New 2017 Reflection 312BHTS owner - Towing question!

[Gem1n1]

On your hitch, there is a label that gives the max weight the hitch can handle with and without WD. Most F150 have a class 4 hitch that normally rated to 1400 pounds but Ford derates them down around 1200 pounds. Not sure why they derate them unless the hitch isn't the weak link.

I’m within my limits. Just curious how your truck does overall. If you feel comfortable towing it with the f150 or if you feel your pushing the limits of the truck.

[TripleG]

I would never even consider towing a 2670MK with my F150. I am not sure you understand all the truck limitations most importantly it GVWR. I repeat my earlier statement Have you ever seen a 1/2 ton truck towing a 37 ft 11000 lb empty trailer with 3 slide outs no less! If you do it will most likely be involved in a wreck.

[Gem1n1]

I would never even consider towing a 2670MK with my F150. I am not sure you understand all the truck limitations most importantly it GVWR. I repeat my earlier statement Have you ever seen a 1/2 ton truck towing a 37 ft 11000 lb empty trailer with 3 slide outs no less! If you do it will most likely be involved in a wreck.

Not sure where your getting your weight info at. The 312 has a 9000 lbs unloaded weight and a 10,995 gvwr with a 995 tongue weigh. The f150 is the only half ton rated to handle it. My question was how does it actually handle it in the real world since he has experienced pulling the exact trailer I'm looking at with the same truck I have.

[315RLTS in PA]

I would never even consider towing a 2670MK with my F150. I am not sure you understand all the truck limitations most importantly it GVWR. I repeat my earlier statement Have you ever seen a 1/2 ton truck towing a 37 ft 11000 lb empty trailer with 3 slide outs no less! If you do it will most likely be involved in a wreck.

I think you can get an F150 with up to 3200lb payload in the right configuration. Not sure if the factory receiver is rated high enough for that trailer.

[TripleG]

Yes Ford advertises 3200lb payload in a properly equipped F-150 which is insane. This truck still has 1/2 ton suspension. I see your towing your 315RLTS with a 1 ton F-350. Seems like a smart choice. Big huge difference between that and a 1/2 ton truck. Could you imagine selling your trailer to someone with a F-150. I am sure you would be like "hey" your truck is not big enough! This to me is wishful thinking, that you could tow something so big with a 1/2 ton. My God a 10 mile an hour wind would have you praying for your life and all over the road. It is not like your towing a loaded utility trailer. You better have some leverage on a big wind sail like that. That is a job for the big trucks. Someone else feel free to chime in but this seems dangerous. Ford also has a Square Footage rating of frontal surface that is in teeny tiny print. Nothing on side area surface square footage. But anyone that has towed know that 31.5 ft trailer is going catch some serious wind.

[WhittleBurner]

Those 1/2 ton ecoboosts with max payload can be rated higher than a 3/4 ton. Check Rob's posts he has been towing a 303 Reflection I believe for nearly 4 years now without a problem.

[TripleG]

Towing a 303 Reflection, where the pin weight is just forward of the rear axle has to be world's apart of towing a 31.5 ft T.T. with a loaded out tongue of 1500 lbs. That is allot of leverage on a 1/2 ton truck esp in the wind or with truck traffic! Maybe if you used a Pro Pride 3p. I can't imagine the stress of towing one! Rv'ing is suppose to be fun. I am no truck expert but have driven enough 1/2 ton's to know what seems like over achieving. Just my humble opinion.

[Cate&Rob]

Just to chime in on the comment by Gary (Whittleburner) . . . not all half ton trucks are created equal. Ford did not just "make up" the advertised numbers and capabilities of their newest F150s. These are not the same half ton trucks from years ago and they are validated to the capabilities advertised. The "properly equipped" version is the Heavy Duty Payload Package. There are not a lot of these out there, but they do have heavier front and rear suspension including additional rear springs, larger rear axle and LT E spec tires. A CrewCab 4x4 will have a payload of about 2500 lbs . . . which is about the same as a diesel 3/4 ton CrewCab 4x4.

I realize that the original question is not about a HDPP F150, but later posts have wandered off to "how can Ford claim these things for an F150?". A non-HDPP truck should be de-rated from the max numbers based on the capacities on the door label.

We have towed our 10,000 lb Reflection 303RLS 5th wheel for thousands of miles without a problem. This is not "white knuckle" driving as inferred by some. We run at the limit of the specs . . . but, that is what Ford designed and validated this truck to do.

Just adding my nearly four years and 20,000 towing miles experience to the discussion.

Rob

[SMXChris]

I tow our 312bhts with a 17 F150 3.5 eco boost. I absolutely love this truck as a daily driver, but it really is pushing the limits of the vehicle while towing the trailer. Up hills, no issues, down hills surprisingly no issues. Our area stays pretty windy and I definitely feel the trailer, but I haven’t been scared yet. I really haven’t had an issue with trucks passing either. The only complaint I really have is the bouncing in the back suspension when going over uneven roads or dips. This all changes and it becomes much more of a white knuckle experience with increased speed. As the speed limit in CA while towing is 55, at that speed everything is very stable, at 65 it quite a quite different feel. So far we have only done short trip of 150 miles each way, but up and down some serious grades and winding roads.



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[Gem1n1]

I tow our 312bhts with a 17 F150 3.5 eco boost. I absolutely love this truck as a daily driver, but it really is pushing the limits of the vehicle while towing the trailer. Up hills, no issues, down hills surprisingly no issues. Our area stays pretty windy and I definitely feel the trailer, but I haven’t been scared yet. I really haven’t had an issue with trucks passing either. The only complaint I really have is the bouncing in the back suspension when going over uneven roads or dips. This all changes and it becomes much more of a white knuckle experience with increased speed. As the speed limit in CA while towing is 55, at that speed everything is very stable, at 65 it quite a quite different feel. So far we have only done short trip of 150 miles each way, but up and down some serious grades and winding roads.



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Good feedback. Couple questions. Do you have a standard f150 with tow package or did you get the heavy duty payload package option?

Also, what hitch setup are you using? I’m looking at the pro pride setup.