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Hey everyone, trying to help out my buddy get a new truck to tow his camper. Gave him my previous truck before I got my own F150 early last year. After I gave it to him he went and bought a really nice but large camper that is by far way too much for the truck I gave him. I want to make sure I'm guiding him to get something that will work and not regret it if I'm possibly missing something. He will use the truck for day to day driving as well so not interested in a F250 or anything of that nature.
We have been leaning towards a 2018 F150 3.5 Ecoboost Crew Cab 4WD with max tow package 145" WB. He has a WD hitch now and will use that as well with the new truck. Weight wise not really concerned with his hitch and his understanding of not loading 5 people in the truck with everything they ever owned at one time. Most of the time it will be him and a couple friends and the usual trip cargo in the camper while being smart to not overload the truck itself. My big question is should he be doing a longer wheelbase truck instead of the shorter wheelbase?? I understand the physics a longer wheelbase is always helpful with sway and control but correct me if I'm wrong by all means is going to the 157" wb really that important/necessary or is it simply a luxury for a tiny bit of control maybe and of course bed storage. My impression from researching here and other sources from those who have towed is the returns on the extra 12" of wheelbase isn't a huge deal since 145" WB isn't bad to start with. By all means correct me or provide us with any insight, always appreciate the experience and knowledge of others who have done it right and wrong. You would lose your mind if you knew what he was towing it with right now.......
The following is just my opinion. There will be others with different opinions.
Personally, I would not tow a 32 foot tag trailer with any configuration of F-150 or "1/2 ton" truck.
It's not a payload or capability issue, It's a safety issue. it's about how planted the tow vehicle is in adverse conditions (Cross winds, getting passed by semis, etc.). That is a lot of sail area and the lighter weigh class 2a trucks will get pushed around. Class 2b (F250 3/4 ton trucks) or class 3 (1 ton trucks) are better suited for this length of trailer. Not because of capacity or rating but because they are heavier and won't get pushed around as much.
I do pull a 30 ft fifth wheel but that is big as I will go on a fifth wheel (and it can be a spirited ride at times), Tag trailer 25-28 ft for me.
I agree, a 30’ long anything in tow is a lot of sail for a half ton. The F-150s are even less planted on the road now than the previous 12th gen as they shed 700 pounds of curb weight. F-250 or 350 for a 30’ trailer. I would have no issue daily driving an F-250. An F-250 6.2L V8 Crew Cab 6.5 box would be a much more capable and much safer tow rig for that kind of trailer. Better engine braking, wider stance, longer wheelbase, better handling etc...
Last edited by ModularFord; 11-20-2018 at 06:06 PM.
You omitted an important spec. Cargo carrying capacity or CCC of 1,533 pounds, resulting in max wet and loaded weight of 7,200 pounds with about 1,000 pounds hitch weight.. Expect gross trailer weight of about 6,500 pounds with hitch weight of about 950 pounds when wet and loaded for an RV trip
We have been leaning towards a 2018 F150 3.5 Ecoboost Crew Cab 4WD with max tow package 145" WB. He has a WD hitch now and will use that as well with the new truck. .... My big question is should he be doing a longer wheelbase truck instead of the shorter wheelbase??
That difference in wheelbase won't matter as much as the choice of WD hitch. If his old hitch is not a quality WD hitch with built-in sway control, then he needs to sell it and invest in one of these:
Equal-I-Zer 4P
Blue Ox SwayPro
Husky CenterLine HD 31390
Reese Strait-Line trunnion.
Then he needs to concentrate on not exceeding the GVWR of the F-150.
1] Fill up with gas, load the F-150 with everybody and everything that will be in it when towing, adjust the WD hitch. Then weigh that wet and loaded rig on a CAT sale,
2] Add the weights on the steer and drive axles of the F-150 to get GVW.
3] Subtract the GVW from the GVWR of the F-150. If the answer is a plus, then he's good to go, with payload capacity to spare. But if it's negative, he's overloaded and needs to discard some weight before he takes off on a long trip.
Since he will already have the CAT sale ticket, he can also check other weights.
Compare the weight on the drive axle to the rGAWR of the F-150.
Compare the gross weight on all axles of the rig to the GCWR of the F-150.
Add the trailer GAWRs and compare to the weight on the trailer axles.
You would lose your mind if you knew what he was towing it with right now.....
No, not if he wasn't overloaded. But I would be very nervous if his WD hitch was not one of the good ones, or even better is the Hensley ProPride that I use to tow my TT. But the ProPride costs about 4 times as much as the WD hitches listed above, and it may not offer that much more additional protection from uncontrollable trailer sway.
I'm going to echo what others posted above about that trailer being to long for something I'd want to tow with 1/2 ton. Even if you fall within payload and GCW ratings, gusty cross-wind side loading on the trailer could be a handful for that truck.
I tow a similar size/weight trailer with a similar truck. It is doable but at the limits for a 1/2 ton truck for sure. The trailer I have has “secure stance” it’s called at the axels so they are spread farther apart, about a foot between the tires not the regular few inches. This helps a lot I find for towing and stability on a long trailer, not so much for turning it into a tight spot!
I tow a similar trailer, 8,000 pounds with a tongue weight of 1,200 with a F150. I have also towed fifth wheels and other trailers all with a F250 but needed to get a nicer riding truck and better gas mileage. Yes, you will notice a huge difference between a F250/350 and F150. A few things that kept me from gripping the steering wheel to the point of crushing it.
Equalizer hitch only. They are the best out there and are 4 point sway protection. Voted best 7 years in a row by readers of Trailer Life Magazine.
Buy a tongue scale to get the true rating of the tongue weight with water, propane, and batteries. Do not trust the manufacturers numbers. Amazon $135.00. Worth every penny.
Install tires with a load capacity of T123 or E rating. I use Michelin LTX A/T. HUGE difference from stock. The truck actually feels like a truck. 60 PSI for day to day and 80 PSI for towing.
Get air bags. I use Ride Rite. Call the folks at Equalizer and they will let you know how to use the air bags in conjunction with the hitch.
Go to a CAT scale. CAT scales will weigh each axle separately including the trailer axle.
Not more than 55MPH and pull off the road when you feel unsafe.
Put the phone away and tell the wife and kids not to talk to you so you have 100% attention to towing. This is true for towing anything that weighs more than the tow vehicle.
I have driven with winds over 40 mph and trucks passing me and can hardly feel the sway.
If you are referring to that old red Dodge as the truck he's pulling that trailer with, it will pull it but he won't have much fun doing it. I had a 2014 Ram pulling a trailer that weighed about 1000 LBS less and it screamed it's lungs out doing it, that truck would never shift into OD it was always in 3rd or 4th and it had a 3:92 gear behind that Hemi, hated that truck for pulling.
Hey everyone, trying to help out my buddy get a new truck to tow his camper. Gave him my previous truck before I got my own F150 early last year. After I gave it to him he went and bought a really nice but large camper that is by far way too much for the truck I gave him. I want to make sure I'm guiding him to get something that will work and not regret it if I'm possibly missing something. He will use the truck for day to day driving as well so not interested in a F250 or anything of that nature.
We have been leaning towards a 2018 F150 3.5 Ecoboost Crew Cab 4WD with max tow package 145" WB. He has a WD hitch now and will use that as well with the new truck. Weight wise not really concerned with his hitch and his understanding of not loading 5 people in the truck with everything they ever owned at one time. Most of the time it will be him and a couple friends and the usual trip cargo in the camper while being smart to not overload the truck itself. My big question is should he be doing a longer wheelbase truck instead of the shorter wheelbase?? I understand the physics a longer wheelbase is always helpful with sway and control but correct me if I'm wrong by all means is going to the 157" wb really that important/necessary or is it simply a luxury for a tiny bit of control maybe and of course bed storage. My impression from researching here and other sources from those who have towed is the returns on the extra 12" of wheelbase isn't a huge deal since 145" WB isn't bad to start with. By all means correct me or provide us with any insight, always appreciate the experience and knowledge of others who have done it right and wrong. You would lose your mind if you knew what he was towing it with right now.......
I have a 2018 F150 w/ FX4 package. It’s a crew cab with the 145 WB and 5.0 motor. I tow a similarly sized travel trailer which has a dry weight of close to 7,000 pounds. I use the Equalizer WD system and it works wonders. I’m not sure what your buddy is running as far as WD, but I would highly recommend investing in the Equalizer with the 4 point away control. Have it professionally installed and make sure there’s no squat before leaving the dealer. At any rate , a 3/4 or 1 ton diesel will certainly tow much better than my setup, but I’ve never second guessed my truck choice while traveling with my family. And, I use it as my every day driver, so it’s easier to use than a larger truck in that regard. Earlier this year, I was driving across the 275 bridge in Tampa on my way to Fort Desoto Park with the family when I got hit with massive cross winds and sideways rain coming across Tampa Bay. I was in lane 2 (there’s 4 lanes) and had absolutely no issues controlling the rig. My wife, who despises bridges and is a nervous passenger, looked completely content sitting in the passenger seat. Hope this helps. Good luck!
11-20-2018, 04:20 PM
Yes another towing help/suggestion thread
