joef15035

Long time lurker, first time poster. After my 1070 mile trip from Cincinnati to Talladega I thought I would share my experiences. My truck 2016 F-150 3.5 Ecoboost with 3.55 gears and tow package. My trailer, 2018 Jayco Jay Flight SLX 224BH, weighing in at 4500 lbs. from the factory. All loaded up with gear and ¼ tank of fresh water I am sure it was well over 5000 lbs.

Towing, I spent a lot of time researching people previous experiences. I was a bit worried about trailer sway and being over the carrying capacity of the truck. I had no idea payload was even an issue when I bought the truck being I originally bought it to tow my MasterCraft ski boat that has a tongue weight of just 200 lbs. or so. Luckily, my truck has a payload capacity just north of 1800 lbs. All loaded up with the camper attached, Webber grille in the back I am sure we were close to capacity. I loaded most gear, including 18 cases of beer well distributed throughout the trailer knowing truck payload would be an issue long before trailer payload capacity would.

After reviews and others experiences, I went with the Equalizer 90001000 hitch. I used their tool on the website to determine which one to purchase. I thought the 10,000 lbs. hitch was a bit of overkill, though I trusted them and that was the right decision. As we all know, the 3.5 Ecoboost is a beast. Power was never an issue, though we took Interstate 65 instead of 75 to avoid the hills. The Jayco comes with Goodyear tires that are rated to 87 MPH, though we never went 87 we spent most of our time at 70 MPH, if not a little over. MPG for the trip, 7.8 MPG. Understood if we went slower we would get better, no regrets here.

The truck pulled the trailer straight with minimal sway. Being we went the speed limit semis rarely passed us, when they did you could feel them suck up on us. It wasn’t scary or anything, though you could feel the back end of the truck get a bit loose. I had my tires filled to 35 PSI, maybe I should have filled them up a bit more. I think LT tires would have helped with the stiffer sidewall, but being it towed so darn well I cannot justify this expense. I did not lube the l-brackets on the Equalizer hitch being I am a firm believer that the friction generated at that point is what keeps everything straight and the brackets are easily replaced and cheap, but does it make some horrible noise.

If you have never been to Talladega I recommend the trip. Granted, we ending up only drinking 16 of the 18 cases of beer we had a good time. We stayed in paid camping with quite time. We did drive through the free camping on the north side of the track. That place looks like a war zone meeting a college frat party. As I stated earlier, I only carried a ¼ tank of water down there. Not knowing there was a dump station near turn one of the track with potable water, we flagged down a water truck to fill our tank of 40 gallons, $25!

Hopefully this write-up will be helpful for someone like me that spent a lot of time googling. Thanks F-150 folks!

chimmike

7.8mpg seems low, TBH. Truck tires aired up? Using 93 octane I can manage 12-13mpg.

joef15035

There are still some good hills on I-65. Tires were at 35 psi, we did not slow down for anything including hills. Going down we were in a bit more of a hurry and passed everything but gas stations. Here is what we got going south. We ran 87 octane. We pushed the truck hard. I generally buy a new trucks around 25,000 miles or so being I only use them for recreation. With this said, I push them hard being I am not too concerned with them lasting.

chimmike

Up the pressure to at least 40psi. My factory hankooks are rated to 50psi cold, and man, that made a 2mpg difference alone.
Factory manual recommends premium when towing.........and you notice a difference both in power and MPG. try using 93 when towing next time, you'll notice the difference too!

joef15035

I'll give the PSI and 93 a try, though 93 is $$$.

Thanks!

nickf2005

I had to giggle to myself reading this part of your post. We've been to 8 straight 'Dega fall races and the biggest ordeal is always getting the beer distributed evenly. This past year it was less of an issue as my buddy stepped up into a massive 5th wheel toy hauler, so all the beer went back there. You get 7 guys staying 4 nights... that calls for a good amount of suds.

We stay in Family Camping South, Lot B. The first several years, we too, toured the free camping area North of the track on the way out. Your description couldn't be any better! I've heard some stories about that lot and I don't think that's a place I'd enjoy. We've camped near the same people for 5 years now and look forward to meeting back up with them each year. Adds a nice touch to the weekend. Our lot is within a 5 minute walk to the shower house, so we go through very little water. Just the occasional "Oh Crap" crap and quick shower if we're in a hurry. We've definitely progressed each year in the comfort level. From tents and burgers to multiple campers and tenderloin in the electric smoker.

Cobra Gt

Just doing some quick calculations based on our next Windrock trip, which I have used 87 octane twice, based on current Florida gas prices. 87 @ $2.79 and 93 @ $358. Assuming 9mpg and 12 mpg for 520 miles. 87 fuel costs $161 and 93 fuel costs would be $155. I find this interesting, so much I will give 93 a try and see my tow mileage difference. I will not have the drag as a camper, I will be hauling a RZR and General on a 20' trailer. However, the differences should be the same given my case.

chimmike

air the truck tires up too. My hankooks are rated to 50psi cold (stock tires) but I dropped 'em down to 40 because they're wearing a bit (course I have 17k miles on 'em in 11 months). Airing the tires up made a bit of difference too.......but the 93 octane generates more power across the board....which means more torque in higher gears, allowing you to maintain gear longer before downshifting.

I usually run a tank of 93 through before the 'trip fill up' to flush the 87 through. Even if it's costing me a little more, i'm able to get more miles on a tank before stopping.

Simnut

We just got home...about 1/2 hour ago from our foray into Washington, Oregon and California. Did 2700 miles in two weeks....short a day. Happy to say we got 11.9 mpg average for the entire trip. Beautiful tow, even the wife was driving in 40 mph cross winds just north or in the Merrill area. She was a bit nervous at first but after realizing any movement on the rig was a conjoined movement and not the trailer wagging it's tail......she carried on. Was very proud of her and our setup!

duck9191

7.8mpg isn't terrible, i average 7-9 at 65 mph depending on wind. Don't expect to gain 3-4mpg by running 93, if anything it may drop a bit from it having a lower energy density, but you may see some extra power since the ecu can push extra timing and it will help protect against ping. Airing your tires up will be a two fold benefit, you will eliminate some sway from flex and gain a bit of milage. Sounds like a fun trip.