Apex or Venture (Sporttrek) TT

Deuce222 wrote:
Looking to get a TT and slowly narrowing it down to either Apex or Venture. Thought I'd ask here. Anyone have either and if so, good things to say or bad about each?
Still working on numbers whether I can actually pull it.
I have a 2014 Ford F150 supercrew with v6 ecoboost.
Dealers (TT) have said and showed me weight limits for the truck handling 9200 full, recommending 8200 empty weight, but I'm finding I don't think I want to be that close. The Venture one we looking at is approx. 7600 empty, apex approx. 7000 or maybe 6000 something, not even close to the venture.
Thoughts?

General rule with a half ton is under 6,000 dry weight. Depending on the door sticker (yellow) it might even be less. What is the available cargo capacity of your particular truck? With the ecoboost 3.5 you'll have plenty of power, it will be cargo capacity and possibly rear axle weight rating that will limit what you can actually pull.

What specific trailers are these.. Model #'s

The combined weight of cargo and occupants should not exceed: 1399.... On yellow door sticker. GVWR onbdoor jam is listed as 7200.
Rear gawr listed as 3850. I'd have to look up trailer model numbers and get back to this post with that info in a few hours due to my location.

A trailer that weighs 8000 lbs. loaded for camping and ready to go, is going to have a tongue weight (approximately 12% ±) of about 1000 lbs. You subtract the tongue weight (1000 lbs.) from your "sticker" payload weight (1399 lbs.) and that leaves 399 lbs. That 399 lbs. is what you have remaining for people and cargo in the F150. So you have to add up the weight of everyone and everything in the truck (including toolbox, firewood, and dog) to see if the number is less then 399 lbs. If so, you are ok. That's how you figure how much you can tow. More info here.

289tbss for Apex. And st327vik for venture

We have a 2013 Apex 288BHS. So far no real problems. Finish is holding up very well. And everything inside still works as new. Only you can decide what you want.

Deuce222 wrote:
289tbss for Apex. And st327vik for venture

Coachmen Apex 289TBSS

Venture Sport Trek ST327VIK

Seriously? Both these trailers are bunk bed models, suggesting that you'd have a family in the truck when you're towing ... so with just 1399 lbs of payload capacity you won't have anywhere near enough capacity left to account for gross tongue weight of either of these trailers which are sure to be at least 1000 lbs, and more. Keep in mind also that stickered payload capacity is for your truck as it was originally delivered ... add a bed liner, tonneau cover, truck cap, or anything else and the weight of those come off that payload rating. Personally I wouldn't tow any trailer weighing more than 6000 lbs fully loaded & ready to camp with your truck, others may go higher but certainly 7000 lbs is about as much as you ought to consider with any 1/2 ton truck that's not equipped with a HD factory tow package, which yours isn't.

We will be towing TT with my truck and following behind with wife and two 5yr old twins and a 13 year old, maybe grandma and dog and most other things. My truck is (according to ford vin search) equipped with "heavy duty towing package"(don't know exactly what that includes due to their vagueness), "integrated brake control", "with super engine cooling system(again don't know exactly what that entails as the vaugness), "heavy duty rear shock absorbers",

Deuce222 wrote:
We will be towing TT with my truck and following behind with wife and two 5yr old twins and a 13 year old, maybe grandma and dog and most other things.

Towing solo will help for sure but with a payload sticker of just 1399 lbs I don't see how your particular truck is equipped with Ford's maximum tow package. Here's some info that may help ... regardless, those are both pretty big trailers that can severely tax the limits of most 1/2 tons.

Its not what the truck can pull its about payload. And tongue weight accounts for payload.

Even if driving alone you need to account for fuel and you in the truck.

Your truck specs are identical to mine pretty much.

I have 1450 payload. And that's a scale weight with me, 200lbs and a full tank of fuel, 34 gallons. Door tag says 1430.

I subtracted my door tag weight on rear axle like yours of 3750 - scale weigh of 2300 lbs gives me true axle weight payload.

With that said I bought the coachmen 261 bh. This is listed @ 541lb tongue weight. Let me tell you when I filled the propane, added an additional battery, and loaded my stuff in pass through and in camper, my TW became 740lbs.

Thats without food and clothes. And lest not forget if I run with water in the fresh tank.

1450-740= 730lbs.

wife and kids 470. 730-470= 260lbs.

260lbs is what I have in stuff in back of truck. Took=ls, hoses, carfluids, grill, generator, ext.

The WD hitch is set at max and takes 160lbs and moves it to front of truck and rear of trailer.

So I am maxed. And my camper is 4729 dry and 5500-6000lbs loaded..

Ill tell you this I wouldn't want to tow much more.. For sag even with WD hitch I added sumosprings to the rear and bilstein shocks all around. I also added the largest trans cooler I can fit behind the grill in series with the factory one.

Moral?

You are starting with 715lb TW on the apex. Will be at least 900 lbs when your done and loaded. Add some water and youll be up there. Fill the truck fuel and add you.

And your already starting at 5700 lb dry weight. Thats a lot of weight my friend..

Can you do it? Yes.

But I would advise to take the truck to a cat scale and weight the individual axles first. Then subtract your door tag axles weights from the scale weights. That will tell you exact payload.

Do this with full tank of gas and you in the truck.

Post back those #'s. After you get those #'s then you can start looking at trailers...

All my opinion of course...

We want you to be safe and not have to white knuckle it..