Currently towing an Outback 28RSS 5,400lb Dry, 490lb tongue, 29'4", CC 1735lb with an 2010 F150 SCREW 5.4, 3.55, 6.5ft bed. Truck handles trailer no problem, even in the mountains of VA, PA and WV. We camp a lot and are looking for a little more living room than the 28RSS offers.

We found a Keystone Passport 3220BH and love it. I'm a little concerned about the weights and wanted to get some input. The specs on the Passport are 6235lb dry, 600lb tongue, 35'5", CC 1265lb.

Keystone advertises these as ultra-lightweight for SUVs and 1/2 ton trucks. Would travel with 4 passengers (two small children).

Thanks for any input.

 

^^^ IMHO, that's negligent of them.

That unit is firmly in F250 - class territory. Again IMHO....

Good luck.

MGD

 

Thanks. I had a feeling it would be too much for the F150.

 

It could tow it but I wouldn't do it for sure if it was my truck. By the time you load that trailer down it will be close to the 9,000 lb. mark. If you plan on doing quite a bit of camping go upgrade to a better trailer and truck. Those ultra lite weights are made cheap and so that they can be towed with a 1/2 ton. I would go get a nice used f250 diesel along with a used 5th wheel and be done if it were me with 2 kids.

 

Thanks for the advice. The F-150 is not even a year old yet and I would lose big time trading it in. Might just wait until I can upgrade both...

 

You do not know untill you try!

 

Unless I am reading this incorrectly the total weight of the Passport dry + cc will = 7500 lbs. That fits according to the 2010 towing guide. That was the max loaded weight I was willing to go when looking for a travel trailer.

John

 

7500 lbs sure. But 35 1/2'? NO half ton will stop that trailer from wandering wherever it wants

 

Yep.

Plus - it's just numbers on paper - I'm willing to bet my left <insert body part here> that the numbers are actually higher. Add passengers, cargo/luggage in the truck, tank 'o gas, any stuff in the trailer, and factor in the tongue weight, and yer are over at least one - and likely more - ratings.

There are so many threads revisiting this very topic in this section it's not even worth debating, folks.

When towing, with yer beloved family onboard, do you really want to be on the bleeding edge (or exceed) safe ratings, with no safety margin to boot for the sake of dealing with the unexpected?

I'm going to rely on the real experts that visit here to steer you in the right direction, OP.

The truck will pull just about dang-near anything if you wish to ignore it's limits. There's a nutcase on here pulling a trailered tracked excavator (+16,000 lbs). BUT - he uses John Deere oil in his truck's crankcase, so it must be okay .

MGD

 

This is another suggestion for you. Consider looking for another trailer. I am always amazed at the diference floor plans can make. You may just find one that fits your family in the 26-28 ft range with a floor plan that actually seems to give you more room. I'm just sayin.

600 lb tongue weight? No way. have you weighed your current trailer loaded for a trip and subtracted the dry weight to see what your actually towing? Then add the weight of your truck and family. Check that against your trucks GVCWR. My rule of thumb is not to exceed 80% of what it's rated for. But that's just me, your milage may vary. Stay safe and have fun.

 

Thanks for all of the input on this. I went and weighed the F-150 this week and with one passenger and full-tank of gas I have 1430LB available payload. GVWR of the trailer is 7500LB, so just like the GVWR of the truck, the trailer should not be loaded to weigh more than 7500 right? I'm going to hook up the old trailer and run it down to the scales next week to see how much the total setup weighs in at.
I thought the biggest factor with length of a trailer was the wheel base of the TV. The WB of my F150 is 157" which is comparable to some 250s. Just asking the question.

We are looking at holding off a new TT and keep our Outback for another season, but this info will be extremely helpful when the time comes.

 

I would only tow that new trailer you are looking at with a 1/2 ton truck twice a year - from home to your site in the spring and back home in the fall. If you are going to travel with the thing you should get a Super Duty.

 

Thought I would update you guys. I found a 2007 F-350 Lariat DRW with 71,000 miles on it for $29K. Also, found a 2004 5th wheel. I know the owner of the 5th wheel and it is in excellent shape. I'm not too familiar the Diesel trucks and am starting to research. What do you think about that price, I know mileage is a little high.

Working on the trade for the 2010 F-150 now.

Thanks,

 

I can't really comment on the price, but if it's a dealer then you can probably get em down some. Do a carfax report on the truck, and if it hasn't had issues it would be an awesome set-up with that trailer. You might copy and paste your post into the Super duty section or over at the Deisel Stop forums to get more info as well. Good luck.

P.S. Don't let people scare you off with the "cab off repairs" stuff for that year deisel. I personally know a Ford dealer mechanic that says it's no big deal for a shop that has the right set-up. He says that if it is needed, it's actually quicker and easer in some instances than trying to get at stuff from above.

 

The milage on that truck is pretty low for a 5 year old diesel and the price seems to be in line with the rest I have seen lately. If you can have someone run an OASIS report on it for you and see what was repaired under warranty and if it was bought new at the same dealership ask for the repair and mainenance records.