Can my F150 Handle Towing This Travel Trailer?

[bmac]

For what its worth, take the naysayers with a bit of salt. Some people act like if you go 1 pound over the hitch or payload capacity the truck will self-destruct. Some say don't go up to 100% of the rated capacity, but I'm sure Ford and others already take at least 80% into account when coming up with tow ratings. I have a Powerboost with 6.5 bed and max tow package and one of these days will be pulling a smaller fifth wheel that will take most of my 1320 pound payload. Have to be careful with some of the things others have mentioned.

agree here. People in this thread weighing how much they ate for breakfast to see if they need to use the facilities before towing anything. “100-200 lbs here and there is going to be fine. You’re within the limits anyway, don’t stress about your buddy putting an iced down cooler in the truck

Sponsored

 

[{tpc}]

agree here. People in this thread weighing how much they ate for breakfast to see if they need to use the facilities before towing anything. “100-200 lbs here and there is going to be fine. You’re within the limits anyway, don’t stress about your buddy putting an iced down cooler in the truck

FWIW I don't stress about these things either. But I am aware of them, and make note. If something looks or feels off, then I understand why.

The biggest limitations with these trucks are payload, and length imo. They have power for days. Even the 2.7 has power for days. Hell my 3.5 hardly enters boost when I am dragging the trailer behind it. Longer length helps if you have a longer trailer. I went from 27ft to 31ft. Did it make a difference? Sure, but with correct setup, you wouldn't notice it at all. Just the shorter trailer is more forgiving on the setup.

I also configured my truck as a custom order to achieve as much payload as I could get and the features I wanted (not just what the dealer thought would sell lol). This also helps, gives me a buffer for stuff I might put in the bed. But mainly its just one small tote with my sanitation stuff for the trailer, and its probably about 25 lbs if that.

A friend of mine who also has a trailer upgraded to a 250 with a longer bed. But he also doesn't park it in his garage, and bought a fifth wheel (that stays in the park and never leaves), and owns a golf cart. His needs are different than my own. I'd love to have a 250, but I don't want to rebuild the garage to put it in there.

Morel to the story is know the weights, know what your doing, and don't sweat the small stuff. But also don't go overboard either. Just my .02 cents.

 

[Suns_PSD]

We have a 2024 Flagstaff 26RBWS super lite. Its 1200 pounds lighter with 200 pounds less tongue weight than the model your looking at. Its 29' 9" and my 2022 Lariat with max tow handles this trailer with no problem. I would suggest looking at the Super lite models instead of the Classics.
https://forestriverinc.com/rvs/flagstaff-super-lite-travel-trailers

The issue with the Ultralight trailers (many trailers actually) is that they use these thin 1/8" steel frames in an attempt to save money and weight and these trailer frames have a tendency to bend. Particularly if utilizing a WDH or going even slightly off-road, like off a curb or something. It's happened to a close friend of mine and it's a pretty common issue when you dig around online.

Frankly it's amazing the crap that passes for an RV trailer these days (not a jab at you or your particular trailer, just a generalization!).

 

[Knobstr]

I have nearly the same setup weight wise. Had it for two years and have traveled over 20,000 miles with no issue. Only upgrade was replacing the cheaper stock tires on the trailer with slightly wider goodyears. That improved handling quite a bit. I use cruise control most of the time and hold it at 65 - 68. I did learn recently that it's recommended to use a higher octane gas when towing. Didn't know that and have been running 87 with no issue. Next time out I'll up to the next grade to see if it makes a difference. Average 21 MPG overall when not towing, 10 when towing. Really love the setup.

 

[lrb_35128]

I did learn recently that it's recommended to use a higher octane gas when towing.

A higher octane rating does NOT (directly) translate to higher power, but instead to retardation of detonation.

The benefit to higher octane fuels in a forced induction (turbo) engine is the ability to employ and maintain higher levels of boost without suffering from pre-detonation. Hence the reason high-boost, high-HP cars (eg: Shelby GT500s, 911s, etc.) and forced induction vehicles in high temperature environment (eg: S. TX in August) should use higher (if not the highest) octane fuel available.

The HP/TQ Ford provides in the EcoBoost at 87 octane is a testament to both the engine management and how much power is, "left on the table" with the stock tuning.

Bottom line, to preserve power, yes, it is advantageous to use higher octane when towing.

 

[Ranger621]

I have and tow a 2024 Flagstaff Superlite 26RBWS trailer. I also have a propride WDH. I have a 2022 Super crew Lariat F150 5.5'' bed with max tow and 5.0 engine. I have no problem at all towing this rig fully loaded for camping. You may want to consider the Flagstaff Superlite RV's. Personally, if we would have gone any heavier with the trailer, I would have definitely bought an F250.

 

[Buyer2021]

Can my F150 Handle Towing This Travel Trailer?

Yepper, the rig tows, handles, and maneuvers like a dream ....

Gotta love a well-matched 'Fiver' rig

 

[adyaro77]

So just to give you an idea because I just went through all this. I upgraded my suspension to have a more comfortable towing experience. With that my buddy that helped design my suspension also helped me figure out my new payload number. His shop makes new payload stickers after modifications. This is not dead on accurate, but pretty damn close. As I was weighing parts during the installation..
So I added a tonneau cover, spray in bed liner, add a leafs, blocks, timberlands, and Bilstein 6112 and 5160 shocks. I also added aftermarket wheels and 116t tires. These added 4.6 pounds per wheel and tire. In the calculation we added the new wheel and tire weight also 100 lb for extra tools when towing. The biggest reduction in gas mileage was done with the tow mirrors. That's when I saw the biggest gas mileage difference in my truck. Full power are definitely much heavier than manual fold / telescope. I will also throw things on my boat when going cross country to lessen the payload.

My boat when towing ranges from 5,500 lb to 5800 lb. That would be when it's full of fuel. That only happens on its way to storage. When traveling from Michigan to Florida I get as much gas out of it as possible. My boat trailer which has been properly balanced and weighed several times has a hitch weight from 400 lb to 500 lb. I purchased a hitch scale years ago. My weight distribution hitch is approximately 100 lb. So what we did is we included all of these figures. More of a worst case scenario. This is what we have assuming we don't go over 300 pounds in occupants.

Payload on door jam is 1720. So my adjusted payload is approximately 1,342 lb.

So let's go with worst case scenario 500 lb of tongue weight. Now I'm at 842. And I can tell you after I pack up the family and all of our luggage plus a cooler we travel with inside the cab I'm left with maybe 300 lb.

A reason why rake was so important along with the modifications that I made. I will add I'm not going to fight with anybody. I have attempted the e-ply tires in the past. My gas mileage plummeted. with this and my past trucks I was always at approximately 10 miles per gallon when towing. You start adding even more weight you'll be stopping more often. We stop at approximately every 230 miles just to be safe. There are so many contributing factors to this conversation.

And for us we take I-75 all the way down. So there's only a small portion of our travel that deals with inclines. We don't take our boat out west where I hear it's much worse.

In about 5 years we want to start traveling with a travel trailer. After the experience we've had with our boat we will be going to a Super Duty. Another concern of mine is the wear and tear on the truck itself. And again being comfortable while you're towing. It's extremely uncomfortable when you're towing something that is constantly pushing and pulling. I have been towing for years so I'm used to it. My wife didn't care for it at all when we started. Hence the suspension upgrades.

I know it's long winded, but I hope it helps.

 

[thekevin]

I am glad I saw this thread. Here is my setup and it has a little more sway than I like in windy situations. I think my first upgrade needs to be to get rid of these junk SL tires and go with a 285/60/20 8 or 10 ply tire.

 

[Calson]

My 2022 Max Tow vehicle has a payload rating of 3,250 lbs and that includes passengers, cargo in the cab and bed. With a CAT scale showing a rear axle load of 3,210 the truck is overloaded with the addition of a driver.

The idea of exceeding the payload rating of a vehicle is not something I would consider doing. As with many RVers they buy a tow vehicle and then realize it is inadequate for the trailer they want to tow.

My truck is tow rated for a 14,000 lb trailer but it would be foolish to tow anything weighing more than 10,000 lbs with the truck. There is a reason why Ford produces the F-250 which is engineered for towing.

 

[adyaro77]

This is something I posted a while back. It's long winded but the short of it was I was looking for the most comfortable towing experience. After having several Max tow trucks and my boat only weighing a Max of 6200 lbs I was unimpressed with the stock F-150 suspension traveling 1200 miles. I Have a good buddy that works on vehicles and their suspension experts. My truck was set up for my needs and I share everything that I did. After taking my boat down to Florida with the new suspension Ford could definitely do a better job. Now in all fairness they're selling this truck to the masses so most people aren't going to use it like some of us in this discussion. My truck is lifted two and a half inches in the front and two and a quarter in the back. So the myth that lifts ruin towing has been debunked. And just a little heads up "E" ply tires aren't the solution. Also I have no rear sway bars they are not needed. Now I do use a weight distribution hitch when towing cross county. Legally I'm required to as I'm towing over 5,000 pounds.


https://www.f150gen14.com/forum/threads/2024-xlt-suspension-upgrade-and-lift.31577/

 

[Jeff1024]

My 2022 Max Tow vehicle has a payload rating of 3,250 lbs

No, it doesn't.

 

[Groovicles]

My 2022 Max Tow vehicle has a payload rating of 3,250 lbs and that includes passengers, cargo in the cab and bed. With a CAT scale showing a rear axle load of 3,210 the truck is overloaded with the addition of a driver.

The idea of exceeding the payload rating of a vehicle is not something I would consider doing. As with many RVers they buy a tow vehicle and then realize it is inadequate for the trailer they want to tow.

My truck is tow rated for a 14,000 lb trailer but it would be foolish to tow anything weighing more than 10,000 lbs with the truck. There is a reason why Ford produces the F-250 which is engineered for towing.

I think the only way you can have that is if you have a regular cab with 8' box, 4x2, 5.0L engine, and both the max trailer tow and HDPP and absolutely no extras or options at all. How well does the truck ride for you?

 

[Buyer2021]

My 2022 Max Tow vehicle has a payload rating of 3,250 lbs and that includes passengers, cargo in the cab and bed.

Just curious, what are the GVWR, Front GAWR, and Rear GAWR from the door-placard on your truck?

With a CAT scale showing a rear axle load of 3,210 the truck is overloaded with the addition of a driver.

More just curious, what was the CAT scale front axle load when that rear axle load showed 3210#?

 

[CND Supercrew]

The only number that matters when towing is this one:

Sponsored