Getting Back into RVing

[Wellibe]

Not sure about the newest F150s, but the 13th gen f150s (2015-2020) had a max allowed tongue weight of around 1,200 lbs when using a WDH. So you could be pushing the tongue weight limit with an 8,000+ lb trailer.

Regardless, you will have to choose your trim level and optional equipment carefully to find an F150 that has enough payload capacity to handle 1,000+ lbs of tongue weight plus occupants, cargo, added equipment, etc. Not to say it can't be done if you plan carefully, but who wants to live that close to the edge all the time?

[joerone]

I would consider going to a 3/4 ton, F250. If you stay F150, go with the 3.5 EcoBoost. It’s the best towing 1/2 ton. I had one and it towed my 6500# dry TT good, but I could not add much cargo or passengers other than my wife and I. If you are staying local, 1/2 ton will be fine. Long distance and especially mountains, go bigger

Use this Ford tow calculator, put in vin # and it calculates what you can tow. Play with various cargo and passenger weights to see what might work for you

https://www.ford.com/support/towing-calculator

[billtrew]

First, I want to thank all for the info that you have provided. It has got us to this point where we are almost on the road.
We were fairly sure we wanted the WinneBago Micro Minnie 2108TB, till we saw a 2024 Forest River Rockwood Mini Lite 2109S. The Rockwood is now our first choose, but I was wondering about the manufacturing quality of the Forest River units. I would appreciate any pros & cons about the FR, especially the FR 2109S. From our inspection of the FR it looks look similar to the WB 2108TB in features and quality. We like where the TV is on the FR, as opposed to the WB where you are looking at the TV sideways. From what we noticed the FR has better entry steps, more counter space, queen bed and seems roomier in the kitchen/LR.
As I said, I was wondering about the manufacturing quality. Looking to decide this week.
Also, in the past I had an Anderson weight distribution hitch. I liked it. Will need a WDH for this new trailer, any suggestion on a good quite WDH?
bill

[Dave Pelletier]

Originally Posted by billtrew

First, I want to thank all for the info that you have provided. It has got us to this point where we are almost on the road.
We were fairly sure we wanted the WinneBago Micro Minnie 2108TB, till we saw a 2024 Forest River Rockwood Mini Lite 2109S. The Rockwood is now our first choose, but I was wondering about the manufacturing quality of the Forest River units. I would appreciate any pros & cons about the FR, especially the FR 2109S.
bill

I don't have any direct experience but both my business partner and another friend of ours have Rockwood Mini Lites and both love them and haven't had any significant issues.

2 cents,

Dave

[Flag22FBS]

Hello billtrew / BRT: Rockwood Mini Lite / Flagstaff Micro Lite owner here – good choice great trailers!


The dual axle Mini Lite / Micro Lite trailers are wonderful to tow!


And in 2018, we were new to RV'ing, clueless...some of our experiences...


The Rockwood M Lite and Flagstaff Micro Lite are both manufactured in the same factory near Elkhart Indiana by Forest River (a Berkshire Hathaway company).


Looked at, inspected, crawled in / under many different brands – and settled on Forest River, which we believe – and so far true – are good value for the money. Are there better brands? Maybe. Grand Design and Winnebago come to mind ( per owner reviews).


Some background, my experiences, prior units:
used 2013 M Lite 2109s GVWR 4731# purchased 2018.
& TowVehicle 2018 F150 XLT 4x4 2.7L 145 inch wheelbase payload rating 1375#


2019 M Lite 2109s GVWR 5726#, we upgraded to this unit in 2019.
Shureline tongue scale weight, trailer camp ready, fresh full, grey & black empty tongue wt: 880# (tongue weight 15.3% of GVWR).
& TV 18 F150 XLT 4x4 2.7L 145 inch wheelbase payload 1375#
Tow experience: two east coast trips: 2019 Toronto to New Brunswick, 2021 north shore Lake Superior 3000km; 2022 Toronto to PEI & Nova Scotia, combined over 14,000 km.


current units
2024 Micro Lite 22FBS (Mini Lite 2205s) GVWR 6794#, we upgraded to this unit spring 2024.
Shureline tongue scale weight, camp ready, fresh 1/3 full, grey & black empty tongue wt: 1000# (tongue weight 14.7% of GVWR).
& TV 22 F150 XLT 4x4 3.5L 145 inch WB payload 1822# (upgraded TV in late 2022).
Tow experience: 2023 Toronto to Cape Breton 6,000km & this year Toronto to Jasper to Waterton Park over 10,000 km, mountain grades included.


All three Forest River / Flagstaff units have been good construction. There will always be some minor issues, overall we are happy owners.


Minor issues that we repaired included drawer bottoms and re-seal some roof seams – part of the winterization process. And re-pack wheel bearings – regular maintenance


Do decide early in your search: a dinette or theatre seating, a murphy bed or queen bed. Once you get past that, the floor plan selection gets much easier. We traded the 2109s for the 22FBS (2205s) to get a dinette ( theatre seats optional), which we preferred over the 2109s bench seat. The downside was the increased GVWR, however the 3.5L F150 handles (carries, brakes etc) the 22FBS well within payload capacity. (Remember if you boondock glamp allow 100 pounds for an inverter 3500 watt generator).


We were new to RV'ing in 2018 and were lucky to have been referred to a dealer owner who was very good at sales but great at servicing units he sold.


The dealer is just as important as the unit you buy.


And knowing what you need to carry that trailer. Yes, carry. You will run out of payload way before pulling capacity. Today's motors are so good, all tow vehicles can pull a lot today.


Being familiar with F150's, great trucks. Big difference between a 2.7L and the 3.5L truck motors.


Both will pull easily – the frames are different (thickness) hence carry capacity is signficantly different! Most sales people will not know.


A 2.7L truck will have the light duty frame hence a payload in the range of 1400#.


A 3.5L (5.0L) truck will have the medium duty frame with a payload in the 1700# + range.


At one time it was possible to order a F150 with a heavy duty payload package (XL or XLT trim only), the HD payload F150 is a Unicorn – so few were manufactured. Very likely GM 1500 trucks have similar light / medium duty frames. (Ram 1500 trucks are grocery getters.)


The Ford 5.0L is good – some will only have a V-8, but do note to produce the power / torque needed (to carry / pull a multi ton trailer) the V-8 will have to turn at over 4500 RPM, while the turbo 3.5L V-6 will produced more power / torque at 3000 RPM – a big difference when trailering all day. Both motors have sophisticated overhead cam designs so frequent oil changes are neccessary for longevity.


Forget about the Powerboast F150. The batteries and electric motors take away 300+ pounds of payload. (My XLT 3.5L has 1822# payload, the XLT Powerboost I looked at had only 1500# payload). The electric drive is for city driving and is disabled for towing (haul mode).


Just remember: the truck with a higher trim level = less payload. Options weight a lot (if your buying for trailer travel: avoid sunroofs, power running boards, power tailgates etc, those all signficantly reduce payload).


That yellow sticker on the driver's door is the key to selecting a tow vehicle: records the combined occupant and cargo capacity carry rating for that vehicle (CCC).


Please note that the CCC# rating EXCLUDES anything that you (and prior owners) have added to the vehicle and will REDUCE the CCC# rating.
What additional accessories / equipment have have been added ? Floor mats? Cargo bed mat? Tools? Camera? Maps? Guidebooks? Was the hitch receiver added or upgraded? Undercoated? Spray in bedliner? Splash guards? Hood deflector? The CCC# is the carry capacity available when that vehicle (unique to your unit) left the factory: do reduce the CCC# by the weight of anything that was added in or on the vehicle – that was not on the unit when it left the factory.


Based on my experience with Mini Lites (Micro Lites) trailers the tongue weights tend to be on the heavy side (re-read first couple paragraphs) and:


Add the weight of: the drawbar, hitch ball, chains, the weight distribution hitch unit, normally 100 pounds, reducing the tow vehicle carry capacity:
the CCC# rating minus: 100# for WDH, the pounds for occupants, TV cargo, accessories etc.


For me and for comfortable cross country towing, the MicroLite 22FBS (Mini Lite 2205s) is the largest trailer I would tow with a F150. Larger trailers require F250 / 2500 trucks. My 'two hands on the wheel' experience this year across the prairies: it gets real windy 60+ kph – all day!


And keep in mind wheelbase guidelines:
The recommended TV to trailer length requirements (source Airstream club website)
For the first 110" of wheelbase, this allows you 20' of trailer.
For each additional 4" of wheelbase, this gets you 1' more of trailer.
110" = 20'
114" = 21'
118" = 22'
and so on


Hope this helps...apologies for the long post...


Regards,
Flag22FBS

[Wellibe]

I have a 2018 Forest River Wildwood X-Lite. Not the same line as the FR Rockwood trailers, but it is also built in Elkhart, so presumably the same manufacturing facility? I bought it used in January 2023.

So far I haven't had any major problems. I did choose to replace the cheap Chinese wheel bearings this spring when I did my annual inspection and discovered that they'd been spinning. Might have been my fault due to some unknown error when I repacked them the previous year.

Although so far it is holding up o.k., it is your typical budget model Indiana trailer. Cheap materials and slap-dash build quality. But it didn't cost a lot. You get what you pay for.

Of course 2018 was pre-covid and a different world. It would be good to hear from folks who have 2023 or 2024 models.

[db4570]

I have a 2023 Wildwood X-lite and agree with Wellibe.

We really like the trailer, but some of the construction is slap-dash. Mostly interior trim stuff. The important stuff all seems pretty solid, and the exterior and chassis are well built.

We have towed it cross country and really enjoy it. It tows great.

The weakest points seem to be the latches and hinges for the door, which are difficult to get adjusted right, and the latches for the side storage lockers, which I have have to fiddle with to make them work right.

Fortunately I don't mind minor little projects.

[DarkSideJeep]

Originally Posted by MtCamper

billtrew, you seem as if you are bound to purchase a 1/2 ton. Get whatever you like best. Most of those who post here have lots of real world experience and the general advice is to go for more truck that you think you need. For whatever reason, folks don't take the advice offered and go with what they wanted to start. My rule of thumb is 1/2 tons are really good for four guys and their golf clubs. 3/4 to tow a travel trailer and a one ton to tow a fifth wheel. Diesel has been my preference for years but I'm aware of its drawbacks and I can see why guys prefer the big gassers. Yes, you can set up a 1/2 ton to tow the trailer you want but for me a good part of RVing is the travel experience. With a 3/4 ton diesel, travel would be a breeze for you. You'd enjoy the drive. With a 1/2 ton you may need to pack more beer. Given the cost of new trucks and the fact that we never know what's coming down the road, I'd opt for a crew cab one ton diesel. That's way more truck that you need for the TT you want. This week. If you decide you need to upscale in a couple of years you already have the platform. Go drive one, they are much quieter and more comfortable that you can imagine. When you not towing , let the air down to 45psi and you get a smooth ride. This is just advise. Good luck on your decision.

Another advantage for getting a Diesel is that you can fill in the truck lanes. You will not need to figure out how to negotiate the often tight auto fueling lanes while towing a TT.

[Nlambert]

Not all Forest River products are the same... but the Rockwood and Flagstaffs are identical sister units and from my years of crawling around them all.... seem to be 2 of the most well built travel trailers that Forest River offers. Had we not found such a deal on my E2W Alta (also Forest River), we would have purchased the Rockwood/Flagstaff.

That in mind... give the East to West Alta series a look. We have been very pleased with ours. Build quality is up there with the Rockwood in most areas. The only place I find mine lacking is the countertops... using thermofoil over solid surface.


If you're considering a non-Forest River brand... take a look at Venture RV. I was equally impressed with their build quality.

I do not suggest Grand Design nor Winnebago from all my research and from crawling around inside them all. WB went through a few years of roof problems and GD (now owned by Winnebago) is currently going through issues with customer service. I don't know if it's typical and I'm sure there are some happy customers out there, but there are enough squeaky wheels that I avoid them both. I've had fantastic customer service with Forest River (both Chapparal and E2W) being very responsive and helpful.


+1 on the diesel comment. I don't really "need" one to pull my rig, but it sure is a lot easier to fuel at the diesel islands. In any regard, if you can step up to a 3/4T truck now (gas OR diesel)... do it. If this is your very first camper you will likely upgrade at some point. Many find themselves having to upgrade the truck later.