Too cautious ?

[Lolead]

So as I have posted before my wife and I both consider the Whitehawk 27 RLDS our "dream rv". We looked at one before we bought our current TT last spring but I was concerned with our current tow vehicles ability to handle it. We settled for our current TT which has a stated weight of about 4800 lbs. Our tow vehicle is a 2010 F-150 SCREW with the 5.4 engine. It is NOT equipt with Max Tow and has a 3:55 rear gear. It is 4wd. So my question for all on the Forum is, was I too cautious ? Our current TT is VERY nice but there are features we have discovered that the WH has that ours does not. What say you long time owners ? Thanks in advance, Dave

[mike837go]

In my opinion you can never be 'too cautious'. My hobbies include welding (duh), maintaining my cars, trucks and tractors. Plus machining work and light carpentry. I use LOTS of power tools. I've still got all my fingers, toes and eyes. Simply by making sure to be aware of my margin of safety at all times.


When narrowing that margin (chain saw), stepping up awareness. Or easing up when OK (driving a car on familiar roads in good weather).


Would hitching your Dream RV to your current truck leave you white-knuckled (or even just worried) every mile?


----------------


On the flip side... Two-foot-itis is insidious. You'll be upgrading to 3/4 or even full ton truck soon. Don't be surprised when you haul home your 30-footer!

[Lolead]

Mike, Thanks for your reply. Perhaps 40 years in the collision repair industry has made me cautious also. Many of the repairs I made had peoples lives riding on them. I always try to "over build" everything with the same reasoning, how can something be too strong. You are exactly right in that a dream can quickly become a nightmare. Thank you for your considered insight. As far as a larger tow vehicle, not in my future. Having seen a sticker of 64k plus on a 2017 1/2 ton Ford it ain't happening !! For that money it would have to come with a basement and land deed !!LOL!!

[mike837go]

Originally Posted by Lolead

Mike, Thanks for your reply. Perhaps 40 years in the collision repair industry has made me cautious also. Many of the repairs I made had peoples lives riding on them. I always try to "over build" everything with the same reasoning, how can something be too strong. You are exactly right in that a dream can quickly become a nightmare. Thank you for your considered insight. As far as a larger tow vehicle, not in my future. Having seen a sticker of 64k plus on a 2017 1/2 ton Ford it ain't happening !! For that money it would have to come with a basement and land deed !!LOL!!

I know what you mean about the cost of new trucks!

My next motor vehicle purchase is going to be my Dream Truck. I've got a connection to a custom car builder that takes commissions. For (I expect) $30-40K, I'll be having them gut a 1/2-ton SUV and install the running gear from a same make&year 1 ton. With a new (or rebuilt) engine. Totally Old School: Diesel, manual transmission, just enough power accessories to be comfortable.

Biggest headache will be getting just the right shade of beige.

[Danny]

I am currenty pulling a WH 28dsbh with a 2009 Ford F150 5.4, 3:55. I have had no issues, TT weighs ~5700 dry. In the past two years I have pulled that thing to Florida, alabama, washington dc. and Penn. with no issues. I did put heavy duty shocks and 10 ply tires on the FORD. I keep my speed down, give myself plenty of time.

[DocBrown]

I have twice knowingly towed close to my rated capacities. I far prefer to tow with a healthy margin. There is a marked and noticeable difference towing a trailer that is the right size for the tow vehicle.

In other words, no you are not too cautious. You are sensible. Don't let posts on the Internet influence you to tow more than your comfort level.

[Murff]

If it helps, we use to pull a 30 foot 2009 Komfort with a 2007 F150 Screw cab with the 5.4 & 3:55 gears. I believe the Komfort weighed about 8000 while towing and the F150 didn't seem to mind.

Murff

[Ottawasteve]

You can never be too cautious, but at some point you have to balance resources with capacities and what you plan on doing with your TV/TT setup. Blanket statements about whether a particular travel trailer can be towed by a "half-ton" are less than helpful because they typically only consider about half of the equation. The normally aspirated V6 F150 Supercrew with 3.31 gears does not have the same capacities of all F150's of that model year despite what some experts profess to know about all half-tons.


Your F150 with 6 speed transmission, anti-lock brakes, traction control, tow-haul mode, auto anti-sway and air-bags is a far safer tow rig than most of the 3/4 ton truck from a decade ago. It is not advisable to tow outside the manufacturer's capacities with a half-ton or 3/4 ton. There are many on this forum who confuse being at or near Ford's stated capacities as being the same as the tow vehicles we have all seen where the driver is completely oblivious to his/her tow vehicle capacities and even more clueless about the weight of the trailer they are pulling.


The key to safely towing is knowing the capacities of your tow-vehicle (GVWR, Axle Ratings, Payload etc.), knowing how you pack your TV and comparing with the loaded weights of the TT that you are towing or considering buying. Without the Max-tow package, you will have less payload than some F150's but more than others. You will also have less transmission cooling capacity, so it would be a good idea to keep an eye on transmission temps while towing. Towing any amount of weight puts additional stress on a TV. The mileage towed and where (flatlands vs mountains, long distance vs. short distance) will greatly affect the wear and tear on a TV and no 2 towing experiences are the same. Retired full-timers will get better value out of a larger tow-vehicle than those that are still working and use the TV for daily commute. How much extra weight/tongue weight, when loaded, will your dream RV add ? Personally, if I was 50lbs over-weight on a 5800lb vehicle (you can do the math % wise) I would not be overly concerned but I would not load firewood, bikes, beer, cases of drinking water, generators into the truck as well for a cross-country trip. Not recommending that anybody tow overweight, but being aware of exact weights and capacities is far safer than just thinking or "knowing" that you are underweight.

My setup is similar to what you are contemplating, although I do have the Max Tow for some extra payload. The 3.73 gears I have would make a much bigger difference with the 4 speed transmissions on the 2008 and earlier F150's. I recognize that I am towing at the upper limits of my TV and I am very careful with my weights. I have had a Propride hitch, which eliminates sway, since day one and have never had an issue with sway or stability. When it was time for new tires, I went with LT tires because $20 additional per tire was worth it. I also added airbags for increased stability and I added a monitor/tuner to keep an eye on temperatures while towing.


If $$ is no object, a brand new diesel dually 450/4500 from any of the big 3 will be the safest and most stable tow vehicle on the road for any travel trailer in the Jayco lineup. If somebody wants to trade me straight across for a 2017 F250/350 Screw 6.7 PSD, PM me and I'll be over to pick it up as I would never say no to an extra 400 ft/lbs of torque for towing !

[KYCAMPER]

We ,ve had our 27DSRL for 3 years now and are happy with it.
We bought the camper because it is the perfect layout for 2 people, was the right length to fit most any campground sites and was "1/2 ton towable". We pulled it with a 2012 Silverado 1/2 ton, 5.3L, 6 spd auto with tow package (1680 payload rating). The truck handled the camper just fine. No "white knuckle" trips, no transmission/engine overheating. My beef was the transmission hunting on even the slightest of a hill - to me it was annoying and I couldn't relax. Everyone has their tolerances and it probably wouldn't bother most people. I upgraded to a GMC 3500 Duramax partly for that reason but mostly because I plan to upgrade to a much larger 5er in the next year.
For any 2-3-4 hr camping trips I would be ok with it. If you are concerned about handling issues and overloading a 1/2 ton with it I think you would be fine assuming you were within payload limits.

[Bassdogs]

Originally Posted by Lolead

So as I have posted before my wife and I both consider the Whitehawk 27 RLDS our "dream rv". We looked at one before we bought our current TT last spring but I was concerned with our current tow vehicles ability to handle it. We settled for our current TT which has a stated weight of about 4800 lbs. Our tow vehicle is a 2010 F-150 SCREW with the 5.4 engine. It is NOT equipt with Max Tow and has a 3:55 rear gear. It is 4wd. So my question for all on the Forum is, was I too cautious ? Our current TT is VERY nice but there are features we have discovered that the WH has that ours does not. What say you long time owners ? Thanks in advance, Dave

In my opinion, too cautious but not wrong. The WHawk probably would have put you at or over the recommended tow totals spec'ed by Ford. It would have entirely depended how you were going to use your TT. Short trips to nearby State Parks etc and the occasional longer trips would have been fine with no safety issues as long as you watched you extra loading, kept speeds down, and used a good WDhitch. If you are retired and planning on some long hauls cross country you were right in going with a lighter TT.

We purchased a 2014 W Hawk DSRE that maxed out our 2008 Silverado 1500. It pulled fine with plenty of power and no sway or other control issues. We did experience higher trans temps that the dealer said were well within OK tolerances. After the first year we did up grade to a 2500 Duramax and love the new package. With that said you made your choice so enjoy. There will be a tomorrow.

[ykcamom]

We have a the 27 DSRL and pull it with a 2010 F150 5.4V8 and 3:73 rear axle. It has the max tow package as well.

Truck handles the trailer just fine. We also considered upgrading the truck when we decided to sell our 24 FBS as I really wanted a 5th wheel. But after pricing out 3/4 and 1 ton trucks, plus a 5th wheel, it just wasn't in the cards for us. Way too expensive. So we decided to stick with a replacement trailer that our truck could handle.

Good luck with your decision.

[Dropnaduece]

Originally Posted by Lolead

Mike, Thanks for your reply. Perhaps 40 years in the collision repair industry has made me cautious also. Many of the repairs I made had peoples lives riding on them. I always try to "over build" everything with the same reasoning, how can something be too strong. You are exactly right in that a dream can quickly become a nightmare. Thank you for your considered insight. As far as a larger tow vehicle, not in my future. Having seen a sticker of 64k plus on a 2017 1/2 ton Ford it ain't happening !! For that money it would have to come with a basement and land deed !!LOL!!

Your not kiddn' about the money factor. I just wanted a small 17-19' trailer and use my Tahoe to pull it but the wife fell in love with the WH25BHS and boom bye bye Tahoe and hello 56k 2016 F150 Lariat with max tow and already spent 27k for a loaded trailer. Luckily somone ordered a trailer with all options and ran from the deal and I scored on a great trailer for an awesome price but total those numbers and we could of bought the RV Greyhawk that we really wanted but oh well we love the trailer and the memories we have already made and the 6 trips we already have reserved for next year are priceless. My 2 sons have a closer relationship because they are doing so well sitting in the back seat playing games and talking to each other and having fun camping couldn't ask for anything more!

[RPreeb]

Originally Posted by Lolead

So as I have posted before my wife and I both consider the Whitehawk 27 RLDS our "dream rv". We looked at one before we bought our current TT last spring but I was concerned with our current tow vehicles ability to handle it. We settled for our current TT which has a stated weight of about 4800 lbs. Our tow vehicle is a 2010 F-150 SCREW with the 5.4 engine. It is NOT equipt with Max Tow and has a 3:55 rear gear. It is 4wd. So my question for all on the Forum is, was I too cautious ? Our current TT is VERY nice but there are features we have discovered that the WH has that ours does not. What say you long time owners ? Thanks in advance, Dave

The main thing I see is that you will need a good WDH, because the empty hitch weight of the Whitehawk is already almost 200 lbs over the F-150 rating of 500 lbs. Any cargo in the TT or TV will just add to that disparity. Towing weight shouldn't be an issue.

I towed my X213 150 miles home from the dealer's lot empty with my 2016 F-150 Supercrew 3.5 Ecoboost with tow package (not max tow) and it was fine, even at 70+ mph on the freeway in a stiff crosswind (gross weight is a ton less than the Whitehawk). Despite its much larger size and heavier weight, the new outfit tows better than our popup did with a Honda Ridgeline. I plan to try it out on a shorter trip loaded to see if I think I'll need a WDH.

We don't travel heavy, (just upgraded from that popup) so I may not need a new hitch. The fresh water tank is behind the TT axle, so that could balance any forward loading we do to keep the tongue weight in the safety range. We are very frugal on water use and almost never use the toilet in the TT, so hoping that we won't usually fill the used water tanks. I'll find out next spring if I have to invest in a WDH. Not going to mess with it if I don't need it.