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Old 05-23-2015, 11:41 PM   #1
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What tows your Forest River?

What's your tow vehicle's pros and cons?
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Old 05-26-2015, 11:15 AM   #2
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We have a 23 ft Surveyor Sport . The Silverado tows it just fine, but now I want to move up to a TT with a slide that offers more room. But I'm limited with a small rear end. So be aware!


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Old 05-26-2015, 11:56 AM   #3
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I tow an EVO T2850 with a 2012 Dodge Ram 4 door, 2500 6.7ltr, std trans. I love the set up! Plenty of power and decent on fuel mileage, plenty of capacity and payload to throw whatever I want in the truck bed.

The only con (which isnt a con anymore) was learning how to tow with a std trans. I have towed with nothing but autos until now and I had to learn how to do it with the std.
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Old 05-26-2015, 12:01 PM   #4
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2006 F150 Super Cab, 6.5' bed, 4x4, 5.4L engine, 3.73 gears. Tows great with decent fuel mileage.

My truck has the 4 speed automatic transmission. Long big mountains require 2nd gear and 55 mph because I don't like to rev the engine over about 3500 rpms. I sometimes wish for the newer 6 speed tranny with the manual shift option to give me more options in the mountains.

Towing a 28.5' 2008 Surveyor 263 weighing in around 5500 lbs.
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Old 05-26-2015, 05:15 PM   #5
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We tow a Cedar Creek 36 RE with a full size T2000 Kenworth converted to tow a 5th wheel with a Smart Car on the deck of the truck. Some say overkill but it works for us.
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Old 05-26-2015, 05:20 PM   #6
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I tow a Micro Lite 23LB with a 2014 Ram 1500 Ecodiesel with an 8 speed transmission and 3:55 rear gear. We average between 14 and 17 MPG when towing depending on wind and terrain. Just came back from a 200 mile trip and got right at 15.6 MPG driving into a 20 MPH wind on the way home.
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Old 05-26-2015, 05:39 PM   #7
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We tow our 42' Palomino 17K loaded with 2001 F350 Lariat 4x4 7.3L 10mpg only con it's a SRW and looking to upgrade to a new 1 Ton dually Ford or Dodge either one would be fine with me.
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Old 05-26-2015, 06:14 PM   #8
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The Rockwood 8280SS of that vintage (and only one other Rockwood model) had the GVWR and pin weight the F150 could handle, with 800 pounds to spare. When we bought the truck we figured we were resigned to pull a TT, but then we found the Signature Ultralite series.

And we reeeeally liked the floor plan!

It don't fly down the road, but it goes down the road. And I always say anyone pulling anything with a 1/2 ton should add tranny cooling capacity and a gauge to monitor tranny temps. Even with the factory tow package.
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Old 05-26-2015, 06:27 PM   #9
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2015 Sierra 365saqb towed by 2014 f350 srw, 6.7 powerstroke, pulls like a champ


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Old 05-26-2015, 06:32 PM   #10
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I use to think my F-150 was fine, but the hillier the terrain, the windier the weather, the worse the truck traffic... the whiter my knuckles got... Now pulling about 6,500 to 7,000 pounds with little effort and the wind doesn't bug me, the trucks barely move me, and the hills... what hills? I really like my Ram 2500 and the diesel power is incredible. We're now looking at TTs with 10,000 to 11,000 pound GVRW, and I'm not worried. Probably will sell the Surveyor next year and get something bigger and nicer... just before I retire...
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Old 05-26-2015, 06:32 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Radio View Post
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The Rockwood 8280SS of that vintage (and only one other Rockwood model) had the GVWR and pin weight the F150 could handle, with 800 pounds to spare. When we bought the truck we figured we were resigned to pull a TT, but then we found the Signature Ultralite series.

And we reeeeally liked the floor plan!

It don't fly down the road, but it goes down the road. And I always say anyone pulling anything with a 1/2 ton should add tranny cooling capacity and a gauge to monitor tranny temps. Even with the factory tow package.
We have the Flagstaff sister to yours 12 Flagstaff 8528RKWS and love it.
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Old 05-26-2015, 06:32 PM   #12
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F150 Ecoboost pulling a Surveyor SV235RKS; 5,500 pounds.

Great pulling power at low RPM; pulls like a small diesel. Good MPG.

Downside is poor compression braking because it's only 3.5 Liters.
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Old 05-26-2015, 06:50 PM   #13
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Towing a 7700lb Windjammer with my new to me 2012 f250 Powerstroke. The diesel power is awesome the engine braking is great. If it were not for the rear view mirror, you would not know there is a camper there. I even found myself speeding a few times, fantastic horsepower. Last year I towed with a 5.4 F250 that was a little tired ( 170,000 miles ) did ok on flat land but struggled in the hills. Diesel mpg while towing 14.7 my old gasser towing 9-10mpg. As you can tell I love my diesel.
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Old 05-26-2015, 07:05 PM   #14
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2014 GMC 2500 Crewcab with 6.6 Dura Max / Allision pulling a 2014 Wildcat 327ck (12,000 lb loaded). It pulls great at 65mph with 9-12mpg.
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Old 05-26-2015, 07:10 PM   #15
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2008 Tundra TRD/SR5 5.7 pulls a 2010 Flagstaff 8528 BHSS. 35K plus miles. Still can't get 15mpg towing.
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Old 05-26-2015, 07:23 PM   #16
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We are towing a 2012 29+ft 264 surveyor sv with a VW 2013 Touareg TDI tows beautifully and averages 18 to 22mpg. What's a con?
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Old 05-26-2015, 07:27 PM   #17
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This is a very broad question as different types of trailers will need different types of tow vehicles. Ie a pop-up will need a smaller than a travel trailer or fiver. What are you looking to tow? I have a 40 foot fiver that weighs 12,300 lbs loaded. I tow with a 2014 Chevy Silverado 3500. It is crew cab, 4wd and has the duramax diesel engine. It is equipped with an integrated brake controller and an exhaust brake. Towing with it is a dream. When the exhaust brake engages I can take my foot off the brake and the rig slows down nicely. It comes in very handy for the mountains. Plenty of power going uphill too. We have a 4000 lb payload before passengers (3400 lbs once family, dog, gear and hitch are accounted for).

Our old 30'/ 7300 lb TT was pulled by an 04 Armada and then an 09 f250. The Armada was a beast towing my 5000 lb horse trailer but fell short on the TT. The short wheelbase and low payload made for a very bad towing experience. I got pushed and pulled all over the road and struggled up and down mountains. I traded for an f250 with the 6.4 power stroke diesel. It towed that TT like a dream. But it had lots of mechanical issues and only a 1500 lb payload do when it came time to upgrade to the fiver we went with the above mentioned Silverado 3500.

Do you need a 350/3500 diesel for every trailer out there? No. For a larger TT or fiver it us good to have. There are plenty of capable trucks and suv's depending on the size trailer you want.
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Old 05-26-2015, 11:01 PM   #18
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I tow our Wildcat 32QBBS with a 2005 Ford F-350 crew cab dually. Over 148,000 miles and still love the truck. Some of the pros is the comfortable ride, dependability, stability, and the ease of towing 12,000+ pounds behind.
Now, the cons........ the uneducated comments when they find out you're doing all this in a Ford 6.0 diesel!
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Old 05-27-2015, 12:06 AM   #19
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Old 05-27-2015, 12:20 AM   #20
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Lol! That last sentence in post #18 makes me laugh! I have couple friends with "bulletproofed" 6 liters and they wouldn't trade them for anything!

I own a 2007 Chevy Duramax 2500HD. It is tuned with EFI Live. My trailer is a 2015 26BHS Wildcat Maxx. I believe the dry weight is 6600 lbs and it's rated for over 10k. I swear with two boys and the wife, we come close! Lol!

The good... The truck has more than enough power. I can stop on an 8% grade and get back up to 65 faster than most cars on flat ground! And the VVT brake is awesome coming back down those hills. It is the fully loaded LT3 model, so it is very comfortable to drive.

The bad.... It has a 7" lift with 36" tall tires. Although it looks good, it sucks to tow with such a big truck. One of these days, when funds allow, it will get a smaller lift and tires. The other bad is the 26 gallon fuel tank. It drives me crazy that I have to stop for fuel after only 4 hours of driving.

Other than that, I wouldn't change a thing on this truck!
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