Will my 2011 F-150 Supercrew Tow a 30' International

[TNB]

Hello. I'm in the process of buying a 2011 30' International and I have 2011 F150 Supercrew with a towing package and trans cooler. My F150 has a GVWR or 7350#, Max GCWR of 13500# and max trailer weight of 7500#.

The 30' International has a GVWR of 8800#, base weight of 6322# and hitch weight of 880#.

Both the dealer at Airstream and Ford say I should have no issue but that doesn't give me great comfort that I can tow safely.

Does anyone have experience towing a 30' with a F150? Very much appreciate any quidance.

Thanks.

[BigAl]

My 2011 f150 has the ecoboost engine with maxtow package. Tows my 8300 lb trailer effortlessly.
Al

[AirsDream]

Obviously, you're close to the limit when the trailer is empty, and when it's full and/or the truck is fully loaded, you'd be over gross for both tow rating and GCWR. That said, properly set up, with a good weight distributing hitch and good anti-sway, and if you don't load much in the truck or trailer, you CAN tow it. How comfortable you are will depend a lot on you, the roads you choose, the terrain, and the speed at which you drive. I suspect that your first trip to something that looks like mountains will be a white knuckle experience, especially on down grades. Seems to me that so long as you stay within mfr. specs for towing and GVWR ratings, you may want to try it and see how happy you are. Do work with a reputable hitch installer / set up company.

There are lots of folks out there towing trailers that size with much less capable tow vehicles ... let's hope that some of them chime in.

[bganso]

I tow with a 2012 Ram 1500 and just got back from a 4,700 mile trip to the western national parks (many mountain passes). At the start of the trip, I weighed in at the Cat Scales in Battle Mountain, NV. Gross Weight was 14,460, well within the 15,000 lb capacity of my TV. I was fully loaded (propane, water, wife, dog, groceries,empty holding tanks). The truck, by itself, was overweight by 160 lbs, so I told wife she and the dog would need to work out a ride with friends ;-).

PO installed a 6KW Honda generator on the front by lengthening A frame 6", which added about 250 lbs. to our AS, otherwise I think we would be within weight.

Bottom line, while not a F-150, we have had no problems pulling with a half ton truck.

Bruce

[Pileus]

I tow a 31ft. with my 2010 F-150 Supercrew. It handles the job very well. With proper WD hitch and good anti-sway you won't even knowthe AS is back there.
Some considerations for you:
If your F150 tow package did not include the brake controller, have your Ford dealer install the dash-mounted OEM controller. It will display the gain on the speedometer display and works well with the OEM anti-sway braking feature on the truck.
Also, if your vehicle has stock OEM tires, they may be a P series which give a smooth ride but are essentially inadequate for towing a trailer. If you install LT or XL rated tires on your F-150 that inflate to 50 psi you will gain more stability.

[RonaldC303]

On the driver's door there should be a sticker indicating the maximum rating per axle, max GVW, and max payload. I had a 2009 F150 SuperCrew, 4x4. The available payload on the sticker was relatively low on my truck, about 1200 lbs. as I remember. So when I added passengers, dogs, stuff inside the cab and inside the bed, bed cover, hitch, and tongue weight, I was over the payload limit even with the weight distribution hitch adjusted properly. I was still under the max tow limit but the rear axle was over also. I believe the max tow rating assumes only one person in the truck, the driver, and no cargo. Not realistic for me.

I also live in Denver and travel to the mountains and the F150 just didn't have enough power for the 10,000' passes. I now have a GMC 2500 diesel and while not the cheapest way to go, it is the ultimate towing machine for me. My $0.02.

[Steve & Mary]

I would say yes. But you may have some limitations to deal with every now and then. We use to tow our 31ft. Classic with a 2007 Expedition EL. Again...it got the job done most of the time but could be a handful in high winds or steep grades. We always traveled with the trailer mostly empty. Recently we moved up to a 2012 F-250 6.7 and love it. It is a lot of truck and makes towing so much easier. You might consider a Hensley hitch. It would make life a lot easier when towing. I'll install one when we start towing more after retirement :-)

[Aviator]

Yes. I comfortably tow our 34' with 2009 F150 5.4L 4X2.

[dkottum]

Safety being your main question, here's some thought. It's not all in the numbers.

1) Airstreams are probably the most aerodynamic and stable trailer you can buy.

2) Safety is dependent on the driver, adjust speed for traffic, weather, wind, and terrain conditions. I think most of us tow 55 - 65 mph. Be patient when needed.

3) There are modern hitches made by Propride and Hensley that eliminate trailer sway, a dangerous condition.

4) Weight distribution hitches distribute trailer tongue weight among the axles, ideally 1/3 to each truck axle, and 1/3 to the trailer axles.

5) Airstreams are all tiny trailers, limited storage. Pack lightly, and don't load down the bed of your truck.

With these considerations you will do just fine.

doug k