Ford Flex and Jayco 165
- Thread starter kurens
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- jaycoowners
Threebutchers
Senior Member
"Frontal area is the total area in square feet that a moving vehicle and trailer
exposes to air resistance. The chart shows the limitations that must be considered
in selecting a vehicle/trailer combination. Exceeding these limitations may
significantly reduce the performance of your towing vehicle. Selecting a trailer with
a low-drag, rounded front design will help optimize performance and fuel economy"
A gas mileage warning.....
clubhouse
Senior Member
^ Good thing it's up to the OP to decide, not us.
If "significantly reducing the performance of your towing vehicle" is not a big deal for you - more power to you.
I on the other hand want every advantage possible when hauling my family around.
If "significantly reducing the performance of your towing vehicle" is not a big deal for you - more power to you.
I on the other hand want every advantage possible when hauling my family around.
Simply not the trailer for you. Even if you could address the tongue weight, the 35 sq. ft. Frontal area is something you can't do anything about. Although not certain, I think it would be pretty easy to have 45-50 sq ft of frontal with that TT.
So how to measure frontal area of trailer?
I found post from airstream forum:
Hey there, I have a flex and will soon be an Airstream owner. I've been doing a ton of research on this issue. The good news, according to Ford, if you are within your weight limit and using the class III set up they recommend it's doable. The frontal area question really worried me since there are conflicting details on the net about how to calculate. So, I called Ford today, and after about three tranfers I got to the right person. I wanted to know what does Ford mean when they mention the 35sq ft limit for frontal area. They said it is the height of the object being towed that is greater than the tow vehicle. The model Airstream I plan to purchase is a 1960s 26ft overlander that specs at about 3200lbs. The width of the flex is the same as this older model, 88 inches. The flex is 68 inches tall and the overlander is 107 inches tall. The height difference is 39 inches. I used a sq footage calculator, and it comes out around 23 or 26sq ft. Can't remember the exact end number, but I did it over the phone with Ford, and it was well under the limit. I'm feeling pretty optimistic about my plan. Ford also noted that a trailer that's curved is even better! Good luck with your research.
Threebutchers
Senior Member
Thanks for posting kurens.... excellent find!
....as noted before, you are at a comfortable 75% (loaded weight) of your tow capacity (better than the vast majority on this list I venture to say)
....get the tongue scale and find creative ways to get your tongue weight below hitch limits....(yet above 10% TT GVW)
I don't think changing hitch to gain tongue weight capacity - (if such a hitch exists) - is the best move....that's simply feeding the beast. Passenger vehicles and Light SUVs tend to have softer suspensions. The less tongue weight you have to manage / absorb....the better your towing experience will be.
BTW - I copied the specs below off a 1960s Overlander Brochure for comparison to the OP above....apparently they had NO idea how UNSAFE it was to tow with a 7% tongue weight in the 1960s!
Overall length-26 ft.
Body length-23 ft.
Overall weight-3850 Ibs.
Hitch weight-260 Ibs.
Two 13;''' axles
Four 6 ply tires
4-wheer brakes
....as noted before, you are at a comfortable 75% (loaded weight) of your tow capacity (better than the vast majority on this list I venture to say)
....get the tongue scale and find creative ways to get your tongue weight below hitch limits....(yet above 10% TT GVW)
I don't think changing hitch to gain tongue weight capacity - (if such a hitch exists) - is the best move....that's simply feeding the beast. Passenger vehicles and Light SUVs tend to have softer suspensions. The less tongue weight you have to manage / absorb....the better your towing experience will be.
BTW - I copied the specs below off a 1960s Overlander Brochure for comparison to the OP above....apparently they had NO idea how UNSAFE it was to tow with a 7% tongue weight in the 1960s!
Overall length-26 ft.
Body length-23 ft.
Overall weight-3850 Ibs.
Hitch weight-260 Ibs.
Two 13;''' axles
Four 6 ply tires
4-wheer brakes
Paulx213
Senior Member
Agreed, that is an excellent find. If the saleman knew his stuff better then he might have made a sale. I really liked the Flex but if it couldn't tow a TT then no deal.
muelldawg
Senior Member
We have had no issues with our rig; packing minimum weight in our 2010 Sport165 and carry most gear in back end of F150. Minimum means food and clothing, maybe 150 lbs.
Chuckwagon.
Advanced Member
Agree with Richard our 2011 165 has been trouble free ( knock on wood ! ) towing with a Tacoma we try to balance out all of our gear from the truck bed to whats in the TT. For us our Tacoma is just an okay pull & definitely rated to handle the 165 but really wishing we had a true 1/2 ton like V8 F150 as our PV, oh well just really happy & thankful to be enjoying the RV lifestyle !
Tugboat95
Senior Member
- Joined
- Jul 17, 2014
- Posts
- 415
I just put a tongue scale on mine and the weight is 410lbs. I played all day with moving stuff including battery and propane tank. I even filled the black tank with water. I got it down to 400lbs. Not enough difference to make it worth the hassle. I pull with an 09Escape. Yes I am over the tongue limit. Don't care about voiding a warranty, that was gone years ago. Frontage limit only affects efficiency. Fuel mileage. It got cut to 12 from 28. But my landscaping trailer already Did that with next to no frontage. I put a WD hitch on and the TT pulls level. The Escape drops 2 1/2". Front has about a 1/2" rise and no noticeable steering affects. The deal was on this TT. IT fits our needs and the Escape handles it. I'll just keep an eye on the tongue issue and see what happens. I new truck is not in my grasp for a while.
muelldawg
Senior Member
Miatchie is right on.
My tongue weight is 5 or 600 lbs.
I would be careful in loading up a Sport 165 as axle and tires will not take much. Max is about 500 lbs.
I do not use a weight distribution or sway bar and have been Ok. I'm pulling with a F150 V8. I use air bags in the F150 to keep everything level. When I checked into the possible of using WD/SB I was told, by trailer hitch experts, that trailer frame was not strong enough to take it.
My tongue weight is 5 or 600 lbs.
I would be careful in loading up a Sport 165 as axle and tires will not take much. Max is about 500 lbs.
I do not use a weight distribution or sway bar and have been Ok. I'm pulling with a F150 V8. I use air bags in the F150 to keep everything level. When I checked into the possible of using WD/SB I was told, by trailer hitch experts, that trailer frame was not strong enough to take it.
Mikemvg
Member
Just saw this post regarding tongue wt and WD hitches. When I purchased my 165 a couple years ago, I contacted Jayco regarding use of a WDH. Their response was "since the tongue wt is only 420 lbs, I shouldn't need one but if I did use one, not to go over an 800lb rated WDH".
I pointed out to them that 420 was a dry weight and with battery and propane it was closer to 600lbs. Thought it kind of odd that they wouldn't recognize that.
Been using a 600lb WDH for a couple of years now with no problem. With my Nissan Frontier I would not want to tow without the weight distribution.
I pointed out to them that 420 was a dry weight and with battery and propane it was closer to 600lbs. Thought it kind of odd that they wouldn't recognize that.
Been using a 600lb WDH for a couple of years now with no problem. With my Nissan Frontier I would not want to tow without the weight distribution.
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