OK we just got a 21 foot sportmaster with dry weight of 3800lbs. Got a 2004 F150 with 5.4, 3.73 gears. Anyone have similar setup? If so how does it do? Any recommendation on Mirror extenders? Oh, it came with the weight distribution, so That should help, I hope...

 

You will need to get a brake controller for the truck if you already haven't. Other than that you should be good to go. It would not hurt to practice with it in an empty parking lot before really taking it out on the road. Especially backing up.

 

Weight wise, I'd guesstimate that you'll be around #5000 when you load it up and that will be a nice tow with your rig.

The rest of towing is just knowing that your truck will not stop, accelerate or handle the same way it does when running empty. The only way to find out all of that is to take it out and get to know how it feels... You will need to allow for a lot more space to stop/go and maneuver... Always look for a way to 'escape' or at least be able to turn around if you go the wrong way!

If you've never backed up a trailer before, then practice is the key.... An easy way to remember how to 'steer' a trailer while backing is to put your hand on the bottom of the wheel. If you want the trailers back end to go to your left, then move your hand on the wheel to the left. Once the trailer starts to go that way, turn the wheel back straight and if the trailer is going the correct way, you can start to 'follow' it by now turning the wheel to the right (with your hand still at the bottom) and then adjust your steering accordingly. If you mess up, pull forward and try again. Empty parking lots are great for this kind of practice...

I've got some **** slip on mirrors for my truck and they work fine. Here is a pic with them on.



Good luck and don't worry too much over the thought of 'towing'... We all had to do it the first time too!

Mitch

 

My previous truck was an 01 5.4 3:55 stock size tires and our trailer dry was 4,400lbs. I load very light but I'd guess we were at about 5,800lbs when ready to go. The truck pulled the weight fine. We weren't going to win a race and we were in second on most hard pulls. When I say hard pulls I'm talking the Sierra Nevada Mtn 6-7% for 10+ miles. I would drop into second early and the truck felt real comfortable at about 2700rpm and that would hold anywhere between 40-50mph. On flat lands 65 no problems, but I allways turned OD off. Stopping was fine as long as the trailer brakes were adjusted correctly. Get a Prodigy brake controller. We have recently upgraded to a 08 5.4 3:73 but it has 33's on her. I haven't towed yet as summer vacation is still a couple of months away. I am real curious to see how the new truck compares to the old truck. Hope this helps.

 

Thanks for the response.

It sure makes me feel better when I get advice from those with the experience. I'm definitely going to practice and do some short trips. I also Like the **** mirror mitch150 has. Just looked at them online and they are reasonably priced. I was really concerned with the power versus weight but as long as my truck performs as both of you have indicated, I'll be OK. I was also planning to purchase the Gryphon programmer. I keep hearing it really helps. Any comments on this?

 

I'm looking at buying a Gryphon also, I have done a lot of research over the last month and I am convinced that a costum tune for towing with the Gryphon is the way to go. I just haven't got the coin right now to buy. It will be my next mod.

 

dont worry about towing! you will learn how to back into tight spaces before you know it! i know i did! after a few pole dings i got it down!

 

The Gryphon would be a great addition to help your towing as well as daily driving performance. I have one in my 04' F150 Lariat 5.4L 3V with 3.73's.
The throttle response is much better and with a custom tow tune low end power is much more readily available. At highyway speeds you can pull hills and merge much better. Also I have come to love the being able to monitor trans temp and the many others things while driving. So far my gryphon has in my opinion been the most bang for my buck out of the $$$ I have spent on my truck.
Over all you will be good to go just plan ahead takeit easy and enjoy the ride. You F-150 will handle the load just fine.

 

How much weight do you typically tow?

 

I tow 7,200 lbs travel trailer loaded and ready to go. Max towed was towing dump trailer full of topsoil about 8,500 lbs.
Over all I have been very happy with how my truck has handled all the towing. With the correct hitch set up and sensible driving these trucks are very capable. Also if you tow in the hills dont be scared to let the 5.4L rev. These engines are bult to work and make power for tough pulls higher in the RPM band.

 

I have pretty much the exact setup as you and the f-150 pulls it great. Normal highway speeds you run about 2500 rpm, rolling hills might unlock the torque converter and get you about 2700-2800 rpm. Then 2 gear for those big hills. At highway speeds the truck runs at about 3800-4000 rpm. You can run that truck all day at that rpm. I installed a tranny temperature gauge. Nice to know what the temperature is.

Also, I have Troyer tunes and VMP tunes. In my oppinion, niether pulls as good as stock. The problem is not power. The problem is the tranny shifting. I find the stock one responds much better to rolling hills and has much better response. Sucks too, cause I bought the tunes specifically for towing. But I usually use the tunes between camping trips now. But during July and Aug, the stock tune stays in the truck pretty much 100% of the time.

 

O, and in my opinion Techonsha makes the best brake controllers. They use a mechanical pendulum on some models and accelerometers on others. So their braking power is not linear or pre-programmed to one profile. But it actually measures the amount of braking you are putting into the truck and responds with the same on the trailer. Much much smoother driving system. When you want a light touch, the brakes are nice and light. But when danger comes a knocking, it puts as much braking into the trailer as you need.

 

Since it's been about a hundred years since I've towed anything besides my ample asset, before I buy my travel trailer, I plan on renting a large flatbed and do some backing practice in an empty parking lot. It'll be easier to get my backing chops back if I get some initial practice using something I can see over. Once I get the travel trailer, it's back to the parking lot for more practice.

 

Tekonsha has timer based units as well like the Pilot.

I belive you are referring to units like the Voyager, Primus, Prodigy and P3; all by Tekonsha.

The Prodigy by far is the #1 selling controller in the country.

 

I'd invest in a good equalizer hitch if you haven't already. You may want to get airbags as well. They make a HUGE difference. Keep the RPM's high when pulling hills, it's better than overheating the trans.