skollar

Hi, I am looking for comments or thoughts on the fact that I just traded in my 2011 F250 Diesel for a 2013 F150 FX4 with the ecoboost engine, 3.55 gears, it has the tow package but not the heavy duty package. Also I am running the stock 20" wheels with Perreli Scorpion ATR tires http://www.pirelli.com/tire/us/en/su...rpion_atr.html

I tow every 6 weeks or so for about 3-5 hours. We pull a 26' Jayco TT which has a dry weight of 4700lbs, plus a motocross bike that weigh's 250, a generator that weigh's about 200lbs in the bed of the truck. Plus 3 people in the truck with normal clothes and MX gear etc...

I havent towed with it yet, its still under 1,000 miles.

I am sure it will be a big change from the diesel. But I think its the correct truck for my type of towing, plus its a much nicer daily driver, better mleage and of course 87 is alot cheaper then diesel.

Any thoughts or comments? Are my Perreli tires safe? Am I pushing my luck? Should I do any aftermarket upgrades like air bags on the suspension?

Thanks for your help, comments and I am glad to be part of the forum!

93Cobra#2771

iTrader: (2)

Tires will prob be ok, cargo capacity will be very close.

Using a WDH?

What is your cargo capacity as listed in the drivers door sticker (I'm guessing 1500# or so)?

byoungblood

With a WDH you should be fine. With my 25' Outback if I were to tow it fully loaded I'd come out with a hitch weight of around 750-760 lbs. On a scale with my wife and son in the truck, plus about half a tank of gas the truck weighed in right at 6000#. With a full tank of gas and my fat butt, it is up to about 6300#. GVWR on my truck is 7550#, so I still have a healthy margin even in the worst case scenario of having the trailer packed to its limits.

Remember weight distribution in the trailer itself also comes into play, so if you have a toy hauler and are putting that bike in the back, you can actually take a little weight off of the hitch.

skollar

Cargo Capacity is 1194
GVWR is 7350
Front GAWR 3900
Rear GAWR 4050
I do have a Reese Weight Distro Hitch. However its not a toy hauler, so the bike and generator have to be in the bed of my truck.
My TT tongue weight is 560lbs.
Thanks in advance!

byoungblood

OK, well, you may be cutting it close then with passengers if the bike has to go into the bed. You may want to find a way to get the generator into the trailer to cut down on the weight directly on the rear axle. Is that hitch weight dry or loaded?

This is why, in my opinion, you really need to get at least the max trailer tow to pull a travel trailer of any kind. Getting that extra payload capacity is crucial to keep you legal weight wise.

To cut to the chase, you will need to load the truck up with the generator, bike, tank of gas, WDH, and all passengers and put it on a scale to see how much payload you are left with.

93Cobra#2771

iTrader: (2)

You are right at 900# of cargo weight without any people. Granted, the WDH will help spread some of that around. Course the hitch itself weighs 80-100#.

Add three people and assorted gear and you will over your cargo limit by several hundred pounds. Amazed at the low cargo capacity, hard to believe how much all those options weigh - for comparison, my cargo is 1582# on my xlt.

Your weak link is suspension and possibly gearing on your truck. But truck is already bought and I'm betting you won't be trading it any time soon.

Tires will be ok, but you absolutely need to have them at max psi, and the WDH needs to be adjusted correctly.

You will be riding pretty low in the back, hooking up and fully loaded you'll prob drop 3" in rear and come up 1.5-2" in front.

Air Bags will help stabilize the load and take some bounce out but are only a bandaid.

Any way you can get the generator or dirt bike into another chase vehicle? Would help to get coupe hundred pounds out of the back.

skollar

Thanks to both of you, it helps alot.

I can put the generator in the rv, and actually have done that recently so that saves some weight.

As for the MX bike, I have thought about installing a hitch on the rear of the trailer that can hold the bike.

This would remove about 450 pounds out of the vehicle, and even better put more weight in the back of the rv, reducing my hitch weight!

Or I go get a toy hauler, that meets my limits on the tongue, but would also put the bike and generator in the rv!

Thanks again guys! FYI, I love my new truck and although I sort of miss the brute power of the 250, and the machoness of the size, the 150 is definatly a better match for my daily driver.

93Cobra#2771

iTrader: (2)

Be wary of a couple of things:


Don't get your tongue weight too light or it will give you some bad towing characteristics.

I would avoid putting any kind of hitch setup in the back of your TT. The frame isn't engineered for 250# of weight back there. An if you were honking of mounting it to the stock rear bumper, it will dissenting rate in no time without heavy, frame mounted reinforcement.

Generator in the back is a good start though.

MikeFresno

This is my 26' TT. I also have Ecoboost. But running 3:73. I had a 2010 FX2 with 3:55 & man what a difference it makes with the 3:73. You shoulda got the 3:73 since you tow a TT

byoungblood

My camper actually has a sticker warning not to hang more than 150# off of the rear bumper, and I assume you have to subtract the weight of the spare from that figure. I wouldn't put anything but maybe a couple of bicycles back there.