Found a TT, what tow vehicle do I need?

PAThwacker wrote:
At campgrounds: 8 lugs rule all. I only see 1/2 ton crowd on this forum.

come to Canada, 1/2 ton's rule the campgrounds. Mostly because the cost of trucks is much higher here and people seem to tough it out with the 1/2 tons. I love my F250, but the F150 was a great matched tow vehicle with my previous TT.

So pretty much the f150 would do ok, the f250 would have more growth room? Even if both engines are the same? I was leaning towards the f150 due to only towing 2-3 times a year. How's the Mpg's on the f250 empty (around town)?

fuel economy, 3/4 ton, towing, and daily driving in the same sentence ended circa 2006.
When dirty diesels ruled the roost!

Ncm86 wrote:
I found a TT 26ft, 7600gvw and dry hitch 450lbs.not sure how big of a truck I need. i did find a 2011 f150 5.0 fx4 gcvw of 15,100lbs. GVW 7350 and payload 1560. With tow package. It is too small?

That's near the limits of that TV but with the right hitch setup and an eye on payload, you should be fine.

Diesel was cheap up to 2005 and half.

My wife tootses around with our dedicated tow vehicle 6.0 k2500 sub once and around. It gets anywhere between 10 and 16. Daily driving it would be a 1,000 per month fuel budget easy.

The biggest issue would be payload. You will always be on the edge and not able to haul any additional items with you, like firewood, bikes, children, etc. A reasonably aged 3/4 with any engine combination would give you the payload you need to not be concerned.

You'll be fine with the F150 for your 2-3 times a year. Nobody loads their trailer to GVW unless it has a really low cargo capacity.
What's the dry weight of the TT? Add 1000lbs to that. Now figure 12% for TW. It's not rocket science. If the TT weighs around 6000-6500lbs loaded then the TW will be around 750lbs. Your truck has a payload capacity of 1560lbs so with a TW of 750lbs you have 810lbs left.
Plenty for 2-3 trips a year.

The F250 with the 5.4 is a dog. The 5.4 is low on power plus the F250 weighs more than the F150 so even when towing the same TT the F250 will be working harder.

The 2011 F150 also has the select shift feature which helps keep the tranny form hunting for gears. The 5.0 is a solid motor like the 5.4 but should net you a little better mpg when not towing.

For only towing 2-3 times a year an F250 is overkill IMO.

Half tons will be likely payload limited. Confirm the as equipped payload per driver's door Tire and Loading sticker, not brochure/web site payload. With 450 pounds dry TW and 7500 pound GVWR, I expect you to have closer to 700 pounds loaded TW. Pretty hard to add 550 pounds of TW. It should be a good match.

However, with 3 small kids, you may consider an SUV. We got our TT when my kids were 1/2/5. Traveling with 3 kids in child seats in a crew cab truck was not enjoyable. Everyone could reach each other. We lasted 2 summers before replacing it with 3- rows of seats, more personal space.

Ncm86 wrote:
So a f250 would be better, would the engine size matter? 5.4 or bigger?
The reason I was leaning towards an f150 is that I was looking at only towing 3-4 times a yr. Have a wife and 3 small kids but want to have some room for when they get older

Hi! First off welcome to RV.net!!

I was originally going to reply that with that trailer you would be marginal but ok with the F-150 you mentioned, but with 3 kids it will not work. A growing family will add more weight both to the truck, and add more stuff to the trailer (look at my sig to see how I know this!! :))

F-150s come in many different configurations ranging in payload from under 1000lbs to over 3100lbs!! So no general statement can apply to all F-150s.

With stuff for a family of five, 2 batteries, propane, water, food etc. your TT may approach it's GVWR.

With 5 people, growing kids, and a 7600lb GVWR trailer, you need to be looking for a payload of at least 1800-1900. You DO NOT HAVE to get a F-250, there ARE F-150 with this much payload, and some with more. Look for a "max tow" equipped truck with a 7700lbs GVWR, or ideally look for one that has the "HD Payload" package (not just max tow) The HD payload F-150 has 2 easy markers, a GVWR of 8200lbs, and 7 lug wheels.

Good luck in your search!