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Old 11-15-2015, 03:21 PM   #21
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Originally Posted by camperboy View Post
So what type of hitch do you have? A slider?
No, I am not using a slider.The trailer comes equiped with a "Revolution Hitch" (Sidewinder). I am not using the revolution feature as my dealer said that with the 6.5 bed I wouldn't need it. We have pulled the trailer several thousand miles and, as you can see in my signature we, have spent 91 nights camping in 2015.

I am very comfortable pulling this rig. No, problems in hills and very easy to park.
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Old 11-15-2015, 03:47 PM   #22
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Wow, reading all of this I am so glad as a newbee I bought a Ram 1500 with the 5.7 Hemi and tow package to pull...

... a new Flagstaff 33' ultrallight 5th wheel (about 10,000 loaded)... to max my tow rating at 10,500.

...My goal was to try to stay just within the limits of a 1/2 ton truck ...

...The ecoboost may make horsepower but there is no substitute for the torque of a good V8 either gas or diesel and apparently the Ford V6 Ecoboost does not get any better gas mileage at that
You most likely are NOT within the limits of your truck when loaded, if even empty.

The ecoboost has more torque at much lower rpm than your Hemi thanks to the twin turbos. Your Hemi makes 407 at 4000 rpm. The EB has 420 at only 2500 ,with at least 90% of that number, or 378, available between 1700 and 5000rpm. Very turbo diesel like, again, thanks to the turbos.

I have had 3 EB powered vehicles, 2 F150 and an Explorer Sport. I now own a Ram 2500 Hemi 6.4l.
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Old 11-15-2015, 04:23 PM   #23
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You have to find one that fits your truck. There are F150 with 1200 lbs cargo capacity all the way up into the mid 2000 lbs range or more. If you have F150 decked out and the door sticker says Max Cargo Capacity is 1200 lbs after subtracting 200 lbs for hitch, 300 lbs passengers, and 100 lbs for misc cargo capacity (pin weigh) would be around 600 lbs max. If you Max Cargo Capacity is say 2,000 subtract hitch, passengers, misc cargo you could have a Max Cargo (pin weight) of 1400 lbs.

Here is a excellent guide to what you can tow using your Cargo Capacity for Your Truck. Towing Planner - towing capability calculators
I think that mine said 2200 lbs with all of the above. I have an 8280 that comes in at about 8500lbs with all the junk onboard and have been through the Canadian Rockies twice with 8% grades with no problems. The nominal pin weight on the rig is 1046 lbs. Plenty of capacity in the TV. I travel at about 102-103kms per hr (64 mph). Gas consuption comes in at about 23 liters per 100km (approx 10mpg). The 5th wheel has the revolution hitch so no need for sliders etc.
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Old 11-15-2015, 04:33 PM   #24
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Camperboy, are you saying that the 1 ton is too rough to drive? I am looking at upgrading from a 2007 Tundra to a Ford F350 to two my 9200 lb Forest river fifth wheel. Is the one ton too rough to drive.
On smooth highways it is fine. Take it on rougher side roads and you will not like the ride. I have two friends besides me with 1 tons. They don't drive theirs except for towing purposes because of the rougher ride. When they had 1/2 tons before they would use them everyday as commuter vehicles
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Old 11-15-2015, 04:35 PM   #25
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I think that mine said 2200 lbs with all of the above. I have an 8280 that comes in at about 8500lbs with all the junk onboard and have been through the Canadian Rockies twice with 8% grades with no problems. The nominal pin weight on the rig is 1046 lbs. Plenty of capacity in the TV. I travel at about 102-103kms per hr (64 mph). Gas consuption comes in at about 23 liters per 100km (approx 10mpg). The 5th wheel has the revolution hitch so no need for sliders etc.
Thanks!
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Old 11-15-2015, 04:35 PM   #26
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I have never used my Reese Revolution pinbox as I did have a slider from my previous Ram and Rockwood. I have just been reluctant to do it not trusting that it would hold up or that its handling features may be different than what I am used to. If I could see some positive feedback from Revolution users I might try it. I did run into (not literally) a guy in a St. Augustine trailer park who had the same Flagstaff trailer as mine although his was branded a Rockwood and he had the Reese Revolution hitch but had not used its pinbox feature either - unfortunately - because what drew me to talk to him other than the similarity of trailers was than his GMC 2500 was fitted with a non-slider hitch and his back window was a sheet of plastic tarp taped in place accompanied by 2 dings in the metal on the upper left rim. He had no idea what the Reese Revolution was about! I educated him but kept short of offering to change it myself rather than put myself in a bind if anything were to happen with it. I knew how to change it over having read the manual, but I did not have a torque wrench with me, and the bolts must be torqued to a specific setting. I suggested he visit a dealer and have it done if did not want to change out his hitch to a slider type!
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Old 11-15-2015, 04:40 PM   #27
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I think that mine said 2200 lbs with all of the above. I have an 8280 that comes in at about 8500lbs with all the junk onboard and have been through the Canadian Rockies twice with 8% grades with no problems. The nominal pin weight on the rig is 1046 lbs. Plenty of capacity in the TV. I travel at about 102-103kms per hr (64 mph). Gas consuption comes in at about 23 liters per 100km (approx 10mpg). The 5th wheel has the revolution hitch so no need for sliders etc.
Normal pin weights are between 15 and 25 percent so at 8500 lbs is should be between 1275 and 2125 with most running around 20% or about 1700. Looks like you are really on the low side of pin weights at 1046 pin weight and it still tows good? Amazing, most the time with the low pin weight you will have problems.
With a 2200 lbs cargo capacity you must have a low option truck, one without HD Payload most of the nicely option truck I have seen are lot less than 2200 unless you getting the numbers from the website and not off the sticker on door jam.
Good luck, looks like you got the numbers to work for you.
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Old 11-15-2015, 04:43 PM   #28
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You most likely are NOT within the limits of your truck when loaded, if even empty.

The ecoboost has more torque at much lower rpm than your Hemi thanks to the twin turbos. Your Hemi makes 407 at 4000 rpm. The EB has 420 at only 2500 ,with at least 90% of that number, or 378, available between 1700 and 5000rpm. Very turbo diesel like, again, thanks to the turbos.

I have had 3 EB powered vehicles, 2 F150 and an Explorer Sport. I now own a Ram 2500 Hemi 6.4l.
Wow, I guess I'm just old school, and prefer cubes to turbo revs. Surprising - hopefully there is durability in those turbo engines - have heard a lot of nasties on turbos. I know I can fly by semi's going uphill at 70 mph and still have power to spare. My last on scale reading for the rear two axles (trailer) was 9760 lbs.! Interesting that after 3 of them (in what period of time) you now have a Ram 2500. Why the switch?
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Old 11-15-2015, 04:56 PM   #29
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Okay, I tow a fiver with my F-150 Ecoboost. We're pulling a Rockwood ultralight, 32' length, 7850 dry weight. We bought a 2014 model with heavy duty tow package and 3.73 rear end. Super crew with 6.5' bed (nice to have!!)

We've put 40,000 miles on the truck in 16 months, about 7,000 towing the fiver. Average mileage is in the low 10+ range. Have never gotten less than 10 mpg. Last trip from Michigan to Florida got 10.7 until we hit the Florida border then for some reason it dropped down to 10.5. We've pulled this thing from Tennessee to Colorado to the Grand Canyon to Arizona to Big Sur to Yosemite to Oregon Coast to Olympic National Park to Mount Rainier to Glacier to Denver again to Michigan to Florida in 14 months. No complaints, rides smooth and steady with plenty of get up and go. Took on the mountains at 60MPH which is the speed we try to maintain. Anything approaching 65 and mpg falls off and we are not in a hurry. That's why we are RVing. You will get all kinds of negative comments about towing with the F-150 Eco but properly outfitted it gets the job done. You asked for experience with such a rig, and there you have it. We are full timers, registered in South Dakota. Love our Rockwood, love our truck, love being on the road.
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Old 11-15-2015, 05:58 PM   #30
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Wow, I guess I'm just old school, and prefer cubes to turbo revs. Surprising - hopefully there is durability in those turbo engines - have heard a lot of nasties on turbos. I know I can fly by semi's going uphill at 70 mph and still have power to spare. My last on scale reading for the rear two axles (trailer) was 9760 lbs.! Interesting that after 3 of them (in what period of time) you now have a Ram 2500. Why the switch?
Ecoboost used forged steel connecting rods, forged crank, and six bolt main caps. They are built to be robust. A variation of this engine will power the next Ford GT super car. That said, earlier versions have timing chain issues that Ford believes is caused by the cam phasers. A TSB is out now to fix it.

The first one was a base xlt. I liked it, but the wife wanted more creature comforts. Traded to a year newer xlt with chrome package and comfort group with backup camera and lower gears. We then got the SUV because she thought she needed one when her mom and sister got one. The old if momma's happy, we're all happy...

I switched to 3/4t because I wanted the right tool for the job. My F150 could tow 10,000 and change, but sticker payload was only ~1560. I'm 6'4" and not 150lbs, subtract 80. Wife, kids, dog, car seats, subtract 300lbs. WD Hitch, subtract 80lbs. Cooler, 40lbs. Blocking, 40lbs. Bed rug, 50lbs. Bed cover, 50lbs.

Suddenly my available payload is 920lbs. My new camper has a dry mfr tongue weight of 1600lbs.

My new Ram has a sticker payload of 3108. Ready to camp with the camper hooked up I have 800lbs left over according to DOT scales. 9200lbs on the truck, 9300 on the trailer.

You've weighed the trailer axles... what weight are you seeing on your truck loaded up???
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Old 11-15-2015, 07:15 PM   #31
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I have a 2015 F150 EB with every package available for towing and cargo capacity. I have forgotten exactly what those weights are but they are pretty substantial. I am pulling a 32' Coachmen Chapparal Lite which weighs about 9,000 lbs empty with a pin weight of about 1400 lbs. I don't get involved in all the silly arguments about 1/2 tons vs 3/4 ton trucks because I knew what I wanted and ordered both truck and trailer to meet my requirements. Since April I have towed in over 3,000 miles and I couldn't be any happier. I don't drive any faster than 60 mph not because I can't but because I like the gas mileage better at that speed. I have gotten as high as 13.4 and as low as 11.2 while towing. The beauty is while I'm not towing I have a nice vehicle to drive which gets as high as 24 mph on the highway. It's like driving a luxury passenger car. Don't be afraid of the naysayers on this site who will discourage from buying this fine vehicle. Just do you best to make sure you match your trailer to the truck and then drive and enjoy. I do have th 6 1/2' bed which I think is critical. I have a sliding hitch but have never had to use it.
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Old 11-15-2015, 09:03 PM   #32
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Read The Door Post and factory specs

Surprised many when I asked max tow and weight. I maxed out my 2011 Eco Boost - #8200 package, Max tow 11,200 in Ford Specs, Max payload (people/box) 2,393 on door post, 3.73 rear, 7 bolt (weight) and E tires (load rating).
I have a HT 5er, about 8,000 empty, 10,000 with gear, pin 1,800. The hitch is around 110, so I have 483 left for us and stuff.
This should give a lot of campers lots to think about pulling a 6,500 with load lever (adds to hitch weight and load capacity) with a standard F150 or 1500 quad cab.
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Old 11-15-2015, 09:07 PM   #33
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Towing fiver with an ecoboost

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Originally Posted by jz5w63 View Post
Wow, I guess I'm just old school, and prefer cubes to turbo revs. Surprising - hopefully there is durability in those turbo engines - have heard a lot of nasties on turbos. I know I can fly by semi's going uphill at 70 mph and still have power to spare. My last on scale reading for the rear two axles (trailer) was 9760 lbs.! Interesting that after 3 of them (in what period of time) you now have a Ram 2500. Why the switch?

I'm not following you with the "turbo revs" comment. I don't want to sound condescending, but I'm thinking you may be slightly misinformed about how a turbo works??? Considering every diesel truck produced has been turbocharged for going on like 30 years I wouldn't be too concerned about longevity of the turbos. Only concern with a gas engine is oil dilution. I ran a very high quality synthetic in mine and changed it every 5k miles.
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Old 11-15-2015, 09:31 PM   #34
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Surprised many when I asked max tow and weight. I maxed out my 2011 Eco Boost - #8200 package, Max tow 11,200 in Ford Specs, Max payload (people/box) 2,393 on door post, 3.73 rear, 7 bolt (weight) and E tires (load rating).
I have a HT 5er, about 8,000 empty, 10,000 with gear, pin 1,800. The hitch is around 110, so I have 483 left for us and stuff.
This should give a lot of campers lots to think about pulling a 6,500 with load lever (adds to hitch weight and load capacity) with a standard F150 or 1500 quad cab.
I have the exact same setup but with a Rockwood 8280.last time I weighed it I was at 8400lbs loaded and a pin weight of 1455 so I figured it out to be 255 pounds over on the back axel but all in all this is a great combo. pulls very well with lots of power and on the highway you really have to look in the mirror to see if it's still there
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Old 11-16-2015, 11:18 AM   #35
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I have a 2015 F150 EB with every package available for towing and cargo capacity. I have forgotten exactly what those weights are but they are pretty substantial. I am pulling a 32' Coachmen Chapparal Lite which weighs about 9,000 lbs empty with a pin weight of about 1400 lbs. I don't get involved in all the silly arguments about 1/2 tons vs 3/4 ton trucks because I knew what I wanted and ordered both truck and trailer to meet my requirements. Since April I have towed in over 3,000 miles and I couldn't be any happier. I don't drive any faster than 60 mph not because I can't but because I like the gas mileage better at that speed. I have gotten as high as 13.4 and as low as 11.2 while towing. The beauty is while I'm not towing I have a nice vehicle to drive which gets as high as 24 mph on the highway. It's like driving a luxury passenger car. Don't be afraid of the naysayers on this site who will discourage from buying this fine vehicle. Just do you best to make sure you match your trailer to the truck and then drive and enjoy. I do have th 6 1/2' bed which I think is critical. I have a sliding hitch but have never had to use it.
My sentiments exactly. It works and works well. Leave it at that. All the rest is bigitory!
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Old 11-16-2015, 11:47 AM   #36
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Don't paint us all as just " naysayers".

Some of us have real world experience with the issues that the eb has.

It is far from the " golden truck " most refer to it as.


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Old 11-16-2015, 12:22 PM   #37
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Wow, reading all of this I am so glad as a newbee I bought a Ram 1500 with the 5.7 Hemi and tow package to pull our previous 8000 lb Rockwood 29' 5th wheel ultralight. Moved up to a new Flagstaff 33' ultrallight 5th wheel (about 10,000 loaded) and traded for our new (in 2014) Ram 1500 Hemi with a 3.83 AR (vs. previous 3.55) to max my tow rating at 10,500. Been to Florida twice with the new package and just like the previous 2011 Ram I still get 8.5 - 9.0 mpg at 70 mph average over the entire trip to Florida and back from Michigan thanks to the seamless ZF 8 Speed with lots of power and torque to spare. I love this truck and the styling, ride, and comfort are fabulous. My goal was to try to stay just within the limits of a 1/2 ton truck and this Ram is awesome. Prior to these 2 trucks I had always driven Ford or GM products but now I am a convert and didn't break the bank like with a Ford or GM for which I could get a discount. The only add to the truck other than the 5th wheel hitch was a set of Timbren's which really evens out the level when trailer weight is on. These Timbren's in my opinion are better than the much more expensive after market add-on air lifts (air lift stabilizers available from factory on Ram 2500). They are like a little "Michelin" or doughboy man as they have two stacked rubber pods and snap into where the frame bottom-out bumpers are as supplied by the factory. You simply by hand pull the stock bumpers out and put the new Timbren bumpers in using some soap solution and then jacking up the wheel one side at a time to seat them into the vacated cup holder on the body above the frame. This leaves about an inch clearance so the truck still rides smoothly on the variable coil suspension (Ram 1500 does not use leaf springs like Ford 150 or GM 1500) until a load is applied and then the Timbren's supplement the load capability. I was actually put onto these when at a water fill/dump station in western Michigan when a Ford F150 6 cylinder Ecoboost pulled in hooked to a 36 ft. 14,000 lb. 5th wheel and he was sitting perfectly level. He told me about adding the Timbren's. However, this was his first trip from Ludington, MI to Ludington State Park and although he was sitting perfectly level I could not believe he would ever make it to Florida and back with that tow package! I think he had a lot more than he should tackle with his rig! The ecoboost may make horsepower but there is no substitute for the torque of a good V8 either gas or diesel and apparently the Ford V6 Ecoboost does not get any better gas mileage at that! BTW the new Ram V6 diesel can't match the 5.7 hemi for towing power so it is limited to smaller trailers although a nice package if you want a small diesel.
While I hate to be the weight police, you do know that you are over your payload, correct?
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Old 11-16-2015, 12:50 PM   #38
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Love my Ecco boost

I live full time in my crusader 29' fifth wheel max loaded weight 10k. My Ford F-150 with factory tow package and Ecco boost is awesome. Traveled from New York to California on our first trip with no problems. We have been through mountains in Georgia ,Colorado ,Idaho, Utah ,Oregon and California. Went through Yosemite up and down grades up to 9percent with no issues. And there is always something left when I have to punch it even on those grades. I would love to get the new 2015 mine is 2012 low miles just can't do it. My gas has always been over 10 miles per gallon when hooked up and as high as 20 or more not hitched on the highway. It's a grate truck you will not be disappointed.
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Old 11-16-2015, 01:33 PM   #39
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Don't paint us all as just " naysayers".

Some of us have real world experience with the issues that the eb has.

It is far from the " golden truck " most refer to it as.


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Old 11-16-2015, 03:39 PM   #40
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Camperboy, are you saying that the 1 ton is too rough to drive? I am looking at upgrading from a 2007 Tundra to a Ford F350 to two my 9200 lb Forest river fifth wheel. Is the one ton too rough to drive.
Depends what 1-ton you are getting. Single rear wheel or double. A Single rear wheel F350 will have a different feel towing than a Dual. Most people like the handle of the DRW setup because the additional width provide a more stable tow, especially in wind. The rear suspension is also completely different on the two trucks. The Single Rear Wheel F350 is essentially the exact same truck, axle, shocks, and leaf springs as the F250 (with the addition of the trailer package which includes an overleaf overload spring plus a 4" rear lift block instead of a 2" block). The F350 DRW has an additional main leaf spring plus the overload spring and a much heavier/larger rear axle (Dana S80).

Either truck will be more than enough to haul your trailer, BUT a single rear wheel F350 will be a more comfortable loaded and unloaded ride as it doesn't have the firm rear suspension of the Dually.

I have a F450 with rides very similiar to the F350 Dually, except mine comes with 19.5" commercial tires which tend to wonder a bit more over ruts.

Love the truck though. For you, an F350 is the perfect truck for the job. The larger, heavier body and engine of the Super Duty will give you much more confidence while towing and it is a very comfortable ride. It's not a car like ride like you will get with a 1/2 ton truck, but it is definately better than 1-tons were in the past. The 4wds are the only Super Dutys with solid front axles, and that's the only type of front suspension I would want.
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