new F-150 super crew trailer options

[Sharon2540]

New to this forum, this is my first post. I have a new 2016 F-150 super crew cab with the 6' box, 3.5 ecoboost, max tow package. Time to get something to pull. I would like owners of this type vehicle to share what they are towing currently (Brand, tt or fiver, length, weight, pin weight / hitch set ups) what experience they have had especially the problems and if they would do something different than there current set-up. Looking to make some long trips when retire in a year and maybe some short ones until then.

Thanks all.

[ktalley]

Jayco has a 1/2 ton towable. The 2017 Whitehawk. We saw it this weekend when we were visiting an RV dealer.

We personally tow a Forest River 33' Salem Hemisphere (lite) We tow it with our F150. The RV dealer said the truck wouldn't/shouldn't pull it, but we made some modifications like a larger cooling system, bigger tires, and a couple of other things my husband did (sorry can't remember.) We have not had any problems with the engine, rough towing, or transmission. I am not advising you do that without checking with your dealer or Ford Dealer.

People think we are nuts, but we haven't had the first issue. Unless the roads are bad, we don't even know we are pulling something behind us.

[4B11T]

I tow a 288bhs Apex (5,200/600 dry) with my 3.5eb 3.31 super crew and am more than impressed by the power. The rear suspension is really soft so I installed air bags to keep the trailer from bounce the truck. I use an equalizer 1000/1000 wdh and never had any sway.

[kc5mhb]

I see you have a brand new truck with most likely a warranty. Depending upon the terms of the warranty I would make sure not to do any modifications that will void the warranty or pull anything that will cause damage to the vehicle and not be covered. That being said I wouldn't pull anything over 70% of my total towing capacity or go over 70% of the gross combined vehicle weight. The reason I used 70% is it gives you a comfort zone of not having the TV maxed out on gross vehicle weight and towing capacity. Now there are many out there that will pull with a F150 maxed out both in gross combined and gross vehicle. That is their choice, not something I'd recommend. Check your manual. It will tell you what your ratings are and try to stay under them. Remember your TV's GVWR is when you have it fully loaded, kids, wife, dogs, golf cart, fuel, and any other cargo. Trailer weights on the stickers are dry weight. They don't account for food, water, propane, clothing, that extra TV, or BBQ grill. Look for the maximum weight on the trailer sticker and use that for your calculations. Back a few years ago I bought a 27' Trailrunner Bunkhouse. Planned to pull it with my 96' Bronco until my uncle who owns an RV sales and repair center told me not to go above 45. I asked why and he said you have more trailer length than the wheelbase on the Bronco could handle. I promptly sold it and got a bigger truck. Granted I don't have a F150, I did try to pull with my wife's Expedition which is built on the F150 frame and I didn't like the experience. If you must pull with the F150, make sure you have 10 ply truck tires as they get rid of the weak sidewall sway that regular tires have. They make a big difference. Other than that, look at the ultralight trailers and Rockwoods. Also the number of slides will make a difference in weight and the slide type also makes a weight difference. A '2 step' trailer has the slide on top of the floor. Less weight but you have to step up to get to the table or couch. A '3 step' has the slide built into the frame and the slide is flush when it goes out. Invest in a good WDH, one that you don't need an extra anti sway bar. The one with the two square bars is nice and there is even one on etrailer.com that has some sort of ball bearing in it that is supposed to help at varying speeds to control sway.
Oh and one last thing; never trust a salesman when they tell you your TV can tow a particular trailer. ALWAYS do the math yourself with your vehicle's specs in hand. They don't know every vehicle and what the ratings are, they just want to make a sale.

[MarkyB]

Had a 15 F150, (that I just traded for a 250.) I agree with the above post.

Max length of about 30ft; max GVWR of about 7000 - 8000 lbs should be ok.


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[MarkyB]

Wildwood X-Lites are about this size.


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[Martsing]

I have a Rockwood 2703WS and I pull it with a 2011 F150 XLT/SCAB 3.5 EB and 135,000 miles. I added Airlift airbags for stability and some good BFG K02 LT tires. We have had it on four trips. One long and 3 short. So far all is doing fine.

[Cougarfan]

Welcome to the forum!

I have a 2015 F150 Supercab, 3.5 EB, 3:31 rear end, 6.5' bed, 4X4 and just the standard tow package.

I tow a 2014 Freedom Express 246 RKS with the Andersen WDH. Trailer is just under 5,000 lbs dry and not quite 6,000 lbs full of stuff for 2 weeks of camping. Its just me and my 13 lb dog and the truck tows the trailer just fine. I am nowhere near the truck's capacity and am completely comfortable towing in any condition. Trailer is 28' ball to bumper.

Good luck in your search!

Laura

[MilCop4523]

13 Ecoboost... 09 34 ft Sundance BH 5th wheel. no issues other than I don't have the park assist which would put it in the seasonal spot the 3rd time i try.

DW asked me how difficult could it be... tossed her the keys and said i was going for a nap.

I got back in the truck when i noticed i was on her flower bed.

the trailer is 8320 dry weight. I tow with all tanks empty and generally pick up groceries when we stop at a campground for a weekend.

The truck has no issues when hauling on hills or level ground.

[Stovebolt]

I have a 2015 F150 King Ranch with the max tow package. I tow a 2012 FR 264 Surveyor TT that has a dry weight of over 5100 lbs, fully loaded with water and all our stuff we are about 7900 lbs. The trailer length is 29' 9". I have no problem towing this trailer with the ecoboost motor and I also use an Andersen hitch. I usually tow at about 62 mph. Now if I had a 5th wheel I would step up to a one ton.

[Filterman]

Been RV ing for most of 40 years and would say most of this is about expectations and perspective. We are in our third season of pulling a 28RKS Wildcat. It's a heavy trailer (8000 lb dry). Every season I go over our weights to ensure we are ok on TV GVW as well as GCVW. We always hit the number. Usually a couple of hundred pounds heavy on drive axle but overall good. As stated make sure you get a quality WD hitch but more importantly get it set up properly either including or combined with a good sway control system. We have towed in all kinds of terrain including a round trip to the Arctic ocean via the Dalton Hwy ( think 800 miles of gravel and 10-14% grades on a regular basis.). Probably the biggest thing is the tires that come on the truck. As stated earlier they are a "P" style passenger tire. When these wear out I plan to go to a LT style. While I have experienced no sway issues due to sidewall stability, I just know these are the " wrong" tire for what we do with them. I want to go to a smaller wheel ( Maybe 17 or 18 ") with a higher profile tire. When I say most of this is about expectation and perspective I mean that when I am towing I don't want anything over 60mph. I'm not too concerned if I'm pulling some grades in third gear. If it's two lane and traffic backs up behind me...get off at the first safe opportunity and let them go. I like low stress and peace of mind when I am camping. Enjoy your new rig.

[B and B]

Originally Posted by Sharon2540

New to this forum, this is my first post. I have a new 2016 F-150 super crew cab with the 6' box, 3.5 ecoboost, max tow package. Time to get something to pull. I would like owners of this type vehicle to share what they are towing currently (Brand, tt or fiver, length, weight, pin weight / hitch set ups) what experience they have had especially the problems and if they would do something different than there current set-up. Looking to make some long trips when retire in a year and maybe some short ones until then.

Thanks all.

Hello,

Please show us your door pillar stickers. This will help determine what you can tow. Everything else in conjecture until we know the ratings.

[nomad297]

Originally Posted by B and B

Hello,

Please show us your door pillar stickers. This will help determine what you can tow. Everything else in conjecture until we know the ratings.

X2

Bruce

[Magdeep]

I tow a Rockwood Windjammer 3029 with an F150 Supercrew shortbed. The trailer dry weight is approx. 7500lbs; loaded around 8400 lbs. Tanks are empty. So far, the F150 Ecoboost, 3.55 differential has towed the trailer about 13,000 miles. Been to Grand Teton, Florida, Michigan, New York up and down many a hill with out an issue. Equal-i-zer 1200 WDH.

[Wayne Joan]

Originally Posted by Sharon2540

New to this forum, this is my first post. I have a new 2016 F-150 super crew cab with the 6' box, 3.5 ecoboost, max tow package. Time to get something to pull. I would like owners of this type vehicle to share what they are towing currently (Brand, tt or fiver, length, weight, pin weight / hitch set ups) what experience they have had especially the problems and if they would do something different than there current set-up. Looking to make some long trips when retire in a year and maybe some short ones until then.

Thanks all.

We are towing a Flagstaff 8528 IKWS with our 2013 Ecoboost. As, someone else said put some E rated tires on it. I also added the Roadmaster Active Suspension (RAS). We have very wonderful towing experiences with this set up. See my signature for details.

[CaptnJohn]

Far, Keystone , and probably others build 5ers you can tow. With LT tires after YOU do the numbers that is the way I'd go. Set my cousin up and no sway at all. Don't listen to anyone at the truck or RV dealer tell you what can be done. Do your own figure s

[kendive]

I have a 2015 F150 3.5 EcoBoost 3.55 Gears Lariat FX4 and I usually keep the Travel Trailer under 6K for any 1/2 ton truck. I know they have light fifth wheels but I would not do it. That just me...

Here are some tow specs for the 15+ F150's 2016 Ford F-150 Full Size Pickup Truck | Towing Specifications | Ford.com



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The new camper just brought it home in this pic. The WDH is not setup properly (Dealer Installed)

[rodblair]

I have the identical vehicle only a 2014. This Ford is pulling a 2016 (bought in 2015) Salem Hemisphere 302FKS, 34.5', 7300 lbs dry weight. We used to have 5.3 GMCs and Chevs for years but after numerous disinterested GM Salespeople, during my last vehicle purchase I decided to try a F150. Definitely not sorry! On most highways I select trailer tow mode and cruise and the truck looks after the rest with a bare minimum of down/up shifts while the GM products were continually shifting to handle a load similar to the Hemisphere. Gas mileage pulling, is much better than the 5.3, but without the trailer attached it is somewhat worse, but not a whole lot.

[mkosu04]

I see Kendive already sent a link to the general page.

I too was going to say you need to review the towing guide. Here is a direct link
https://www.ford.com/resources/ford/...0_r2_oct23.pdf

STUDY THIS
Understand this.
Ask questions if you don't understand it.

99.9% of RV sales people are totally clueless (or actively disingenuous) and will try to sell you something too big for you to tow.

Make sure you watch the payload very closely!

[kendive]

Originally Posted by rodblair

I have the identical vehicle only a 2014. This Ford is pulling a 2016 (bought in 2015) Salem Hemisphere 302FKS, 34.5', 7300 lbs dry weight. We used to have 5.3 GMCs and Chevs for years but after numerous disinterested GM Salespeople, during my last vehicle purchase I decided to try a F150. Definitely not sorry! On most highways I select trailer tow mode and cruise and the truck looks after the rest with a bare minimum of down/up shifts while the GM products were continually shifting to handle a load similar to the Hemisphere. Gas mileage pulling, is much better than the 5.3, but without the trailer attached it is somewhat worse, but not a whole lot.

I noticed you use Tow Mode on you 14 F150. When in tow mode doe the 2014 F150 down shift for you to assist in braking?




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