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  1. #21
    Fireside Member
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    Nope, there's nothing you can add to a half ton to replicate the 3/4 ton shirt of adding 2000 lbs of weight... I've owned both, and the heavier weight of the 3/4 ton frame/brakes/suspension make it harder for the tail to wag the dog. So does having a full 8' bed vs a 5.5 shortie. Wheelbase matters a lot more than new to towing drivers realize.

    If you don't want or have the $2K+ for HA or PP, take a look at the E4 or Reese Dual Cam. They have a physical resistance component to help fight sway that you won't find with a standard WD hitch with just bars and chains.

    I've used the Reese DC since 2005 and it works fine for me. Do I wish I had the 3/4 ton long bed? Absolutely, but I'm not spending that kind of money for a truck I need about a month out of the year. Drive 55 and enjoy the trip.


    Sent from my SM-G981U using Tapatalk
    Last edited by Lane Hog; 05-01-2021 at 04:01 PM.

  2. #22
    New Member
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    Having recently upgraded from a max tow package F-150 to a 250 the difference was night and day. I have the blue ox WD anti sway hitch and that didn't help much with the 1/2 ton. The sheer mass of the 3/4 ton seems to pull my trailer back in line whenever it tries to get wandering. Never had a pro pride or Hensley but the reviews seem to all be positive. If upgrading the tow vehicle is too much I would definitely try to get one of those hitches. Pretty pricey at about $2500-3000 though.

  3. #23
    Seasoned Camper
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    Mar 2020
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    I have a shorter and lighter by about 1000 lbs trailer which I pull with a F150 and it does just fine. Goes up and down hills just fine although I haven't been on any long steep downhill grades yet. I notice a little sway when a truck goes by but it's hardly a white knuckle experience. I have the Anderson WD hitch. However I so far haven't ventured outside California where the trailer speed limit is 55 MPH which I adhere to. Saves on gas. Going faster might increase the sway. One thing I discovered was that my tongue weight was much higher than expected based on the brochure and the weight listed on the weight sheet that comes with the trailer. I weighed it with a tongue weight scale. When fully loaded for a trip it was 960 lbs which exceeds the recommended 10% to 15% of trailer weight. Another thing I noticed was the back end of the truck really sagged when hitched up. I added Sumo springs which cut it in half. Haven't noticed any difference in the ride with or without the trailer.

    Cargo capacity is what usually gets half ton trucks. If you can, borrow a tongue weight scale to get an accurate number of how much your tongue weighs. Then subtract that number from you trucks cargo carrying capacity per the sticker on the door frame. The difference is how much you have left for family and anything else you want to throw in the truck.
    Last edited by GaryS1964; 05-01-2021 at 07:17 PM.
    2021 Imagine XLS 17MKE
    2020 F150 XLT V6 EcoBoost SuperCrew 4x4 w/Max trailer towing package

  4. #24
    Setting Up Camp
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    I'm with you on the idea of being open to any "necessity" to upgrade to a 250 (or 350), but I have to say we are very happy towing our 245RL with my little F150 EcoBoost. We've done over 10,000 miles in the last year over 6-8% grades, 110+ degree temps, and some narrow, winding coastline roads. Haven't done the CAT scales yet, but I'm reasonably certain we're well under any weight constraints, as we travel with empty tanks and minimal provisions. The truck is no-frills, but very comfortable on long trips as well as being very workable as a daily driver. Have had a few "white knuckle" moments on steep downgrades, but the tow/haul function is great, akin to diesel engine braking. You do see some high rpm's when it kicks in, but to move to a diesel would probably give me less than my current 2020 lbs. of payload due to the shear weight of the diesel.
    2020 245RL
    2015 F-150 EcoBoost 3.5
    Centerline WDH

  5. #25
    Seasoned Camper
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    I added timbren bump stops to my ram 1500. It does nothing for wind sway but eliminates a lot of the bounce you can get which plays into the sway effect. I had a picture of those next to what the truck came with and it was night and day. Not sure what your ford would have on their currently.
    Imagine 2020 2670MK,
    2021 RAM 2500

  6. #26
    Site Sponsor SammyB's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by J Maguire View Post
    ... Noticeable difference in confidence and energy spent driving. The power of the F150 was never the issue but the confidence it lacked was indeed...
    Exactly! Thanks for the input.
    Sam & Kay, 2 kiddos and the dog (rescue pup - lab mix)
    2021 RAM 2500 6.7L I6 Cummins Turbo Diesel
    2020 Grand Design Transcend 243BH

  7. #27
    Rolling Along
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    I'm sure this will provoke some more eye-rolling, but here it is... I can only speak for the 2006 F250/F350 trucks, but please don't be persuaded that an F350 can outpull an F250, except for a very few 100 pounds. We already owned a 2006 F250 Super-Duty, 6.0 Diesel long-bed with only 2WD when Our 2016 Solitude 379FL was available new-to-us. I pored over the towing specs and ran numbers for our truck for several evenings before I decided that it could do the job. In 2006, the F250 and F350 were exactly the same truck except for dually's and just a 200-400 lbs more towing capacity. Of course there was two additional leaf springs and according to a dealer, some extra suspension tuning. Both trucks had the exact same engine, trans, turbo, etc., and the SRW version of the F350 had the exact same rear axle as the F250!!! So we bought the Solitude to which we immediately installed HD airbag to level everything up.

    A couple of years later (we got older and wiser), we realized that there was a slight sway issue, and doing the math realized that the rear truck tires were maxed-out. The thought of having a blowout in the mountains of Tennessee scared us (ME) to death. We needed dually's.

    We looked at F350's, but our truck had been paid off for years and other than the dually axle they were the same truck. So, while searching online for an F350 dually axle to install I found a company just north of Detroit that makes dually kits for Ford trucks. www.arrowcraft.com The total cost, including four new Michelin tires and seven alloy rims, fiberglass fenders and installation by a body shop was about $4200. Much less than an F350. Just our .02 worth.
    Frank and Char + Maya, Newport, Michigan. 2016 Solitude 379FL/2006 F250 6.0 diesel w/dually conversion. 4th rain-sense roof vent, two ceiling fans, Kodiak disc brakes, Carlisle G 14-ply tires, Water Miser x2, final dump valve, water header tank, fridge cond fan switch, outside range exhaust, elec hot water anode, filtered drinking water, triple battery box,

  8. #28
    Seasoned Camper
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    Quote Originally Posted by fez111 View Post
    I'm sure this will provoke some more eye-rolling, but here it is... I can only speak for the 2006 F250/F350 trucks, but please don't be persuaded that an F350 can outpull an F250, except for a very few 100 pounds. We already owned a 2006 F250 Super-Duty, 6.0 Diesel long-bed with only 2WD when Our 2016 Solitude 379FL was available new-to-us. I pored over the towing specs and ran numbers for our truck for several evenings before I decided that it could do the job. In 2006, the F250 and F350 were exactly the same truck except for dually's and just a 200-400 lbs more towing capacity. Of course there was two additional leaf springs and according to a dealer, some extra suspension tuning. Both trucks had the exact same engine, trans, turbo, etc., and the SRW version of the F350 had the exact same rear axle as the F250!!! So we bought the Solitude to which we immediately installed HD airbag to level everything up.

    A couple of years later (we got older and wiser), we realized that there was a slight sway issue, and doing the math realized that the rear truck tires were maxed-out. The thought of having a blowout in the mountains of Tennessee scared us (ME) to death. We needed dually's.

    We looked at F350's, but our truck had been paid off for years and other than the dually axle they were the same truck. So, while searching online for an F350 dually axle to install I found a company just north of Detroit that makes dually kits for Ford trucks. www.arrowcraft.com The total cost, including four new Michelin tires and seven alloy rims, fiberglass fenders and installation by a body shop was about $4200. Much less than an F350. Just our .02 worth.
    Does converting to dually get you a new payload sticker too? By the numbers, you would be very seriously overloaded on payload with a fiver like yours, right?

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