Preparing a 2017 Lariat to tow an travel trailer.
 

Hi folks,
I have a 2017 Lariat with Max Tow package. 1,609lbs payload and tow rating above what I can legally tow on my license. I'm not, and never have considered myself an "RV Guy" but I'm now in a position where I might need to buy one as we rebuild our cabin up north. (I need a place for me and my family to stay while managing the build process. An RV is likely our best bet as we can stay right on site.)

To put some context around it, I'm considering my upper size range of a Rockwood 2509s (GVWR 6,870lbs) or Jayco Jayfeather 27BHB (GVWR 7600lbs) but will probably try to find a smaller RV if one is suitable . So I should be within my towing and payload capacity on paper.

What I'm looking for is some advice on what I'm going to need to get my truck (and myself) up to speed with infrequently towing a trailer. I was considering renting a 3/4 ton to tow it up there, but then realized I'm going to need to frequently take it to a pump-out station.
I've read and watched all of the "1/2 ton towable trailer" videos on youtube, warning about length causing sway, payload capacity and so-on, so I don't need the dire warnings there, but what I do need is practical advice on how to setup the truck; What is necessary vs. what is lipstick on the pig. I want to keep modifications from stock to a minimum.

1. I'm considering load-leveling airbags as my first (only) addition to the truck.
2. I already have the brake controller as part of the max tow package.
3. I do NOT have towing mirrors; How necessary are they? Is it something to have replaced or will those "add-on" after market accessories that clip to your regular mirrors be sufficient (ugh. I hate cheap add-on stuff). I haven't ever towed a trailer that required them so that's new to me.
4. Yes, I will be looking for a weight distribution hitch, but that doesn't require any changes to the truck.

What else should I be considering?

I'm a reasonable and rational person/driver, and I'm not looking to push my truck to the limit or operate in the grey area of safety or brag about how much I can haul. I am looking for a sanity check, advice and recommendations on how to match the truck with a suitable (specific) RV and make sure the truck is suitable for the job. If it's NOT suitable for the job, I'm fine with altering my plans for the RV or making minimal changes to the truck to suit the situation. I'm also not looking to push over any mountain passes or crazy long trips... This is Ontario, so we're pretty benign. Maybe years down the road we might take the trailer someplace but that's passed the foreseeable future; i.e. any travel we do is likely under 800km (500miles)

On a secondary note, if anyone has a recommendation for an RV that might suit then hey, feel free to throw those suggestions in as well. I need space for my wife, myself and my daughter + a dog, with privacy for sleeping and living together for a couple weeks at a time. It is in a Canadian Climate that can get cool in the shoulder seasons, so insulation is important and potentially tank heaters are important. Although we have hydro to the property, it will likely be disconnected during the build process so I'll need to rely on solar and generator. We are NOT looking for a large entertainment system, we're not a "TV room family". We plan to use the trailer only for a couple years during the rebuild of our cabin then either sell it or keep it as a guest bunkie... so we might buy used if there is a good quality RV out there. Anyway, that's not the point of this post. Back to the truck...

Cheers,
NC.

If you can afford it, I'd get the bigger trailer for living conditions. I really like your 'rent a 3/4 ton' idea. As far as dumping your tanks, Will your cabin have a septic system? You can get a macerator pump ($100) and pump your tanks 100 feet to a septic rather easily. Fresh water, assuming you will have a well? Moving your trailer to dump and fill will get old really quick.

If this won't work, think that you need to take a fully loaded trailer, water and waste to the dump.
Mirrors, my clip ons work just fine

The biggest obstacle I see is, Canada winters and travel trailers do not play nicely. Even the best trailers are dismal below freezing.

Thanks spencer. The cabin has a septic system now, which needs to be ripped out, redesigned and reinstalled... the challenge is logistics. Like hydro, we have it before and after... but it may be out of service during the build process. Of course, longer term, your macerator pump idea is definitely going to be used if we use it as a bunkie - already on the list! :-)

I, hopefully, will not need the trailer in the winter. This is in a part of Ontario that does not see a lot of traffic in the winter months and I doubt any building will be happening then. I expect spring/summer/fall... so basically right around freezing +/- up to 30C in the summer.

Anyway, back to the truck. Yes, moving to the pump-out will suck but it's a necessity. It may be a limited time while the septic is being rebuilt, or it might be longer. So I need to make sure the truck *can* do that safely, whether it's once or a hundred times. By the way you mentioned clip-ons, it sounds like you think the clip-ons are a requirement/necessary?

Ya, You'll want extended mirrors to tow a TT. These are what I use, work pretty good actually

If you're going to be doing this for two years... get two tanks for the back of your truck to haul waste and water so you don't have haul the trailer. You can gravity drain the water into the trailer, so you won't need a pump for that.

Eliminating the need to move the trailer lets you insulate it for even better cold weather performance.

I'll echo this. It will be a pain to move your RV every couple of days to dump your tanks. Get two of these portable tanks - one for black and one for grey. They'll get heavy, so you may need loading ramps to put them in your truck.

Portable Waste Tank

Beyond this, your truck will likely tow either of those trailers just fine with a quality WDH. I have some clip on tow mirrors like those shown above, but I don't bother with them anymore. The normal mirrors work just fine for me.

I would not go with air bags unless you plan to also have a lot of stuff in the bed of the truck too, which I don't think you will considering you're aware of your payload limits with a trailer that size. You simply don't need air bags to support the trailer tongue weight, that is what the WDH is for. Any time I have air'd up my air bags while towing with my WDH I always find its a bit worse than just leaving them empty.

At most, I would think about upgraded shocks since the factory F150 shocks are just terrible. Beyond that I would just get a good WDH and tow the trailer. if something glaring is wrong then you can address it afterwards but you won't know what it is until you tow.

I hadn't considered a portable waste tank... yes, that's probably a better idea than moving the trailer all the time. Not a job I look forward to. lol, I guess I'll have to make sure that septic system isn't down for long!

Thanks, that's a good suggestion. Perhaps I'll see what happens with the squat before I buy the airbags. I don't want to be "that guy" with headlights in the air and no suspension travel in the rear.

Yes, I do plan to buy a good WDH hitch, especially if I go with a larger sized trailer. If that's enough, then perhaps enough.

You should not have a lot of squat if the WDH is set right. Compensating for squat with air bags is the absolute wrong approach when using a WDH because you are lifting the rear of the truck which unloads the WDH spring bars. Unloading the spring bars makes the WDH less effective which is why my truck will ride crappier with the airbags inflated. You want the truck to settle a couple of inches from unloaded ride height so that the spring bars go into tension.