2016 Ford F150 2.7L EB + Jay Feather 23RD - About to make our first purchase

[Kyle McDougall]

Hi everyone, new to this site but have been browsing for a couple weeks now as we research trailers. We're about to buy our first travel trailer and plan to live/travel in it full time, across Canada and the US starting early next year.

After a lot of research, we're just about ready to pull the trigger on the Jay Feather 7 23RD. I've gone over the specs for both the trailer and our tow vehicle a number of times, and we are definitely within the limits. That being said, I want to get some opinions from seasoned trailer owners to make sure that we're going to be happy with the weight of the TT and our truck's ability to tow it.

Details:

2016 F150 2.7L Ecoboost, 3.55, Crew Cab 4x4, 5.5' Box, Tow Package

GVWR: 6500LBS
Max Payload: 1408LBS
GCWR: 12,800LBS
Max Towing Weight: 7500LBS


Jay Feather 7 23RD

UVW: 4195LBS
Dry Hitch: 465LBS
GVWR: 5500LBS


It will be myself and my wife, along with out 70LB german shepherd. We plan to travel quite light. Realistically I'd be surprised if we went over a loaded weight of 4800LBS in the trailer. We're certainly well within the towing limits of our vehicle, even if we were fully loaded. If I'm doing my math correctly, it looks like we'll be fine with payload as well.

Anyone with a similar setup that could give us an idea of how this should tow? Also looking for opinions on the weights/calculations to see if we can tow this trailer and feel comfortable. Last thing I would want is to make a purchase this big and then hate how it pulls a month into the trip.

Thanks in advance!

Kyle

[NVGun40]

I think it's a good combination. That truck will do well. F-150s with the EC and tow package are great towing vehicles and worthy of respect.


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[fielro]

Welcome aboard, sounds like you will be ok

[oldmanAZ]

Welcome to the forum.

Appears you've done your homework on weights etc. I'm sure you've looked into a weight distribution hitch (WDH), anti-sway, and tires too.

[bansai]

Should be fine. For what it's worth, I'm towing something a lot heavier than that with my F150, and while I do see an upgrade in my future, I can tow my 27BHS through the rocky mountains. with a properly setup weight distributing hitch, you should be golden.

[Kyle McDougall]

Originally Posted by oldmanAZ

Welcome to the forum.

Appears you've done your homework on weights etc. I'm sure you've looked into a weight distribution hitch (WDH), anti-sway, and tires too.

Have looked into a WDC and will be buying one in the next few months. As for tires, that is the only thing that I didn't look into.

The truck came with the 20" wheels and Hankook DynaPro ATM RF10 275/55r20 tires. They have a load rating of 2535LBS, which I'm assuming is fine??

[motorbreath]

Did you already buy the truck? My father just bought one with the 2.7 EB, it pulls extremely well, but have you tried the 5.0 V8? You should definitely test drive both, the price should not be too much more for the V8 and it is a much more simple engine to work on. The EBs are definitely technologically superior, but if you keep your trucks 10+ years like my family does, I think the 5.0 is going to be the better choice.

Before everyone jumps on me, I am not saying the EB engines are not reliable, ALL engines will need maintenance and repairs over the 10-15 lifespan of a well-maintained truck. All I am saying is that the 5.0 V8 is comparable in performance to the 2.7 EB and will be easier to maintain once things start inevitably breaking (it is a Ford, after all ).

Originally Posted by Kyle McDougall

Have looked into a WDC and will be buying one in the next few months. As for tires, that is the only thing that I didn't look into.

The truck came with the 20" wheels and Hankook DynaPro ATM RF10 275/55r20 tires. They have a load rating of 2535LBS, which I'm assuming is fine??

[motorbreath]

I have the Blue Ox Sway Pro, very convenient and easy to setup, but not cheap or light. Regarding your tires, they are 4-ply and have a relatively high load rating, but you should consider upgrading to an LT highway tire once they wear out. You will get better mileage and they are 9-10 ply; they will take a serious beating. Your back might also take a beating, they are quite stiff, but have very little sidewall flex and really change the towing experience compared to 3-4 ply tires that usually come with 1500s.

Originally Posted by Kyle McDougall

Have looked into a WDC and will be buying one in the next few months. As for tires, that is the only thing that I didn't look into.

The truck came with the 20" wheels and Hankook DynaPro ATM RF10 275/55r20 tires. They have a load rating of 2535LBS, which I'm assuming is fine??

[Kyle McDougall]

Already have purchased the truck. I definitely understand where you're coming from. In our case we'll only be keeping the truck for two years at the most. After our trip we'll be selling it because of a plan to move overseas.

Thanks for the info on the tires. I assumed that they would be fine as long as I was under the towing limits for the F150. Good to know about the difference though with the LT tires. Thanks for the help!

[RPreeb]

Originally Posted by motorbreath

Did you already buy the truck? My father just bought one with the 2.7 EB, it pulls extremely well, but have you tried the 5.0 V8? You should definitely test drive both, the price should not be too much more for the V8 and it is a much more simple engine to work on. The EBs are definitely technologically superior, but if you keep your trucks 10+ years like my family does, I think the 5.0 is going to be the better choice.

Before everyone jumps on me, I am not saying the EB engines are not reliable, ALL engines will need maintenance and repairs over the 10-15 lifespan of a well-maintained truck. All I am saying is that the 5.0 V8 is comparable in performance to the 2.7 EB and will be easier to maintain once things start inevitably breaking (it is a Ford, after all ).

Actually the 3.5 EcoBoost TT V6 has a higher towing and torque rating than the 5.0 V8. Some reviews I read said that the pulling power was significantly better. That was partly what decided us on the 3.5, after driving both the 2.7 and the V8 versions.

To Kyle McDougall: We have only driven ours from the dealer to our home, but that was 150 miles, mostly freeway with 20 miles of 2 lane, and it drove well with no WDH. I'm still thinking I'll have to break down and get one, mostly because of tongue weight considerations (the F-150 has a 500 pound limit without a WDH, and the X213 is already at 420 dry).

The truck handled towing my X213 without any trouble, and it's about the same weight as what you are looking at. The 2.7 may have some issues with a steep hill, but then I don't know how my 3.5 will climb with 5000 plus pounds behind it. Time will tell the first time we head into the mountains west of Denver next year.

We towed a 3200 pound popup with a Honda Ridgeline, and it was as much as I'd ever want behind that truck.

[mblann1960]

Hi,

I own a 2014 F150 Ecoboost, and tow a 2016 Jay Flight SLX 287BHSW without any problems. I merged onto the interstate the other day and was doing 70mph before I knew it.

UVW: 6090 LBS
Dry Hitch: 645 LBS
GVWR: 7500 LBS

[GraftonGuns]

I bought the 2016 F-150 with the 5.0L back in March. I absolutely love this vehicle. I traded in my '08 F-250. We purchased a new 2016 Jayco 27.5 RLTS and the truck tows it without any trouble.

[SkyBound]

If you're only keeping it 2 years why don't you just lease? And second question, why would you ever leave Muskoka???