First Tow Vehicle for towing family across the country

[zibberfitchy]

2018 Ford F-150 Platinum FX4
86,000 miles on it (so far so good)
3.5L V6 EcoBoost. 10 speed transmission.
4 door Supercrew with 5.5 ft bed.
Max tow package with aux transmission cooler, 3.55 rear end, 36 gallon fuel tank
7 klbs GVWR, 18 klbs GCWR
22-24 mpg not towing cruising at 70-75 mph on highway
Average 19 mpg between city/highway not towing
9 mpg towing my TT cruising at 65 mph on highway
WeighSafe TrueTow WD hitch
Roadmaster Active Suspension (activesuspension.com)

2022 Grand Design 2910BH travel trailer
34 ft. 8995 lbs GVWR. 7196 lbs UVW.

I'm a weekend camper and summer vacationer. The truck is my everyday driving vehicle.

Towed TT from Baton Rouge, LA to northern Minnesota, following the Mississippi River, and back in June. 4200 miles. Minimal sway and a little porpoising sometimes. Had no problems climbing the hills and mountains up north. Went on some 6-7% grades. Truck does get some bounce on rough roads. Engine oil and transmission temperatures stayed the same as when I'm not towing.

I usually go camping somewhere within ~100 miles from home at least one or two weekends every month. No problem towing the TT.

I've never owned at ¾ ton truck so I can't compare how it tows vs. my ½ ton. But, overall, I'm pleased with how my truck performs with my travel trailer. It's definitely not worth investing in a new, bigger truck for what I need. I originally had a Fastway E2 hitch, but upgraded to the WeighSafe True Tow. The WeighSafe is much better.

[FlNewmarBob]

If you don't fully understand the following acronyms, you are way behind the knowledge curve.... GVWR, GCWR, GAWR Front, GAWR Rear, OCCC. Weight management and understanding are the "devil" with any RV. To buy a 1/2 ton truck and not fully understand all the easily violated weight issues will result in pain sooner than later....

[tropical36]

Originally Posted by FlNewmarBob

If you don't fully understand the following acronyms, you are way behind the knowledge curve.... GVWR, GCWR, GAWR Front, GAWR Rear, OCCC. Weight management and understanding are the "devil" with any RV. To buy a 1/2 ton truck and not fully understand all the easily violated weight issues will result in pain sooner than later....

Keep in mind that the OP's usage for this truck probably involves more with being an everyday driver and anything larger than a 1/2 ton isn't exactly suitable for the average owner. I know that I wouldn't want anything larger than my F-150 to run around town in for 90% of the time and if towing with it, would just go with a lighter RV and for staying within the limits.

[Dave Pelletier]

Originally Posted by tropical36

Keep in mind that the OP's usage for this truck probably involves more with being an everyday driver and anything larger than a 1/2 ton isn't exactly suitable for the average owner. I know that I wouldn't want anything larger than my F-150 to run around town in for 90% of the time and if towing with it, would just go with a lighter RV and for staying within the limits.

RV's are a collection of tradeoffs. I wanted a larger TT, so I have a larger 1 ton DRW truck - I've been daily driving a 1 ton dually for 19 years and am happy doing it. .....depends on the person. The main thing is to have the appropriate tow vehicle for the trailer whatever the size.

Personally, I don't think there is a ton of difference in the size of like-equipped 1/2 tons and 3/4 tons.

Dave

[BCam]

Don't forget that your kids are very young now but they're going to grow faster than you think. At least identify some TTs that you think will work for you now and in the future so you can make some reasonable size and weight estimates. As a rule of thumb, I wouldn't want to exceed 80% of the rated tow capacity of the truck. Pushing the limits is never a good idea.

For what it's worth, we had a 2005 Nissan Titan that was a great tow vehicle for two Nash TTs (the largest a 25S) until we purchased our MH in 2017. On the other hand, passenger-wise, it was just me, my wife and our dog and we traveled relatively lightly.

And, if no one else has mentioned it, this is not a good time to be buying a vehicle, new or used, in terms of price and availability, but, if you need something now, you need something now. On the other hand, some may be getting rid of gas hungry vehicles like trucks.

[JIMNLIN]

OP... I always buy the truck I want then match the trailer to my truck. Nothing wrong with that as long as you understand your trucks tow ratings....gvwr and especially rawr as its carrying all the load.

Some rv folks say a 1/2 ton truck should tow a certain gvw or gvwr trailer. Thats baloney.
Reason being is all 1/2 ton trucks don't have the same load carrying capacity or the engine/tranny/gears for pulling the combo down the road.

You will find used and new F150 has a wide range of gvwr/rawr packages than other brands ranging from;
.. top of the heap F150HDPP 8200-7850 gvwr with 4800 rawr around 2500 lb payload.

..next down 7500 gvwr with 4500 rawr and around 2000 lb payload..

..then a 7050 gvwr with 4050 rawr in the 1800 lb area.

...then a small 6800 gvwr with smaller 3800 rawr and 1500-1600 approx payload.
Only separate scaled front and rear axle weights will tel the tale on actual rawr payloads.

They all may have the 3.5 v6 eco-boost or the 5.0 engines. Both good towing performers for the F150.
They also may have Fords good to have "MAX TOW" option. This option has nothing to do with carrying more weight . The higher rawr numbers carrying the most weight on any truck.

Anywayz point is look at the trucks drivers side certification sticker for the trucks (any brand) gvwr and special attention to rawr numbers.

For 2014 and up F150 check Fleet Fords weight spec website for all the different packages Ford offers. Click on "vehicle specifications "
https://fordbbas.com/publications

[tropical36]

Originally Posted by Dave Pelletier

RV's are a collection of tradeoffs. I wanted a larger TT, so I have a larger 1 ton DRW truck - I've been daily driving a 1 ton dually for 19 years and am happy doing it. .....depends on the person. The main thing is to have the appropriate tow vehicle for the trailer whatever the size.

Personally, I don't think there is a ton of difference in the size of like-equipped 1/2 tons and 3/4 tons.

Dave

Yes, to each his own, but may I also mention that specs. are made for worst case scenarios and being under par, still works out for 95% of the time.
Exp...and for towing our jeep behind our old gasser of a MH, which was a ton too heavy for it, but having determined that the only weak link that determined this was for the transmission, I decided to go with it. Except for the long 6% grades in the heat of summer we got along just fine traveling all over the lower 48. Nothing broke, nothing fell off and most importantly, no one got hurt.

[tuffr2]

Matching a trailer to a half ton truck probably gets the widest range of opinions on this forum. Also there are a wide range of half ton trucks. Example Ford builds various wheelbase lengths on their F-150. Nissan builds two Titans. The regular wimpy Titan then the Titan XD on steroids.

Half ton trucks have a wide range of cargo capacity too. From 1,300lbs. to 2,400 lbs.

The best half ton trucks for towing are the F-150 with the HDPP option or a F-150 with a 8' bed and 3.5 Eco-Boost. The 2nd truck is the Nissan Titan XD. This truck has a heavier frame and longer wheelbase. The longer wheelbase helps control the trailer.

I agree it will be a trade-off with ease of driving vs towing ability. Also a trade off with size and weight of trailer.

Good luck

[dannonebr]

If you live in Colorado and plan to camp or drive into the mountains, get a bigger truck than you need to just get by with. Driving in the mountains is not at all like driving in the flats or kinda hilly areas and generally, a more robust vehicle is needed. I've pulled a lot of big and small trailers and 5th wheels with a another trailer attached through the mountains. Also had a class C RV, SUVs, 1/2 tons and 3/4 tons. Bigger is better. Less stress to the driver and vehicle with more robust trannys, cooling system, suspension, frame, brakes, etc. on the 3/4+ ton trucks. With my current vehicle I tow a 9000# trailer plus an ATV in the pickup box pretty much care free on the highway on flat and mountainous terrain and even get to camp spots off the beaten path. For me, a half ton in any configuration would not cut it.

[CamperLifer]

Originally Posted by tuffr2

Matching a trailer to a half ton truck probably gets the widest range of opinions on this forum. Also there are a wide range of half ton trucks. Example Ford builds various wheelbase lengths on their F-150. Nissan builds two Titans. The regular wimpy Titan then the Titan XD on steroids.

Half ton trucks have a wide range of cargo capacity too. From 1,300lbs. to 2,400 lbs.

The best half ton trucks for towing are the F-150 with the HDPP option or a F-150 with a 8' bed and 3.5 Eco-Boost. The 2nd truck is the Nissan Titan XD. This truck has a heavier frame and longer wheelbase. The longer wheelbase helps control the trailer.

I agree it will be a trade-off with ease of driving vs towing ability. Also a trade off with size and weight of trailer.

Good luck

F150 with HDPP and Max Tow and 3.5 Ecoboost are Supercrew with 6.5' bed or Supercab with 8' bed. XL without STX package will have greatest CCC.