white knuckle driving

[Marquis]

I am towing a 265BH 33' long GVWR is 7995 with my 2019 F150 with a 2.7 Echo boost. The motor does just fine, I wonder if the truck is heavy enough to tow the camper safely though. The dealer said it would tow it fine. I feel like the truck moves around a lot when towing. Any thoughts?

 

[Hoopy Frood]

Have you driven a fair amount towing a trailer? You might check the tires and tire pressure. Soft tires will lead to a "squishy" ride feeling. Is your tongue weight sufficient to help with trailer sway?

 

[trailrydr]

I am towing a 265BH 33' long GVWR is 7995 with my 2019 F150 with a 2.7 Echo boost. The motor does just fine, I wonder if the truck is heavy enough to tow the camper safely though. The dealer said it would tow it fine. I feel like the truck moves around a lot when towing. Any thoughts?

Look into an aftermarket rear sway bar kit like the Hellwig 7743. Added one to my 13 F150 SB SCREW 6.2 and it really does take all the sway out - turned the nanny electronic sway off it worked so well. They can burn up rear brakes bad by always running the antilocks when sway occurs.

 

[Marquis]

I have not towed a large trailer like this. First timer. I will check the tires.

 

[Marquis]

I do have the track pro sway bar set up. Still feels a bit squirrely. hopefully I will get used to it.

 

[triplethreat]

I have not towed a large trailer like this. First timer. I will check the tires.

Sometimes, depending on the trim level of the truck as well as it's expected duty, the factory tires will be a P Metric tire instead of a LT or Light Truck tire. The P Metric tires, if they are on your truck will also affect the truck's stability in a negative manner. Make sure you have the LT tires on the truck and make sure that they are properly inflated.

Also, there is no question that you need to have a Weight Distribution Hitch for towing that trailer, especially with a F150 truck.

 

[Gronk1]

Weigh it. as Hoppy said, you may need more tongue weight. And as everybody said, check to see if you have LT tires.
But, again, weigh it & see where it sits.

 

[trailrydr]

I do have the track pro sway bar set up. Still feels a bit squirrely. hopefully I will get used to it.

Another quick point.... we put a bike rack with 2 mountain bicycles on our RV rear 2" hitch. Made our trailer feel light in the front end (squirley) when pulling. If you have any rearward extra weight added on the rear hitch, compensate for it with similar weight in the pass thru storage area too.

Also try to stow as much camping cargo over the axles as possible. We typically put our cooler, extra clothes, groceries, etc over the axles (for us, in the kitchen in front of the OEM hutch) when trailering.

 

[BeerBrewer-MGRV]

I agree with what had already been said...get the trailer truck and trailer weighed. Then compare the numbers to the specs for the truck and see where you are.

Based soley upon the specs for the trailer, it would not be surprise that your tongue weight ends up weighing around 1000 lbs. If sway is your issue I'd look into a Hensley or ProPride hitch, expensive yes, but they work great. We tow our Imagine 2670mk with one and never had any sway issues.

 

[sande005]

Well, there is true sway, and then there is wiggle, bouncing, porpoising, truck suck, wind pushes and many other disconcerting things.
True sway is only due to not having enough tongue weight. When driving straight, note if the rear of the trailer is appearing in one of your side view mirrors, and then moves to peek out in the other side mirror, and repeats. That is the beginning of true sway. Too high speed, wind pushes, rough roads, etc. can all quickly exacerbate it into a life threatening disaster. More tongue weight is the solution. A high end ($$$) hitch like the Hensley or Propride can prevent it. All other hitches dampen it, the better to the point where it is very unlikely to happen - but if there is enough energy (way too high a speed), the sway tendency can still overcome the dampening.
A heavier truck can reduce the rest to a greater or lesser extent, but that may not be an option. Things to try:
Air up your tires to the max listed on the sidewalls. The ride will get bumpy, but it stiffens the sidewalls, so you get less wiggle.
Make sure your WDH is adjusted correctly - too little or too much on the front wheels can dramatically affect the ride. Look up the towing information for your truck from the Manufacturer. Ford gives great advice on how to set the hitch.
Evaluate getting new tires for the truck with much stiffer sidewalls.
Make sure the trailer is level or slightly nose down when towing.

 

[txloser]

My first trailer was a 30' BH towed with a Tundra. It was pretty sucky at first. I can't speak to all 1/2 tons but many just don't have much suspension strength when it comes to towing. They ride great, which is a result of that soft suspension. With the Tundra I did get it dialed in. I added some Timbrens to stiffen up the rear. Then, LT tires. That made a significant difference. Next was some work on the WDH. I put a little more tongue weight on the hitch through adjustment. After all that it did quite well. As mentioned above, speed is a big deal too. I was new to things, so even 65 felt fast, but even now years later I don't venture past 68 too often. Weight of the truck is a factor but a smaller part of the equation. Most trailers weigh more than the the tow vehicle. More about suspension, tire pressure, the terrible aerodynamics and weight distribution.

I'd get some time behind the wheel experimenting. Whenever I get a new trailer I'll do some driving on the local highways trying different tire pressures, hitch settings and in my case airbag pressures. I'll do this a few times getting it all dialed in. Additionally this gets me more acquainted with how it feels and what normal vs something I can change. Helps me get familiar with the site pictures maneuvering as well.

 

[FatTire]

What’s the payload on your truck? There’s a sticker in the drivers door jam that says total weight and passengers not to exceed.XXXX Pounds. what is the gross weight of the trailer? Find that on the sticker on the side. What kind of tires do you have on the F150? What is the load rating? Hopefully you have LT tires. Also, in my opinion, you’re pulling a 33 foot trailer with a truck that was built to be a grocery getter, I had a similar experience towing a 25 foot travel trailer with a early tundra. I know exactly the feeling you’re referring to especially when a semi passes you. Also, I’m sure you’re getting constant high revving from that motor that used to get on my nerves going over overpasses and getting pegged at 5K plus RPMs. if you provide all that information, we can figure out if you’re overpay load which is most likely your issue

 

[jimonalog]

I have a 1500 Ram but with low rear Axel gear, sway bar, LT tires, and adjustable air suspension. 2971 RL 34'. I'm pushing my truck's limits but my tongue weight is within range. I have not problems except on windy days and then I stay under 70 mph.

 

[Olpucker]

I would say what others have said.
Check your payload and weigh it with the truck and trailer loaded just like camping including your family.
My guess is you may be over payload and or rear axle weight.
At 32’ long, you are asking a lot from a 1/2 ton.
Loading helps. If I remember correctly, the 265BH has fresh water in the rear? I would make sure tank is empty.
What else do you store in the rear compartment?
I would never risk my family on the road, so if it were me I would get a bigger truck. We have a 29’ 2400BH and it has nearly 1000 lb tongue weight, we very quickly switched from a F-150 to a F-350.

 

[Rolltide1]

I have the same trailer but with a suburban 2500. No matter what hitch or sway system you get unless you are always going to be on generally flat ground you won’t feel like you have control. You simply don’t have enough truck weight and suspension to handle the length of that trailer. Not to mention enough brakes for any big grade.
Not so much the weight of the trailer as it is the length. The trailer is a breaker bar and your truck is the socket. Slightest movement on the bar makes easy work to move your truck.

 

[B51Hardy]

I have a 2019 F150 pulling a 2610ML. The truck has 5.0 V8. Total length including tongue is 30’. I had a 2016 F150 with 2.7 before pulling a 21 foot Jayco. I didn’t feel that the 2.7 was adequate for the new trailer. When we changed I think that proved to be right as we had a good bit of sway. I was using the standard balancing hitch that I had before. We tried a good many things moving stuff around and so forth. I got a Pro Pride hitch and it is awesome. Can’t feel sway in the steering. I’m not sure I would pull anything longer, though, with this truck.

 

[RV2600RB]

I am towing a 265BH 33' long GVWR is 7995 with my 2019 F150 with a 2.7 Echo boost. The motor does just fine, I wonder if the truck is heavy enough to tow the camper safely though. The dealer said it would tow it fine. I feel like the truck moves around a lot when towing. Any thoughts?

I have a trailer with 7850lb GVWR and tow it with a 3/4 ton diesel (without spring bars).
I wouldn’t even consider towing it with a 1/2 truck, even using the spring bars.
IMO you need more truck.
Rich

 

[uwskier]

I went through this with my 2600 RB and a GM half ton. Three things helped a TON to make the ride better.

1. ProPride. There's a reason they're so expensive. They're worth every penny. You'll still get moved around by truck suck and wind, but there is NO sway.
2. RoadActive Suspension kit. Things like airbags, timbrens, etc will effect the ride when not towing. RAS does too, but in a good way. Less body roll, more control. It's a super simple design and easy kit to install, and it made a giant difference in terms of that squishy feeling.
3. LT, preferably Load Range E tires. Half tons all ship with squishy P-metric tires, which are great for light duty like towing a fishing boat, but the weak sidewalls don't handle lateral loading well. These trailers are like giant sails that introduce a lot of lateral load on our trucks, even going straight down the road. The stiffer sidewalls of LT tires running at pressures spec'd by the TIRE manufacturer for the load make a big difference.

All of these things combined made my previous truck a very very capable tow vehicle, but I didn't like some of the noises I was hearing from the transmission starting and stopping when I'd hit traffic on mountain grades, so I upgraded. The HD is better in every way except for ride quality, especially unloaded.

 

[Cheldric]

When I bought our 2670MK last fall (close to your length and specs) there happened to be a guy unhitching your same model. I saw he had also had a gooseneck hitch in the back of the truck (A dually F-350). I asked him if he also had a 5th-wheel. He said no, "I deliver trailers for a living." I asked him what he recommended for the 2670mk - he replied, "Nothing less than a 3/4 ton. Your half ton will probably pull it fine - if there are no hills or wind. If it's windy, you'll be a danger to yourself and others." I live in Colorado - we have an abundance of both! We traded in our 1/2 ton truck that week and got an F-250 diesel. I haven't regretted it once.

 

[RV2600RB]

When I bought our 2670MK last fall (close to your length and specs) there happened to be a guy unhitching your same model. I saw he had also had a gooseneck hitch in the back of the truck (A dually F-350). I asked him if he also had a 5th-wheel. He said no, "I deliver trailers for a living." I asked him what he recommended for the 2670mk - he replied, "Nothing less than a 3/4 ton. Your half ton will probably pull it fine - if there are no hills or wind. If it's windy, you'll be a danger to yourself and others." I live in Colorado - we have an abundance of both! We traded in our 1/2 ton truck that week and got an F-250 diesel. I haven't regretted it once.

Yup. No problem towing the previous fifth wheel or current TT with our truck. Also have no regrets.
Rich