berniedes
Explorer
Joined 8 years ago
User Profile
User Widgets
All Activity
Re: Travel Trailer Tow Vehicle
trail-explorer wrote: Ecoboost 3.5 gets decent mileage empty, but horrid mileage towing. Depends what you mean by horrid. it has been my experience that no matter what your tow vehicle is, the average is around 10 mpg . I am talking about gas engine, no diesel579Views0likes0CommentsRe: Travel Trailer Tow Vehicle
willg wrote: 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 HI willg. you will do fine with any of those two engines. If getting the 3.5 make sure the rear end is NOT the 3.31. If you get the 2.7,make sure the rear end is 3.73 but it might be more difficult to find. As for towing with the 2.7 ecoboost , mine has the 3.73 rear end and I can tell you that I have no problem . Used to have a 4.6 and 5.3 v8 and I can tell you the 2.7 will out tow them. I live in nova scotia and seems like I am always going up a hill and some of them are pretty steep. (Check out Mount Thom) My RV is a 2013 Startcraft Autumn Ridge 266RKS . The dry weight is around 6000 lbs but I figure after it is loaded, etc, it is probably around 6500 lbs. The only thing that I did is get a half decent WDH (curt trutrack) and replaced rear shocks on the F150 with some Bilstein B6 4600 shocks. Hope this helps578Views0likes0CommentsRe: what size truck do i need to tow a 26' trailer
I have a 2003 chevy silverado with a v6 4.3...will this be able to tow a 26' travel trailer, dry weight approx 5700 lbs. if not what kind of ford f-150 would i need? Depending on your axle ratio, you should do fine on the flat but your truck will struggle going up the hills As for a F-150, you cant go wrong with any of the 3 engines, (5.0, 2.7 and 3.5 ecoboost) however, I would go for the ecoboost. I used to have a 2008 F-150 4.6 with the 3.73. Pulling my Autumn Ridge 266rks which has similar length and weight as yours, I was fine except for the hills. it was pedal to the metal screaming up hills between 4000 and 4500 rpm. I now have a 2017 F-150 with the 2.7 ecoboost with the 3.73 rear end and what a difference. It tows it really easy and it does it all between 2500 and 3000 rpm. For some of the steeper hills, I might see it go up to 3500 rpms . It certainly makes for a more enjoyable and quiet towing experiences. My old truck had LT tires, this new one has P rated tires and at 35 PSI, I had a bit of sway compared to old truck. To help this, I pumped my tires to 50 in the back and 45 in the front and switched to a CURT Trutrack 17500 hitch. Again , wow what a difference, no sway and it tows like a charm. Having said that, you dont need a F250 to tow a 26ft trailer that weight 5700lbs. For weekend camping, you might have between 200 to 300 pounds of stuff at the most in the RV. The only thing I would recommend is if you ever plan on going with bigger trailer, I would go with the 3.5 ecoboost. Have fun with your RV2KViews0likes0Comments
Groups
Travel Trailer Group
Prefer to camp in a travel trailer? You're not alone.Feb 06, 202544,025 Posts
