Travel Trailer Tow Vehicle

[willg]

This is surly not the first post like this and probably not the last, but I am a newbie looking at purchasing a Rockwood mini lite 2304s dry wt. 5654, GVW 7660. I have never towed before. Finding the right tow vehicle is down right confusing so i”m looking for some advise from the experts! I don’t feel comfortable taking advice from car and rv sales people. Don’t want to overkill it, but also don’t to want to be underpowered driving in the mountains which will be a minimum of once a year up to the North Carolina mountains (Linville area). I’m assuming a 1/2 ton is sufficient. Looked mainly at the Ford F 150 2.7 and 3.5 EcoBoost engines so far. Thinking the 2.7 is too small. I would like any and all advice on any of the big 3 pickups but mainly advice on the appropriate pickup engine for the weight of the trailer. Thanks

[camp-n-family]

You need to look beyond the tow ratings and consider what you plan on carrying in the truck as well. Any of today’s 1/2 ton trucks has the tow rating to handle the tt you are considering. The payload rating will likely be the limiting factor, not the tow rating. Estimate the weight of everything you plan to carry in the truck plus the loaded tongue weight of the trailer then find the truck that has the payload to carry it all.

[JIMNLIN]

The right equipped F150 3.5EB engine will handle the 7600 gvwr trailer just as well as a F250 gas.
Warning about Fords F150 max tow option. It does nothing to increase max payload or max tow ratings..
Ford has several F150 packages from a:

#1. 7850 gvwr...4800 rawr....2500 lb in the bed payloads.

#2. 7600 gvwr...4550 rawr... 2200 lb in the bed payloads

#3. 7050 gvwr...4050 rawr... 1800 lb in the bed payloads

#4. 6800 gvwr...3800 rawr...1500 lb in the bed payloads.

All F150 above can have the max tow option which basically 3.55 gears.... 36 gal tank..... big rear bumper.....integrated brake controller/etc/etc which is a must for towing.

Just choose the right F150 platform for a 7600 gvwr trailer.

[Lwiddis]

“I’m assuming...” Danger, Will Robinson!

[twodownzero]

MitchF150 wrote:

old guy wrote:
all I can tell you is a 1/2 ton and a 3/4 is like night and day difference. I used to tow with a 1/2 ton and with the trucks passing you or the wind in general, power, and the truck being able to perform, a 3/4 will not let you down in satisfaction and safety. I would only buy a 1/2 again if all I wanted was to haul a sheet of plywood. I believe in my 3/4 ton that much

Really.... Man I thought I was out of touch with things...

Mitch

I actually agree with this. I wouldn't have a household without a 3/4 or 1 ton pickup truck. Buying a 1/2 ton truck knowing that you're going to be trailering is not well advised. 1/2 ton trucks are designed for people who mostly want a truck, but do not need a truck. While they have become more capable over time, they lack the features that come standard on 3/4 and 1 ton trucks for trailering.

Do 1/2 ton trucks work for trailering? For the right trailer, sure. But can you honestly say you would rather tow 8000 pounds with a max payload package 1/2 ton vs. a random 3/4 ton? The 3/4 ton comes with heavier springs, a full floating rear axle, lower gears, a heavier duty transmission, maybe overload springs, and E rated tires. And that's without specifying any additional options!

To me that's a no-brainer.

[MitchF150]

old guy wrote:
all I can tell you is a 1/2 ton and a 3/4 is like night and day difference. I used to tow with a 1/2 ton and with the trucks passing you or the wind in general, power, and the truck being able to perform, a 3/4 will not let you down in satisfaction and safety. I would only buy a 1/2 again if all I wanted was to haul a sheet of plywood. I believe in my 3/4 ton that much

Really.... Man I thought I was out of touch with things...

Mitch

[MitchF150]

donn0128 wrote:
The bighest problem with a 150 ecoboost is cost. You can actually buy a nicely equipped 250/2500 for the same money and have a truck that you can grow into and have better resale value down the road. A 2500 will also allow you to grow when you decide its time for more trailer.

Sure, if you are comparing a Platinum Eco F150 to say an XL F250 with the 6.2 gas engine...

I have to admit, I have not been on a dealers lot since 2014... Have no need for a new truck at this point in MY life... 🙂

But, when I bought my little F150 in 2014, I DID look at the F250's and they were a lot more $$ unless you were looking at an XL 6.2 reg cab F250....

I still have the first TT I bought back in 2002 and I know most folks get bigger and bigger rigs as their family grows.. I get that..

To the OP, in the end, you just need what you need today and without any past towing or RV experience, I can't say one way or the other what to tell you... Until you have towed overweight, or anything for that matter, you are going to learn just like I did when I was 16 years old and worked on a farm and towed more overweight stuff than I can remember.. I'm 55 now, so been doing this stuff for some time, but nothing like the experience of others on here, so we are are all in the same boat in the end..

Good luck!

Mitch

[old_guy]

all I can tell you is a 1/2 ton and a 3/4 is like night and day difference. I used to tow with a 1/2 ton and with the trucks passing you or the wind in general, power, and the truck being able to perform, a 3/4 will not let you down in satisfaction and safety. I would only buy a 1/2 again if all I wanted was to haul a sheet of plywood. I believe in my 3/4 ton that much

[twodownzero]

I wouldn't assume a 1/2 ton is sufficient. Some of the newer ones with high payload packages and low axle gear ratios will be fine; others will not. Although others here might suggest you will be fine with a 6 cylinder engine, I would strongly recommend against that no matter what any salesman, marketing document, or review online states. Get at least a small V8.

Make sure you have at least 1000 pounds of payload leftover after you subtract the curb weight from the GVWR and also the weight of any passengers or other equipment you're going to have in the truck itself. Personally I think that buying a 1/2 ton truck with the intention of trailering is a poor idea, but as long as you keep the weight and size modest, it doesn't present a serious problem.

[donn0128]

The bighest problem with a 150 ecoboost is cost. You can actually buy a nicely equipped 250/2500 for the same money and have a truck that you can grow into and have better resale value down the road. A 2500 will also allow you to grow when you decide its time for more trailer.

[Tachdriver]

If you do EB get the 3.5!

[bid_time]

F150, 3.5. With the max tow package should cover it. If you think you may want a bigger trailer in the future, then further consideration may be necessary. If you're like me, I kept my first trailer for 12 years.

[DutchmenSport]

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