F150

[birdnut]

Hi! I have a 2010 f150 5.4 v-8 flex fuel, 3.55 rear end, with tow package, and weight distributing hitch with anti sway. I am looking at a flagstaff 27rlws trailer. Hitch weight 621 unloaded vehicle weight of 6146. Is the trailer too much for the truck? Thanks for all of your help.

[trackman]

With the combination of weight distribution hitch tow package and gear engine ratio I think you will be fine. I have a 1500 suburban with the same setup and weight trailer and I never have problems

[jesilvas]

GVWR 7,621 lbs. (3,457 kg) is what you want to look at. Dry means from factor, and you're gonna load it up.
That's still ok. May be a little bit of a load, but without doing the math, I think you'll be ok. Someone will do all the math later.

[poppatello]

You will be ok with the 5.4. I have the 4.6 and my trailer towing is 6200. Trailer I have weighs a bit more but I am looking for a bigger tow rig...

[SmokeyWren]

Originally Posted by birdnut

Hi! I have a 2010 f150 5.4 v-8 flex fuel, 3.55 rear end, with tow package, and weight distributing hitch with anti sway. I am looking at a flagstaff 27rlws trailer. Hitch weight 621 unloaded vehicle weight of 6146. Is the trailer too much for the truck?

Not enough info to tell for sure, but you'll probably be okay. You have enough engine and drivetrain to pull that trailer when loaded to the max at 7,621 pounds gross trailer weight. So the concern is not the pulling (towing) capacity but the hauling capacity of your F-150, i.e., the GVWR of your pickup vs. the wet and loaded weight of your pickup.

That trailer will probably have about 950 pounds hitch weight when wet and loaded for the road. When you subtract the wet and loaded weight of your F-150 from the GVWR of your F-150, do you have enough unused payload to handle 950 pounds hitch weight without being overloaded?

The GVWR of your F-150 depends on other options that might increase GVWR. My GVWR is 7,100 pounds and I'm overloaded with my TT that grosses less than 5,000 pounds. So if you load your pickup the way I do for towing trips, and if your pickup has only 7,100 or 7,200 GVWR, then you're probably going to be overloaded with a 7,500 pound trailer with hitch weight of around 950 pounds.

[Cumminsfan]

I had the same setup only with the 3.73 gears. Towed 7300lbs loaded with a 900lb +/- TW. The 5.4 had the power but the tranny always wanted to shift up and down. Or maybe it didn't have the power and the tranny always needed to shift down to compensate? On the 10 with the 6sp you can't lock out any gears so if your towing on a flat road it's fine, but as soon as you hit a small incline, like an overpass it wants to shift to 4th, then once over the overpass it goes to 6th, then after a short bit it goes to 5th. It does that all day long. Even a light wind will cause it to kick down. It could be right on the edge between gears and something a simple as a side gust will cause it to shift down then up. Your dry weight is almost exactly what mine was (6189lbs) and we ended up with 7300lbs loaded. IMO you will do okay. Not great but just okay. If you don't mind the constant gear hunting then you'll be fine. I just got tired of it. I also feel that a lighter TT would be better. Figure on 8.5-9mpg towing also. Handling wise you should be okay also. One thing to think about, and that's the payload capacity of the Flagstaff. I see in the brochure that it's only 1438lbs. Brochure weights are always low. So figure adding some more weight to the dry weight figures. Which will make your payload capacity number go even lower. Most people load somewhere between 1000-1500lbs in the units. Seems like a lot but it all adds up. You could very well be maxed out on your TT's tires and springs when full loaded. Not trying to discourage you from getting the 27RLWS but if you aren't set on it try looking for a TT that has a higher payload capacity.

[birdnut]

What I am looking for is a tt with a u dinette, queen bed (walk around), and enough room not feel closed in. We currently have an avenger 261lt. This is a down the road (retirement home) full time trailer. It will be for the two of us, grandkids will be too old to want to go camping. Any suggestions? We would tow tanks empty to save on weight. Thanks again for any and all suggestions. I have looked at "c" class, and most have a corner bed. Don't want to do the crawl over thing. Did see a "b" class I liked.

[SmokeyWren]

Originally Posted by birdnut

What I am looking for is a tt with a u dinette, queen bed (walk around), and enough room not feel closed in. ... This is a down the road (retirement home) full time trailer.

If your question is which RV trailer that meets the above specs, but that can be towed by a 2010 f150 5.4 v-8 flex fuel, 3.55 rear end, with tow package, and weight distributing hitch with anti sway, without exceeding the GVWR of the F-150, the answer is probably none.

Full-timer trailers are by definition are heavy, and none of them can be towed by an F-150 without overloading the F-150.

Artic Fox makes the reasonably affordable full-timer RV trailers. TTs require less truck to tow them without being overloaded, so let's look at a suitable Artic Fox TT and determine what truck you need to tow it without being overloaded.

Here's a TT that includes all your requirements, including a dinette with seating on 3 sides (U dinette). It does not include washer/dryer prep, which most full-timers would insist on, but otherwise it fills your needs. GVWR is 12,000 pounds, with dry hitch weight of 11 percent of dry gross trailer weight. So you can expect the standard 12.5% of wet and loaded hitch weight, or 1500 pounds hitch weight when wet and loaded for a full-timer couple to travel between campsites.
Northwood Manufacturing: Arctic Fox Floorplan

So you need a truck with a least enough GVWR to have 1,500 pounds of payload capacity available for hitch weight after all the stuff is loaded in the tow vehicle. F-250? Nope, not a prayer. Will an F-350 SRW diesel CrewCab 4x4 pickup do the trick? Probably.

2011-up F-350 SRW diesel CrewCab 4x4 with stock 18" tires has a GVWR of 11,500 pounds. Subtract the 1,500 pounds hitch weight and that leaves 10,000 pounds for the max weight of the wet and loaded pickup. That sounds like a good match. When loaded with everything you own when on the road, your pickup might weigh close to 10,000 pounds before you hook up the trailer.

That truck has a GCWR of 23,500 pounds, so if the wet and loaded pickup weighs 10,000 pounds, that leaves 13,500 pounds max trailer weight before you exceed the GCWR of the truck. So GCWR is not your limiter. Ignore it and be concerned with the GVWR of the tow vehicle.

So that's what you need for that trailer: 2011-up F-350 SRW diesel CrewCab 4x4 with stock 18" tires.

But your DW will be disappointed if you expect her to live full time in an RV without a washer/dryer. But Artic Fox doesn't make a TT with washer/dryer prep, so you would have to move up to a fifth wheel RV if you stuck with the Artic Fox line. And that requires more truck to tow it with without being overloaded.

Here's the smallest 5er Artic Fox makes that includes washer/dryer prep. Model 29-5K, with GVWR of 16,600 pounds. It has everything you asked for, but the dinette is the typical RV dinette with seating on two sides, not three. Rear kitchen. I loved the rear kitchen in my 5er.
Northwood Manufacturing: Arctic Fox Floorplan

The dry pin weight is almost 24% of dry trailer weight, so you can expect at least 20% wet and loaded pin weight. A full-timer is going to load the trailer to the max for moving between campsites, so figure on a trailer weight of 16K and a hitch weight of 4,000 pounds. Forget about an SRW pickup and count on a dually to haul that much weight. Will a 2011-up Ford dually pickup do the trick?

I'm not sure about earlier years, but a 2013 F-350 DRW pickup has GVWR of 14,000 pounds. 4,000 pounds hitch weight leaves about 10,000 pounds for the wet and loaded tow vehicle. The dually is about 400 pounds heavier than the SRW, so that 10,000 max weight before you tie onto the trailer will probably be a tight fit for the weight a full-timer needs to haul.

An F-450 pickup gains you pulling capacity, but not payload capacity. So for that trailer, the F-450 pickup will not give you any more fudge factor than the F-350 DRW pickup.

But if you don't want to be close to the weight capacity of your tow vehicle, there is an answer. F-450 chassis cab truck with an aftermarket tow body has 16k GVWR. The tow body will probably weigh about 500 pounds more than a pickup bed, so that increases your payload capacity for hitch weight by 1,500 pounds. That may be just the ticket you want.

Or if you begin with a chassis cab F-450, then you can choose from several different aftermarket bed styles. The tow bodies are sexy, but a flatbed will do the job. And the flatbed can be plain with nothing else added, or you can add a headache rack and several tool/storage boxes under and on the bed. And if you want to conserve payload capacity, the bed can be make out of aluminum instead of steel.

My favorite truck body for towing a 5er with a chassis cab truck is the Westerner Storage body by Knapheid. Sorta like a service body, with lots of storage compartments, but lower sides so it can tow a 5er and still make 90° turns:
Westerner Storage Bodies | Knapheide

Sorry there are no simple answer to these questions of matching truck to trailer. But you have lots of options only you can decide which is best for you and your budget.

[iawoody2]

Be careful about the gvw as it is not always 11500. On the 2013 F350 srw 4x4 crew cab diesel there are several. Dpending on which wb there are 10000, 10600, 10800, 11000, 11200, 11300, 11500. The front and rear axle rating are the same no matter which gvw. Going to the 138 page technical manual the only difference in gvw is the rear leave spring package.
The are many states that base the yearly plate fee based on gvw, like 10000 and under versus 10001 and up. The companies now this and in a effort to help the consumer out they offer diferrent gvw rating with little or no difference in actual build.
Like here in Iowa which also bases license fees on weight and cost, so the company uses base truck weight before options, and base price before options.

[iawoody2]

The comment about full timers being heavier might or not be true. It all depends on the individual. I have friends who full timed for 3yrs in a pickup camper and loved it. Covered lower 48 all Canada and Alaska 3 times.

[SultanGris]

Should be fine as long as you aren't going up mountains. Don't use cruise, I found my truck would hold one gear lower than it needed to when cruise was on compared to off. I maintain 65mph at about 2100 rpm without using cruise control.

2010 f150 3.55 gears 5.4l
2007 Keystone cougar 276rls

[CampDaven]

Originally Posted by SultanGris

Should be fine as long as you aren't going up mountains. Don't use cruise, I found my truck would hold one gear lower than it needed to when cruise was on compared to off. I maintain 65mph at about 2100 rpm without using cruise control.

2010 f150 3.55 gears 5.4l
2007 Keystone cougar 276rls

The OP plans to fulltime.
We fulltime. We go up mountains. And down.
Fulltimers dont often just stay in the flats, me thinks.
Just sayin...

[SmokeyWren]

Originally Posted by iawoody2

Be careful about the gvw as it is not always 11500. On the 2013 F350 srw 4x4 crew cab diesel there are several. Dpending on which wb there are 10000, 10600, 10800, 11000, 11200, 11300, 11500.

All F350 SRW 4x4 crew cab diesels with 18" or 20" tires have GVWR of 11,500. F-350 SRW with XL and XLT trim can be ordered with 17" tires, and those have GVWR of 11,200. But some XL and most XLT trim pickups have optional 18" tires. As a result, about the only 2013 F350 SRW 4x4 crew cab diesel pickups you'll probably find on dealer's lots without 11,500 GVWR are the stipper fleet or work trucks with XL trim.

GVWR less than 11,200 means it's not a 2013 F350 SRW 4x4 crew cab diesel. 4x2s, gas engines, SuperCab shorties, and regular cabs have less GVWR. But they also weigh less, so they don't require as much GVWR to have close to the same payload capacity.

[SultanGris]

Originally Posted by CampDaven

The OP plans to fulltime.
We fulltime. We go up mountains. And down.
Fulltimers dont often just stay in the flats, me thinks.
Just sayin...

In that case I would recommend a 2011+ f150 ecoboost with Max tow, or an f250 or f350 6.7 power stroke. The 2010 5.4 might be fine with that light of a trailer (mine is heavier) but an Eco or a diesel would be for sure and make for a much more pleasant mountain climbing experience.