Towing challenges with flagstaff 25FKS
We are brand new RVers We purchased a flagstaff 25FKS July 2020. We tow with a 2020 Chevrolet 1500 5.3 L Silverado that has a 3.23 rear ratio and a towing package with built in sway control. It took...
Forum Discussion
Looking online, that's about 6800lb GVWR.
So that's well within 1/2 ton truck capability and a 3/4 or 1 ton diesel is overkill and the extra $10k for the diesel will never come close to paying for the truck in fuel savings unless you are towing 50k miles per year. Not saying it's a bad option but you need to fix the underlying problem regardless of the truck.
A bigger truck will tow better but it won't make a sway problem go away just by sheer size. Most common sway problem is due to too little hitch weight.
No you won't get great MPG but 7mpg does sound a little low. What speed and gear are you running in? What's the RPM while at cruise speed? If you are running at 75mph, 7mpg is pretty good. If the transmission is constantly hunting for gears, you may want to lock out overdrive and it may improve things.
Also, what are you carrying in the truck? You might be overweight if you loaded the truck up heavily...remember it's not just the stuff in the bed but passengers, running boards and anything else you bolt on. For example, we are currently pulling a trailer at about 7500lb but between passengers and gear, there is probably another 1200lb in the truck right now.
It would be helpful if you give us the full details on the truck. There is a yellow sticker on the door jamb that gives all the weight ratings. Ideally, you would take the trailer to the local CAT scale ready for a trip and get the real weights and compare to the sticker on the door.
So that's well within 1/2 ton truck capability and a 3/4 or 1 ton diesel is overkill and the extra $10k for the diesel will never come close to paying for the truck in fuel savings unless you are towing 50k miles per year. Not saying it's a bad option but you need to fix the underlying problem regardless of the truck.
A bigger truck will tow better but it won't make a sway problem go away just by sheer size. Most common sway problem is due to too little hitch weight.
No you won't get great MPG but 7mpg does sound a little low. What speed and gear are you running in? What's the RPM while at cruise speed? If you are running at 75mph, 7mpg is pretty good. If the transmission is constantly hunting for gears, you may want to lock out overdrive and it may improve things.
Also, what are you carrying in the truck? You might be overweight if you loaded the truck up heavily...remember it's not just the stuff in the bed but passengers, running boards and anything else you bolt on. For example, we are currently pulling a trailer at about 7500lb but between passengers and gear, there is probably another 1200lb in the truck right now.
It would be helpful if you give us the full details on the truck. There is a yellow sticker on the door jamb that gives all the weight ratings. Ideally, you would take the trailer to the local CAT scale ready for a trip and get the real weights and compare to the sticker on the door.
