FC 23FB seeks 1/2 ton TV to hitch up

[DogMomDeb]

We are looking for a 1/2 ton truck to pull our soon to be FC 23FB. I have been doing some research and it looks like the F150 is the better way to go.
But we haven't pulled the trigger yet on it.
And yes I know we may have/probably will have to order and keep our fingers crossed that we get the TV before the FC is completed.
My research has shown that I need a more stripped down model of whatever we get. No leather seats or the like for us - the dog would destroy it. I will be using the truck as my daily vehicle and I drive about 50 miles to and from work. My current car is a Subaru Crosstrek so this will be a big change.
Is the F150 the best choice in terms of towing capacity, gas mileage and price?

[RedSHED]

Best? No. Should it work very well? I think so.
Unless you have a serious jones for a Ford, make them earn it. Ram and Chevrolet are pretty fungible in that space.

Edit: With that kind of distance, personally I'd be looking at a diesel or maybe a hybrid. But, if you can keep your foot out of it, I would occasionally see 22-24 with the hemi (calculated, not displayed). Similar to what I've seen with the 2500 diesel. Those were outliers, though.

[GetawA-S]

DogMomDeb,
We have been very happy with our ‘19 F150 V8 crew cab and mid height ARE cap. Ordering one with max payload is the sensible choice, and you can get the color you like. I guess I am an old fogey, but the add-on “luxuries “ in today’s trucks seem excessive. I guess when you start in a ‘65 F150 bought army surplus…
BTW, we get 12.5 mpg towing as a starting point, sometimes doing as well as 13.5 or 14. Between 17 and 20 mpg solo.
Happy camping!

[jondrew55]

Originally Posted by GetawA-S

DogMomDeb,
We have been very happy with our ‘19 F150 V8 crew cab and mid height ARE cap. Ordering one with max payload is the sensible choice, and you can get the color you like. I guess I am an old fogey, but the add-on “luxuries “ in today’s trucks seem excessive. I guess when you start in a ‘65 F150 bought army surplus…
BTW, we get 12.5 mpg towing as a starting point, sometimes doing as well as 13.5 or 14.
Happy camping!

My first car was a '59 Willys Jeep with no floorboards. I'm quite happy with my 12" multifunction display and vented seats in my RAM

[Dennis C]

You’ll do fine towing a 23FB with most 1/2 ton vehicles. Choose the one that you prefer, and be mindful of the maximum payload rating as you make your selection. Based on your description, you shouldn’t have any issues. Personally, I prefer GMC over Ford, but everyone has their favorite.

[John Birk]

I’m towing my 23FB with a 2017 Ford F-150 and couldn’t be happier. It’s an XL with cloth seats and rubber floor but upgraded to the STX package with V8, long bed and max towing. We average between 12 and 14 mpg while towing and 18mpg when not. We went from a smaller camper lighter to the Airstream but the Airstream towers much better. I also added an Equalizer hitch (dealer threw it in when I purchased the 23). The combination feels great for that size. If I ever move up to a 25 I’ll get the F250.

[Jeff7176]

I had a V8 F150 pulling our 25 and it did fine. Payload was a bit short and once we started full timing we moved up to a 250.

For the 150, the V8 mpg was ok solo, and below 10mpg when pulling. If I was to do it again (not full time) I would grab an ecoboost XLT with max payload (not sure exactly what trims can get that). I would also NOT get the big sunroof thing. We never used it…would have preferred the extra payload capacity.

Our 150 also had the backup assist thing. When it worked, it was awesome. When it didn’t (sun hits the sticker wrong, angle of attack, etc) I felt like a buffoon. After a handful of embarrassing backing maneuvers, I spent lots if time in big parking lots learning how to back up without the assists.

[Acheron2010]

I'd agree with RedShed...if I was in the market for a 1/2 ton, I would run to the Nissan dealer and get one of their diesel Titan pickups. Awesome vehicle, great payload, powertrain and price.
While I was at it, I would actually go to CarMax.com and look for a slightly used one.

[uraljohn]

Whatever brand you settle on be sure to get it properly equipped. Not all pick up trucks are created equal. For the Ford the F150 in XL or XLT trim is available with the Max Tow Pkg and most importantly the HDPP (Heavy Duty Payload Package). You will need to order one and deal only with the Commercial Truck Specialist at the dealership. The regular salesgeeks won't have a clue as to what your talking about when you mention HDPP. The other brands I am not familiar with but maybe someone else can chime in on packages on the GM/Ram products that make them better suited to towing.

More than likely you will move up from your 23' AS to a 25' or 27' within a couple years. Get a truck that will tow the future upgrade. The F150 is OK for a 25' but getting close to or at the limit with a 27'. We tow our 25' FC with an E150 van but if we go any bigger it will be with a 3/4 tonner. Happy hunting for your TV.

[Sumbike]

I have a 2018 F-150 XLT, 3.5 Ecoboost, 35 gallon fuel tank, 4 X 4 extended cab, 6.5 foot bed and pull a '21 23' FBT, it is great, certainly the best truck - maybe even vehicle that I have owned! Plenty of power, comfortable, nice to drive. During a month long, 3400 mile trip starting the first of August, we averaged 13.9 mpg, all but about 150 of that was towing. This is in the west with a lot of mountains.

[Bobbo]

I have a 2017 FC23FB and tow with an F-150. Ours is an XLT with the 3.5l EcoBoost engine and the Max Tow Package, which gives us a 36 gallon fuel tank. That is VERY nice. We have a payload rating of 1895 pounds, which is plenty for the 23 foot. If I had gotten a heavier trailer, I would have gone with an F-250.

[Mollysdad]

I love my Tundra, but gas mileage needs to improve.
Next step down in build quality is the Ford IMO.
Everything else is a tie for third.
So, If I were to buy a F-150, I'd be online looking for "certified used" at a dealer.
Certified used looks like new, has additional warranty, and saves you some Benjamin's. (My Tundra was a certified used, with everything I wanted and only 12K miles.)

[T James]

We have a 23CB towed with Ford 150 expanded cab 2.7L which has plenty of power and torque averaging 16+ towing mpg. Other positives include a wheelbase that easily negotiates mall parking lots and is a comfortable highway ride pleasing to the spouse. We travel light and would not recommend this TV for larger Airstreams.

[uraljohn]

Big tip...If you order up an F150 with the Max Tow Pkg it does not include towing mirrors. They are a stand alone option on the F150. Go Figure. Not sure about the other brands. The 23'AS is 8' wide, but when you step up to the 25' and up As they are 8 1/2' wide and you will need decent factory tow mirrors.

[JDAngster]

I tow our 2019 23 FB with our 2017 Tundra Crewmax.

Tundra well matched and tows perfectly with Equalizer hitch. Have towed over 15,000 mile East to the Northwest without an issue!

[us3rnam3]

Originally Posted by Jeff7176

I had a V8 F150 pulling our 25 and it did fine. Payload was a bit short and once we started full timing we moved up to a 250.

For the 150, the V8 mpg was ok solo, and below 10mpg when pulling. If I was to do it again (not full time) I would grab an ecoboost XLT with max payload (not sure exactly what trims can get that). I would also NOT get the big sunroof thing. We never used it…would have preferred the extra payload capacity.

Our 150 also had the backup assist thing. When it worked, it was awesome. When it didn’t (sun hits the sticker wrong, angle of attack, etc) I felt like a buffoon. After a handful of embarrassing backing maneuvers, I spent lots if time in big parking lots learning how to back up without the assists.

Our F150 V8 XLT Crew Cab has sticker payload of over 2000 lbs. It is a 2015 and I visited our dealer last year and found the payload of the V8 XLT had not changed. We pull a 27 fb from Alaska to Florida and from Michigan UP to the RioGrande and most of the states in between. Just last week we finished a 6,500 mile trip from 7,500 ft altitude ro 200 ft altitude 11.3 mpg.

[Keith S]

I have owned two F-150 trucks. Both crew cabs. My first was a 2014 Ecoboost with a Max Tow Package. We did more than 60,000 miles before selling the truck and towed our 1997 25’Safari from coast to coast spending a great deal of time in Colorado and the truck handled the 25’ AS without any problems.

We upgraded to a new 2019 23’ FC FBQ and bought a used 2018 F-150 V8 Sport model with cloth seats as we have dogs too. TheV8 is a bit noisy when idling however, my son who is a mechanic at a GM dealer said that is a 32 valve motor with direct fuel injection and the noises are normal.
We are happy with the current TV and it tows our 23’ FC without any problems.

Just a note of caution if you decide to buy a new Chev or GMC my son told me that they have some issues with the cam followers made in Korea. He has recently had to repair two new vehicles one not even off the show room floor because the cam followers failed and bent the push rods. This may be an abnormally as the followers may just have been a a bad batch.

Overall I am happy with the 150 V8 Coyote motor and as others have said we get good gas mileage.
If you decide on the V6 Twin Turbo, or Ecoboost as it is called one word of caution is keep up on the maintenance as the turbos are very expensive if they have to be replaced.

We live in Canada and due to the pandemic have not done much camping. Our family live in the USA and we prefer travelling “down south”
Good luck and happy camping.
Regards,
Keith S.

[NIdaho]

I can understand your wanting to stick with the F150 but at least go check out the RAMs (1500 and 2500). I grew up driving Ford Trucks and owned them myself (including Rangers and Multiple F150s). In March of 2019 I ended up getting a RAM 2500 with the Cummins diesel. I am now getting about 22 MPG when doing highway miles (60-70 MPH) and it drops down to about 19-20 when I am doing Interstate driving >70 MPH. Of course it drops down to about 17 or so when towing one of the trailers (dump, cargo, 22' boat, or Airstream).

My son ended up getting a RAM 1500 Eco-Diesel shortly after I got my new truck (we jokingly refer to it as the baby-diesel !) He gets over 30 mpg doing Interstate driving 2 weeks ago they had to go to Billings, MT from North Idaho -- ~530 miles on I-90 but several mountain passes as well. Round trip he did almost 33 mpg. Last week he pulled my boat and it did better than my F150 ever thought about.

just my $0.02, "your mileage may vary"

[Wienerbago]

I know you are interested in the F150 half ton but I would suggest you also compare it to a three quarter ton. Price is important but also is you and your passenger safety. The heavier truck will increase all your towing capacities, towing weight, tongue weight and truck load carrying. I personally like having extra safe margins. I have this quirk, I always check the number of wheel lugs holding on the wheel. Most larger cars have five, (even some 1/2 ton trucks. Most 1/2 tons are six lug nuts per wheel, but the 3/4 will have 8 lugs per wheel.
ERR ON THE SIDE OF CAUTION

[stwaller]

Yes, I have this exact combo, 2019 F-150 4x4 and a 2018 International Signature 23FB. For 3 years past, I towed with a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee Diesel everywhere from the Everglades to Yellowstone, Teton, and Zion NPs. It worked very well. The problem was payload, especially when boondocking and needing the Honda 3000i Handi generator and the blue tank.

I decided to move to a 1/2 ton pickup, and hoped to get a RAM with that same turbo diesel that the GC had. Problem was, the only body style offered in the 1500 RAM, was a 4 door "quad cab" that had a (to me) miniscule bed that was defeating my purpose of moving to a truck. I wanted an old-fashioned extended cab configuration with a long bed.

I quickly found in my research, that the 4 door, small bed was the predominate truck made my all manufacturers these days. Ford still makes this extended cab combo, and I began a search for an F-150.
I found one at a Ford dealership, a 2019 that had only 4,000 miles on it. It was the dealer's loaner F-150 for people having work done on their 150's. It was exactly what I wanted with rubber floor mats, no leather, navigation, satellite radio etc., and a price $10,000 off sticker.

My only concern was that it had a 2.7 engine. How would that tow a Airstream? I researched this TV with that engine, and found many sources that confirmed it's towing ability. I also watched on U-Tube truck reviewers, who drag raced this 2.7 twin turbo against 5.0 and even an F-250 with the 6.7 diesel. It blew the doors off both!

When I first drove this 2.7, I understood what the reviewers noted - This thing was powerful!! I was astounded, and on my first test pull with the Airstream I had no doubts that this F-150 could handle any challenge on the road.

We just completed our first long trip, to Acadia and Shenandoah National Parks, a voyage of over 3,000 miles without breaking a sweat. I really like the Ford factory brake controller, it is better than the Reese one in the GC. Mileage came in between 14-17 MPG depending on the usual factors. Overall, I have been more pleased with this truck than almost any other vehicle I have purchased in my lifetime. One feature, especially nice was the ability to plug my phone into the USB port, and be able to listen to Sirius satellite radio, and Tidal music streaming. We did not need navigation, as we have a new Garmin RV 890, which has been great.

I also added to the F-150 a Retrax Pro MX aluminum roll us bed cover with T-rails. Lockable in any position, and clears the generator! highly recommend, but it is costly!

Steve & Gail