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Old 07-02-2014, 10:35 AM   #1
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F150 Stability vs 3/4 Ton

We currently have a 2013 F150 157" wheelbase with ~1500lbs payload but with 7500lbs max tow rating. The towing capacity (3.55 axle) is low but payload is respectable for a 1/2 ton.

We are towing a 31' long, 281BHS, 6200lbs trailer with 750-800lbs (13%) tongue weight. I have been over the scale a few times now and that is loaded and ready to camp weight. All my other numbers are below max capacity. Rear axle is the closest at 36lbs under max rating. Family was all aboard too.

Our problem is the stability of the trailer. I am using an Anderson hitch which while not great for weight distribution is reportedly well rated for sway control. On our last trip out it was pretty windy and my wife was driving. I have always been aware of the wind and affect from passing vehicles as I usually drive but my wife was not comfortable at all and she even got tired arms. I drove part of the way and it certainly was windier than usual and we were moving around a fair bit.

So after that bit of history my questions......

I read lots of posts of people in half tons pulling longer and heavier trailers with many "You can hardly tell its back there" comments. Is this just all based on your tolerance or comfort level while pulling a trailer? Certainly if my family wasn't aboard I would probably just live with it but I am worried about a panic situation and maintaining control if the wind can move our truck around that much.

Would a more capable half ton be an improvement? Other than the HD payload option on the F150 I don't think my truck is any different from others in the suspension and stability department.

Is it worth throwing money at the F150 to improve it or should we just move up to a 3/4 ton? My wife is onboard with moving up after she drove on the last trip out.

Is a 3/4 ton a big improvement in the stability and comfort area while towing?

Thanks for reading all that and I look forward to your replies.

Cheers
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Old 07-02-2014, 10:41 AM   #2
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Night and day difference. Once you go to a 3/4 ton or 1 ton you will never go back. Good luck
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Old 07-02-2014, 10:45 AM   #3
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I probably don't have anything to contribute to this discussion because I drive a F350 and I have a fifth wheel. But I don't think it would change much moving up to a bigger truck. Only thing about a bigger truck that may help it would be that it weighs more (a lot more...my truck is about 7700 lbs I think), so that may help with the stability because its more mass for the wind to move around. Also they are built to take more of that abuse (brakes, suspension, etc). When I bought my truck with the towing package, it "supposidly" has some stability system built into it that uses differential braking I believe to help with side to side. Personally I haven't noticed any difference. One big plus for me with a bigger truck is that is would probably withstand a crash better than an F-150. Purely speculation but being bigger and heavier I think it would. My wife drives ours as an every day driver and it makes me happy because if someone hits her, she has a better chance of walking away. These things are built like tanks.



Downside is they have a rough ride when unloaded.
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Old 07-02-2014, 11:30 AM   #4
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I pull a 33 ft and with only a cheap single friction sway control I get zero sway with my 3/4 ton.
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Old 07-02-2014, 11:30 AM   #5
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My recommendation, if you really want to keep the F150, is to look into the ProPride 3P hitch. You don't need a 3/4 ton truck for that camper. I actually went from a 2003 3/4 ton gas truck to a 2013 Tundra 1/2 ton because I was not towing at my max. I then bought the best hitch on the market and only 1 of 2 hitches that ELIMINATE sway. I now tow better than my buddy who has a 3/4 ton Ram Cummins and a 28BHS when it's windy out. He still pulls better because of the diesel but as far as sway and handling, my setup works 100% better...he tells me that everytime we tow together!
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Old 07-02-2014, 11:41 AM   #6
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IMO a 2500/250 would help with what you are describing. Outside of the engine/transmission differences, these trucks have significantly more stout suspension and 10 ply LT tires.

If you wanted to try to make some changed to your F150 to improve stability I would look at upgradeing to LT tires and changing you hitch to one with a bit more "experience". That Anderson might be a great, it is newer to that market, and the issues you are descriding should be able to be addressed with a differnt hitch setup.
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Old 07-02-2014, 12:14 PM   #7
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Thanks for the replies so far.

Hensley or Propride are good suggestions. I didn't really think of that because they are so expensive but still much cheaper than upgrading vehicles.

Another reason for the 3/4 ton is the payload though. Unless my 2 year old and 8 month old stop growing and we don't add anything else to the trailer I can see our weights creep up and even now I really have to pack carefully. Not to mention the ability to haul water in the trailer!

Something to think about.

Thanks
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Old 07-02-2014, 12:21 PM   #8
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Heck any time my Wife is on board for a new truck I would buy the bigger truck no question[emoji2]
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Old 07-02-2014, 12:37 PM   #9
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Equalizer hitch is also another good choice.

The weight of the trailer is also a factor, heavy is more stable. We pulled a 31 foot trailer with an F150 and Equalizer hitch and it was not much fun if it was windy. I pulled that trailer once with the F250 and it did make a difference but the real difference was when I purchased a 10,000 lb trailer. It pulls in wind just fine.

I would expect some improvement with a bigger truck....some with a better hitch. You could start with the hitch.
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Old 07-02-2014, 12:44 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WVDusty View Post
Heck any time my Wife is on board for a new truck I would buy the bigger truck no question[emoji2]
^^ What he said. Everything will get bigger. Don't spend a fortune now on something that will probably get replaced when the trailer gets larger. Been there, done that, and wasted money too! That being said, sounds like there are some new WDH setups a that really help with sway. And you can sell those later if you do upgrade trucks so not a total loss.
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Old 07-02-2014, 01:17 PM   #11
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Yes the trailer may grow in future years too. Another point in favour of the 3/4 ton.

I remember only a year and a half ago when buying the truck and the salesman was asking if I wanted the max tow option. My reply was "the most I'll ever tow is a pop-up". Haha, how things change!

Thanks again

I think a 3/4 ton is most likely in our future. Chock up another unfortunate soul that upgrades trucks, then trailer, then truck again after learning the hard way that half tons aren't all they're cracked up to be.
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Old 07-02-2014, 01:32 PM   #12
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Yes the trailer may grow in future years too. Another point in favour of the 3/4 ton.

I remember only a year and a half ago when buying the truck and the salesman was asking if I wanted the max tow option. My reply was "the most I'll ever tow is a pop-up". Haha, how things change!

Thanks again

I think a 3/4 ton is most likely in our future. Chock up another unfortunate soul that upgrades trucks, then trailer, then truck again after learning the hard way that half tons aren't all they're cracked up to be.
If only more folks could hear your story. So many keep trying to convince themselves a 1/2 ton is all the truck they need, and just as many telling them that they are right. Results in a bunch of stories like yours.
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Old 07-02-2014, 01:33 PM   #13
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Thanks for the replies so far.

Hensley or Propride are good suggestions. I didn't really think of that because they are so expensive but still much cheaper than upgrading vehicles.

Another reason for the 3/4 ton is the payload though. Unless my 2 year old and 8 month old stop growing and we don't add anything else to the trailer I can see our weights creep up and even now I really have to pack carefully. Not to mention the ability to haul water in the trailer!

Something to think about.

Thanks
Hensley and Pro-Propride are very expensive. I don't have any experience with them, however folks that do swear by them.

There are other options that are less expensive and also have great user experiences. Personally I use the Husky Centerline, it is very much like an Equal-i-Zer, which is what I wanted but our original dealer didn't sell them and talked me into the Centerline. I am pleased with the hitch, it handles sway very well, the only complaint would be it is very heavy. If I were in your position I would look very closely at Centerline, Equal-i-Zer and/or Reese Dual Cam WD hitches -- all have integrated sway control.

Your other point is spot on too---those kids will continue to grow and so will the amount stuff they want to bring. All that equals weight and will have effect on the lower cargo carrying capacity of a 150/1500 pick up. This was one of the reasons we took the plunge to a 2500 silverado. But that immedately brings into play diesel vs gas.

We were buying used and when comparing a diesel certainly cost more but the tow experieince, especially in the mountains, is incredible. That and then when its time to sell it you capture back a lot of that difference. Many folks complain that the maintanence is higher too, but other than the volume of fluid required I haven't experienced that so much.

You seem to have a really good grasp on all this, now you just need to make a couple of decisions. 1) do you want to spend money improving the 1/2 experince with an understanding that in time you will likely end up buying a 2500/250 just not as quickly or 2) bite the bullet and make the plunge now. Only you can make that call, we can only share our experiences in makeing similar choices.
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Old 07-02-2014, 01:47 PM   #14
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No we do not want to throw money at the F150 to still be payload restricted. So the next decision is diesel or gas........?

I am leaning towards a used diesel with 50-100k kms on it 2011 or 2012 but my wife wants new. I am not willing to pay the 8k diesel upgrade on a new vehicle. I have been building and pricing new trucks from all the big three this morning and the Ram is consistently pricier than the other two by close to 10k. Not sure why this is other than ford and Chev both have employee pricing sales on right now but that is only around 5k.

The Ram with the 6.4 Hemi looks really nice though.... Decisions, decisions hahaha.
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Old 07-02-2014, 01:56 PM   #15
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I did the switch from a F150 to a 1 ton last year. Here are 2 CAT scale results that show the difference between the 2 trucks. Just my family and a full tank of gas/fuel:

1) 2012 F150 Ecoboost 157" 3.73 w/Max Tow & Roadmaster Active Suspension
Max payload: 1685 lbs

Steer Axle: 3700 lbs
Drive Axle: 2960 lbs
Total: 6660 lbs

2) 2013 Chevy 3500HD Crew Cab 8' bed w/Duramax Diesel stock
Max payload: 3891 lbs

Steer Axle: 4870
Drive Axle: 3670
Total: 8540 lbs

The towing experience is a night and day difference. It's so much more stable and no more white knucking. And the exhaust brake always brings a smile.

Good luck with your decision.
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Old 07-02-2014, 01:57 PM   #16
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That's a tough choice for many folks. For where I live and what I tow, it was an easy choice for me. But if you live and tow at lower altitudes and don't pull very many long, steep grades, a gasser may be a good enough fit for you. I don't think I would ever buy a new diesel, but good deals can be found on fairly low mileage diesels. Mine was three years old with only 36,000 miles on it. It was worth $7,000 more than what I gave for it.
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Old 07-02-2014, 02:13 PM   #17
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My recommendation, if you really want to keep the F150, is to look into the ProPride 3P hitch. You don't need a 3/4 ton truck for that camper. I actually went from a 2003 3/4 ton gas truck to a 2013 Tundra 1/2 ton because I was not towing at my max. I then bought the best hitch on the market and only 1 of 2 hitches that ELIMINATE sway. I now tow better than my buddy who has a 3/4 ton Ram Cummins and a 28BHS when it's windy out. He still pulls better because of the diesel but as far as sway and handling, my setup works 100% better...he tells me that everytime we tow together!
My neighbor and camping buddy has this hitch on his Expedition and he said it was a drastic improvement over the cheap hitch that Camping World included with his 31 foot camper purchase. He is under all the weight limits for the truck, but he had to white knuckle drive when towing because of all the sway. He said that his option was the best money he has ever spent.
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Old 07-02-2014, 02:52 PM   #18
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If only more folks could hear your story. So many keep trying to convince themselves a 1/2 ton is all the truck they need, and just as many telling them that they are right. Results in a bunch of stories like yours.
I would have to agree with this. My 1/2 ton IS all the truck I need. My setup is under in all the numbers. BUT I constantly find myself wondering how much better it would be with a 3/4 ton. I LOVE my trailer, and it will fit my needs pretty much forever, so I'm left with changing the truck. Unfortunately, it probably won't happen for about 7 more years. BUT, by that time, my trailer will be paid off, and I'll be able to afford whatever truck I want!

If you can get the bigger truck now, you should certainly go for it!
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Old 07-02-2014, 03:53 PM   #19
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Put a set of stiff sidewall LT tires on the F150, pump 'em up tight and call it good.
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Old 07-02-2014, 06:13 PM   #20
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We towed our 31' Whitehawk with an F150 EcoBoost with max tow package and an Equalizer hitch. It towed really well and I had no complaints. We decided we wanted to upgrade to a 5th wheel, so first we bought a new F250. We now also have a 5th wheel, but we did camp once towing the Whitehawk with the F250. Night and day difference. The trailer did not jerk the F150 around much, but the F250 did not get pulled around at all. Rock solid. Huge difference.
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