We are in the process of buying a travel trailer. Actually, we bought one and took it back to the dealer 3 days later (long story). That trailer was 3850 dry and our 2004 F150 Heritage, v-6 with towing package did just fine. We have the Equal-i-zer Hitch and Protegy Brake Control. Now we are looking at a 22' travel trailer that is 4200 dry. Do you think we'd be pushing it by the time we loaded our cargo? It's only the 2 of us and I'm thinking we'd probably be talking between 500-600 extra pounds. The truck is rated to pull 5700#, but I'm worried we're not going to have enough "wiggle room".

Second question -- I bought those strap-on side mirrors for towing and I had nothing but problems. The wind force kept moving them where I couldn't see a thing. I don't have power mirrors, so this was a big problem. I tightened the truck mirrors as tight as I could and they still move. Now they are stripped and Ford won't honor the warranty because the strap-on mirrors (identical to the ones Ford sells for the F150) were not made by Ford. Any suggestions on what I could replace the mirrors with that would fit my truck and be used for towing?

Thanks!

 

Here is your answers.
1) you'll be pushin it any time you come upon ANY hill with that V6 ( I mean don't get me wrong, there great motors, just lacking on power a little) You should be more than fine on flat ground

2)Check the following link, The replacement mirrors are Far better than strap ons IMO, these extend and come many different colors. You can also get clearance lights if you want. I've got a set of power/heated/turn signal/clearance light models. Optics are way better than factory.
http://www.ttt-mirror.com/

 

How far will you be towing this load and how often? I think it can do it but you will want to leave plenty of tiome to accelerate

 

The **** clip on mirros are very good. Rjay's for $50 #CIP11600.

 

Pulling an empty trailer on flat roads home is no test. I can easily put 1100 lbs into my 24' trailer. Water, propane, hitch weight, adds up fast and you don't know real weight till it goes across a scale.

I'm hauling 6100 lbs with my 5.4, its all it wants on any steep grade.
But if your going close to home on flat roads thats much different than what I drive...

 

Thanks for the advice. Guess we need to go with a lightweight trailer. Think a total weight of around 5000# would be ok? We live in the midwest, but would like to visit other regions too. We might take several long trips a year.

Thanks!

 

Never take a trailer dealer or manufacturers word on the weight. Find a public scale in your area and go weigh the truck with full tank + trailer with you and the wife. Find out what the GCWR is for your truck. Make sure you allow at least 1000 lb for cargo and fluids.

 

If you don't hear back from a V-6 owner with the experience pulling 5000 lbs load you might post on the V-6 forum. Or you could try www.rv.net or www.trailerlife.com and look for forums.

I would think 5000 lbs would be suited to the 4.6 V-8.
As they say in trailer life magazine no one complains about having too much power.
Some have been less kind and said the 6 had enough trouble pulling itself when asked about pulling med trailer.
I have no personal experiance using a V-6 but would hate to see someone commit a large sum and not have it work for them.
My son in law has a 26' light weight trailer (Rockwood) that weights less than 4K loaded.........

 

Thank you all. I've posted those places also. Finally just heard from one person who has towed with similar engine and said it would be a strain and we'd more than likely wear the truck out quickly. I was afraid of that.

Maybe we should forget the whole thing and buy a tent!

Well, anyone out there want to buy a brand new Equal-i-zer Hitch and a Prodigy Brake Control?????

 

Rear Axle: Same as V-8
Brakes: Same as V-8
Frame: Same as V-8
Transmission: Same as V-8 (Double Check This).
All of these components should live longer with the V-6 than the V-8.

The only issue is going to be with engine power. You will likely need to tow in third gear most of the time. If you are willing to wind it up to max hp rpm and pull up hills at full throttle in second gear it will pass a stock Powerstroke pulling the same hill with a 14,000 lb 5th wheel.

Will the engine die sooner than a bigger engine that is worked less hard? Yes. However if you stay within the factory GCWR for the truck and limit rpm to 1000 rpm below redline it should live a respectable lifespan.

In my opinion 5000 lb (honest weight) trailer is doable if not ideal. Someday you will get a new truck and I would suggest buying something with a least a 20% Cushion in GCWR for the biggest trailer you would ever consider buying.

 

I'd be interested in the Prodigy

 

Hey, me first me first
J/K

 

You may be happy with a good used tent camper. You can get a lot of space in a same package.

 

Well, lookes like we're keeping the brake controller and the hitch. We finally found a light enough trailer that will work for us.

And jmt0645 - thanks so much for the tip on the towing mirrors. We found a good deal on a pair in an E-bay store and got them installed a couple days ago. My hubby LOVES them. And they look real sharp.

Hope to have the trailer in a week or so.

Thanks everyone for your help.

Trudy

 

I'm glad you found something that worked for you!
Our family of 5 just bought our first camper last Fall, got to bring it home and winterize it is all, after borrowing a tent camper from a friend. Kids were crying when we had to return it so we "had" to have one of our own. Excited to use it this summer as I'm sure you are.
Have fun and happy camping!