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Airstream87 · 06-06-2019, 04:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by montgomg

I currently tow a 2018 FC 28 foot (6600 pounds loaded) with my 2011 Ford F150, 5.0 liter engine and tow package. It does okay or better but I am looking to upgrade to a newer F150 but am a bit concerned about the overall lighter weight truck for towing. The aluminum bodies shave about 700 pounds dropping the tow vehicle weight to around 4900 pounds. My theory has always been that a heavier (and longer wheelbase) tow vehicle offers more stability and safety for towing.
Anyone have experience going with the newer F150 PU with the aluminum body verses the steel bodies? Thanks in advance for any comments.

Have pulled our 87 29ft Sovereign with a 2000 F250 super duty and now with a 2017 F150, 3.5, 10 speed, special ordered w/ALL tow options, rated to tow 12000lbs and it has done magnificently, can't be more pleased. Towed 10K miles so far. I do have a factory made (yes, you can get one) Pull Rite hitch that is far superior to the Pull Rite want ta bees.

Gene · 06-06-2019, 05:32 PM

The idea you need a really heavy truck to tow is overrated. A tractor/trailer can have as much as 80,000 lbs in the trailer and outweighs the tractor by many times. The hitch is 5th wheel, but still the weight differential is very large.

A 700 lb. reduction in weight is a little over 10%, not a huge difference.

Bigger is not necessarily better.

uncle_bob · 06-07-2019, 07:37 AM

Hi

Weight *distribution* (with a normal trailer hitch) matters a lot. Put a big pile of gold bricks in the battery box of your battery box and you will likely bottom out the springs on your tow vehicle. Put them on the back bumper and you may flip the trailer on it's back end. (I suspect the bumper would come off first ....).

Just as it impacts basic "balance" weight distribution also impacts handling. Lots of weight in the back end of the trailer is harder to control than weight at the front end. Weight high up in the air (think multiple air conditioners on the roof) is less stable (tips easier) than weight down low.

With poor loading, just about any tow vehicle can be challenged to keep things going right. With care, you can indeed set things up to work with a surprisingly small tow vehicle.

Before we get into "bigger brakes ...", check the actual parts used on this or that vehicle. You may be a bit surprised at just how may versions of this or that all use the same parts. I most certainly do *not* believe that my F250 will stop quicker than my neighbor's Ferrari ....

Bob

dznf0g · 06-07-2019, 08:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi

Weight *distribution* (with a normal trailer hitch) matters a lot. Put a big pile of gold bricks in the battery box of your battery box and you will likely bottom out the springs on your tow vehicle. Put them on the back bumper and you may flip the trailer on it's back end. (I suspect the bumper would come off first ....).

Just as it impacts basic "balance" weight distribution also impacts handling. Lots of weight in the back end of the trailer is harder to control than weight at the front end. Weight high up in the air (think multiple air conditioners on the roof) is less stable (tips easier) than weight down low.

With poor loading, just about any tow vehicle can be challenged to keep things going right. With care, you can indeed set things up to work with a surprisingly small tow vehicle.

Before we get into "bigger brakes ...", check the actual parts used on this or that vehicle. You may be a bit surprised at just how may versions of this or that all use the same parts. I most certainly do *not* believe that my F250 will stop quicker than my neighbor's Ferrari ....

Bob

Meanwhile, I still have a big pile of gold bricks to fix or buy anything I want.

Arcticfox · 06-07-2019, 09:11 AM

We have used 3 different F150's to tow our 28' FC just over 100,000 miles. The first was an 2011 F150 (steel) with the V8 and next was a 2013 F150/Eco (steel) and our current truck is a 2017 F150 (alum) with the eco boost and a 10-speed Transmission.

Our current truck has a payload of about 1700 lbs. We find that even when we're packed for a couple months trip we only have about 3-400 lbs in the box, so payload is NOT an issue. We have towed this combination in every weather and terrain one can image and it works just fine under all conditions.

Our gas mileage seems to be around 11 - 12 MPG depending on the wind. If we are pushing a nasty headwind that can get reduced pretty quick.

Our total towing experience with this combination has been with a ProPride hitch and that will come into play when assessing this combination.

We normally run our trucks to about 150 - 165,000 miles before trading. All of these trucks have been trouble free and will continue to tow with this combination moving forward. Mind you I (might) look at the diesel option only because of the reported excellent gas mileage - time will tell.

Hope this helps

Cheers
Doug

Gene · 06-07-2019, 02:29 PM

Bob and Rich, apparently you have quite a few of those dangerous gold bricks and fortuitously I have safe places to store them for a convenience fee for your safety. I can also find safe places all those pesky diamonds.

uncle_bob · 06-08-2019, 07:36 AM

Hi

One thing to consider (in terms of hang on to your gold brick collection

) is the cost of gasoline vs the cost of diesel. There is no disputing that you get fewer miles per gallon with gas. Unfortunately there is also no disputing that the tax people in various states tax diesel more heavily. In the case of Pennsylvania (where I live) the tax differential is high enough that diesel actually costs you more per mile than gasoline.

Bob

Gene · 06-08-2019, 12:13 PM

The original cost of diesel engines means you have to keep the truck for many, many years. The engine may last longer than the truck. Modern gas engines can easily pull a travel trailer. An electric motor could too when they arrive.

brick1 · 06-08-2019, 12:22 PM

I tow a 2018 Serenity 28 with an F250 diesel. Effortless towing...

Airstream87 · 06-09-2019, 08:58 AM

Years ago Diesel had a substantial advantage over Gas in the mileage department, now however, that isn't the case. Environmental restrictions on emissions changed the efficiency of Diesel, hence the increase in cost of fuel. Hard to justify increased cost of Diesel engines and fuel. Modern Gas engines with computer control rapidly adjust fuel air ratios to be more efficient, especially when not towing.

Gene · 06-09-2019, 11:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Airstream87

Modern Gas engines with computer control rapidly adjust fuel air ratios to be more efficient, especially when not towing.

That may explain why Ecoboost Fords have much better gas mileage while not towing and not much difference when towing.

SilverCabin · 06-09-2019, 12:39 PM

I think it’s more of a displacement effect. My V8 is 5.0 liters versus the EcoBoost V6 being 3.5 liters.

jcl · 06-09-2019, 03:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gene

That may explain why Ecoboost Fords have much better gas mileage while not towing and not much difference when towing.

With the turbocharger, the Ecoboost is inherently more efficient, so when not towing and not much power is required in day to day driving, they are more efficient and have better mileage than larger displacement engines.

When towing, users are taking advantage of the higher power that the Ecoboost offers at comparatively lower revs, and it takes fuel to make that extra hp. Hence fuel consumption increases.

The 5.0 V8 has higher peak hp, but not until you get close to 6000 rpm, and how many owners of the V8 are running at that rpm?

If Ecoboost owners didn't use all the power available under the throttle pedal, they would maintain higher mileage. But it is hard to not use it.

FordTruck · 06-10-2019, 10:01 AM

We towed our former AS (Safari 27FBSE) with a 2006 F-150 5.4L (3 valves per cylinder) all over the US and it did great. When we moved up to our current AS (34'er), I also moved up to a GMC 2500HD Denali 6.0L Gas with 4:11 rear gear.

GettinAway · 06-11-2019, 06:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FordTruck

We towed our former AS (Safari 27FBSE) with a 2006 F-150 5.4L (3 valves per cylinder) all over the US and it did great. When we moved up to our current AS (34'er), I also moved up to a GMC 2500HD Denali 6.0L Gas with 4:11 rear gear.

My apologies if you’ve been asked this before, but it may be the first time I’ve seen you post, or at least the first time I’ve noticed one. But, have you considered changing your user name, and license plate after switching to GMC? Just curious.

Gene · 06-11-2019, 02:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GettinAway

My apologies if you’ve been asked this before, but it may be the first time I’ve seen you post, or at least the first time I’ve noticed one. But, have you considered changing your user name, and license plate after switching to GMC? Just curious.

I notice the plate is "4D Truck". It may not mean "Ford Truck" but that the truck is in the fourth dimension. It is possible fuel costs less in the 4th dimension or there is less traffic, though I didn't know Ford or GMC offered that option.

FordTruck · 06-12-2019, 10:37 AM

The move to the GMC 2500HD came after we moved up from the 27FBSE to a 34'er. The F-150 just wasn't enough truck. I don't know if I can change my user name. If I can, and it's not taken, I'll become DenaliBob. As to the 4th Dimension, I don't have a clue. I can barely get up in the morning these days.

GettinAway · 06-13-2019, 05:26 AM

Ha, no worries. I was just curious. I used to be a Ford guy also. My son still is and has a great running F250. He was pulling a dual axle flatbed trailer with my tractor on the other day, and it handled it very well. I didn’t want to even try it with my Tundra.

SilverCabin · 06-13-2019, 09:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FordTruck

The move to the GMC 2500HD came after we moved up from the 27FBSE to a 34'er. The F-150 just wasn't enough truck.

Good decision on the truck. I've seen too many people pulling 30' and bigger Airstreams with F-150s. I wouldn't want to be in front of them on a 6% or greater downhill.

Randy

gypsydad · 06-13-2019, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gene

The idea you need a really heavy truck to tow is overrated. A tractor/trailer can have as much as 80,000 lbs in the trailer and outweighs the tractor by many times. The hitch is 5th wheel, but still the weight differential is very large.

A 700 lb. reduction in weight is a little over 10%, not a huge difference.

Bigger is not necessarily better.

Gene- it's all relative..."you" can certainly believe that if you want to, but I know from my experience the "difference" and overall "value" of my F250 vs my older F150 for towing a heavier AS....forget the fuel cost and overhead...the value is performance, which includes: larger brakes for safety, engine braking, payload capacity, and handling....which for us, = safety! Not to mention power up/down/around the Rockies!

The trip is much nicer with the larger TV...don't let anyone convince you otherwise, if you have a choice...go with the bigger TV and forget about wondering if you made the right choice!