[Fot] Towing (New F-150)

[Duncan Charlton]

I borrowed Bob Kramer’s 28’  trailer to retrieve a race car and several thousand pounds of spares from Wisconsin about a year ago.  I pulled the trailer, loaded to around 7000 lbs, with my 2007 Toyota Tundra with a 5.7 liter gasoline engine.  The chassis, transmission and engine are fully up to it (it’s rated at 10,500 but I would rather not haul that heavy a tow load in a truck with an empty weight of 5700 lbs).  I probably averaged a highway speed to 60 mph or so (I drove from Texas to Wisconsin and back) and got 10.5 mpg; typical non-towing mileage on 87 octane (rm+mm/2) gasoline is around 17 mpg, no doubt allowed by the lack of extensive stop and go driving in the area around our rural home.

My new enclosed trailer (should arrive in the next two weeks) is a v-nose 18’ Aluma car hauler with an 8-1/2’ width.  Empty weight is 2760 lbs. (they make a 24’ enclose V-nose trailer with an empty weight of 3300 lbs).  Loaded up with the NSU or the Morgan 4/4 plus tools, etc. I will easily keep my maximum trailer weight under 5000 lbs so I can tow it with my Mercedes Sprinter van-based Itasca motorhome.  We’re now on the return leg of our first trip in the motorhome right now, in the mountains of North Carolina.  (We stopped at VIR this morning since we’d never seen the track — and a fine-looking track it is.  We had stopped to gawk at Watkins Glen last Saturday, moving on to the vintage GP at Schenley Park in Pittsburgh last Sunday. I hope to see the Barber museum and track in Alabama tomorrow.)

We haven’t towed with the motorhome yet but the 3.0 liter turbodiesel has plenty of torque.  There is a guy at our campground hauling a Smart Car with an identical rig so I’ll ask him how it pulls and what kind of fuel consumption he is getting.  Non-towing fuel mileage for the 3200 miles we’ve traveled so far is 14.7 mpg at 65 mph but I think it will improve as the terrain flattens out as we approach central Texas.  

A few years ago I bought a 5’-8" X 12’ Aluma all-aluminum flatbed trailer which weighs 560-580 lbs.  I hauled the Morgan and the NSU 1200TT sedan with it on separate occasions behind my 2008 BMW 328i wagon with no issues.

Duncan
(Texas)

> On Jul 26, 2015, at 11:25 AM, Bob Kramer <rkramer3 at austin.rr.com> wrote:
> 
> I'd be happy towing a one car trailer with most any 1500 properly set up. I'm towing a 28 foot enclosed with two TR's inside. That's just over 10,000 lbs. and even with my 2500HD I am not completely comfortable. Downsizing to a max tow 1500 scares me.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On Jul 25, 2015, at 3:50 PM, Bill Tobin <william.tobin31 at verizon.net> wrote:
>> 
>> I really like my RAM 1500, second one in 4 years.
>> It'll tow my trailer anywhere and gets over 20 on the highway when not towing. 9-12 when towing.
>> Nowhere near 60K; I think it was around 38K before "incentives"
>> Yes, it's a HEMI!
>> Bill
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jeff Snook" <jeffsnook01 at gmail.com>
>> To: <fot at autox.team.net>
>> Sent: Saturday, July 25, 2015 3:25 PM
>> Subject: Re: [Fot] Towing (New F-150)
>> 
>> 
>>> We've got a customer with a new aluminum F150.  He loves it.  Says it tows a
>>> 7K lb. trailer and doesn't even know it's there!
>>> 
>>> Sweet truck, but stickered for $60K!!!!!
>>> 
>>> Jeff Snook
>>> http://www.snooksdreamcars.com
>>> 419-344-0319 (Mobile)
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
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