2013 F-150 & 2015 Flying Cloud 25'

[GLovedahl]

I've read numerous posts on this forum about weight ratings, tow vehicles, etc., and talked to both the truck dealer and the airstream dealer about my worries concerning towing the 25' Flying Cloud (FB) with our 2013 Ford F-150 that came equipped with the tow package. The dealers both said it should be fine, but I detected something less than an enthusiastic affirmation. We will be pulling the trailer from Texas to our summer place in New Brunswick, Canada...a 2,500 mile journey one way. Last year, pulling a restored Argosy Minuet Six Metre, we had no problem whatsoever, but obviously we were dealing with much less weight. We really don't want to buy another truck, but I don't want to be stuck on the side of the highway, or worse. The truck has the Ecoboost 3.5 V6 engine, 3.31 Electronic Lock RR Axle, and the 7100# GVWR Package.

Depending on the route, we encounter mountains of varying steepness. We prefer to avoid the I-95 corridor up through Baltimore, Philly, NYC, and Boston, and therefore take the more westerly route up through northeastern PA, etc.

Since we travel up to Canada for a four month stay, we take quite a bit of stuff, in addition to our three dogs. That stuff includes clothes, books, dog supplies, golf clubs, fishing gear, tools, etc. We travel with the freshwater and holding tanks empty. So....my question to all of you, who have a tremendous amount of experience........Are we good to go with the F-150?

[lsbrodsky]

I have a comparable Silverado 1500 and a 25FB. No problems of any kind through the Blue Ridge mountains and plains of the East Coast. Never been West with my rig but I have no reason to get a bigger TV. I wouldn't put 3 dogs in my truck though, one is enough.
Larry

[n2916s]

This subject has been pretty much beaten to death. Certainly you can tow your Airstream safely and efficiently wherever you like with your F150. What you can't do is tow the trailer AND carry a bunch of stuff in the truck bed.

The monster truck guys will chime in shortly about diesel, bigger brakes, jake brakes, enormous payload etc. but you have a perfectly fine tow vehicle as long as you load accordingly.

Another group will shortly chime I about how their hitch setup is the only one to have. Pretty much all of them will do the job just fine with the caveat that any weight distributing/anti sway equipment you choose MUST be set up properly to do what it is supposed to do.

For the record, I have towed my roughly four ton Sovereign about 60000 miles with a 2004 Nissan Titan with zero problems or white knuckle moments. Drive carefully, manage your momentum, downshift as necessary and off you go on your adventure!

Mike

[tjdonahoe]

Some folks like their cars,I like my 3/4 diesel, with exhaust brake and it cruises at 1500 rpm at 64mph just like my big truck....go and try one out,you might like it...

[moosetags]

I think that generally you will be fine towing the new 25FB with the F-150. The only issue that you will need to consider is the possible overloading of the truck. You talk about bringing everything but the kitchen sink. Throwing an additional 850# of tongue weight on the back of the truck may put you well over spec.

Brian

[dkottum]

So you're going to tow it up there and leave it there. Small challenge. Put the heavier items in the Airstream, over the axles as much as possible. Don't load it heavy front or back. Leave the stuff you don't really need at home and stay under axle and tire ratings for both. Take your time and enjoy the trip.

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, this is very similar to another thread going on right now about a half ton, or 1500, Dodge. Your differential ratio is a bit too tall, and what information that you mentioned, your payload is quite small. Might not be good to load your truck so heavily.



Note: I tow with a Lincoln and will be towing with an F-150 in the future.
Lincoln payload is 1600 lbs and F-150 payload is 1745 lbs.

[Shiloh4570]

I've been towing my 27' Classic with an F-150 Eco-Boost (3.73 and towing package with Hensley hitch) for a couple years. Numerous trips from Oregon to Montana, one from Oregon to North Dakota, many weekend camping trips and zero problems to date. I usually have the back of the pickup loaded with fishing gear, shooting gear and one or two Honda generators depending on where I will be camping. I keep my speed at 65 and gear down when going down long hills. Seems to do fine.

[gecko]

We have a 2009 28' International, and did extensive research to replace our 2000 Suburban 3/4 ton TV in 2013. Your truck with your engine and the tow package was our first choice for it's combination of great torque and decent mileage when not towing. We didn't buy it because we have a huge volume of very lightweight windsurfing gear, and some of it is a bit longer than would fit in the 8' bed. Plus, it was difficult to find a more luxurious "cowboy cadillac" version with the long bed. So we ended up with a Sprinter 3500 and it's small diesel, which has been great for our gear and adequate for towing. It actually has less torque than your F-150, and way less horsepower, and we feel both in a headwind or up steep grades, but it gets the job done and handles surprisingly great.

Our windsurf equipment--11 masts, 4 booms, 11 sails and six boards--only weighs about 500lbs including the custom 5 foot high aluminum triple rack to hold it all. You're carrying a lot more baggage!

Everybody else has given you good advice--you must be careful about loading all your stuff, and if you do have to put stuff inside the Airstream because your truck is overloaded with weight, as close to the axles as possible is the way to go. We don't use generators because of the weight and the smell of transporting gasoline and the noise to neighbors. We have full solar, instead, and this handles us perfectly but we can't run microwave and AC the way we're configured. When towing, of course, you'll keep an eye on your transmission temp gauge when climbing, especially in high heat. Only wish the Sprinter had one--we miss the gauge on the Suburban! But you have nothing over which to lose sleep!

Have fun with your great rig!

[peetoe]

I have a Toyota Tundra and have had Zero Issues with my 25 foot. It's a non issue. I played the same game when I bought mine. I was very worried that the truck was going to be to small. After towing all over Utah California Colorado up some very step roads my trusty Tundra was fine. Enjoy your camper and your F150.

[graysailor]

I currently have a 2013 F150 that I use to tow my 25' Cloud. You will have no problems what so ever. Have a nice trip.

PS...of course you will need the WD hitch and sway control, etc.

[DKB_SATX]

Jerry,

You may have noticed that a bunch of the HOTC members tow with Ecoboost F150s. Paul & Ann tow their heavy CCD up into the mountains in NM and CO all the time, and I can tell you from caravanning in CO with several people with Ecoboost F150s that they'll just cruise up to the high passes as fast as they want to go, while my 5.4L is howling along at 45 mph in 2nd, wide open.

Every one of the members with an Ecoboost I've asked about it would buy another if they needed to replace their truck.

[mopillar]

Originally Posted by DKB_SATX

Jerry,

You may have noticed that a bunch of the HOTC members tow with Ecoboost F150s. Paul & Ann tow their heavy CCD up into the mountains in NM and CO all the time, and I can tell you from caravanning in CO with several people with Ecoboost F150s that they'll just cruise up to the high passes as fast as they want to go, while my 5.4L is howling along at 45 mph in 2nd, wide open.

Every one of the members with an Ecoboost I've asked about it would buy another if they needed to replace their truck.

My thoughts exactly. I have owned quite a few F150s but this ecoboost has been my favorite by far. I tow our 30ft bunkhouse with no problems at all. We are full-time in it so it certainly gets its workout.

[GLovedahl]

Thank you, everyone, for all the encouraging feedback. I now feel a much more comfortable towing the AS with the F-150. I'm glad the salesman put us in the EcoBoost, and he also advised against 4X4 unless we really needed it....a big savings in weight. We had a cap installed on the truck when we purchased it, so that's a bit more weight. We're really going to cut back on what we take along with us. Thanks again.

[KJRitchie]

What does the yellow load sticker on the drivers door state for your F150 EB?

Kelvin