My first TV and trailer setup...

[Kingofthecove]

Hi All,
First, great Forum! Spent the last several hours looking around, and the information/advice is first rate. Apologies in advance for my first post being a novel.

I'm a trailering noob, but not a camping/RV noob, having camped and traveled around in Class Bs and Class Cs since the mid 70s. Soonour youngest will leave the nest, and the wife and I will be travelling at least 1/2 time, and maybe even become "full-timers" someday. But not in the real sense, as she will never give up our home.

We have discussed, for years, what "set-up" we want to use in this next phase of our lives, be it Class A, B, C, or, a trailer or fifth.
To that end, we decided to get our feet wet and try trailering. We already had a truck (1998 Ford F250 Lariat, 5.4L V8 Triton, 3.73 rear, tow package, tekonsha brake controller, Leer canopy). Yeah, it's the "weird" one with 7 lugs and all that, but it's a nice ride, and has been a great truck.

I did some preliminary homework to determine what I could comfortably tow, and found a real clean 2008 Layton Trailer, with a floor plan she liked....it's 25+ft long, with the "house being 22+ ft long, dry weight is 4,000lbs.

Installed a WDH, which moved 250+ pounds from the Ford's rear axle to the Front axle. (I towed it around a bit with a standard hitch...........it's not nearly as "comfortable" as the WDH, to say the least.) Put new tires, bearings, and brakes on the trailer, dialed in the Tekonsha, inflated the truck tires to 75lbs rear and 65lbs front ....(they are rated at 80lbs pressure, 3042lbs carrying capacity).

I went to a big empty parking lot, and practiced various parking scenarios for several hours, and then just drove it around town for a week. I figured we were ready for our shakeout trip. We packed it all up, and I put in about 30 gallons of water, both propane tanks full, and it also has 2 xtra large batteries on the hitch. Truck gas tank full (25gals)
On the way out I stopped by the truck scales.

Fronts axle - 3050lbs.....GAWR for front is 3375lbs
Whole truck - 6650lbs.........GVWR for truck is 7,500lbs
Rear axle - 3,600lbs.........GAWR for rear is 4,800lbs
Trailer wt - 4,950 lbs.........GVWR for trailer is 6,500lbs
The truck (with wife and gear) weighs 6,050 without the trailer, so I'm guessing my hitch weight is around 600lbs, but not sure about that.
So, I'm guessing my truck and trailer together weigh about 11,600lbs? My "combined" truck/trailer max is 13,000lbs.

So, it appears I'm "OK". But I was hoping to stay at around 75% of max. My combined truck/trailer weight is at 89% of max.
Guess I didn't do my homework very well!

We drove 160 miles up the Oregon coast to Florence on Hwy 101. As luck would have it, it was one of the more windy days. Got 8.9mpg, doing 55mph (2400RPM, OD turned off), and pulling the numerous grades in 2nd gear at 45mph and 3,200RPM)
I could have pulled the hills faster, but the motor seems "like" 3200RPM more than it does 3500RPM.
On the way back, same route, same driving style, this time with little or no wind, and I got 9.8 mpg. I never tow in OD by the way, based on a recommendation from a mechanic friend who knows Fords, old and new.
Engine temp never went up (according to the stock gauge)
Trans temp (it has a separate after-market temp gauge) stayed between 162 and 174 most of the time, and only went to 182-184 a few times on some of the longer grades when I was pulling them in 2nd gear.
So the truck performed quite well in my opinion, even though if "felt" like it was really working on some of those hills.

To further reveal my noobishness, I was hoping I'd get 12 mpg. Um......not quite.
But we'll see. On a flat road, no wind, I think I'll be able to squeeze out 11.

So, if you're still reading, a few questions:
1) Is this "too much" trailer for my truck, given I'm 89% of max for combined truck and trailer.
2) Is my miles per gallon about what I should expect?

Thanks!

[Tvov]

keymastr wrote:
Those 5.4 motors have a fatal flaw in that the timing chain tensioners were faulty and should have been recalled. If you notice any ticking or rattleing, especially when letting off the gas, get them changed immediately. Costs a couple grand to have a shop do it, or a couple hundred in parts if you are real good mechanically. Not for the faint of heart, these motors are not like a small block Chevy. Complicated system.

This is the first I've heard of that. I'll keep my eye (and ear) on mine... the only "issue" with the 5.4 that I read about regularly is changing the spark plugs.

[Hannibal]

The timing chain tensioner problem is easily avoided by following the manufacturer's recommended synthetic or synthetic blend 5w-20 oil, filter with anti-drainback valve and changing the oil at the recommended intervals. Motorcraft oil and filters meet these requirements. I use Mobil-1 5w-20 and Motorcraft filters every 5k miles. At 98k, still runs like new.

[keymastr]

Those 5.4 motors have a fatal flaw in that the timing chain tensioners were faulty and should have been recalled. If you notice any ticking or rattleing, especially when letting off the gas, get them changed immediately. Costs a couple grand to have a shop do it, or a couple hundred in parts if you are real good mechanically. Not for the faint of heart, these motors are not like a small block Chevy. Complicated system.

[jerem0621]

Congrats on your set up!

I had a 97 F150 5 lug. Extended cab 5.4 with 3.55 gears. It was rated to pull 8,000 lbs. I pulled a 6,500-7,000 lb loaded camper (31.5 ft overall length). It did a great job. I often had it singing at 4,000-4,500 RPM's and it never had a problem.

I could feel the trailer behind me but that was expected and it never was unsafe. I just threw on a second away bar and all was great. It was a very satisfying and safe experience.

We needed a crew cab and wanted to start carrying a golf cart in the bed so we found a 99 Crew Cab F350 Dually.

I got the hitch set up and and went for my first tow...I found that the V10 behaved nearly identical to the 5.4. It reved nearly the same RPM on the same hills. I also felt the trailer behind me in the F350. The old saying "I Couldn't even tell its back there" was not true at all.

The biggest difference was weight carrying capacity. I felt much more nimble in the F150, towing and not towing. The F350 handled like a barge and hooking a trailer to it only made it worse.

This experience led me back to another F150 and losing the golf card need. While I do not intend to tow another 6,500 lb trailer when I do tow with it it will be properly set up and I fully expect a positive experience.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

[Redwoodcamper]

That is a safe combo to tow with. Just not a very enjoyable one due to it's lack of power.

[Hannibal]

Very sorry for your loss falconbrother. I lost my dad and a good friend to cancer six years ago. The ol' 5.4L hasn't rested much since I retired in April. We're gone as much as we're home now. I haven't heard it scream yet!

[falconbrother]

Hannibal wrote:
We went down that road. Several diesels and 5th wheels later, we're back to gas and a TT and performance about what you reported. I actually got tired of engines that groan and can't rev. I like the sound of a gas V8. I say go for it. Have no regrets. This life ain't no trial run. This is it!

You got that right! Recently I lost my best friend and my mother to cancer. They both died with things left to do. Lots of people do. That 5.4 F250 will do for now. Just get out there.

[DinTulsa]

Hannibal wrote:
We went down that road. Several diesels and 5th wheels later, we're back to gas and a TT and performance about what you reported. I actually got tired of engines that groan and can't rev. I like the sound of a gas V8. I say go for it. Have no regrets. This life ain't no trial run. This is it!

I'm with ya....I get tired of engines that groan and won't rev while providing 3 times the performance of a screaming gas v8.

[Hannibal]

We went down that road. Several diesels and 5th wheels later, we're back to gas and a TT and performance about what you reported. I actually got tired of engines that groan and can't rev. I like the sound of a gas V8. I say go for it. Have no regrets. This life ain't no trial run. This is it!

[2001400ex]

Yeah I tow all over the Northwest and through Montana like you are. Given the mountain passes and wind up here, I'm a big believer in having as much excess capacity in truck as you can afford (hence my current setup, which changes tomorrow). As much as you are towing, I personally would get more pickup, and really much more as you'll most likely upgrade trailers in a couple years too, even if that's not the current plan.

[Kingofthecove]

Quick second update:
Just got back from from a one month, 4000+ mile trip........Oregon to Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Washington, back to Oregon.
Averaged 10.5mpg when towing...........got 11.2 once (tail wind), and 8.2 once with bad head winds.
Took some of the usual passes in the area...........45-50mph in 2nd gear, 3200-3500rpms.
Truck performed well..

That said..............I'm in the market for a bigger truck......ha!!
The truck towed the trailer "fine"...............but, too many of those passes made me drop into 2nd, and I "felt" the trailer more than I'd like.
I'm looking for a longer wheelbase, heavier GCWR, possibly a diesel, probably a Ford, and obviously used, as I'd like to stay under 25k.
Any suggestions greatly appreciated.
Happy trails...

[Kingofthecove]

Just checking in again with a quick update:
-4 trips under my belt now, 1,458 miles, averaging 10.6mpg............not the 12mpg I was hoping for, but that was simply noobish wishful thinking anyways. I'm happy with 10.6, especially after talking to a few other campers driving early 2000 model Fords with the V-10, and they're only getting 8, sometimes 9, sometimes less than 8!

-I'm well within weight capacities on the truck axles, the hitch, and the trailer. But my combined truck/trailer weight rating ratio coming in at almost 90% still troubles me. The set-up handles fine, stops well (had an incident of a person pulling out in front of us, which gave me a chance to really test my brakes.......happy to report they work great, and my wife's screaming abilities are still up to par as well!)

Anyways, I can "feel" the trailer back there. I know, it's a 5,000lb box, and I'm going to feel it. Still, it simply doesn't feel "good", for lack of a better term.

For now and the near term, our current set-up will be fine.
Once we venture out for longer trips, I see a bigger truck in my future, with a GVWR of well over 10,000 lbs, and a longer wheelbase.

Only a handful of trips in, and the "bigger boat" syndrome is already hitting home with the wife..............looks like we'll be getting a bigger trailer too! Ha!

[campigloo]

I used to have a very similar setup as yours. The truck was almost identical. Just remember
to save a little coin for replacing the ocassional spark plug and coil pack. We used to make a yearly trip from Baton Rouge to Long Beach, CA. 1800 miles each way. We always budgeted a full day for a plug and coil. Can't remember one trip that we didn't use it. Turned 3000 to 3500 rpm the whole way. Other than that it was a great truck and had plenty of power

[CopilotCompanio]

Kingofthecove wrote:
Hi All,
First, great Forum! Spent the last several hours looking around, and the information/advice is first rate. Apologies in advance for my first post being a novel.

I'm a trailering noob, but not a camping/RV noob, having camped and traveled around in Class Bs and Class Cs since the mid 70s. Soonour youngest will leave the nest, and the wife and I will be travelling at least 1/2 time, and maybe even become "full-timers" someday. But not in the real sense, as she will never give up our home.

We have discussed, for years, what "set-up" we want to use in this next phase of our lives, be it Class A, B, C, or, a trailer or fifth.
To that end, we decided to get our feet wet and try trailering. We already had a truck (1998 Ford F250 Lariat, 5.4L V8 Triton, 3.73 rear, tow package, tekonsha brake controller, Leer canopy). Yeah, it's the "weird" one with 7 lugs and all that, but it's a nice ride, and has been a great truck.

I did some preliminary homework to determine what I could comfortably tow, and found a real clean 2008 Layton Trailer, with a floor plan she liked....it's 25+ft long, with the "house being 22+ ft long, dry weight is 4,000lbs.

Installed a WDH, which moved 250+ pounds from the Ford's rear axle to the Front axle. (I towed it around a bit with a standard hitch...........it's not nearly as "comfortable" as the WDH, to say the least.) Put new tires, bearings, and brakes on the trailer, dialed in the Tekonsha, inflated the truck tires to 75lbs rear and 65lbs front ....(they are rated at 80lbs pressure, 3042lbs carrying capacity).

I went to a big empty parking lot, and practiced various parking scenarios for several hours, and then just drove it around town for a week. I figured we were ready for our shakeout trip. We packed it all up, and I put in about 30 gallons of water, both propane tanks full, and it also has 2 xtra large batteries on the hitch. Truck gas tank full (25gals)
On the way out I stopped by the truck scales.

Fronts axle - 3050lbs.....GAWR for front is 3375lbs
Whole truck - 6650lbs.........GVWR for truck is 7,500lbs
Rear axle - 3,600lbs.........GAWR for rear is 4,800lbs
Trailer wt - 4,950 lbs.........GVWR for trailer is 6,500lbs
The truck (with wife and gear) weighs 6,050 without the trailer, so I'm guessing my hitch weight is around 600lbs, but not sure about that.
So, I'm guessing my truck and trailer together weigh about 11,600lbs? My "combined" truck/trailer max is 13,000lbs.

So, it appears I'm "OK". But I was hoping to stay at around 75% of max. My combined truck/trailer weight is at 89% of max.
Guess I didn't do my homework very well!

We drove 160 miles up the Oregon coast to Florence on Hwy 101. As luck would have it, it was one of the more windy days. Got 8.9mpg, doing 55mph (2400RPM, OD turned off), and pulling the numerous grades in 2nd gear at 45mph and 3,200RPM)
I could have pulled the hills faster, but the motor seems "like" 3200RPM more than it does 3500RPM.
On the way back, same route, same driving style, this time with little or no wind, and I got 9.8 mpg. I never tow in OD by the way, based on a recommendation from a mechanic friend who knows Fords, old and new.
Engine temp never went up (according to the stock gauge)
Trans temp (it has a separate after-market temp gauge) stayed between 162 and 174 most of the time, and only went to 182-184 a few times on some of the longer grades when I was pulling them in 2nd gear.
So the truck performed quite well in my opinion, even though if "felt" like it was really working on some of those hills.

To further reveal my noobishness, I was hoping I'd get 12 mpg. Um......not quite.
But we'll see. On a flat road, no wind, I think I'll be able to squeeze out 11.

So, if you're still reading, a few questions:
1) Is this "too much" trailer for my truck, given I'm 89% of max for combined truck and trailer.
2) Is my miles per gallon about what I should expect?

Thanks!

Congratulations! KoC, you are a model student! I can only hope to be this prepared on my first shakedown cruise. You make the rest of us newbies look like slackers!