2021 SLX 284BHS Tow vehicle?

[Katrina B]

Hi everyone! We are due to pick up our new 2021 SLX 284BHS on Thursday and as a new RV owner, I’m thoroughly confused by towing lingo and math.

I have a 2018 Ford F-150. Will this be sufficient?

Thank you for any advice you can offer. 😊

[MichaelO]

Unless I missed it I didn’t see the towing capacity. You should be fine pulling that with your truck with the V-8 in it. The ecoboost would do better, but the V-8 will be fine. Depending on your trucks gear ratio you might be close or you could have plenty of room. Do you know what your gear ratio is?

I pull a similar size and weight of trailer, the 29RKS, behind my ram 1500; your F150 is a more capable truck.

[Jose&Kristen]

Congratulations on your new camper. We have the same model, and we absolutely love it!!
Our RAM1500 has no trouble pulling & stopping ours. We are putting in airbags to level things out.

[MichaelO]

Originally Posted by Jose&Kristen

Congratulations on your new camper. We have the same model, and we absolutely love it!!
Our RAM1500 has no trouble pulling & stopping ours. We are putting in airbags to level things out.

Tuftruck springs are great for the ram. If you’re going to use airbags do the bag on frame style, not the bag inside the coil ones. I’ve tried the airlift bags that go in the coils and was greatly disappointed.

[ALJO]

Airbags for our 2014 RAM 1500 works perfectly

[Katrina B]

Originally Posted by MichaelO

Unless I missed it I didn’t see the towing capacity. You should be fine pulling that with your truck with the V-8 in it. The ecoboost would do better, but the V-8 will be fine. Depending on your trucks gear ratio you might be close or you could have plenty of room. Do you know what your gear ratio is?

I pull a similar size and weight of trailer, the 29RKS, behind my ram 1500; your F150 is a more capable truck.

I didn’t see it either...that’s why I came here. 😂 The F-150 users manual was very confusing too.

I’m not sure what my gear ratio is. 🤷*♀️

[Katrina B]

Originally Posted by Jose&Kristen

Congratulations on your new camper. We have the same model, and we absolutely love it!!
Our RAM1500 has no trouble pulling & stopping ours. We are putting in airbags to level things out.

Awesome! Yes we are super excited, thank you.

So should I go Google airbag leveling? I have so much to learn!

[Rustic Eagle]

Katrina B.

Welcome to JOF

Originally Posted by Katrina B

snip....... I have a 2018 Ford F-150. Will this be sufficient?.......snip

The real confirmation will be a CAT scale visit under "your" typical ready-to-camp "loaded" TV/TT conditions..., we all have different loading habits and towing expectations.

The 3-pass CAT weigh-in will tell you everything about your TV/TT weights and insure that your WDH is adjusted correctly. I highly recommend that you have a friend familiar with towing TT's join you at the CAT scale.

CAT Scale 'how-to': https://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/f...v-tt-3871.html

If the RV dealer is installing/adjusting the WDH (under unloaded conditions) insure you are provided the original installation and adjustment documentation, because the WDH will have to be re-adjusted under loaded TV/TT conditions. With the 284BHS a WDH with integrated sway control is highly recommended for enhanced TV handling.

Bob

[ttavasc]

Originally Posted by Katrina B

I didn’t see it either...that’s why I came here. 😂 The F-150 users manual was very confusing too.

I’m not sure what my gear ratio is. 🤷*♀️

Looking at the "Axle" value of "15" on the "Mfd. by Ford Motor Co." sticker that appears to indicate a 3.15 open differential.

[MichaelO]

Originally Posted by Katrina B

I didn’t see it either...that’s why I came here. 😂 The F-150 users manual was very confusing too.

I’m not sure what my gear ratio is. 🤷*♀️

Looking at a sticker you provided I see that you have a 3.15 gear ratio.

So here is a chart that tells you what your towing capacity is.

[Shokyle1]

You should have 3.15 ratio here is the list for capacity.

[dhfischerjr]

I have the same model and haul it with a 2011 Silverado 1500 LT Z71, 5.3L. 3:43 rear end. I have no problems towing it. I try not to go over 65 or so on the interstates.

[Redwing]

I have the same camper as long as you have a good wd/sway system you will no issues.
I have 0 issues towing my tt. See my signature

[67L48]

Originally Posted by Katrina B

[...] I’m thoroughly confused by towing lingo and math. [...]

The math is pretty simple. These steps can be done in any order, but there are three important steps to figure out and a 4th step of the final calculation:

1. How much can your truck handle. There are a bunch of different ratings, but for 1/2 tons and below, the most important rating is typically available Payload. This is on your yellow sticker that shows you have in excess of 2,000 lbs. This is just a proxy for your truck's GVWR.

2. How much do your occupants and cargo weigh. So, you can load up and go to a scale or you can estimate. Count up the fully clothed weights of anyone in the truck (e.g., Dad 180 lbs, Mom 120 lbs, Kid1 100 lbs, Kid2 100 lbs = 500 lbs of human being in the truck). Then, add up all the other stuff in and on your truck ... everything in/on/attached to your truck that wasn't there when leaving the factory needs to be added: stereo upgrades, light bars, new grille, Line-X bed liner, bigger tires, duffel bags, toys, games, clothes, pets, bikes, tools, firewood, etc. Add all that stuff up.

For illustration purposes, let's assume this ends up being 724 lbs (500 lbs for people and 224 lbs for everything else). Your number will be different.

3. How much will a trailer drop onto your hitch. In this case, your trailer is 7,500 lbs. Figure 12-15% will be on your hitch. 13% of 7,500 lbs is 975 lbs. Add 50 lbs for the WDH: 975 + 50 = 1,025 lbs on your truck from the trailer and hitch.

4. Now do the math: Payload - Occupants & Cargo - Trailer = 2049 - 724 - 1025 = 300. You still have 300 lbs of payload remaining. You're within limits and doing well.

Note that you can work in many directions. For example, how much trailer can you tow with that truck? Again, you start with your occupants and cargo number:
Payload - Occupants & Cargo = Available Payload for Trailer
2049 - 724 = 1,325 lbs. Subtract the 50 lbs for the WDH and you're left with 1,275. Using that 13%, that means that the GVWR of your trailers you're shopping for should be 1,275/13% = 9,800 lbs or less.

You could work from the trailer. How much vehicle do I need to tow a given trailer:
Payload >= Occupants & Cargo + Weight From Trailer
724 + 1025 = 1,749. For this trailer and for this load out (occupants and cargo), you'd want a vehicle with at least 1,749 lbs of available payload on that yellow sticker.

Hope this helps.

[jeremyfloridalee]

We have a 17 Ram 1500 with the 3.92 rear axle. We tow our 21 284BHS no problem. Just keep it under 70mph

[Hazman65]

I second going to a CAT scale and weigh it fully loaded for camping. It’s cheap peace of mind with so many variables.