there is a constant race in the truck marketing field to keep upping the ratings on a truck for towing capacity. As one who deals in large OTR tow capacities I am always a bit skeptical of manufacturers claims as often times they do not take into account the real world of towing. For a towed vehicle weighing 7300 lbs and a tongue weight of 800lbs I would want to err on the side of safety. Understand that the towed vehicle curb weight is NOT the towed vehicles' fighting weight. (out running on the road) You speak of having a wife so you will need to investigate specifically what she will be wanting to carry on these ventures. A fully loaded vehicle is the best evidence of the amount of weight you will be towing. And don't forget potable water supplies and propane. these are required liquids that quickly drive up the weight burden people place on their vehicle.

An F-150 with a V-6 engine would NOT be my first choice with this package. You are at 7300+4500-5000lbs. for the truck (12,300lb) At minimum I would go for the 5.0L V-8 AND the heaviest GCVWR you can buy. Absent that you are looking at bumping to a 3/4 ton F-250, my first choice.

You can get this truck with a 6.2L V-8 gas engine. Plenty of power and it will not be lugged down trying to pull beyond its capabilities. I would NOT recommend the diesel (even though I have spent my whole professional life around them) as it is NOT cost effective, either to buy,(pay a huge premium) operate,(fuel costs are very close to that of a gas engine) or repair.(ridiculous).

Whatever your choice, remember, you will be stuck with it every time you go on a trip. Fighting a recalcitant truck that is running AT or under its capabilities will ruin your trip AND your desire to want to take other trips. Don't let a poor vehicle choice ruin your travel investment.

Remember to look for the GCVWR of the towing vehicle and be certain you have the correct anticipated towed vehicle weight to use in your calculation.

Good Luck.

[jcl]

Y’all telling the OP what you think he should do, such as pick a 3/4 ton or a large displacement NA engine, do realize that he has since purchased the truck, right?

[devolo]

Just one of those never ending topics like hitches.

[DubleDeuce]

Well, I am NOT a consistent regular on this board. Towing something to live in is just not MY way of doing things. I prefer coaches. BUT, I do have particular knowledge and skills in this area and this post JUST came up in my eMail so I answered it.

The advise is STILL valid and given in good faith. The fact that the guy asked, listened, and went out and did exactly what we suggested he not do is indicative of the suspicion that most advise seekers on these boards are not so much asking for advise or information as they are asking for absolution for a decision they HAVE, or, are about to make. I can't help that.

After you made your post I went back into the guys thread and saw where he in fact did EXACTLY what he had wanted to do, buy an F-150 with a V-6 engine. He will rue the day but again, that is not my problem.

He holds himself out to be a novice (and not a very good novice at that) in the travel trailer business so he asks questions. But if you DON'T know the answer to the question you are asking WHY ignore the advise you are given?

This fellow falls into a rather common and normal group of travel trailer haulers, classified as not well funded. They try to get by on the cheap. He wanted to pull a trailer AND he wanted to have a daily driver in the same vehicle. You can do that, BUT, you WILL be making some concessions in one arena or the other.

In this case he valued his daily commute comfort over his vacation travel comfort AND may I add, safety. Not to mention the excess wear and tear he will put on this unit as he negotiates the those long forever risings of the terrain out west.

And I will be right behind him in my 400HP travel coach, ON the air horn, encouraging him to "get outta the way". If I don't impress HIM with that gesture I am CERTAIN that the little lady will take note and by the time they return to the home base, either the trailer will be sold or the truck will be chucked for an F-250. One thing about the truth, in the end it ALWAYS wins out.

[billrector]

Originally Posted by Countryboy59

Or get a good set of Michelins and chuck the spare 😎

Wow....I did not know that Michelins couldn't flat!

[Countryboy59]

Originally Posted by DubleDeuce

Well, I am NOT a consistent regular on this board. Towing something to live in is just not MY way of doing things. I prefer coaches. BUT, I do have particular knowledge and skills in this area and this post JUST came up in my eMail so I answered it.

The advise is STILL valid and given in good faith. The fact that the guy asked, listened, and went out and did exactly what we suggested he not do is indicative of the suspicion that most advise seekers on these boards are not so much asking for advise or information as they are asking for absolution for a decision they HAVE, or, are about to make. I can't help that.

After you made your post I went back into the guys thread and saw where he in fact did EXACTLY what he had wanted to do, buy an F-150 with a V-6 engine. He will rue the day but again, that is not my problem.

He holds himself out to be a novice (and not a very good novice at that) in the travel trailer business so he asks questions. But if you DON'T know the answer to the question you are asking WHY ignore the advise you are given?

This fellow falls into a rather common and normal group of travel trailer haulers, classified as not well funded. They try to get by on the cheap. He wanted to pull a trailer AND he wanted to have a daily driver in the same vehicle. You can do that, BUT, you WILL be making some concessions in one arena or the other.

In this case he valued his daily commute comfort over his vacation travel comfort AND may I add, safety. Not to mention the excess wear and tear he will put on this unit as he negotiates the those long forever risings of the terrain out west.

And I will be right behind him in my 400HP travel coach, ON the air horn, encouraging him to "get outta the way". If I don't impress HIM with that gesture I am CERTAIN that the little lady will take note and by the time they return to the home base, either the trailer will be sold or the truck will be chucked for an F-250. One thing about the truth, in the end it ALWAYS wins out.

Don't use the air horn in my neck of the woods. Causes air leaks ��

[Mollysdad]

Originally Posted by tbashin

I'm with majorairhead. If you have to worry about it, you don't have enough truck.

I remember reading how a member was pleased that his new 350 could tow an Airstream up and down a 13% grade without noticing it was there. It gave me a pause, thinking, "I've never encountered a 13% grade either driving a MH or towing an Airstream. But I have driven to the grocery hundreds of times and my 1/2 ton fits in a parking spot."
If I had a dedicated tow vehicle for the Airstream, as I'm sure many of you do, I'd consider a bigger truck, but as long as my vehicle is also my daily driver, I'll stick with the Tundra.

Originally Posted by DubleDeuce

This fellow falls into a rather common and normal group of travel trailer haulers, classified as not well funded. They try to get by on the cheap. He wanted to pull a trailer AND he wanted to have a daily driver in the same vehicle. You can do that, BUT, you WILL be making some concessions in one arena or the other.

If I wanted to get by on the cheap, I wouldn't be buying an Airstream. We all make concessions.

I will be right behind him in my 400HP travel coach, ON the air horn, encouraging him to "get outta the way". If I don't impress HIM with that gesture I am CERTAIN that the little lady will take note and by the time they return to the home base, either the trailer will be sold or the truck will be chucked for an F-250. One thing about the truth, in the end it ALWAYS wins out.

Reminds me of the biker t-shirt: "Honk if you're never seen a gun fired from a moving Harley."

If a F-250 is good, isn't a F-650 better?
There's always one bigger. Go big or go home!

[jcl]

Originally Posted by DubleDeuce

The advise is STILL valid and given in good faith. The fact that the guy asked, listened, and went out and did exactly what we suggested he not do is indicative of the suspicion that most advise seekers on these boards are not so much asking for advise or information as they are asking for absolution for a decision they HAVE, or, are about to make. I can't help that.

The advice you refer to didn’t answer the OP’s question, which was how to calculate tongue weight. He didn’t ask about whether he should buy a larger truck, or a larger displacement engine. He confirmed that he and his spouse had reviewed planned payload. He provided GCVWR and GVWR figures, and was well within those.

So when he receives a lecture on using GCVWR, 41 posts later, and is told his wife will want to bring much more on their trips, and his selection of vehicle is faulty, and he is too cheap, and opting for the wrong engine, those offering unsolicited opinions on those topics shouldn’t be surprised when their opinions are politely ignored, and complaining about being ignored because one knows “the truth” seems like it might be bad form.

[Airstream87]

As a long time AS owner and user that needed a new tow vehicle I too agonized over what to buy. I have used a 2000 F250 super crew SD V10 with pullrite hitch since new after filliping a 1999 C10 while towing. My children have F150s and they are very pleased with them, however as daily drivers not towers.
So after much research and talking to many AS F150 users I ordered a 2017 F150 super crew equipped with 3.5 Ecoboost, Max trailer tow package (53C), heavy duty payload package (627), 3.73 electronic locking diff, 36 gal tank, 6.5 ft bed, and telescoping mirrors. This configuration is rated to tow 11,700lbs and 1,220lbs Tongue weight and is impossible to find on a dealers lot. Have not selected a hitch yet, probably do so this winter. While have not towed yet everything I researched leds me to feel some confidence it will do well.

[SailorSam205]

Originally Posted by DubleDeuce

In this case he valued his daily commute comfort over his vacation travel comfort AND may I add, safety. Not to mention the excess wear and tear he will put on this unit as he negotiates the those long forever risings of the terrain out west.

And I will be right behind him in my 400HP travel coach, ON the air horn, encouraging him to "get outta the way". If I don't impress HIM with that gesture I am CERTAIN that the little lady will take note and by the time they return to the home base, either the trailer will be sold or the truck will be chucked for an F-250. One thing about the truth, in the end it ALWAYS wins out.

Don't know about that. My SOB is taller and less aerodynamic that the OP's trailer but weighs in at about the same. My F-150 3.5 EB was comfortably able to handle 60 MPH over numerous grades maxing at 12%. If you want to go faster than that - go for it.

[Countryboy59]

Originally Posted by billrector

Wow....I did not know that Michelins couldn't flat!

Improper maintenance is the cause of most tire problems. Cheap tires too.

[Rocinante]

If we had maintained our tires better, I guess that nail through the tread would have bent or bounced off instead of penetrating the tire and causing a slow leak. [emoji57]

[Countryboy59]

Originally Posted by Rocinante

If we had maintained our tires better, I guess that nail through the tread would have bent or bounced off instead of penetrating the tire and causing a slow leak. [emoji57]

I changed quite a few tires for AAA and the majority of punctures were in tires that were near end of tread life.

[Rocinante]

Good point, but that means we were in the minority. These were 16" Michelin tires on our trailer with less than 5,000 miles on them. Fortunately, we had a TPMS, an air pump, a road-hazard warranty, and an in-network tire shop within half an hour of our location.

[SailorSam205]

I was lucky enough to be able to spend $200 to replace a tire on my last truck due to a puncture - didn't have 1000 miles on the truck at that point. Picked up a screw driver shaft from one of those changeable screw drivers. Still have the shaft as a souvenir.

[ddrg]

Originally Posted by BambiTex

I think you will find an overwhelming majority of those folks towing with F150's have the EB twin turbo engine and find it to give excellent towing performance, myself included.

Thanks for your confirmation! We pick up our Globetrotter tomorrow, and I'm expecting that we'll at least be able to pull it off the lot with our 3.5L EB :-)

Tonight, I was reflecting on our rental experience with Airstream2Go last year, where we easily pulled a 28RB with a Tahoe. Our 27FB will be lighter and the F-150 more powerful than the Tahoe, so I'm anticipating that we'll be happy :-)

Ciao... Duncan

[ddrg]

Originally Posted by DubleDeuce

You are looking at a GVWR on that truck. What you need is a Gross Combined Vehicle Weight Rating or GCVWR. This is a rating given to trucks that combine the trailer AND the truck as a unit. You say you want a tow unit that can be used as a daily driver but once you start looking at trailers in the higher weight ranges this becomes a chore and there WILL be some trade off in the selection process.

GCVWR information is always a maximum number and there is a constant race in the truck marketing field to keep upping the ratings on a truck for towing capacity. As one who deals in large OTR tow capacities I am always a bit skeptical of manufacturers claims as often times they do not take into account the real world of towing. For a towed vehicle weighing 7300 lbs and a tongue weight of 800lbs I would want to err on the side of safety. Understand that the towed vehicle curb weight is NOT the towed vehicles' fighting weight. (out running on the road) You speak of having a wife so you will need to investigate specifically what she will be wanting to carry on these ventures. A fully loaded vehicle is the best evidence of the amount of weight you will be towing. And don't forget potable water supplies and propane. these are required liquids that quickly drive up the weight burden people place on their vehicle.

An F-150 with a V-6 engine would NOT be my first choice with this package. You are at 7300+4500-5000lbs. for the truck (12,300lb) At minimum I would go for the 5.0L V-8 AND the heaviest GCVWR you can buy. Absent that you are looking at bumping to a 3/4 ton F-250, my first choice.

You can get this truck with a 6.2L V-8 gas engine. Plenty of power and it will not be lugged down trying to pull beyond its capabilities. I would NOT recommend the diesel (even though I have spent my whole professional life around them) as it is NOT cost effective, either to buy,(pay a huge premium) operate,(fuel costs are very close to that of a gas engine) or repair.(ridiculous).

Whatever your choice, remember, you will be stuck with it every time you go on a trip. Fighting a recalcitant truck that is running AT or under its capabilities will ruin your trip AND your desire to want to take other trips. Don't let a poor vehicle choice ruin your travel investment.

Remember to look for the GCVWR of the towing vehicle and be certain you have the correct anticipated towed vehicle weight to use in your calculation.

Good Luck.

Thanks for your feedback. I did post the following previously:

GCWR(F-150): 16,100#; GVWR(F-150): 7000#; GVWR(Globetrotter): 7530#
GVWR(F-150) + GVWR(Globetrotter) = 14,530# which is less that 16,100#.

I think the F-150 we purchased will work, and others seem to be happy with theirs.

I'm obviously no expert, but I think the numbers are will work.

Ciao... Duncan

[sctinman44]

Originally Posted by Hans627

Welcome to the forum. It's good to have you on board!

I will let those who have a ProPride hitch and/or a F-150 (I have neither) answer your questions but I do know that such a hitch will transfer some of the weight to the axles of the trailer giving you more than your 279# payload capacity.

BTW congrats on your Globetrotter! Enjoy!

Theoretically yes on your determination. Some of your ProPride hitch weight will transfer to the trailer. Let's say half, that would give you 75 extra pounds of payload for your truck, or 354 lbs. That's not a lot, say you might carry a generator. My Honda 3000is generator full of gas weighs 165 lbs., boxer dog 55 lbs,. 4 camping chairs 40lbs, small Colman grill and propane canister 25 ,lbs, dog food in sealed plastic container 5lbs (keep ants out), total 315 lbs, balance 39 lbs, not much. When you tow with Ford 150, Chevy 1500, Ram 1500 (my truck) you have to be very weight conscious. I have a Shurline tongue scale that I weigh my trailer when loaded before hooking up. Then I go to a truck stop , Pilot, QT, etc and weigh my rig. If I'm going to be over any ( "a little") it's better (safer) to be over on the trailer than the tow rig. When I use to tow with 1998 Ram never had a problem. I'm like you I use my 2015 Ram 1500 as a daily commuter. Good luck, and error on the side of safety. Happy camping.. sctinman44

[billrector]

Originally Posted by Mollysdad

I remember reading how a member was pleased that his new 350 could tow an Airstream up and down a 13% grade without noticing it was there. It gave me a pause, thinking, "I've never encountered a 13% grade either driving a MH or towing an Airstream. But I have driven to the grocery hundreds of times and my 1/2 ton fits in a parking spot."
If I had a dedicated tow vehicle for the Airstream, as I'm sure many of you do, I'd consider a bigger truck, but as long as my vehicle is also my daily driver, I'll stick with the Tundra.

If I wanted to get by on the cheap, I wouldn't be buying an Airstream. We all make concessions.
Reminds me of the biker t-shirt: "Honk if you're never seen a gun fired from a moving Harley."

If a F-250 is good, isn't a F-650 better?
There's always one bigger. Go big or go home!

I'll tell you my experience with trucks, which is very limited. Until our move to Texas, I had never had a truck. However, we have over 3 acres and lots of landscaping, so we decided to give a truck a try even though we did not know if we would like it. To that regard, we bought a used certified Toyota Tundra and that became our third vehicle (only two of us).

To our surprise, we ended up taking the Tundra everywhere! So much so, that when I retired, I sold my Porsche 911 because I drove the truck almost all the time.

Just this year, we bought a 27' Airstream Flying Cloud, partly because we figure we already had a tow vehicle. Our first trip was out west and there were a few hills that I could only do 30 mph but the most limiting thing was the payload. We are not RV park people. Instead, we like to camp....complete with camp fire, outdoor cooking, etc. After that first trip, I realized that the Tundra was limiting, so I started to look at options. I found I was in no-man's land as the F-150 trucks I looked at were all just marginally better than my Tundra. However, the F-250 just seemed like too much truck and this would be my daily driver.

To make a long story short, I recently bought an F-250 diesel! I'll admit that I have not towed with it yet, but I expect that to be the best part. This truck is amazing and I have no problem (and neither does my wife) using it as a daily driver. I'm getting 16mpg just driving around town (the same as my Tundra). I have a great moon roof, heated and cooled seats, a great stereo, and all the creature comforts you could want. I find the ride to be great, but I'll admit that both of us are used to stiff suspensions. I fit into normal parking spaces and find the camera system so good that I can fit perfectly between the lines.

I just wanted to dispel the myth that F-250s don't make good daily drivers. I am enjoying driving mine all around town.