I have 2002 4.6 V8 E/C 3.55 rear end and am looking at getting a 29 foot Jayco light camper EW 4855 Gross weight 6500. Do I have enough truck or is salesman just telling me that???? Thanks for any help

 

I think you would be happier with a Jayco 20 - 24 footer with that truck. The trailer weight stuck on the cupboard door inside is weight without equipment remember. Add 2000 pounds to that for a realistic number.

PS don't use the water heater on propane unless you really have too, the gas valve has a life of a few hundred hours, and costs US$125.

 

Thanks BarryFS. Did not know about the Propane. Any suggestions on how much truck I would need for the 29 footer I can't get the family in a smaller one.

 

An F250 should be able to handle that. If you do get another truck, get one with the low axle ratio, as that increases your towing power for whatever engine is in the truck.

 

I have a Jayco Kiwi 25 foot 4150 lb dry (ultralite, beds fold out of the end). I had a 4.6L with a 3.08 rear end...I thought it came stock with a 3.55 rear end (that's what I get for thinking). I am looking at the 5.4L with a 3.73 rear end because there was little low end torque and my truck & trailer didn't want to go above 60-65 without pushig it hard. Not that I was trying to win a race, but I wanted some power to pass rigs, climb hills etc and it just wasn't there with the 4.6. Granted, a lot of that can be associated to my axle ratio, I figure it is a wash considering the trailer you are looking at weighs more than mine.

As far as GCWR is concerned, your 3.55/4.6L is within spec...but it comes back to the power thing.
The progression of GCWR compared to axle ratio is astonishing. This link is for the '04 heritage but I found it to be the same at least to 2000 MY: http://www.fordvehicles.com/Trucks/f...es/spectowing/.

 

Never believe car salesmen or trailer salesmen when they tell you that "you can tow yadda yadda with that"

Back when I didn't know better, and I was inheriting a Chevy 150(with a 350 manual), the trailer sales guy told me I could tow anything on the lot. What he was really saying was I could buy anything(preferably big and expensive) on the lot and tow it home, but it probably would die a horrible death a few thousand miles after it was too late for me to figure it out. Well I figured it out before buying a trailer.

So I went to look for trucks. One sales guy wanted to sell me a new truck so badly, that with my stated budget, he couldn't sell me a 150 or 250, so he tried to sell me a Ranger with a 6. He said that I could tow any normal travel trailer, probably upto about 10,000#. Once again the sales guy was really saying I could tow anything I liked but I would eventually blow up the truck and it would not be covered under warranty because I was stupid and listened to a sales guy.

I was uncomfortable in both situations and lucky for me I lucked out and found a 250 with 460 and 4.10s that was used. I bought it because I liked the color duh, and the truck and always figured bigger engine and gears is better. I didn't know towing back then but I got lucky and bought a truck that would do the job I needed, which was towing an 8,000# trailer.

So don't believe what the sales guy says. Check the weight ratings of the truck and trailer and figure out if you are within spec. If you are way over, expect repair issues.

I'm a software sales guy, and I never lie ;^) but in my experience it seems most car dealer and trailer dealer sales guys will tell you anything to get you to buy what they have. They want the most bucks and to move the biggest margin product they have on the lot. Do your homework and figure out what will work, before letting the sales guy talk you into a potential durability problem, not even mentioning legal issues with tow ratings.

And the other guy is right, the trailer weight usually does not take into account things like water, food, fuel, toys and optional stuff like airconditioning, microwaves, furniture etc. Take a look at the trailer options, usually that list is very long, and none of it is figured into the stated weight. The weight adds up fast. If the weight listed is dry, figure at least another 500-1,000 for odds and ends as delivered and then figure on another 500+ just for water(clear, grey and black), then figure in all the other goodies.

My 29S Prowler weighs in somewhere around 8,000, but I think the listed weight is down around 6,000 or so. It's been awhile since I checked it all since all of us assume not much changes after the first weighing. Maybe a bad assumption.

Good Luck,

Jim Henderson

 

My Jayco 27 footer stated 4180 pounds on the door. Leaving the campground with some water in the tanks it weighed 6100 pounds. A US gallon of water weighs 8.3 pounds, so if you have three 50 gallon tanks, it can add up.

The optional equipment tends to weigh about 600 - 700 pounds no matter how long the trailer is.

 

Jim hit the nail on the head!

I work at a dealership. I'm not a salesman ... I'm an underemployeed agricultural engineer that's been selling Fords for eight years now. I'm totally disgusted with the appalling self-interest of most sales people. These are the ones that will tell you; "Oh sure, you should be able to get 16-18 mpg with that 460" (One of our past salesmen actually! said that one) "A manual transmission is best for towing" "Diesel dually is the only way to go!" "Well you have to have four wheel drive". I especially liked the Ranger reference to tow trailers up to 10,000 pounds ... that's a really good one! It's very hard to know what information to trust.

Begin RANT here:

The worst part of it is there's no retribution for these "high roller" dealers other than "word of mouth". I hear about it all the time (for all the good it does to tell me) . The bigger the dealership (cars, trucks, RV's, whatever) the worse the problem is going to be because they don't care! If you don't come back someone else will and they'll do the same thing to them. After they've totally destroyed the credibility of the place it will be sold to another "wheeler dealer" who'll change the name and do it all over again.

Although it's no guarantee, the privately owned small town dealership ... where they have to live with their customers year after year ... is going to be a little more interested in treating you fairly and honestly ... and if the salesman has a "slick" look to him, well he probably IS!

end RANT and apologize here:

Sorry ...

 

ClydeSDale,

Great to hear a refreshing post. There was a dealer like that in my area that was known for such bad service that all the other Ford Dealers in the area refused to dealer trade with them. They actual had to change their name so people would think it was under new managment.

BTW, are you saying a Ranger won't pull 10K? LOL--That's the best I've heard in a long time!

 

Thanks for all the help. Just to let you know I bought the camper (29 foot Jayco feather lite camper) and went and had it weighed on a scale at the town dump at the town I work at and it weighed 5158 pounds dry. I also loaded it and took it on several local trips and also had the whole rig (truck, cargo, kids, and camper) weighed and it was 11,019 pounds. The F-150 I have (2002 3.55 rear end E/C 4.6) handled it very well. It does struggle a little on long pulls (brushes about 5 to 6 mph off). I do have a flowmaster exhaust system/ K@N intake and its chipped so I know that helps but it rides well. The heavyduty hitch and 1200 lbs axle distribution bars also help the ride just took a while to get set up where I wanted it. Thanks again still thinking about the 250 but the 150 with mods is handling it well.