towing Apex 249 RBS with F150

[Country033]

This had little response in the tow vehicle section so thought I would post it here.

Looking for some advice. The wife and I are considering a new Apex 249RBS. From the numbers it appears the truck should handle it however I'm not in the position to buy a new truck should this truck not handle it.

Here are the specs
Truck Ratings
09 F150 Crew Cab 4x4 with 120,000 miles 5.4L V8
3.55 Rear End with 9700 lb Tow Capacity
GVWR 7200
Front Axle 3750
Rear Axle 3850
Max GCWR 15, 500


Actual Weights from the scale. Full fuel however no passengers in the truck.
Steer Axle was 3260
Drive Axle 2540
Gross Weight 5800.


Trailer Info
Dry published Weight 4770 ( I know the yellow sticker would be more but don't have that weight)
Hitch published weight 480
Length 28'3"
GVWR 7000


If I take the trucks GVWR of 7200 minus the 5800, minus 600 for passengers/gear I am at 800 lbs remaining

If I look at the rear axle rating of 3850 minus actual of 2450 I have 1310 remaining.

The hitch I would get is the equalizer 4 pt and the truck has the factory brake controller in it.


Thoughts? I have read 1/2 ton should stay around the 26ft mark. This trailer is 2 ft over that. I don't plan on loading the trailer up and I don't see us going over 6000 lbs on the trailer. I only pack what is needed and don't bring everything with.

Max trip in length we would do is 9 hrs here in the midwest and we are mainly weekend campers with most trips being within 3 hrs of home.

I have towing experience in my life ranging from 16 to 20 fiberglass boats to early in my life towing a 26 ft 5th wheel trailer. I have no experience towing a travel trailer

Something is making me nervous on this. Maybe it's the length of the trailer and being the biggest I have towed. Maybe it's the fact the truck has 120,000 miles on and isn't a spring chicken but I 'm looking for input.

As mentioned I can't upgrade the truck to a 3/4 ton at this point The plan is the next truck is a F250/350 but that is 4-5 years out. At that point though if I had a F250/350 I would be looking at a small 30ft or less 5th wheel. We are only considering the travel trailer now since I can't tow a 5th wheel trailer with my current truck.

Thoughts from those with experience?

I should add that this is the only floor plan we like with the Apex so going smaller and staying with the Apex line isn't an option. The only other option we have is from a another mfg (not forest river) and that trailer is 25"6", 4100 lbs dry, 460 hitch and gvwr of 6000). It's just that is a stripped down trailer and we really like the Apex.

[KDHfan]

I tow a 32' Coachmen that's about 6000lbs loaded. Tow it with a 1/2T Tundra (5.7L crewmax 9000lb tow cap). I have a 4-point equalizer. 100% happy with my towing experience. My opinion is you will have little to no issues due to the length, or for any reason. Tongue weight might be a little light, so I suggest packing front end heavy.

[tbln930]

What is max truck payload on door sticker. What are scale weight of entire rig with tt and tv. You may be over rear axle max with gear.

[dougk53]

He can't have scale weight for the trailer as he hasn't purchased it. As for the payload of the truck it appears based on the GVWR of 7200# and scaled vehicle weight of 5800# you have a payload of 1400#. Tongue weight of that TT could reasonably grow to close to 700# leaving 700# additional for passengers and misc. items in the truck. You can reasonably expect to be alright towing that TT. The length you give is the bumper to ball length so you should be fine. The truck has some mileage on it so you might find yourself upgrading shocks or putting airbags to make yourself have a more pleasant towing experience but you are well within the trucks capabilities. Get a good weight distribution and sway hitch and set it up correctly and go enjoy. Good luck.

Doug

[Rvdixie]

You won't even know it's back there. Buy it and enjoy. You are spending way too much time worrying about a non-problem.

[slottere]

I think you'll find the Apex 249 RBS to be a delight to tow behind an F-150! DW & I bought a 2016 249RBS in June. After owning a Sunline Solaris 2363 for the last 10 years, it was very hard to find a TT that we liked enough to replace it, but we were starting to get a little leery of towing it on long trips (1500 miles+). We really liked the 249RBS floor plan and we also had to keep the TT weight under 5000 lbs since we weren't planning to replace our 2015 Jeep GC (with a 3.6L & 6200 lb towing capacity). Therefore, with the 249 under 4800 lbs., we felt good about it. I would say we are reasonable packers, too, with an estimated total cargo load of +/- 600 lbs and just a few beach items in the back of the TV. Unless you have a lot of REAL heavy cargo, you should have no issues with an F-150!

On our maiden voyage of 500 miles up & down the Carolina Coast last month, we were impressed with the easy towing and maneuverability. It's almost five feet longer & 500 lbs heavier than the Sunline, but you would never know it! DW commented how smooth the ride was. We use a Reese WDH assembly and both the TT & TV sit nice and level. We got right at 12 MPG, so you know it's a pretty easy tow!

IMHO you will find the 249 to be a nice fit for an F-150. BTW, if you have any other questions about the unit, just shoot me an email

Cheers!
Richard

[tbln930]

I am seeing 11.5-12.2 mph as well but with a TT at 9080 lbs loaded. At 60 mph it is about 12 mpg and drops a bit at 65 mph. With some of the gear folks load I worry about their rear axle weight and worked with someone last weekend that was near 4500 lbs on the rear axle (max is 4050) before we set his WDH correctly.

One guy's F150 weighed 7100 lbs with gear unhooked. Mine is 6740 really loaded with my wife and I. My tongue weight is 940. I hug the max payload and I know a lot of folks blow it away. It's easy to leap past it with some of the stuff folks haul - even with much lighter TTs. 700 lbs is a pretty significant tongue weight.

[oldcase]

I tow a 2014 249RBS with a 2012 F150 crew cab 4x4, 5.0 with the towing package. I use the blue ox wd system. I have had no issues pulling the trailer.

My longest trip was to the Coachman rally in Goshen last year. Just under 11,000 miles on the trailer now. We average 10.5 to 11.5 mpg at 60 top 65 mph.

Hope you enjoy your camper.

[timfromma]

Originally Posted by KDHfan

I tow a 32' Coachmen that's about 6000lbs loaded. Tow it with a 1/2T Tundra (5.7L crewmax 9000lb tow cap). I have a 4-point equalizer. 100% happy with my towing experience. My opinion is you will have little to no issues due to the length, or for any reason. Tongue weight might be a little light, so I suggest packing front end heavy.

I tow a 35' Coachmen that weighs about 8000lbs loaded with a Tundra double cab.

Tows like a dream.

[FL Catalina]

I tow a 2017 Catalina 243 rbs with a 2014 Toyota Tundra double cab with 9800 Lb tow capacity and 980 lb max tongue weight. The trailer weighs 5700 lbs dry, has 680 lb tongue weight and I am using an Andersen WDH. I just finished a trip from S. Florida to northern Colorado (including I70 over the continental divide) and back (over 5000 miles driven) and was very pleased at how comfortable the drive was.

The F150 should be more than adequate to pull the Apex 249 RBS as long as you have proper WDH and sway control. Enjoy!!

[tbln930]

The 26' length max trailer guideline some keep mentioning is ancient history since sway bars and wdh's became reality. I heard that number that when i was a kid. There are now TTs over 40' with zero sway.

[buckeyefan]

What would you think about towing the APEX 246 RBS with a 2015 Expedition EL with an ecoboost engine and heavy duty tow package. My friend has that SUV and is looking for a small camper for his family.

[tbln930]

The TT specs are:
Hitch Weight 480 lbs
Gross Weight 7000 lbs
Dry Weight 4730 lbs

I would figure about 6000 lbs. loaded realistically but weigh it in the end. That would kick the tongue weigh up 600 lbs. or even a few more.

Here are the towing specs for that model and year.
http://www.ford.com/resources/ford/g...tion_Sep30.pdf

Tow capacity is at least 9100 lbs. and tongue max 920 lbs. so in great shape there. The only thing left is the yellow stick weights on the driver door sticker (plus weighing the SUV and entire rig on a CAT scale for about $10) to see if there is a payload or rear axle weight issue depending on how the SUV is loaded but it is looking pretty good and safely below the numbers so far.

Your Salem might be much closer to the max on payload and axle.

[slottere]

To buckeyefan: Your friend will have no trouble pulling an APEX 249RBS with the TV you described unless he's piling a really big family +/or a ton of cargo. As I mentioned earlier in this thread, I pull the 249RBS with a 2015 Jeep GC 3.6L, factory tow package, Reese WDH and moderate cargo.

Look what tbln930 is pulling with a similar Ford engine/tow package!!!!

Cheers!
Richard

[tbln930]

Well the F150 Eco with max tow just on towing capacity is about 2000 lbs higher.