Towing with F150

[Jerryr]

trade the F150 in on a F250 or F350 if you intend to tow. I know the depreciation will hurt but for towing you will be much happier. I was not comfortable towing a 2800BH with my F150 even with it’s 1964 lbs of payload on the yellow door sticker. The trailer was in charge whenever towing.

I traded in a 3 month old F150 for a diesel F350 10 months ago and it’s a night and day difference towing. The truck is in charge, not the trailer

If you opt for a F250 gas engine the cost difference is about $10,000 plus you will loose maybe $3,000 on depreciation on your F150 if you bought it right. A F350 will add another $1,000 to cost but you will gain another 1000+ lbs of payload.

[Ctdecuir]

Hey Michael - just saw your post (HPE is keeping me busy these days!). Congrats on the '14 F150, and I believe the 27RL has close to the same weight specs as the 303RLS - you should tag up with Rob (of Cate&Rob fame!). He tows a 303RLS with his 2014 HDPP - pretty similar specs as yours, but I believe his payload rating is a little higher. Anyway, I hope things go well with your new Truck and the 27RL. I was considering getting a 29RS, however, I have ZERO towing experience (never had a truck before either!). My brother (who has a lot of experience towing 5ers) convinced me to start smaller - so I am looking at going with one of the smaller 150 Series 5ers. I am going to go to the Houston RV Show in early February - and will see if there are any good GD deals to be struck. My goal is to be ready to start camping by Spring!

[goducks14]

Hey Michael - just saw your post (HPE is keeping me busy these days!). Congrats on the '14 F150, and I believe the 27RL has close to the same weight specs as the 303RLS - you should tag up with Rob (of Cate&Rob fame!). He tows a 303RLS with his 2014 HDPP - pretty similar specs as yours, but I believe his payload rating is a little higher. Anyway, I hope things go well with your new Truck and the 27RL. I was considering getting a 29RS, however, I have ZERO towing experience (never had a truck before either!). My brother (who has a lot of experience towing 5ers) convinced me to start smaller - so I am looking at going with one of the smaller 150 Series 5ers. I am going to go to the Houston RV Show in early February - and will see if there are any good GD deals to be struck. My goal is to be ready to start camping by Spring!

Honestly the learning curve between a 303 and say a 220 RK is nil. They still back in the same. They both will cut a corner more than a TT. The biggest factor is get a 3/4 ton diesel truck. That will make your towing experience way easier.

[Cate&Rob]

The biggest factor is get a 3/4 ton diesel truck. That will make your towing experience way easier.

The HDPP F150 has about the same payload (2400 lbs +/-) as most 3/4 ton diesel trucks. I expect that those who think that you need a diesel to tow a 10,000 lb 5th wheel have never tried this with the Ecoboost turbocharged gasoline engine. More than enough power and engine braking for any driving situation at any elevation.

Rob

[BjornF16]

Rob,

Saw this in the F-150 tow guide (actually in SuperDuty guide as well):

High Altitude Operation
Gasoline engines lose power by 3-4% per 1,000 ft.elevation. To maintain performance, reduce GVWsand GCWs by 2% per 1,000 ft. elevation starting atthe 1,000 ft. elevation point

Question: Is that a valid statement for turbo-charged gas engines?

I would think that only applied to naturally aspirated gasoline engines...am I missing something?

[Cate&Rob]

Rob,

Saw this in the F-150 tow guide (actually in SuperDuty guide as well):



Question: Is that a valid statement for turbo-charged gas engines?

I would think that only applied to naturally aspirated gasoline engines...am I missing something?

Jeff - You are correct that turbochargers will compensate for the loss of power experienced by normally aspirated engines at higher elevations. This technology was proven on piston aircraft engines, decades ago. I read in a technical paper many years ago that the Ecoboost was designed to have enough "turbo reserve" to maintain its sea level torque curve to an intake air pressure equivalent to an elevation of 10,000 ft. Unfortunately, I can't lay my hands on that paper, but there are many anecdotal reports on this forum and others of Ecoboost performance in the mountains being equal to what it is at sea level.

Rob

[Michael Kidwell]

Hey Michael - just saw your post (HPE is keeping me busy these days!). Congrats on the '14 F150, and I believe the 27RL has close to the same weight specs as the 303RLS - you should tag up with Rob (of Cate&Rob fame!). He tows a 303RLS with his 2014 HDPP - pretty similar specs as yours, but I believe his payload rating is a little higher. Anyway, I hope things go well with your new Truck and the 27RL. I was considering getting a 29RS, however, I have ZERO towing experience (never had a truck before either!). My brother (who has a lot of experience towing 5ers) convinced me to start smaller - so I am looking at going with one of the smaller 150 Series 5ers. I am going to go to the Houston RV Show in early February - and will see if there are any good GD deals to be struck. My goal is to be ready to start camping by Spring!

Ctdecuir, thanks. Like you, I have no prior 5th wheel experience and this is my first truck. Thought I’d be a little uncomfortable in city traffic but love it. Wednesday I have an inspector going over a 2017 27RL that I hope to buy. Still have to get a hitch (I’m leaning toward Andersen Ultimate aluminum). My wife and I plan to retire in June, get settled into a small house we have in southern Maryland and then take to the roads to look for America (probably Canada as well!)

[FT4NOW]

Just to throw it out there, Ford is releasing their half-ton diesel. Skimming through the article I saw, it looks to have comparable numbers to the F150 with heavy duty payload package and better payload numbers than the Ram diesel half-ton. No clue on actual numbers since the truck isn't out yet. I did see that Ford is taking orders starting mid-January. Hopefully someone can post some actual capacities when they either purchase one or we start seeing them on dealer lots.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

[Cate&Rob]

It will be interesting to see the actual numbers for the new F150 diesel. Not all diesel powertrains are built to haul . . . this technology also works to maximize fuel economy (think diesel Rabbit). For me, the only reason to make the F150 HDPP work is to get the Ecoboost engine. To deal with the cost and complication of an emissions compliant diesel . . . there are a lot better and bigger trucks/powertrains built for towing that I would go with.

Rob

[sande005]

The thread seems to have drifted into 5th wheel territory. I towed a Jayco 26.5RLS (~8,500 lbs) for years with the below 2012 F-150 Eco HDPP. While I was right at max payload (2,166), performance was always great. Did a month in Colorado and Utah, where we rarely got below 7,000 ft, and were up to 10,000 frequently. No issues at all - I could pass any semi at anytime I wanted, on any grade. Only reason I changed to a TT was that all 5ths the same as my old Jayco have gained weight, so I would have been well over the max. payload. Getting a new F-150 would have fixed that. Will be interesting to see how the current one does with the current TT at altitude....