My husband & I are in the process of looking at different trailer campers to purchase for our family of 4 and are wondering if we can get some advice from current F150 owners who have hauled them. I'll apologize ahead of time because my lack of knowledge of our vehicle will be very clear to you. He will check in on this if we get replies to answer the questions properly!

We have a 2010 F150 XLT, 4x4 super cab, 4WD, 4.6L 3V V8 engine, automatic, 3.55 ratio regular axle and our original sticker says GVWR is 7000 lb. We also have the tow package on it. Not sure what else you would need to know.

We have been to two dealers so far and they have led us to 28-29' campers. North Trail 28BRS and, Trail Runner 27FQBS, and a Jayco Jay Flight 29QBS (our favorite so far but probably most concerned about). We have 2 teenaged children and will sometimes have 2 additional children with us. We would be staying in western NY for the most part so not very hilly but there may be non-highway roads too.

Any help with towing issues/thoughts is greatly appreciated seeing how you may have more truthful insight than a salesman! Thanks.

 

Welcome!

if i'm reading the 2010 ford towing guide correctly, your truck is rated to pull 7,900 lbs.
https://www.ford.com/resources/ford/...vF150sep09.pdf

looking up the 2015 Jayco Jay Flight 29QBS, it shows a dry weight of 6,500 and a maximum loaded weight of 9,500. That's going to be a tall order for your truck.

In the Jayco line, you might be better off in the Jay Feather line. They are the light-weight series of campers specifically designed to be towed by 1/2 ton trucks. the dry weights on these are in the 4,500 lbs range with a maximum loaded weight of around 6,000 - 7,500 which is well within your towing capabilities.

When shopping around, one of the easiest ways to tell the light weight campers apart from the others is to look at the wheels. if they have 5 bolts per wheel, it's a light weight. if it has 6 bolts per wheel, it's most likely not.

Will your truck pull a 29' camper with a loaded weight of 9,500 lbs? yes, it probably will. will it be an enjoyable experience getting where you are going? it might not be, depending on your tolerance and patience level.

if you do go with the bigger and heavier campers, spend the time learning how to set the hitch up properly because it is going to be critical to get it right when you are at or over the edge. i've seen a lot of campers leaving the lot with the hitches not set up right. People put their faith in the dealer and the dealers don't seem to care enough to get it right before it goes out the door. even with the lighter campers, it is still important to get it right.

with 3.73 gears or with the 5.4 i might give you a different answer, but with your current set up those campers might not be that much fun to haul.

 

I agree with Mike on this one, you have 1600 lbs payload capacity in this truck, the other trailer you are looking at weighs 6100 lbs with a 7700 lbs gross, you are going to have to be selective about what you take with you, payload is tongue weight, plus passengers and whatever you put in the bed, tongue weight can be as much as 700-800 lbs, the truck will do it, but you will be working at it.

 

the first two look very do-able. i didn't look up those specs, but they both have a GVWR (maximum loaded weight) in the 7,000 lbs range.

of the three, the first two are very do-able. between the two, i'd choose by floor plan. the weight difference between the two is negligible IMO and both are within your listed capacity.

 

When figuring out if you can or should tow a specific trailer with your truck, always use the GROSS rating on the trailer, since you will be loading food and gear into the trailer before you tow it.

Regardless of the ratings, you should be prepared with that engine to be taking your time getting anywhere. It's a stout motor, but you won't win any races.

Also, never believe an RV dealer about your trucks capability. They have a vested interest in selling you the largest, fanciest trailer they can. Don't trust them, go by the GVW rating of that trailer, which should be easy to find, and can't be fudged.

 

As mentioned do not believe what the RV dealer tells you about truck capacities. A 28 foot trailer would be sketchy at best pulled behind your rig. I have an 09' 4.6 3v with 6R80 tranny and tow pkg. I pull a trailer on occasion that weighs 5,000 lbs and to be honest its kind of a joke and feels like you are beating the **** out of the truck. If you are looking at trailers near the capacity of your tow vehicle you might want to think about upgrading to a diesel rig.

 

I knew Ford owners would come through! Thank you so much for your great information! Navigating through all of the information is a bit overwhelming for us but you definitely have put us in the right direction. I think we're going to continue shopping around to make sure we get what we really like and know can handle.

Thanks again!

 

I'll give you my assessment of having an 09 with 4.6 3v, and 3.55 gears.

It tows great at 70 MPH. Anything slower and the transmission doesn't downshift fast enough to keep your momentum on a grade.

Also, you'll find towing with the gear selector in the "normal mode" vs the "tow/haul mode" is much more enjoyable.

My last suggestion, is spend the money on a tune that lets you lock the 6th gear out.

Chris

 

My setup is a 2010 F150 SCREW 5.4L 3.31 GR 4x4 145Wb - EOM Aux Tranny cooler. My TT is a 30 ft 2015 Keystone Outback Terrain. Put it on the scales. Truck with full fluids & gear & TT attached 6960 Truck & Trailer 12,780 Trailer - 6520. Tongue weight 760. Last summer pulled it about 3000 miles between Wyoming & Arizona. The only time it broke a sweat was going over Vail pass at 11,000 ft elevation. Scangage show TFT was around 218 and WT around 225 at the top of the hill. Quickly went down to normal. No white knuckle moments. Very balanced. I have been told the F150 is too small but so far so good. I guess time will tell. Planning trips for a total of 4000 miles in 2016.