Theobald

Hi,
Would appreciate all your advice here, I never owned a truck before, but I'm a person who believes in doing all your homework BEFORE you go to buy and not just trust whatever the sales people say.

I plan on purchasing a truck and a 23 foot airstream trailer in the next year. I would also be using this truck as a daily driver to and from work as well and that is why I prefer a F-150 over a F-250 model. The 23 foot airstream that I dream of getting has a unit base weight of 4806 lbs and a GVWR of 6000 lbs. The maximum tongue weight I have read to figure for the airstream is 13.5% or 810 lbs. My wife, myself and our two dogs weigh about 500 lbs and we would like to have the ability to carry about 800 lbs of art fair tent, paintings I create and other art fair essentials in the truck as well as get a fiberglass topper put on it (approx 200 lbs ?) to enclose the bed. This all totals a need of 2310 payload. I want the ability to safely drive over not just flatlands,- but mountains as well.

I was on the build your 2015 F-150 website and built one that I think will work out for our needs...? An F-150 Lariat SuperCrew/6-1/2 box 4x4 with the 3.5L V6 Ecoboost with the Heavy Duty Payload Package and the Max Trailer Tow Package. The other options I chose were Power trailer tow mirrors and navigation. This Lariat model combined with these packages include the integrated trailer brake controller, rear view camera, 3.73 electronic locking axle ratio and 18 inch aluminum heavy duty payload wheels. Ford's Payload Package Selector Guide says that this configuration has a maximum payload of 2650 Lbs. I know it will be less with my options. (Hopefully though still in the 2300 lb payload range?)

Am I thinking right? Are there other considerations for my plan that I am forgetting? Since I'm pretty sure that this truck with my options and this payload will not just be sitting there on a dealer's lot, it will probably have to be special ordered so I don't want to buy now and be sorry later.

Thanks in advance for everyone's help.

smokeywren

Yes. Good job.



Granted, you probably won't find that truck anywhere in stock. So count on ordering it, then waiting 6 to 8 weeks for delivery. And now you're talking about ordering a 2016 model, but probably minimal changes to the 2015 specs.


Consider other options too. Cab steps, bed steps, tailgate steps. Us older guys need them. And Darling Wife needs them too.



My dream too, but out of my price range for a TT.


No problem pulling that much weight with the EcoBoost drivetrain. Your problem will be payload capacity. You will probably be right on the payload capacity fence if you are extremely careful of what you haul in the truck and camper. Leave most of your tools and jacks at home. Travel with empty holding tanks and minimum water in the fresh water tank - just enough to flush the pottie when on the road. Paper plates instead of glass. Aluminum cookware instead of cast iron. Minimum linens - in summertime leave all the quilts and blankets at home. No canned goods until you get there, then used them up before you get back on the road. Not more than a 6-pac of drinks when on the road. Stock up on drinks and bottled water after you get there, then drink it all up before you hit the road again. That sort of stress and worry.


Before you commit, go drive an F-250 Lariat that's equipped close to what you would buy to tow that trailer. I think you'll be surprised how nice and quiet and comfortable it is when towing. The CrewCab with 6.5' bed is very little longer than the F-150 SuperCrew with 6.5' bed. The shorty SuperCrew with 5.5' bed is about foot shorter than the Shortest F-250 CrewCab. But in the 12 years I drove an F-250 CrewCab with 8' bed, I didn't notice it was any more unwieldy than my current F-150 SuperCrew.

Cover Dog

If you get both Max tow and heavy duty payload you'll be fine. The truck in my signature as a payload of 2162. I would think you'll be over that by 200-300 pounds.

KR Kodi

iTrader: (1)

You're doing your homework real well!! I think you've got it pretty well figured out.

The only thing you might need to add in is an almost 100 lb WDH - that would bring your payload up to 2400 lbs!!

That's a helluva load for an F150 to haul, but the 3.5L EcoBoost will PULL it fine - with a 6000 lb trailer your rig should be well below the GCWR.

It's just the weight of all the stuff in the truck plus the tongue weight of the trailer that will be the big problem if it all weighs up toward 2400 lbs!!!

I pull about a 6500 lb 22 foot enclosed car hauler trailer with my 2013 King Ranch. I don't carry anywhere near as much weight as you want to put in the truck, but my heavily optioned truck is VERY payload challenged - 1115 lb payload capacity (1020 after my bed liner and tonneau have been added!!). With me and the wife and some luggage in the cab, and some track support junk in the bed, I might have 600 or 700 lbs of stuff in the truck before hooking up the trailer - and that only leaves 300 or 400 lbs for tongue weight.

With my truck nearly maxed out (maybe 300 lbs below its 7200 lb GVWR before adding the trailer's tongue weight), my GCWR will allow a trailer of almost 8500 lbs. The problem is I don't have any payload capacity remaining for the tongue weight of anything but a 3000 lb trailer!!!

To be able to pull my 6500 lb trailer, I got a Trailer Toad:




You can see below that the Trailer Toad carries the entire tongue weight of the trailer - you can see that my tongue jack is fully retracted, and all I have to do is lift up the shank to insert it into the hitch receiver. There will be NO tongue weight on the truck's hitch:




I got my Trailer Toad used for $2000 - it was a lot cheaper than getting a truck with more payload. My King Ranch is my daily driver as well, and I like the comfort features of all the options, but they add a lot of weight!!

I've towed my trailer more than 5000 miles in the last 1-1/2 years. My truck/trailer rig weighs a total of about 13,800 lbs. No big mountains, but from Florida up across the Appalachians several times and the 3.5L EB pulls the trailer great!!

Good luck, but it looks like you're doing your math - but you're probably definitely going to need to special order the Heavy Duty package. Or....get a Trailer Toad!!

.

Velosprout

When you get the Heavy Duty Payload package on a 2015-16 the Max Tow package is mandatory and included in the HD payload build.
A HD Payload Lariat will be less expensive than a fully optioned King Ranch or Platinum.

You are definitely on the right track.

You are describing the truck I ordered in March of this year. To your described truck I added the chrome step running boards (the only one that can be added to the HD payload), the power converter outlet, and the 36-gallon fuel tank. I planned to use Bedrug bed liner and a Loredo Access tonneau cover because these are ideal for protecting camping supplies and luggage but lightweight. Unfortunately my order for a 2015 was cancelled by Ford due to the frame shortage, and I have to re-order a 2016. We did a national search for any 2014 or 2015 SuperCrew with HD payload package and found only 3 2014's available at dealers. Even though they are still new, they are two model years old as soon as you drive them off the lot. No 2015 HD payload package trucks are to be found.


To get the truck you want, you will have to order a 2016.


Ford just contracted a second supplier of frames (Tower Industries Inc) with the new frames being added in October, so I have more confidence that our HD payload trucks will be built in 2016.


Your other option is a Super Duty. But, when you are not towing, you have an even larger truck that may get about 11 mpg with the 6.2, no aluminum body yet, instead of new aluminum F150 that should average around 17mpg with mixed driving. I figure that it would cost me over the life of a truck (I keep them for many miles) nearly $25,000 additional dollars in fuel cost to drive the super duty instead of the ecoboost 3.5

Hopefully the ordering for 2016's will be here soon.

Feathermerchant

Yup you are on the right track. The truck in my sig has 2,200lb payload. A 2016 should beat that.

Theobald

I want to thank everyone for their replies! (And ask another question...) I know this is a Ford Forum full of Ford Enthusiasts, :-) - but I was wondering if there was another vehicle from another manufacturer that I should also consider? And how I would want it build. One that would meet my needs of having a payload capacity of more than 2400 lbs and easily and safely tow an airstream weighing 6000 lbs over mountains. And, just to make the question harder, :-) one that will get decent gas mileage while towing the airstream and when not towing it, just driving to and from work?

Feathermerchant

Well the truck in my sig is rated 16/18. The 16 in town is pretty close. I have seen 19 on long highway trips not towing. The Dodge Ecodiesel gets better mileage but costs substantially more.
I would buy used and use the money you save to buy gas.

Velosprout

I researched Tundra and Ram. Neither Tundra or Ram are currently available more than around 1900 payload minus options. I personally wouldn't consider any GM product again ever, so I didn't research Chevrolet and GMC.

Velosprout

It will be nearly impossible to find a used HD payload package truck.