Upgrade 150 to 250 for TT towing?
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Upgrade 150 to 250 for TT towing?
Hello -
I have a 33' / 7,600 GW TT that I'm towing with my 150. It tows fine on back roads but as soon as I hit the interstate i'm very squirmy. I drove the parkway on a windy day and it was so bad I had to reduce my speed from 60 to 50 and even then I was white knuckled all the way down. I'm currently using a blue ox swaypro hitch.
I'm coming to the conclusion that even though i'm within weight (according to the CAT scales) the length of my TT is a big draw back.
I'm considering upgrading to a 250 gas SD. I found one at my local dealer which has everything i'm looking for option wise (3,200 lbs of payload!), but I'm curious if this upgrade should yield me a much safer, more comfortable ride? I have two small kids and safety is a big concern for me.
I have a 33' / 7,600 GW TT that I'm towing with my 150. It tows fine on back roads but as soon as I hit the interstate i'm very squirmy. I drove the parkway on a windy day and it was so bad I had to reduce my speed from 60 to 50 and even then I was white knuckled all the way down. I'm currently using a blue ox swaypro hitch.
I'm coming to the conclusion that even though i'm within weight (according to the CAT scales) the length of my TT is a big draw back.
I'm considering upgrading to a 250 gas SD. I found one at my local dealer which has everything i'm looking for option wise (3,200 lbs of payload!), but I'm curious if this upgrade should yield me a much safer, more comfortable ride? I have two small kids and safety is a big concern for me.
Last edited by Magnetic157; 09-17-2018 at 02:19 PM.
#2
I would get a 350 SRW if I was you. The price is really no different than a 250. The ride is also about the same. I would also look at the 6.7 diesel, my 2016 6.7 DRW gets about 14 around town/short highway trips combined. It gets about 9.5 to 10.5 towing my 19 to 20k horse trailer at 70mph on the highway.
#3
Yes, a 250 is a better tow rig for the trailer you describe. I would get a SRW 350 with a 6.2 and 4.30 gearing.
#5
Senior Member
I'm in the same position as you. The F150 seemed a bit light for the 7500 pound (loaded) trailer.
Lots of research on forums and YouTube made me go bigger. Here is a pretty normal guy's thoughts on switching from a 150 to 250:
Everything I found was convincing enough for me....here's our new trailer tugger:
Lots of research on forums and YouTube made me go bigger. Here is a pretty normal guy's thoughts on switching from a 150 to 250:
Everything I found was convincing enough for me....here's our new trailer tugger:
#6
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Nice tow rig! The video helped persuade me to go for it - I was experiencing exactly as they were describing.
Here is my new addition!
Here is my new addition!
Last edited by Magnetic157; 09-25-2018 at 01:38 PM.
#7
That looks sweet! I just ordered a Magnetic Gray F250 Lariat with FX4 package, 4.30 ratio and 6.2L gas engine. Will trade in a 2015 F150 XLT with FX4 package and 2.7L EB engine. We tow a Winnebago 2451BHS measuring 26' 9" with a dry weight of 4,880 lbs. I guess we come in closer to 6,000 lbs fully loaded and were pushing the F150 to it's limit.
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#8
From the videos I've seen, the squirmy trailer (or rather trailer sway) is due to improper loading, specifically, too little weight on the hitch. Here's a good one with demonstration. Optimally, there should be 10% of the total trailer weight on the hitch.
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MrLunchbox (09-26-2018)
#9
Senior Member
My 2011 F150 towed great and the trailer never swayed but it never felt like it was totally planted on the road.
#10
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Just thought i'd update - towed my TT just under 200 miles last weekend and it towed great! I drove on the same roads before and it was a night and day difference. Whenever the trailer caught a gust of wind the truck stayed planted - major improvement over my 150.
Here’s a pic of my new combo
Here’s a pic of my new combo
Last edited by Magnetic157; 10-01-2018 at 03:05 PM.
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BCMIF150 (10-23-2018)