Trailer Hitch for Keystone Cougar Half-Ton

I am looking at pulling the trigger this week on a Keystone Cougar Half-Ton 33 SAB.  I am going to be the one living out of it while on the road 90% of the year.  I do pipeline inspection work and jobs are either in one location for a long time or following a pipeline.

I have been looking for a hitch to purchase and I am kind of lost.  The dealership wants to sell me one, shocker, for almost 700 bucks but I am finding them online for  250 to 500 dollars.  Does anyone have a suggestion?

I have a 2014 Ford F-150 Limited Eco (V-6) Super Crew

That trailer is not something that I would pull with a half ton truck, so I have no recommendation for a hitch.

If the keystone specs that I checked for that trailer are correct on their website the trailer has a shipping weight of almost 9000 pounds with a tongue weight of over 1200 pounds... That is WAY TOO MUCH for that truck... Just because there marketing decided to call it the Half Ton does not mean it can be towed by a half ton truck.. I would venture to say that you need to check your door for the GVW and maximum combined Gross Vehicle Weght rating.. (Combined Truck & Trailer)  Check the yellow tire sticker with payload also...?  This is just my Humble opinion, but I think that the experts will agree....

I agree, too much trailer for that truck. 

Be sure your truck can handle it.  You already distrust the dealer selling you an overpriced hitch.  After all they only lie when their lips are moving.

Is this "half ton" trailer some marketing gimmick to sell to half ton truck owners?

xrated said:

I agree, too much trailer for that truck.

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Thank you, I distrust any salesperson especially when it relates to a high ticket item.  My truck says I can tow 9600 (per camping world towing Guide). I put the VIN in for the RV and the dry weight is 9,845 lbs.  Ugh, so this is to much trailer for my truck.  All of that shopping around and this happens.  Thank you all for your comments, I guess the sales people were all telling me it could pull 11,300 pounds. 

I am getting confused now.  I have a lot of different sites telling me different things as far as weight.  What should I be looking at?

NACEInspector said:

Thank you, I distrust any salesperson especially when it relates to a high ticket item.  My truck says I can tow 9600 (per camping world towing Guide). I put the VIN in for the RV and the dry weight is 9,845 lbs.  Ugh, so this is to much trailer for my truck.  All of that shopping around and this happens.  Thank you all for your comments, I guess the sales people were all telling me it could pull 11,300 pounds. 

I am getting confused now.  I have a lot of different sites telling me different things as far as weight.  What should I be looking at?

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Hey, good on you for asking.  most people come after they purchase.

Rule1:  dry weight is a marketing scam.  You need to assume your trailer will be at the max. weight rating, so focus on that.
Rule2:  towing capability is a scam.  Towing 12,000 means zilch if your truck is overweight, so look for the yellow sticker on the
          drivers side door frame.  That should tell you the max cargo capacity of YOUR vehicle.

Figure on 12-13% of the max trailer weight as the load the trailer will place on the vehicle. because that is a realistic number, not the 10% trailer brochures publish.  That weight, plus passengers, all cargo (tools, clothes, everything), hitch, etc, get subtracted from the cargo capacity.  Try to stay within about 80-85% of that number.  That gives you a safe margin, so you are not overloaded, or maxing out your trucks ability.

Once you satisfy those numbers look at towing capacity, but generally if you keep the cargo capacity safe the other numbers should be no problem. 

Then there is the more realistic concerns, like should I be towing a 30' plus trailer with a half ton truck.  That depends a lot on your driving habits, and destinations.  Even moderate hills are going to give your truck a work out.  Personally i wouldn't tow anything over 25' with a 1/2 ton.  Lots of people do.  More power to them.  I don't trust what other people do as a rule for my safety.

Then you can purchase a hitch elsewhere ;D

First and foremost, find and VERIFY the ACTUAL numbers for YOUR truck.  By numbers I mean the GVWR, GCVWR, Payload rating, RAWR, FAWR, tire load capacity, hitch rating using a Weight Distribution Hitch (WDH), and just as importantly....or more so, if you are willing to upgrade the truck if necessary to get the size trailer you want......OR.....you cannot upgrade the truck so you have to get a smaller trailer and keep your existing truck.  Every truck since about 2007 will have stickers on the driver side door post that will tell you GVWR, payload capacity, etc. and those numbers are for your truck, not from a sales brochure that talks about max. Towing capabilities. 

Once you decide on which way to go (upgrade truck for the trailer you want....or downsize the trailer and keep your truck), then you can make smart choices on a truck trailer combination that works for you.

As far as trailer weights go, every manufacturer will list the GVWR of that trailer. That number will be the weight of the trailer itself and everything you put in it....your cargo!  Sometimes the empty weight of a trailer will change a bit from model year to model year.  That is because of manufacturing changes of some of the components generally.  A very good rule of thumb for calculating the tongue weight on any given tow behind trailer is to figure the GVWR number times 12-13%.  So, a 10,000 lb trailer should have between 1200 to 1300 lbs of tongue weight.  Every single pound of that tongue weight counts against your truck's available payload capacity......what ever that number is (located on the driver side door post and usually a white with yellow highlighted numbers).  Then you have to take into act the WDH, which will probably be about 75-100 lbs, then anything and everything that will go in or on the truck.....tools, toolbox, bed cover, whatever.  All of those items are taking away from the available payload capacity.  Now, in addition to not going over payload capacity, you also do not want to exceed the other capacities that I mentioned earlier...GCVWR, RAWR, RAWR, tire load capacity, hitch capacity, etc.

Hopefully, this will help you get started with your decision and how to make sense of all these numbers and capacities

Trucks have to do two things to get a trailer down the road. They have to pull the weight of the trailer, and they have to carry the tongue or pin weight. Most trucks are rated to pull a whopper of a trailer, but they can't carry the tongue or pin weight. That's why folks are telling you that you need a bigger truck. You cant go by the dry weight despite whatever the salesman says. No one goes out in an empty trailer. You also can't go by the truck's brochure for towing weight and payload. You should go by the tire and loading placard, better known as the "yellow sticker" that is on the pillar when you open the driver's door. That is the amounts for your particular truck, not a stripped down version the brochure uses to make the numbers look good. Around here, most of us go by the GVWR of the trailer when trying to match a truck. The GVWR of that trailer is 10,500#. The tongue weight on that trailer will be at least 1050# and up to 1575# if you stay in the recommended range which is 10 to 15% of the trailer's GVWR. 

Gods Country said:

Hey, good on you for asking.  most people come after they purchase.

Rule1:  dry weight is a marketing scam.  You need to assume your trailer will be at the max. weight rating, so focus on that.
Rule2:  towing capability is a scam.  Towing 12,000 means zilch if your truck is overweight, so look for the yellow sticker on the
          drivers side door frame.  That should tell you the max cargo capacity of YOUR vehicle.

Figure on 12-13% of the max trailer weight as the load the trailer will place on the vehicle. because that is a realistic number, not the 10% trailer brochures publish.  That weight, plus passengers, all cargo (tools, clothes, everything), hitch, etc, get subtracted from the cargo capacity.  Try to stay within about 80-85% of that number.  That gives you a safe margin, so you are not overloaded, or maxing out your trucks ability.

Once you satisfy those numbers look at towing capacity, but generally if you keep the cargo capacity safe the other numbers should be no problem. 

Then there is the more realistic concerns, like should I be towing a 30' plus trailer with a half ton truck.  That depends a lot on your driving habits, and destinations.  Even moderate hills are going to give your truck a work out.  Personally i wouldn't tow anything over 25' with a 1/2 ton.  Lots of people do.  More power to them.  I don't trust what other people do as a rule for my safety.

Then you can purchase a hitch elsewhere ;D

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Yo posted while I was typing (on a tablet, so much slower.    But we both said about the same thing!  )

I have a 32 SAB and I can assure you that you cannot pull it in any type of inclines with a F-150. I know, I tried. I now have a F-250 diesel and it works great. BTW, you will love that trailer. But to answer your question, I used an Equalizer, 12,000 pound and have no problems with sway. I bought it from Amazon and had the dealer install it for me. Good Luck.

Very good advise above!  It looks like a really nice camper, but at a GVWR of 10,500#, it will overload your very nice truck.  Unfortunately, they will not play nicely together.  You either need a smaller camper - under 8000# GVWR?? or a bigger truck.  A F250 would be fine.  A F150 special ordered with the HDPayload package may also do the job.

grashley said:

Very good advise above!  It looks like a really nice camper, but at a GVWR of 10,500#, it will overload your very nice truck.  Unfortunately, they will not play nicely together.  You either need a smaller camper - under 8000# GVWR?? or a bigger truck.  A F250 would be fine.  A F150 special ordered with the HDPayload package may also do the job.

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Thank you all for your feedback.  I have gotten various comments on what my truck can and cannot haul.  This is what the VIN says I can pull. 
Dead Weight Hitch - Max Trailer Wt. 7300  lbs  7300.0 min 7700.0 max
Dead Weight Hitch - Max Tongue Wt. 730  lbs  730.0 min 770.0 max
Wt Distributing Hitch - Max Trailer Wt. 7300  lbs  7300.0 min 7700.0 max
Wt Distributing Hitch - Max Tongue Wt. 730  lbs  730.0 min 770.0 max

But if I go to the Ford.com towing guide it says Maximum loaded trailer weight is 9,600 lbs.  All these numbers have me even more confused.  Of course, the dealership says I will be fine pulling that trailer but I do not want to ruin my engine and I am not ready to go from an F150 to an F250. 

Now I am just confused on what to get.  It will only be myself in the trailer doing inspection work.  Sucks that I found a trailer I really like that fits my needs and if my wife wanted to visit me or we moved to Texas we could have a place to stay until we found.

Any suggestions on something like this Cougar that will not destroy my engine?

Have you looked at the Grand Design Imagine 2500 RL. This is one we were going to purchase before we bought the F-250 and the 32SAB. It's 30 feet long, which makes it easier to tow and is rear living like the SAB. Grand Design is one of the better built TT on the market. Their web site says the hitch weight is under 600 pounds. But, it only has one slide and queen bed. Much bigger than this and I believe your 150 is going to be pushing its limits. As far weights you can pull, go with your VIN info. The Ford towing guide is generic and your VIN and the yellow sticker are for your truck. Best wishes.

redacted

I am not sure it makes any difference but I do have the Supercrew 4X4 and I went down from the 22-inch rims to the 20-inch rims with good tires that can handle the off road and also not blowing a tire on the ROW.  I also have the Axle of 3.73.  This is where they got their information from for the weight pulling limits.

https://www.ford.com/resources/ford/general/pdf/towingguides/14FLRV&TT_F150_Sep11.pdf

As far as what I will travel with it will not be much.  I am a simple guy so mainly work clothing, computer, inspection tools (very light) and a few other items.  I do see where the weight can add up quick.  But no kids, dogs, wife....Just me and my man stuff so I will travel light.

I am listening to you guys over anyone else now.  I would rather be safe than broke down on the road.  I spend way to much time in my truck watching others work and I really love that darn 2014 F-150 Limited.

ro1459 said:

Have you looked at the Grand Design Imagine 2500 RL. This is one we were going to purchase before we bought the F-250 and the 32SAB. It's 30 feet long, which makes it easier to tow and is rear living like the SAB. Grand Design is one of the better built TT on the market. Their web site says the hitch weight is under 600 pounds. But, it only has one slide and queen bed. Much bigger than this and I believe your 150 is going to be pushing its limits. As far weights you can pull, go with your VIN info. The Ford towing guide is generic and your VIN and the yellow sticker are for your truck. Best wishes.

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I am going to look at those.  There are 2 or 3 dealers in the state.  I hate having to get out and shop around again but that is what I am going to have to do. 

redacted

Please find the yellow border placard on the driver door latch pillar which states the maximum weight go passengers and cargo shall not exceed XXXX pounds.  That is the payload for YOUR truck as it left the factory.  It is what it says.

Add together the weight of all passengers and cargo you will have in the truck.  Add 80# for the WD hitch.  Add 10% - 12% of the weight of the of the loaded camper.  I suspect you will be overweight by this measure.

The VIN check gave a specific tow capacity for YOUR truck, taking into account the actual weight of the truck, not a base model, and the options on the truck.  It confirms what we had said that a 10,500# camper is too heavy.

The 9600# tow limit from the web site means they make a F150 Eco that can tow 9600#.  It is likely an XL trim regular cab, 8 ft bed with tow package, max payload package, and no other options.  It still should not pull a 10,500 FVWR TT.

We want you to be safe and not destroy your very nice truck by asking it to do something it was not designed to do.  You are wise to not believe the salesman!

darsben

He is looking at towing a TT, not a  FW !