F150 instead of ram

[dbledan]

Originally Posted by brianre

The 0.2 percent scared the **** out of us. An example was heading south on I-5 and crossing the bridge on Lake Shasta, the heavy trailer was in control for what seemed to be forever, sure it was only a second or two but it was enough to make us upgrade to a bigger truck that can pull this size of trailer safely.

Been there too. Could not agree more.

[rlocicero]

Originally Posted by HAMMDOWN

Buy an American made Tundra it has plenty of capacity.

Stay with Ford. 27 years towing TT's, all 8 to 32 ft, and no problems. Our newest truck, The 2014 ecoboost , 3.73 axle, maxtow is amazing. We have logged about 15,000 towing miles thru the adirondak mountains, Canadian Maritimes, Great Lakes, WVa, Pa, Smokey mts etc. and it runs and rides like a dream. Only modification was installing LT E rated 10 ply tires.

[Aca651]

I tow a 7900 pound 5thwheel with my ram 1500. 5.7 gas engine. Started with a 2013 1500 quad cab 6 speed tranny. It towed with no issues. I did put timbrins in the rear and it got rid of any uncomfortable bounce. Upgradesd to a 16 crewcab with the 8 speed and it towed even better. I actually prefer the ride better Towing than not.
I know most will tell me I’m wrong for this set up. I’m not gonna disagree, I’m just going to say I have plenty of pulling power- stopping power and a very sure feel when Towing. I’m a big fan of the ram line up.

[TheWolfPaq82]

Originally Posted by rvfriendly

Ford is so far ahead of General Motors in payload and towing capacity it is no contest. General Motors even admitted it doesn’t want to compete in the heavy duty pickup truck market.

Way ahead in price too ! Some of the 18's are approaching $100,000. Seen 250's in the $93,000 range.

[Mark Ulmer]

Originally Posted by Boggs

Looks like we are going to get the 2018 F150 instead of the ram. Both are V8. Ford has 1800 Lbs payload, ram is 1500 lbs. both pull right around 9200 Lbs. The trailer we want has dry weight of 6500 and TW of 701. Will this work out ok? I have been asking a lot of questions and researching a lot as well. I just want to get it right.

I have a 2017 f150 (see my signature for details). My configuration specs are 12,000 towing, 2,000 payload. It tows my 7,000 GVWR TT just fine. The one issue I do still have is porpoising, and I've just added air bags to try and mitigate that. However, the TT is now in storage for the winter, so I won't be able to test that for a few months yet.

[SailorSam20500]

Originally Posted by Boggs

Looks like we are going to get the 2018 F150 instead of the ram. Both are V8. Ford has 1800 Lbs payload, ram is 1500 lbs. both pull right around 9200 Lbs. The trailer we want has dry weight of 6500 and TW of 701. Will this work out ok? I have been asking a lot of questions and researching a lot as well. I just want to get it right.

The brochure dry weight of my trailer is 5876 that gives a GVW of 7320 lbs. Actual GVW on delivery was 7642 (sticker) and dry weight was 6052. Actual loaded weight 6950 (RVSEF weighing at Frog Rally). For this weighing the tanks were all empty. Since I have available capacity, I typically carry some fresh water to lower my TW (FW tank is behind the axles).

Towing this past year with a 2016 Plat SCrew 4x4, 3.5 EB. Fully stock. Rather than replace 20" P rated tires, wheels, add air bags, etc. I got a ProPride hitch. With over 4K miles this past year, no issues towing in wind, rain, etc. Only "white knuckle" experience was when I got into a downpour while in a narrow lane construction zone. Rain went from a mist to "I can't see the car ahead of me" in about 10 seconds.

Truck handled the trailer going thru Appalachians from Kentucky to North Carolina easily. Maintained 60-65 MPH uphill mostly in 5th with real steep spots taking me briefly to 3rd on 6 speed trans. Tow haul mode and speed control kept desired speeds going down hill with minimal manual braking (mostly just to get speed down and reset as we crested the tops). Downhill speeds were set to keep me behind a couple of semi's. Adaptive cruise control did the job, upshifting as needed.

YMMV

[snapper]

Originally Posted by SailorSam20500

The brochure dry weight of my trailer is 5876 that gives a GVW of 7320 lbs. Actual GVW on delivery was 7642 (sticker) and dry weight was 6052. Actual loaded weight 6950 (RVSEF weighing at Frog Rally). For this weighing the tanks were all empty. Since I have available capacity, I typically carry some fresh water to lower my TW (FW tank is behind the axles).

Towing this past year with a 2016 Plat SCrew 4x4, 3.5 EB. Fully stock. Rather than replace 20" P rated tires, wheels, add air bags, etc. I got a ProPride hitch. With over 4K miles this past year, no issues towing in wind, rain, etc. Only "white knuckle" experience was when I got into a downpour while in a narrow lane construction zone. Rain went from a mist to "I can't see the car ahead of me" in about 10 seconds.

Truck handled the trailer going thru Appalachians from Kentucky to North Carolina easily. Maintained 60-65 MPH uphill mostly in 5th with real steep spots taking me briefly to 3rd on 6 speed trans. Tow haul mode and speed control kept desired speeds going down hill with minimal manual braking (mostly just to get speed down and reset as we crested the tops). Downhill speeds were set to keep me behind a couple of semi's. Adaptive cruise control did the job, upshifting as needed.

YMMV

I have been camping and towing a travel trailer for over 10 years and like most of us we started out with a smaller trailer and a 1/2 truck. Then we upgraded a trailer to fit our lifestyle and then had to upgrade the truck due to many factors. Yes weight is one of them. The other is payload. My personal favorite is stopping power when you need it most. I have read thru all the previous posts and nobody mentioned stopping ability. Another factor is stability. Once you get out on the open road and experience some moderate gusts of cross wind, you will be wishing you purchased the 3/4 truck or bigger. There is no way a 1/2 tone truck with out stop or out perform a 3/4 ton gas or diesel truck in the safety category. So if you want to get it right the first time and save yourself some money down the road, do yourself a big favor and spend the little extra money on a gas 3/4 or higher truck. Do yourself a favor and YouTube a few trailer sway videos and notice the vehicles that are involved in the scary situation. Good luck with your adventure and stay safe.

[bikendan]

Since travel trailers and 5th wheels have their own braking system, the tow vehicle doesn't have to bear braking both by itself.

[jughrad]

Originally Posted by jughrad

Are you using a weight distribution hitch (WDH)?.
If you are, it sure looks like it needs adjusted. It is lifting the nose way too high. I tow with a very similar vehicle and very similar trailer and mine sits completely flat but I did have how to adjust the hitch a bit more than what they had set at the RV dealer.

I have a GMC with the 6.2L 6 speed and it only has issues on long 9% grades in 108 degree heat. I had to slow down and rev a little higher to keep the tranny below 220 degrees. I was fully loaded and at the end of a 400 mile drive.in a mountain range so I expect most trucks would have been a little hot. My theory is that thee higher RPMs allow the tranny fluid to move faster and cool better.

Oops, responded to the wrong post.

[cmysstailights]

Originally Posted by bikendan

Since travel trailers and 5th wheels have their own braking system, the tow vehicle doesn't have to bear braking both by itself.

No but u dont want the trailer to push the truck and overheat the brakes. I had a 14 silveradow 1500 5.3 3:42 Max tow 10k payload 1700. I had air bags, which are awsome. Did a payload of stone around 3k lbs didnt know till i got to the dump. Sure she handled it but under what stress. In my search for what i wanted in a tt i knew that the 14 was at its max and everyone said you don't want the tail wagging the dog. So i upgraded and dont regret it, tt is 9000lbs unloaded and 38ft. Piece of mind is worth every penny i spent.

[Homebrew]

More Fords get air bags and extra springs than any other brand to keep there payload level .

[emm-dee]

Originally Posted by cmysstailights

No but u dont want the trailer to push the truck and overheat the brakes. I had a 14 silveradow 1500 5.3 3:42 Max tow 10k payload 1700. I had air bags, which are awsome. Did a payload of stone around 3k lbs didnt know till i got to the dump. Sure she handled it but under what stress. In my search for what i wanted in a tt i knew that the 14 was at its max and everyone said you don't want the tail wagging the dog. So i upgraded and dont regret it, tt is 9000lbs unloaded and 38ft. Piece of mind is worth every penny i spent.

Simple solution. Replace the ancient electric drum brakes with much more capable disc brakes. When stopping I don’t see any difference with or without an 8,500 pound trailer with hydraulic discs.

[18CrewDually]

Originally Posted by Homebrew

More Fords get air bags and extra springs than any other brand to keep there payload level .

Well Ram puts them on for you.

[jughrad]

General Motors! LOL

[Arctic Wolf]

Originally Posted by Homebrew

More Fords get air bags and extra springs than any other brand to keep there payload level .

More Rams get left in the junk yard for rusting to dust than any other brand regardless of payload.
😎

[Jim in Halifax]

GM Silverado has more Torque than others

[Homebrew]

Originally Posted by Arctic Wolf

More Rams get left in the junk yard for rusting to dust than any other brand regardless of payload.
[emoji41]

Longest lasting truck in the world! LOL !

[quikcar]

Based on what I've read on this forum, to pull that trailer you should likely go to an F550 or something made by Paccar, a Kenworth or Peterbuilt might do the the trick, what is with the people that "think" they know alot about hauling TT's and just want to add stuff to trucks. Why not check with people who actually have an engineering degree and will help you, Call Andy Thomson at Can Am RV, he writes towing articles for the magazines and is the guru. Get some real advice. 1-866-226-2678 He actually knows this stuff, rather that all the folks with the advice I see on here that just think they know about towing.

[emm-dee]

Originally Posted by Homebrew

Longest lasting truck in the world! LOL !

Yeah...my last Ram gasser only made it 290,000 miles (got wrecked). Got rid of the '03 CTD Ram at 340,000 miles. Neither one gave a minute of trouble.

[benchmarks]

Um, why no love for Chevy?