Towing A Siverback 29RE

damian bryce · 03-12-2014, 05:08 PM

Hi we have a 2013 29re Forest river silverback. Its dry weight is 9790 lbs from forest river site. Has any one pulled this with the f150 ecoboost with the 373 tranny and trailer package. Ford says it can pull 11500 lbs.

MtnGuy · 03-12-2014, 06:17 PM

With a listed 1615 lb. dry pin weight that will "grow" when loaded for camping, IMHO that is way too much weight for a 1/2 ton truck.

Load up the family, anticipated camping gear in the bed, and head to some scales. Add another 100 lbs. for a 5th wheel hitch, then subtract that from the listed GVWR of the truck, and see if you have 2000 lbs to spare.

camper1999 · 03-12-2014, 07:03 PM

I have the same trailer and tow with a 2500. I would not tow it with a 150/1500. Your ship to wait will be more like 10500 in your hitch weight will probably be closer to 1800 1900

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N3HCP · 03-12-2014, 11:11 PM

Our 2013 29RE had a weight of 10,273 pounds as shipped. Even with a light load of "stuff" in the camper it has to be 12,000 pounds or more. The actual pin weight is 1550 right now, but I plan to rearrange some stuff to get that closer to the 20% it should be.

We switched from a 2011 F-250 gasser to a 2013 F-350 diesel after one season with the Silverback. The gasser was OK, but the F-350 is much nicer to drive and has far more capacity then the Silverback will ever need.

Do yourself a favor, get the most truck you can afford, a lesson learned by us at substantial cost!!

It will be easier and a lot more fun to drive not to mention safer, too.

MMattox · 03-13-2014, 12:15 AM

Hey N3, is that gauge connected to a scale of some type? what does the rest of that scale look like?

Would be nice to have some sort of portable scale.

sidney · 03-13-2014, 03:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MMattox

Hey N3, is that gauge connected to a scale of some type? what does the rest of that scale look like?

Would be nice to have some sort of portable scale.

Here ya go:

Sherline Trailer Tongue Weight Scales

Oaklevel · 03-13-2014, 04:53 AM

Keep in mind advertised dry weights are usually without options, also battery, propane, etc. The yellow sticker is as it left the factory & will never be that light again.

Our camper was over 500 lbs more than the advertised dry weight when it got to the dealer (by the yellow sticker). Its a TH so bad example but weights were about 9200 advertised weight, Yellow sticker is 9800 when it got to the dealer, and with gear by the Cat Scales 13800 lbs.

1/2 ton pickups are not a good idea for a camper of the weight weight you are looking at. The truck will always be under a strain until something gives usually the transmission, let alone safety issues.

Not to say not, but after towing over the years of 1/2s, 3/4 and now a one ton would not tow anything of that weight with less than a one ton. But yes it can be done with a 3/4.(I will be like the manufacturers when equipped properly).

I agree with other posts buy all the truck you can afford even if if is a couple of years old.

Good Luck

**ependydad** · 03-13-2014, 08:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by damian bryce

Hi we have a 2013 29re Forest river silverback. Its dry weight is 9790 lbs from forest river site. Has any one pulled this with the f150 ecoboost with the 373 tranny and trailer package. Ford says it can pull 11500 lbs.

Using this calculator, you can get a feel for what loaded pin weights will be by extrapolating from the dry weights:
Estimating Tongue/Pin Weight from Dry Weights - Towing Planner

It estimates that real-world pin weights will be possibly be around 2,200 pounds. You'll possibly/likely run out of payload with a 150 unless it has the max payload package (which is a separate option from the trailer package).

Can you check the truck for what the Tire And Loading Information sticker says from your doorjamb? It looks like this:

prairiecamper · 03-13-2014, 08:45 AM

We also have a 2013 29RE our sticker dry weight is 10300, pulled with a 2008 Ram CTD 2500 and now I wish I had a 1 ton. Get a different truck, stay safe!

Cajun Po-Boy · 03-13-2014, 09:05 AM

Great Info for the OP...don't short change yourself with the tow vehicle.

(Like asking someone who barely runs a mile to enter a 26 mile marathon in two weeks...not going to be pretty!)

damian bryce · 03-13-2014, 03:08 PM

Thanks everyone for your input. This is our first 5th wheel and it is good to get feed back from other owners. I've pulled smaller travel trailers with a Chevy avalanche. Before we buy a tow vehicle for our 29re I want to do a lot of research, so we don't regret our purchase. A follow up question; what is every ones feelings on diesels compared to gas? I know diesels last forever but I also know that repairs cost more along with general maintenance.

prairiecamper · 03-13-2014, 06:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by damian bryce

Thanks everyone for your input. This is our first 5th wheel and it is good to get feed back from other owners. I've pulled smaller travel trailers with a Chevy avalanche. Before we buy a tow vehicle for our 29re I want to do a lot of research, so we don't regret our purchase. A follow up question; what is every ones feelings on diesels compared to gas? I know diesels last forever but I also know that repairs cost more along with general maintenance.

Once you tow with diesel power, you will not go back to gas

N3HCP · 03-13-2014, 06:42 PM

We've pulled out Silverback 29RE with both a 2011 F-250 6.2L gasser and our current 2013 F-350 6.7L dually. We traded the because of the weight restrictions of the F-250. We were right on the edge of what we could tow with only a couple hundred pounds safety margin. That said, the diesel makes the driving a lot more pleasant. The gasser always seemed it was working near it's limit while the diesel hardly notices the trailer at all.

The initial cost is something like $8,000 more then a gasser, the maintenance cost is also higher (it takes 13 quarts of oil, after all) and the new EPA required stuff makes then a lot more complicated.
That said, I'm not going back to gas anytime soon!!

**ependydad** · 03-13-2014, 07:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by damian bryce

A follow up question; what is every ones feelings on diesels compared to gas? I know diesels last forever but I also know that repairs cost more along with general maintenance.

Threads in the hundreds of posts have been written on this subject.

One of the biggest benefits to diesel is that I can use truck stops and truck pumps. No height restrictions or having to wiggle around the front-side of gas stations. Easy in, easy out.

Lots of people do it with gas- I just have found for me, I prefer diesel.

Cajun Po-Boy · 03-13-2014, 08:30 PM

Gas vs Diesel...

I'll put it this way...do I want to walk the 10K marathon weighing 300lbs or 200lbs?!
I can complete it easier, enjoy the experience more and have absolutely no concerns on any elevation changes at 200lbs!

Yes, diesel does cost more upfront and a little more for maintenance but is sooooo nice when you hook up and tow ,)

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