F150 OK for 5ver @ 7000lbs Dry??

rhagfo wrote:

Peripatetic Pull wrote:
Hi All:
Ford dealer says F150 bed payload not strong enough for Keystone Cougar 244RL Dry at 7klbs and we must purchase an F350.
Any input greatly appreciated - F150/F250/F350?
Thanks!

Well depends how you look at it that Cougar has the following specs;

Technical Specifications:

Height (in) 140
Length (ft/in) 26' 9"
Dry Weight (lbs/kg) 6790
Payload Capacity (lbs) 3280
GVWR (lbs) 10070
Hitch Weight (lbs) 1270

Yes it has a 10,070# GVWR, BUT it also has a payload of 3,280! You would be hard pressed to get that much stuff in that 5er. Likely about 900# to 1,200#. Still with range of an F150 EB Max/Max. Just buy the correct F150.

EXACTLY!

Peripatetic Pull wrote:
Hi All:
Ford dealer says F150 bed payload not strong enough for Keystone Cougar 244RL Dry at 7klbs and we must purchase an F350.
Any input greatly appreciated - F150/F250/F350?
Thanks!

Well depends how you look at it that Cougar has the following specs;

Technical Specifications:

Height (in) 140
Length (ft/in) 26' 9"
Dry Weight (lbs/kg) 6790
Payload Capacity (lbs) 3280
GVWR (lbs) 10070
Hitch Weight (lbs) 1270

Yes it has a 10,070# GVWR, BUT it also has a payload of 3,280! You would be hard pressed to get that much stuff in that 5er. Likely about 900# to 1,200#. Still with range of an F150 EB Max/Max. Just buy the correct F150.

Any chance the truck door sticker says 8200 GVWR?
Trade for one that does.

A properly equipped F150 is probably the only 150/1500 truck that can adequately handle a smaller fifth wheel. Check the link above for proper payload information.

You are ALL FAbUluZzzz! Thanks! Need to haul a trailer to Costa Rica and there is no ULSD (diesel) between here & there. Yes, bigger is better but Crikey! another $10k+

Got to love it.

RV Dealer says, "Sure you can pull it with that, no problem."

Truck Dealer says, "Can't pull it with that, you need a bigger more expensive truck."

According to the Keystone spec sheet, the 244RLS has a pin weight of 1270 pounds. Just for safety sake, I'd go with 1400 pounds to account for the loading and balance in the Cougar.

According to the Ford Website there are many combinations of vehicles and drive trains in the F150 that provide variable payloads. Check out this site, and you'll find that there are F150s which will be able to carry your pin weight, people and other cargo. But many will not.

Ford Payload Data

The pin weight of the 5er will more than likely be more than the payload rating of the 150. You would be much better with a 250, or 350

The heavy duty F-150 with tow package, 3.5L Ecoboost, and other high GVWR packages, Ford rates them to carry almost 3,000 pounds. The F-250 has about the same capacity, even with it's much higher GVWR, the truck base weight is much higher.

In 2015, the F-150 will have a all aluminum body, and you might want to wait until August to get one of those. The body can not rust through, and will be about 200 - 300 pounds lighter than the 2014.

As for mounting the hitch, that should be able to happen with either truck.

What will be the dry hitch weight?

How much do you plan on putting in the truck while camping?

Those two answers will be part of if the F-150 will be acceptable. If you have a heavy family, and want to carry a lot in the truck, then the F-350's 4,000 pound cargo rating will get the job done. With the F-150 or F-250, you would need a calculator to figure out if you will be fine or not.

By heavy family, I am stating that you might have 2 adults at 200 or so pounds each, and three kids around 120 - 150 pounds each. It all adds up to something around 700 - 800 pounds. That can take away a lot of the F-150's cargo rating, while it will hardly effect the F-350 cargo rating.

Best thing to do is read the towing guide, and understand what can be put into the trucks. You might also need to go to another local Ford dealer, they might be ordering more of the 3.5L F-150 with heavy duty towing package.

Once the new aluminum body comes out, then the Ford dealers will have a more difficult time pushing the older steel body trucks, you might get a better deal on one.

Fred.