# Any F-150 owners pulling RV’s?



## Dialer (Sep 14, 2020)

We are considering purchasing a travel trailer to be used mostly around the North Georgia area. My question is do I need a bigger truck? My current truck is a 2007 F-150 with the 4.2 V-6 engine. The owners manual says the max towing weight is 5000 pounds. Anyone have any experience pulling a travel trailer (camper) with this truck, or do I just need a bigger truck? We are happy with the smaller campers (UNDER 5000 pounds), but don’t want to burn up my engine or transmission.  TIA!


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## Meriwether Mike (Sep 14, 2020)

You could pull a small pop up, but a travel trailer would probably strain that engine too much.


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## 7 point (Sep 17, 2020)

I would say you wouldn't have any problem pulling a 22ft -24ft lightweight trailer I would definitely invest in trailer breaks though I've seen smaller trucks like Tacomas pulling those trailers I dont think you would have a problem.


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## Hooked On Quack (Sep 17, 2020)

Pulling ain't the problem, stopping is . . .


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## 7 point (Sep 17, 2020)

Electric brakes are your best friend and a good hitch set up. Also you may consider a small 5th wheel


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## K80Shooter (Sep 17, 2020)

Unless you want transmission/engine problems..... don't do it. Ask a mechanic. Maybe transfixer here on this forum will join in.


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## jiminbogart (Sep 17, 2020)

I had a 2013 F150 with a 5.0 and an 11k towing capacity.

When I was pulling my empty car hauler at 2,200 lbs it KNEW it was back there.

It was really a chore if I had 6 or 8k behind it. 

While small travel trailers are light weight, they can do some serious moving in cross winds.

I traded in on a Ram 3500 DRW. There is no substitute for big torque, big brakes, big truck weight, big towing capacity, big transmission, big cooling and 4 tires on the back end.

If I am ever at a place where I don't need to tow heavy(30k), the lowest I'll step down to is a 3/4 ton.


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## Cool Hand Luke (Sep 17, 2020)

K80Shooter said:


> Unless you want transmission/engine problems..... don't do it. Ask a mechanic. Maybe transfixer here on this forum will join in.


@transfixer


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## transfixer (Sep 17, 2020)

Dialer said:


> We are considering purchasing a travel trailer to be used mostly around the North Georgia area. My question is do I need a bigger truck? My current truck is a 2007 F-150 with the 4.2 V-6 engine. The owners manual says the max towing weight is 5000 pounds. Anyone have any experience pulling a travel trailer (camper) with this truck, or do I just need a bigger truck? We are happy with the smaller campers (UNDER 5000 pounds), but don’t want to burn up my engine or transmission.  TIA!



   Manufacturers over-estimate the max towing weight it seems on purpose,  as a selling point to the trucks,  while the engine might physically be capable of pulling 5k,  it will be straining,  for that engine/trans combination I wouldn't want to go above about 2500 for towing in the hilly areas of N.Ga,   even then you would know its back there,  if you go above 2500 then yes,  you'd be a lot better off with another truck preferably a 3/4 ton with a V8.  

   You should have a 4R75e transmission,  which is a good unit,  but it wasn't designed to tow heavy weight ,  not like the larger 4R100, 5R110, or 6R140 units were .


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## 7 point (Sep 17, 2020)

I pull a 28ft keystone sprinter with my f150 5.4 but I dont do it a lot just to my lease .


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## transfixer (Sep 17, 2020)

7 point said:


> I pull a 28ft keystone sprinter with my f150 5.4 but I dont do it a lot just to my lease .



  Since you're in south ga , most of your towing is probably relatively flat roads,   if  Dialer is going to be towing around N.Ga then he'll have plenty of hills to deal with,  which will put extra strain on the engine/trans and brake system of the truck.


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## 7 point (Sep 17, 2020)

Yes sir that is true .and I dont pull it very often.


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## K80Shooter (Sep 18, 2020)

7 point said:


> I pull a 28ft keystone sprinter with my f150 5.4 but I dont do it a lot just to my lease .



5.4 vs 4.2 big difference.


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## Israel (Sep 18, 2020)

Dialer said:


> We are considering purchasing a travel trailer to be used mostly around the North Georgia area. My question is do I need a bigger truck? My current truck is a 2007 F-150 with the 4.2 V-6 engine. The owners manual says the max towing weight is 5000 pounds. Anyone have any experience pulling a travel trailer (camper) with this truck, or do I just need a bigger truck? We are happy with the smaller campers (UNDER 5000 pounds), but don’t want to burn up my engine or transmission.  TIA!


As was recommended to me in another thread, (I think Oldstick gave the heads up) I have made myself familiar with Trail Manor campers. Hard side pop ups that give lotsa space, low weight, and in fold down low profile for easy towing. They obviously have their limitations and drawbacks (everything has trade offs), but if you join a FB group or two (as I have) people are pretty frank about issues.

Maybe worth a look.

A 2720 (27 foot open/20 closed) comes in just under 3k lbs.
Don't know if you are looking used or new...but I have read they transitioned from wood frame to aluminum around 2007. (I hate rot)


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## kmckinnie (Sep 18, 2020)

I pulled my tractor all day long with my 150 6  cylinder has electric brakes added. 
It was a massy 235 with the harrows and the bushhog same time. 
Good luck.


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## Oldstick (Sep 19, 2020)

I think you will find that even the Trailmanors will be pushing 4000 of actual weight with added options, like AC and awning, full tanks and cargo, etc.  I pull mine with our Tacoma supposedly rated for 6400 lbs.  But I don't enjoy it and I try hard to avoid high traffic roads and steeper hilly areas.


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## Israel (Sep 19, 2020)

Oldstick said:


> I think you will find that even the Trailmanors will be pushing 4000 of actual weight with added options, like AC and awning, full tanks and cargo, etc.  I pull mine with our Tacoma supposedly rated for 6400 lbs.  But I don't enjoy it and I try hard to avoid high traffic roads and steeper hilly areas.


Good to know, thanks.


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## Milkman (Sep 19, 2020)

I had a 2006 F150 with the 5.0. It was rated at 6400 lb. I had a 5000 lb camper. It was ok on flatlands but I never took it north of Lake Hartwell due to poor performance on nthe hills.  
I pulled the same camper with my 2013 F150 rated for over 8000 with better power and speed on hills.


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## C.Killmaster (Sep 19, 2020)

I think a good rule of thumb is a camper dry weight of around half of the towing capacity.  I have a 2007 F-150 with the 5.4 (9,000 lb capacity) and my camper dry is 4200 lbs.  I definitely know it's back there, but it pulls good with a weight distribution hitch and brake charger.  I routinely haul it 7+ hours to Florida and north to the mountains.  You could pull a popup just fine, but I would get a bigger truck for anything else unless it's a ultralight without any slides.  Slides outs add a ton of weight.


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## Dialer (Sep 20, 2020)

Thanks for all the advice!!!   Good to know. Here’s my latest dilemma.   I answered an ad on FB marketplace about a 1994 GMC 5.7 (350) king cab truck With 164,000 miles.  He had lots of receipt for lots of work done on the truck in July of 2020. New A/C compressor, new brake calipers and hoses all around, new heater core, new power steering pump, Mass airflow sensor, EGR, plugs, timing, and a few other items I can’t recall at the moment, but seems legit. The engine starts and runs like new, and drives a lot more like a truck than my F-150. He wants $4600 for the truck. We negotiated back and forth, then I offered to swap my 2007 F-150 plus $2600 for his GMC. My F-150 low retail is like $2100, which surprised me. It has 166,000 on it, and has a scratched up hood, cracked up grill, dented bed, and 3 intermittent warning lights in the instrument cluster, but runs great and has been taken care of. Tires on his truck seem to be in good shape too, says it will tow 7,500 pounds. I gave him a $100 deposit and agreed to bring him the title to my F-150 and $2500 tomorrow.  Hope I’m making a good decision.


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## normaldave (Sep 20, 2020)

If you are wanting to move people and a camper trailer, be sure to consider frame and suspension ccapabilities as well as engine/transmission.  Even though you are targeting "smaller' trailers, we often load them up with ~ 20%+ more gear, stuff, and liquids than the advertised weight, plus our appetites for bigger campers changes dramatically in the real world.

Here is a beast of an example.  V10, great reliability, excellent towing capacity based on the F-250 chassis.  About 10K trailer rating if I recall correctly, and with 4:30 gears, even a greater GCWR (vehicle + trailer combined total).
Ford Excursion V10


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## normaldave (Sep 20, 2020)

Dialer said:


> Thanks for all the advice!!!   Good to know. Here’s my latest dilemma.   I answered an ad on FB marketplace about a 1994 GMC 5.7 (350) king cab truck With 164,000 miles.  He had lots of receipt for lots of work done on the truck in July of 2020. New A/C compressor, new brake calipers and hoses all around, new heater core, new power steering pump, Mass airflow sensor, EGR, plugs, timing, and a few other items I can’t recall at the moment, but seems legit. The engine starts and runs like new, and drives a lot more like a truck than my F-150. He wants $4600 for the truck. We negotiated back and forth, then I offered to swap my 2007 F-150 plus $2600 for his GMC. My F-150 low retail is like $2100, which surprised me. It has 166,000 on it, and has a scratched up hood, cracked up grill, dented bed, and 3 intermittent warning lights in the instrument cluster, but runs great and has been taken care of. Tires on his truck seem to be in good shape too, says it will tow 7,500 pounds. I gave him a $100 deposit and agreed to bring him the title to my F-150 and $2500 tomorrow.  Hope I’m making a good decision.


You are going backwards nearly 13 years in vehicle while granted you are swapping V6-V8, a lot has happened in technology and quality in that time.  You are the only one of us who has to live with that decision, so our thoughts may not matter much in the long run.


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## 7 point (Sep 20, 2020)

Heres just a suggestion have you considered a class c motorhome or a sprinter van by the time you buy a truck then buy a trailer you will have spent the same money.


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## Rivershot (Sep 20, 2020)

Dialer said:


> Thanks for all the advice!!!   Good to know. Here’s my latest dilemma.   I answered an ad on FB marketplace about a 1994 GMC 5.7 (350) king cab truck With 164,000 miles.  He had lots of receipt for lots of work done on the truck in July of 2020. New A/C compressor, new brake calipers and hoses all around, new heater core, new power steering pump, Mass airflow sensor, EGR, plugs, timing, and a few other items I can’t recall at the moment, but seems legit. The engine starts and runs like new, and drives a lot more like a truck than my F-150. He wants $4600 for the truck. We negotiated back and forth, then I offered to swap my 2007 F-150 plus $2600 for his GMC. My F-150 low retail is like $2100, which surprised me. It has 166,000 on it, and has a scratched up hood, cracked up grill, dented bed, and 3 intermittent warning lights in the instrument cluster, but runs great and has been taken care of. Tires on his truck seem to be in good shape too, says it will tow 7,500 pounds. I gave him a $100 deposit and agreed to bring him the title to my F-150 and $2500 tomorrow.  Hope I’m making a good decision.




 All I can say is just ''NO'', stick with the devil you know.

 Buy a 6 pack and consider this a $110 lesson.


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## glynr329 (Sep 20, 2020)

You are seriously trading a F150 for a Chevy. No way I would consider that. You will never get to go camping you will be working on the truck most weekends.    Just kidding


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## Dialer (Sep 21, 2020)

Deal cancelled today...I lost the $100 deposit, but I found out this morning that I have much bigger issues to address.....


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## gma1320 (Sep 22, 2020)

Dialer said:


> We are considering purchasing a travel trailer to be used mostly around the North Georgia area. My question is do I need a bigger truck? My current truck is a 2007 F-150 with the 4.2 V-6 engine. The owners manual says the max towing weight is 5000 pounds. Anyone have any experience pulling a travel trailer (camper) with this truck, or do I just need a bigger truck? We are happy with the smaller campers (UNDER 5000 pounds), but don’t want to burn up my engine or transmission.  TIA!


My uncle has a 04 f150 with the 4.2. He started pulling about a 5000 pound trailer with it. The transmission didn't last long


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## Deer Fanatic (Sep 22, 2020)

I'm pulling a 6k rig with a 2019 F150 with the 5.0. Handles it great so far with the level/ sway hitch. I just keep it on tow/haul mode and ease down the road. It sticks in 7th gear for the most part and does just fine.


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## Buck70 (Sep 23, 2020)

Is everything ok?


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## Dialer (Oct 2, 2020)

Buck70 said:


> Is everything ok?


   Yes Buck, thank you for asking.  Just ALOT of life change happening right now. Should be all settled in by springtime.


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## Buck70 (Oct 2, 2020)

Good deal. I still need to here one more of your crazy stories.


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## huntersluck (Oct 5, 2020)

i have  a 97 f150 5,4 towing capacity is 5 or 5500 cant remember which and it pulled 3800 pound travel trailer loaded no problem


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