Hi there, I am writing this in the hopes that it will pop up immediately in the person's search that is wondering what to do for their TV.
I bought a Rockwood 8312SS (tongue weight 1150 when loaded) last year in spring and we fell in love with that trailer. At the time, we did not have anything large enough to tow it so off we searched for a new vehicle. We looked at all the 1/2 tons and landed on the 2015 Ford F150 Lariat Super Crew. The RV dealer of course said thats a "monster truck" and will pull it no problem.
Now let me be absolutely clear. I absolutely love that vehicle. Everything about it from a daily driver / weekend warrior perspective is DEAD ON. They will most likely continue to lead that segment and it seems every day that goes by, I see more and more of them.
Now onto reality. The truck PULLS the trailer just fine. However, I was getting close to my limits, VERY close on the rear axle, and I have to tell you, no matter how well you have dialed in your WDH, you cannot account for the fact that you are pulling something that weights almost double of the truck.
Again, the truck is awesome, I use it for my daily driver, and I know what you are thinking, it's only a couple weekends a month. That's what I thought too, and then found myself going every other week and these trips are not getting shorter. They are hundreds of miles away and there is nothing "fun" about white knuckling it all the way to and from your destination. I would be watching like a hawk for trucks and also for trees ahead to see if gusts of wind are coming. It just isn't worth it. Don't be at your limits. So here is what I did.
I got out of my Ford and into a GMC Sierra 3500 HD Denali. Nothing against Ford versus GMC, I was just used to servicing a Duramax in my past so I went this direction again. I cannot tell you what a difference this past weekend made. AND the trailer wasn't even set up properly. My WDH shank doesn't go down far enough because of the raised truck to have the trailer sit level, and here was my experience.
No white knuckles, enjoying the drive I am on, conversing with my wife and kids versus worrying about tree movement, no more truck watching, and this last one which I didn't realize I was doing, watching people's faces as they passed and seeing the F150 pulling this trailer instead of a bigger 3/4 or 1 ton like it should have been. I'm now getting head nods instead of head shakes. That last one you can laugh about, but I felt it, and it is real. I knew I was playing with fire and I felt it wasn't going to end well for me.
So that is my story. Yes it is a large trailer and yes if you have a smaller TT or hybrid, I wouldn't think twice about a F150. It's probably best suited for something less than 7000 gross (my opinion of course).
This thread would be worthless without pics I suppose. Thanks for reading and if you are in the market for a truck and you read this and want to pick my brain, PLEASE by all means do. I'm just a normal guy who thought I was doing the right thing. Don't get caught up in my situation. Do it right the first time and ENJOY the travel to get to and from your destination.
I bought a Rockwood 8312SS (tongue weight 1150 when loaded) last year in spring and we fell in love with that trailer. At the time, we did not have anything large enough to tow it so off we searched for a new vehicle. We looked at all the 1/2 tons and landed on the 2015 Ford F150 Lariat Super Crew. The RV dealer of course said thats a "monster truck" and will pull it no problem.
Now let me be absolutely clear. I absolutely love that vehicle. Everything about it from a daily driver / weekend warrior perspective is DEAD ON. They will most likely continue to lead that segment and it seems every day that goes by, I see more and more of them.
Now onto reality. The truck PULLS the trailer just fine. However, I was getting close to my limits, VERY close on the rear axle, and I have to tell you, no matter how well you have dialed in your WDH, you cannot account for the fact that you are pulling something that weights almost double of the truck.
Again, the truck is awesome, I use it for my daily driver, and I know what you are thinking, it's only a couple weekends a month. That's what I thought too, and then found myself going every other week and these trips are not getting shorter. They are hundreds of miles away and there is nothing "fun" about white knuckling it all the way to and from your destination. I would be watching like a hawk for trucks and also for trees ahead to see if gusts of wind are coming. It just isn't worth it. Don't be at your limits. So here is what I did.
I got out of my Ford and into a GMC Sierra 3500 HD Denali. Nothing against Ford versus GMC, I was just used to servicing a Duramax in my past so I went this direction again. I cannot tell you what a difference this past weekend made. AND the trailer wasn't even set up properly. My WDH shank doesn't go down far enough because of the raised truck to have the trailer sit level, and here was my experience.
No white knuckles, enjoying the drive I am on, conversing with my wife and kids versus worrying about tree movement, no more truck watching, and this last one which I didn't realize I was doing, watching people's faces as they passed and seeing the F150 pulling this trailer instead of a bigger 3/4 or 1 ton like it should have been. I'm now getting head nods instead of head shakes. That last one you can laugh about, but I felt it, and it is real. I knew I was playing with fire and I felt it wasn't going to end well for me.
So that is my story. Yes it is a large trailer and yes if you have a smaller TT or hybrid, I wouldn't think twice about a F150. It's probably best suited for something less than 7000 gross (my opinion of course).
This thread would be worthless without pics I suppose. Thanks for reading and if you are in the market for a truck and you read this and want to pick my brain, PLEASE by all means do. I'm just a normal guy who thought I was doing the right thing. Don't get caught up in my situation. Do it right the first time and ENJOY the travel to get to and from your destination.