Tow ?

[Stolinights]

I just ordered a 2010 Cruiser Ctx 30qb which should weigh around 7200 lbs.dry and is 34 ' long. This will be my first TT and I am a little nervous about towing. My TV is a 2005 F150 super crew with18" wheels ,with passengers and a full tank of gas it will weigh 6500 lbs.I have the 5.4 with 3.73 gears and its max combined is 15000 lbs.The max towing weight is 8700 lbs.I dont plan on putting anything else in the truck because i think the tounge (750lbs.) will put me at payload capacity(7200). I really don"t want to get rid of my truck its well taken care of and just broke 50k. I have ordered a equalizer hitch and prodigy brake controller. Besides the 600 mile trip to pick it up(which I plan to split up coming home via the PA turnpike) most towing next year will be flat and under 250 miles one way. My question to as many of you as can thatreply is"can my truck handle this?"

[Hamops]

Weights are a touchy item to discuss but since you're asking, it shows that you have a legitimate concern. When you think of weights, you should always go with the maximum values, inotherwords the GVWR's of the truck and trailer. That way you have less worry when it comes to weights. The trailers GVWR is almost 11000 lbs. It's highly unlikely that you'll load the trailer to the max, but still once you put all your everyday stuff into it, it'll probably weigh about 9500 to 10000 lbs.



You mentioned that you have 18 inch tires on the truck. Are they "P" grade or "LT" grade?If they are"P" grade, you might want togo to"LT" tires. The LT's arestronger tire and can take the extra weight.The axle weight ratings have to be taken into consideration becauseyou could be easily overloading them withoutknowing it.For instance, 245R75 16LTE tires on the rear axle can handle6050 lbs but if the RAWR is5000 lbs, thelower number is thenumber that you have to live by, whether it's the tires or the axle.



You made a wise choice by getting a WD hitch and the Prodigy controller. A sway control device would be another thing that would make your towing a lot easier.



The 5.7 with 3.73 axleshould pull your trailer but fuel consumption will be horrendous at about 8 to 9MPG at best.Get used todriving about 55to 60MPH in 3rd gear andtow/haul. (if your tranny has it) You will likely be overloaded according to weights thatyou indicated.

[Hunter11]

Ok, you wanted opinions and this is mine. I think you need more truck. By the time you load that trailer with all your stuff I bet you are pushing 9000 lbs. +. You will need air bags or Timbrens on the rear and good LT tires. You truck will probably pull it but you have to worry about stopping it and the suspension on your truck. Like I said that is just my opinion and you will get many here shortly.

[dalemac377]

No matter what, once you load the trailer you will be close or over the GCWR of the truck. Since your trip home includes the Pa. turnpike, you wil have some idea of how the truck will perform in the mountains of Pa. Just take your time and see how it goes. One other factor is how much you load in the trailer. In my experience 1,000 to 1,500 pounds of gear is a lot of stuff.

[papa2]

I'm with Hunter and Hamops on this one. If you carry any fresh water or anything is in the holding tanks you will easily exceed 1000+ pounts additional with gear and stuff in the trailer. You will be over loaded.



As Hunter said, everyone wonders if they have enough truck to tow with? The truth is, you can easily "tow" the trailer with a garden tractor with the right counter weights and hitch (yes, I've seen mine hauled this way). The real question is do you have enough truck to stop? I started with an older F150 for my Sunset Trail. The first trip traveling the flatlands of Michigan taught me quickly that I needed more truck.



I know you love your old truck. I loved my F150. But myopinion is you need more truck.

[cavy16262]

I'm in agreement with the previous posters.

I had a HD 2500 with the 4:10 rears and the 6.0.

Yes, it could pull, yes it could stop and it still worked hard on the turnpike and W. Pa.

The mileage went from 12.?? to 7.9 with the Zinger 320QB...Less weight than the one above.

Went to the 3500 Duramax with the Allison 6 speed auto.

Night and day. I can't even reach max weight with the 8 foot bed. Bigger brakes, bigger axles, bigger motor, bigger tires, go buy a big ford diesel or chevy diesel or dodge diesel...you will never look back!!



My 2 cents

[scott]

Welcome to the "towing the line" on weight club. You appear to be in the same situation that I am in. I amtowing with the 6.0 Chevy and 4:10 rearend and my weight is right at the limit and sometimes over for this truck.After 3 years I have no complaints withmy trucks performance while towing. Do I wish I had a different truck? Sure I do,actually I would like the same truckonly the diesel version but I don't want to spend the money. You mentioned most of your towing will be flat and close tohome. This is exactly what I do and if I were you I would do like DaleMac mentioned, use the trip home to learn how your truck reacts. Watch the temps on your motor and trans. If the trip home does not convince youto upgrade trucks I would see how it doesthru the next camping season. At any point youknow you can stepup to a more qualified truck if you feel uncomfortable with yourcurrent setup. But if you decide toventure further from homewhere the road is not so flat I would seriously consider upgrading trucks.Hope this helps.

[seabee]

well, everyone talked about towing...how about stopping.

From what my dealer tells me, that is of greater concern.

Ihad 2 experiences on a flat highway thatI had to "lock up the Brakes".

I was sure glad I listened to my dealer and went with the tv listed in my signature.

From the chat above, you are at your towing limit and I am sure waay above your stopping limit.

[calliopeguy]

That F-150 might seem awfully small trying to wrestle that 34' with a strong cross wind. Don't know what the law/insurance would do if you happen tohave an accident and they look at weights/lengths.

[Robbie Ribbins]

I have a CT31RL dry is 6500 and I do not carry water and est I load about 1000 pounds of stuff so my total is about 7500. I have a 03 Chev 1/2 ton 4 X 4 with a 373 rear end and 5.3 eng. with Quad Steer, and truck is rated at 8200 pounds of pull. Took a 5500 mile trip last summer and did do some mts. but only up to 8500 feet. Truck worked hard on the climbs but I held rpm to no more than 4500. I installed a transmission temp guage and it got up to 240 deg. on hot days 110 plus. Going down I used second gear and kept my speed down so I did not use up my brakes. I really don't want to buy a new truck as this one only has 52000 miles and they do not make the Quad steer anymore. My milage has been about 9.5 and I have pulled this unit about 10000 miles, going thru Ca. Ut. Wy. Mt. Az. NM. Nv. SD. Mo. and the big high mts. in Ks. which are about 38 feet. My tongue weight is about 950 and this makes my truck sag and I need helper springs or air bags as I am not level going down the road, about 2 to 3 inches low. Don't seem to have a sway problem as have the Equalizer 4 way hitch. A new truck would be nice but being retired we must watch our pennies. Plan on going south for the winter and its pretty flat from our home to the south. Hope this helps you out Robbie

[crustyolsalt]

I agree with with the above about being able to stop. Your truck will pull it no problem. Keep in mind that the weights listed by Crossroads are estimates before any possible upgrades. From looking at the website the trailer dry with tongue weight and what gear you load will put you close to your max towing and probably over on tongue weight. As alot of people are and don't know it. Tongue weight is normally designed for 10 - 15% of trailer weight. Some other weights to look at are axle weight ratings not just GCWR. I will have to say that I love my equalizer hitch as it is just two bars to hook up with no chains or seperate sway control bar needed. Depending on how often you tow, you may find that the truck just doesn't have the pick up as it used to.Another thing to do is try and weigh it at a public scale.

[cwit]

I don't mind the need a new truck but dosen't the camper have brakes on it. You now have the camper at 9,000 lbs. and no brakes

[CamperNJ]

Of course the camper has brakes! Your towing with a Ford too! They are built to work! I agree with the post above about GCVW. Gross Combined Vehicle Weight. Thats the key. As long as you do not exceed that number, you should be good to go. Anyone who tows a trailer whether it be a camper or 18 wheeler knows you have to leave extra stopping distance when loaded. Your ride coming home compared to when you go camping will be two different rides.



As long as you do not exceed the GCVW, which can be found on your door post, you should have a great trip. Take your time and feel it out. Sort of like a new pair of shows.



Good Luck!