F150 and Reflection 150 series?

[Partsbob]

First let me say I am totally aware of the “concerns” of pulling a 5er with a 1/2 ton pickup ..... BUT I have a wonderful 2016 F150 Lariat and am tired of dealing with the stress of travel trailer sway on longer trips, even after trying 4 different WDHs professionally installed!
Because my F150 MaxTow 4WD is paid for and us having just returned from a 2,000 mile Florida trip pulling our 32’ TT, I am seriously considering the GD Reflection 150-series 260RD with its low pin weight and short length to stay well within my F150’s payload capacity. My question is: has anyone else with a newer F150 made this same move from a TT to a small 5er and has it completely solved the sway issue with crosswinds and traffic? We’ve traveled with our combination for the last 16 months and had just upgraded the tires to “XL” (extra-load) rated to reduce sway/tail-waggle, but it doesn’t seem to have made any difference. We encountered 20-30mph crosswinds during this trip on Interstates and it was exhausting, reducing the enjoyment of the 12-day vacation.
My wife & I are semi-retired and love to camp for a couple of weeks at a time and, even though we LOVE our 2019 32’ TT, I am done with the stress of the amount of sway with this combination (knowing an F250 would likely cure that, but trading isn’t an option, and I don’t believe the Hensley would eliminate it with the F150), so we are considering a light 5er like the Reflection 150 series, especially with it being only 6” taller than our current TT.

[valhalla360]

20-30mph crosswinds are no fun. We've done it in both bumper pull and 5er.

Have you taken the trailer to the weigh station to find out the real weights? If you've tried multiple hitches with no luck, good chance it's a weight issue.

What's the payload of the truck? It's fun to say you will travel light but realistically if the trailer is 10,000lb GVWR, you are probably going to be up around 2000lb pin weight. By the time you add passenger, hitch and other stuff in the truck, not many 1/2 ton trucks will have sufficient payload.

[skinnyme]

Take JIMNLIN advice. The diffrence between a bumper pull and a 5th wheel is like day and night. Go for it.

[2112]

Partsbob wrote:
We NEVER run with full tanks ...

Then you limit yourself to full hookup sites only or using the blue tote. Most state parks in our area do not have full hookups.

I added 300# to my pin loaded to camp.

[SailingOn]

When I pull my sailboat (ca. 5000# and as streamlined as centuries of design can make it, on a bumper pull trailer) sway is enough to be disturbing at times.

• I pulled a 30', 9800# 5th wheel for ten years with an F150 (2030# payload rating), through almost every state.
  
• No sway, ever. Crosswinds, big trucks, no problem.
  
• Never a concern about towing, power, handling, braking - except long downhill grades, when I wondered if I should have a heavier truck. No actual loss of control, but worried about it.
  
• Drove the half-ton truck close to 100K miles, towing 2/3 of that, with no maintenance or repair issues.

Yes, a 5th wheel, even though the truck is close to overload, will handle better than a bumper pull trailer.
But now we've been ca. 5000 miles towing with a diesel F250. The truck never feels like it is working hard. I finish a driving day much more relaxed. Big improvement. Cost lots more though.

[MitchF150]

#750 TW on a 32' TT sounds kinda light? My little 26' has that TW dry! When I load it up and fill up the front fresh water tank, pretty sure I'm a good #1000 TW.. Which is still fine for me.

You can have the best WD hitch out there but if you are light on TW, the trailer will sway on ya..

20-30 mph side wind will push any rig. Even a semi.

Proposing can be helped with better shocks if you still have the OEM jobs.

Anyway, get what makes you comfortable and enjoy.. If you can't enjoy the trip, then you won't want to go out anymore.

Good luck! Mitch

[ScottG]

I haven't had a dealer yet that knew how to set up a WDH. Every one has messed it up where I had to correct it.

[Partsbob]

Thanks JIMNLIN, you appear right on the money with the numbers I anticipate, though staying on the low side of it all with just my wife & I not full-timing it. We NEVER run with full tanks and carry just enough fresh to handle stops in route.
As far as hitch weight, I plan to use the Anderson Ultimate to keep that weight low and to keep the bed clear as my daily driver, regardless of the “warranty”comments.

[JIMNLIN]

The 260 RD reflections has about 10000 gvwr which can have a 2000 + lb pin weight when loaded to the max.
GD website shows around 7300 lb dry weight. Generally around 1200-1500 lbs may be loaded for this size trailer. Now your looking in the 1700-1800 lb pin weight area. Now add another 200 lbs for a 5th wheel hitch/mounting hardware/rails....your looking at 2000 lb in the bed over your trucks rear axle without other gear and occupants.

Looking at 2016 Fleet Ford F150 specs shows a 3.5 EB supercrew 4wd can have a 3800 RAWR good for around 1500 lbs in the bed.

Or a 4550 RAWR good for around 2100-2200 lbs in the bed.

Or the HDPP package has the 4800 RAWR which can carry up to around 2500 lbs in the bed. This is thew F150 highest rated load carrying package.
Your drivers side door post tells shows your trucks RAWR number.
Max Tow package ?? Good package and is a option on F150 with different GVWR/RAWR specs.

Max Tow Includes:
• 3.55 Electronic-locking rear-axle
• 4-pin/7-pin wiring harness
• 36 Gallon fuel tank
• Auxiliary transmission oil cooler
• Engine oil cooler
• Class IV trailer hitch receiver
• Pro Trailer Backup Assist with Tailgate LED
• Smart Trailer Tow Connector (standard on LARIAT and higher)
• Integrated Trailer Brake Controller
• Upgraded front stabilizer bar
• Upgraded rear bumper

You have the truck so get some axle weight numbers with math attention to the RAWR number as its carrying all the load in the bed.

[2112]

The GD Reflection 150-series 260RD has a 1325# dry pin weight. Expect close to 1600# loaded. What's the RAWR and payload on your F150? Realize 100% of the pin weight goes on the rear axle.

I had the same issues with a 35' TT. Timbrens and LT tires helped but crosswinds were still nerve racking and stressful. Going to a 32' FW solved all that. Towing the FW is very enjoyable and relaxing, down right fun.

My only problem is camping without full hookups. With the gray and black tanks full I'm WAY OVER my RAWR. Towing to the dump station with full tanks is hard on my rear axle.

[Partsbob]

That’s the first I’ve heard of the bed height being an issue with the 4WD models, so good to know. That was the conversation my wife & I had on the way back from FL was not wanting to take another long trip with this combination, hence the desire to move up to a 5er that we can handle with this truck.
As far as the amount of squat when hitching, I was surprised at how little there was with the 750lbs of this TT tongue weight and I can only attribute that to the Off-Road package we have on this truck with the upgraded shocks & springs, plus it has the 20” wheel package.

[theoldwizard1]

Upgrade the shocks to the best you can buy (Koni, Bilstein). You might even want to upgrade the rear sway bar.

If the rear "squats" more than a couple of inches, you might need air springs (bags).

[Likes_to_tow]

The only issue I can think of for you would be the height of the 4WD bed. For some strange reason all of the big 3 auto makers have raised the height of their trucks and made the bed a few inches deeper!! Who knows the reasoning behind this design. Pulling a 5th wheel will make it sit high in the front and put more load on the back axles. I was pulling my 31' Grand Design Reflection with a 2WD Ram and recently bought a new 2WD F250 to replace it. I was concerned about bed height. As it turned out this new F250 sits a little higher than my 05 Ram but not enough to make a difference. As far as the pin weight and vehicle weight your old F150 should do the job if it has Max Tow I would assume all specs are in range. I was talking to a fellow two summers ago in Colorado who was pulling the same trailer as mine. It's a 27RL Reflection and supposedly half ton towable although I towed it with a 2500 series Ram. He claimed he had no problem with the Rockies!! His was the 3.5 Eco Boost with Max Tow. I can tell you for sure that a 5th wheel tows much better than a bumper pull trailer. Winds in Utah 4 years ago proved that to me!!

[Partsbob]

I know what you’re saying about “professionals”, but I must say the equalizing part is spot-on for both TV and TT being level, with the steering being the same with or without the TT connected, so the front end isn’t “light”. I’m sure the issue is more about the 32’ “sail” causing the buffeting, not to mention the uncomfortable porpoising on uneven roads due to the length with the lighter truck.

[Lynnmor]

Partsbob wrote:
am tired of dealing with the stress of travel trailer sway on longer trips, even after trying 4 different WDHs professionally installed!

That right there may be at the heart of the problem. Professionals, I doubt that you can find many.