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

[gypsydad]

Originally Posted by HeadWest

Thats great, better then I would have expected. It sure makes me wonder why the Platinum's I looked at were so much lower, around 1450.

Enjoy!

My guess: The Platinum and the King Ranch and the Limited all have the power running boards...200+ pounds. Also, I believe their may be 2 options on the moon roof...the single panel and the dual panel, like I have. If so, there is another 60lbs, I would bet...

[slowmover]

Originally Posted by BCC1

I didn’t mean for my comment to cause offense.

I do have a question though, that perhaps might simply show my lack of knowledge.

Various tests we all can google show a loaded f150 stops from 60 at least as well as a loaded f250. An Airstream trailer has drum brakes. Why would the heavier mass of an f250 equipped with an anti sway hitch, stop faster than an f150 similarity equipped and towing the same airstream 28?

Given adequate brakes and good tires, I don’t understand why greater mass would assist faster stopping.

It kinda goes against my limited understanding of physics.

The overall lighter load will stop faster. A lighter TT or lighter TV where the rest is the same.

As with knowing TV load, if one is serious, then anti-lock disc brakes on the TT will produce best stop distance of all.

Magic one ton series trucks are the answer to the wrong questions.

.

[slowmover]

Originally Posted by gypsydad

Your too much, Slowmover!

You think I’m kidding about hitch tension in a descent? I’d advise you to pay close attention to that subject.

It’s a problem of perspective. I’m third-generation, and used cars the first quarter century to pull TTs as heavy as yours. From two to six people on board. Nation-wide. . Truck or truck-based the second quarter-century. What’s plain to me is invisible to you. The deficiencies are obvious with even minimal other experience.

That it’s also been business (these and larger) only reinforces that. Vehicle specification isn't ego. It should be close. All uses. Not .009% of all miles travelled.

Mistakes in judgment are much better handled with the TV that steers and brakes. Or, call it bad luck to be dealt with. It’s too easy to lose rear axle traction in a pickup. Load won’t matter. Solo or towing.

Apply the wrong metric and get the wrong answer. GIGO.

An IFS half-ton sure beats a live axle one-ton. A car is even better.

Good luck.

.

[ddrg]

Originally Posted by gypsydad

My guess: The Platinum and the King Ranch and the Limited all have the power running boards...200+ pounds. Also, I believe their may be 2 options on the moon roof...the single panel and the dual panel, like I have. If so, there is another 60lbs, I would bet...

Hmm - our 'moon roof' runs from the front to the back of the supercrew (2 panels?), where only the front section opens. I didn't notice a moon roof option other than the one we purchased.

Thanks... Duncan

[gypsydad]

Originally Posted by ddrg

Hmm - our 'moon roof' runs from the front to the back of the supercrew (2 panels?), where only the front section opens. I didn't notice a moon roof option other than the one we purchased.

Thanks... Duncan

That's what I have also. I have seen a "single" opening moon roof recently. Could have been an older model, I suppose. But, the power running boards for sure add some weight...

[tbashin]

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

[cpaharley]

A little eye opener for those towing with a Ram1500, check your spare tire. It seems that Fiat in their quest to save weight and $$ for past 9 years have been using temporary spares on the Ram 1500, not suitable for towing. I just found out this on my 2014 Ram 1500 Sport. I had to purchase a full sized wheel and tire and carry it in the truck bed. Check your spare before your next tow trip.

[dmnichols]

I've been towing my 30 ft Classic Limited with a F-150 EcoBoost since 2013 and it has perform very well!! Couple things I recommend if you choose to stay with the F-150.

1. Heavy duty tow package! Comes with a 3:73 differential, tow mirrors and heaver rear springs.
2. I recommend the Hensley hitch for stability!
3. Firestone air bags to mitigate rear end bounce.

I average around 12.9 MPG towing and around 19 otherwise.

[Alphonse]

I had a F150 Ecoboost and towed our 28' flying cloud. The F150 was a fantastic tow vehicle and it pulled the twinkie all the while it was badly overloaded from a cargo capacity perspective.

Like many I know, we moved up to a larger capacity truck so we could carry what we want. The beloved F150 is still in our family but no longer sees Airstream towing duty.

BTW, the measured tongue weight of our trailer far exceeds Airstream's number. I would suggest you find someone who has a trailer like yours that has actually weighed the tongue.

It is good that you are doing your homework so you can buy once! Trading trucks gets expensive.

[xrvr]

Some who criticize the safety of trucks and their use as tow vehicles still use one to tow their personal trailer. If you are going to talk the talk then you should walk the walk!

[Countryboy59]

Originally Posted by cpaharley

A little eye opener for those towing with a Ram1500, check your spare tire. It seems that Fiat in their quest to save weight and $$ for past 9 years have been using temporary spares on the Ram 1500, not suitable for towing. I just found out this on my 2014 Ram 1500 Sport. I had to purchase a full sized wheel and tire and carry it in the truck bed. Check your spare before your next tow trip.

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

[Quicksilver6]

We tow a 28 foot Pendleton with a 1794 2015 Tundra. We don’t haul a lot of junk. The ride is better than most cars. The Tundra tows like a dream. Gas mileage is what it is. We have a Pro pride hitch.

Congrats on the Globetrotter, nice unit!

[ddrg]

Originally Posted by dmnichols

I've been towing my 30 ft Classic Limited with a F-150 EcoBoost since 2013 and it has perform very well!! Couple things I recommend if you choose to stay with the F-150.

1. Heavy duty tow package! Comes with a 3:73 differential, tow mirrors and heaver rear springs.
2. I recommend the Hensley hitch for stability!
3. Firestone air bags to mitigate rear end bounce.

I average around 12.9 MPG towing and around 19 otherwise.

Thanks for your update! Curiously, our heavy duty tow package came with the 3.55 axle - which will probably be just fine. I agree with your Hensley comment - I was originally planning to use a ProPride right away, but decided to start with a BlueOx and then change in the spring. I wanted to get the trailer off the dealer's lot, and didn't want to consume precious holiday time getting the ProPride 'just right'. I'll look into bounce after we tow for the first time.

Thanks again... Duncan

[SailorSam205]

Originally Posted by ddrg

Thanks for your update! Curiously, our heavy duty tow package came with the 3.55 axle - which will probably be just fine. I agree with your Hensley comment - I was originally planning to use a ProPride right away, but decided to start with a BlueOx and then change in the spring. I wanted to get the trailer off the dealer's lot, and didn't want to consume precious holiday time getting the ProPride 'just right'. I'll look into bounce after we tow for the first time.

Thanks again... Duncan

Congrats on the new truck and trailer. Fwiw, I don't think there is much "tuning" needed on a ProPride hitch. Get the stinger assembled so that the trailer tows level after WD is applied. Instructions for doing that are in the assembly instructions. Then apply enough WD to get your truck back to level. This is the other issue - you may need to add or remove a washer or two, but not a big deal. Mine came out right on first try.
Other hitches seem to need tuning to adjust so that enough anti-sway occurs. You won't have that issue with a ProPride or Hensley.
One other possible benefit - there are posts on this site where the owners reported no impact to TW from the hitch. The extra length the hitch imparts between the trailer axles and the weight transfer point on your truck works to your benefit. You can see how this works by looking for the "get your tongue weight with a bathroom scale" u-tubes .

[GM Airstream]

As the others have said... a F150 is not a good tow vehicle with the little engine... For your length and weight that YOU will end up with.. I THINK A 3/4 t WITH THE NEW 6.N GAS ENGINE...would do a much better job...

Yep you can tow a elephant with a little engine.. if you have the time... gears do move mountains.. but its a case of just how fast... and every heill you come to.. your going to gear down to go up and drag the brakes going down...

Bigger engines make it so much easier... and their is no sub for cu inches and hp/torque... to make things move down the road...

I still tow with my older 460 in a 3/4 t PU... best that their was.. because its also 4x4 and we can put the hitch on the front to get in and out of tighter spaces...

The best over all we have seen is the large van with large engine... they offer lots of room and allow day trips /overnights/ as well as towing the trailer... and because they have a short couple behind the rear wheels to hitch point... are able to keep things even on the road... We use the Reese hitch that we have had for the last 20 years... which they still make in a newer 'improved' version... that has weight and sway control built into the arms...

Good luck on what you choose... I am sure that what ever you get you will like...

Good length trailer too... we use the 30 ft... and have found it to be the better choice over smaller ones... then again each to their own useage...

[dmnichols]

Forgot one thing on my original reply to your post. I did upgrade my tires on both truck and trailer to E rated tires because I was doing a lot of travel in the southwest and the ST rated on the trailer and the standard tires on the truck had a lower heat rating and lighter ply rating! The max speed on the ST is 65mph!

[55AS]

Originally Posted by GM Airstream

As the others have said... a F150 is not a good tow vehicle with the little engine... For your length and weight that YOU will end up with.. I THINK A 3/4 t WITH THE NEW 6.N GAS ENGINE...would do a much better job...

Yep you can tow a elephant with a little engine.. if you have the time... gears do move mountains.. but its a case of just how fast... and every heill you come to.. your going to gear down to go up and drag the brakes going down...

Bigger engines make it so much easier... and their is no sub for cu inches and hp/torque... to make things move down the road...

I still tow with my older 460 in a 3/4 t PU... best that their was.. because its also 4x4 and we can put the hitch on the front to get in and out of tighter spaces...

The best over all we have seen is the large van with large engine... they offer lots of room and allow day trips /overnights/ as well as towing the trailer... and because they have a short couple behind the rear wheels to hitch point... are able to keep things even on the road... We use the Reese hitch that we have had for the last 20 years... which they still make in a newer 'improved' version... that has weight and sway control built into the arms...

Good luck on what you choose... I am sure that what ever you get you will like...

Good length trailer too... we use the 30 ft... and have found it to be the better choice over smaller ones... then again each to their own useage...

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.

[jcl]

Originally Posted by GM Airstream

Yep you can tow a elephant with a little engine.. if you have the time... gears do move mountains.. but its a case of just how fast... and every heill you come to.. your going to gear down to go up and drag the brakes going down...

Bigger engines make it so much easier... and their is no sub for cu inches and hp/torque... to make things move down the road...

I still tow with my older 460 in a 3/4 t PU... best that their was...

Late model 460s made 245 hp at 4000 rpm, with 400 lb-ft torque at 2200 rpm.

Latest Ecoboost in an F150 makes 375 hp and 470 lb-ft torque.

So yes, it does appear there is a substitute for cubic inches. The Ecoboost will move down the road much better.

[devolo]

We have a 2016 F150 Lariat with the 3.5 ecoboost engine that we use to tow our 2005 28' International with. While the engine has plenty of power to handle this size trailer, the suspension appears to be lacking. We bought the trailer used and it came with a Eazlift hitch with 1000lb bars. I put Firestone bags on it and tighten the 1000lb bar chains as tight as I can and I still get a great deal of bounce out of the suspension. Not a great ride at times, depending on the condition of the road surface. My next move is to invest in a better hitch, but I think I would get the f250 or a 2500HD if I were to do this again. The F150 is a light-duty truck which is how Ford classifies it, and it's true. All one has to do is look underneath each to see the dramatic difference in the suspension and brake components.

[JacksonPayne]

We too just bought a Globetrotter and hauled it back to Texas from New Jersey with our Tundra. The Tundra handled our 22" CCD just fine but the extra weight of the Globtrotter was felt on 7 degree grades and bogged down quite a bit. We since have bought a GMC 2500 HD Turbo Diesel and the difference in towing and payload are remarkably improved. Go with a 3/4 ton is my recommendation.