The wife and i are thinking of a new Jayco, a 31BHS. Was wondering if anyone was towing with a 4.5 triton half ton and how it does?

 

Well, I do tow a Jayco but not a Jayco that big.

Check out my signature... Jayco 26S

 

I tow a Jayco 27BH.

While my truck does a great job pulling it, I wouldn't pull anything bigger or heavier.

 

That's too much weight for 1/2 ton pickups. You'll be towing 8500 pounds when leaving for the weekend. You'll probably be over GVWR as well.

 

I just bought one of these two weeks ago to tow with my 2007 F-150 KR, 5.4L, 3.73 gears. I have not picked it up yet so I am glad to hear that the truck should be just fine pulling it!

 

I too have a Jayco 27BH...pulled it 6 times with my 04 5.43v (3.55)....it towed just ok.

I think you said you had the 4.6 truck? If so, you are way out of spec with that 31 footer.

Our gas mileage suffered so bad we traded to the F250 PSD. With a 5.4, the weight is not what gets you....its the aerodynamics's of pulling a 27 foot cinder block behind you in the wind. If you have a tail wind you will enjoy it...but the slightest head wind you are going feel in it your wallet.

Check over on RV.net and do a search....but b ecareful on that forum. People are super sensitive and you will get more opinions then you ask for.

Main thing...never listen to the RV salesman that says, you can pull "that" with a 1/2 ton.

Before you buy, take it around the block and see how it feels.

 

The answers of I pull this and that are not telling what needs to be told.
You 'must' look at the reccomended gross combined weight for your truck as factory eqipped and stay within that weight or your all just guessing.
The trailer dealer is there to sell and not worry about what your puller limit is.
I can tell you for sure that 31 foot is to big for an F150.
Hang around an RV dealer long enough and you will see at least a F250 for towing all but the smaller trailers up to 24 foot.
You cannot ignor this or all you get later on is grief in one form or another..
Sorry to be so firm but this is too serious to let go to guessing and obvious undersized pulling equipment and capacity even in some of the replies..
That's why there are 5.4 and diesel engines and F250/HD and 350s to use.

 

My daughter and son-in-law have a Jayco 27BH and they pull it with a Sequoia 4.7, I think my truck would pull it easier. Sounds like these are popular trailers. I think 6 to 7K lbs is enough for a 1/2 ton. I always say it's not what you can pull, but what you can control and stop!

 

I just picked up a Jayco 27BH and I have a 2006 F15 supercrew. I havent had the chance to take it out for a long drive yet but it seemed ok from the dealer to my place. I also bought a weight distribution hitch and anti sway bar too.
Kinda felt wierd towing it and not sure where the RPM's should be at 100km's/hr but it just seemed a little high with the O/D off. Any input?
THX

 

See my post above. I too had a F150SC with this same set up. The weight will not be your issue. Set proper expectation levels and understand that on flat ground you will get MAX 8-9 mpg. Know where your shift points are on your truck and use the pedal wisely to save on gas. Your RPMS are going to be much higher with this TT...well in general really when towing.

I was in the same boat you are in...I asked questions about if I was doing damage to the engine b/c I felt like it was really working hard. I would be more than happy to discuss my experiences with you via the phone if you wish...you can PM me. If you have the same TT as me, you should be around 5700LBS with AC/awning, 2LP's and one battery...DRY. Add food, supplies, gear you will be around 6600-7K lbs easy with this TT. I took mine to a CAT Scale with with empty TT and a truck with a full tank of gas and 3 passengers. Truck was 6080 and GCWV of 11782 lbs that makes our TT 5702 dry.

Weight adds up. 2 LCD TV's, Sat dish, extra LP for cooking, camp stoves, camp grill, chairs, clothes, food, sheets, tables, 10X10 canopy, shop vac, cleaning supplies, tools, ice, beer, pots pans, silver ware...blah blah blah

you get the idea. Net is, if you camp close to home (within 2-3 hours) you will be fine...I was having to fill up so often it was driving me crazy so I got the PSD.

I am just one guy though, take my post with a grain of salt. I had higher expectations for my F150 but this is our First TT.

JP

 

For the last year I have been towing a Jayco JayLight 24.5 footer with a slide. It had a double axel tandem wheels which really helped with the haul BUT even with my 5.4 V8, pulling over the Colorado 11,000 ft passes was a challenge. Recently I traded in my Jayco for a 19ft AirStream and my F-150 pulls it with ease everywhere.

I have all of the correct equalizer leveling hitches, sway bars, electric brakes, and etc. which you must have if you plan to tow much at highway speeds. Your 2006 with a 4.5 V8 will really be taxed. With my mods and the 5.4 V8, I am pushing about 290 hp and am real glad my Jayco 24.5 ft unit is no longer pushing my truck to the max. With an catback exhaust, air intake, and tuner you probably will just be able to pull this unit in the mountains. On the other hand, if you have no mountains and are set up right, you should have no substantial problems. Depends where you use the unit.

Hope everything works out with you.

Mert

 

Just an FYI, I reread the orginal post and it looks like there was a typo in the first post of 4.5...that prob means 5.4

 

One thing most people do not take into account is the wind resistance presented by the front surface area of the travel trailer. This extra drag takes lots of power to overcome. Most travel trailers are about as aerodynamic as a brick.

 

Do any of you use a towing air deflector, or are they useless

 

The Ford manual states not to exceed 60 sq. ft. frontal area with class IV trailer towing package. Most travel trailers are at the max. The way a figure it is 7' inside height and 8'6" width. So that puts it right at 60 sq. ft. I am assuming the max tow rating is taking that in to account when they come up with that number.

As far as the weight of the Jayco 31', way too much at 6830 lbs UVW. I pull a Jayco 211 fifth wheel with mine at a 3830 UVW, more around 4500 lbs with options and loaded, no water in tanks, and that feels like enough. Still have yet to weigh it, I may need a F250 after I see the real weight.