New retirees and thinking about rving

[F150]

I retired in June and my wife will be out by December. We were talking about a trip and the idea came up about an RV. But after giving the subject some thought I discovered all I know about rving is that I know nothing. Before the RV idea came up my truck died and I have a F150 coming by October. It will have a tow package and brake circuit. Also a 5.0 and 3.55 gears. I grew up on a farm and have pulled trailers up to 16 feet. But this will be a different experience with the height and long distance. For our first RV I was thinking 20 feet + or -. I am open to any and all words of wisdom.

 

[RVMommaTo6]

Fun! Are you thinking a travel trailer?

 

[Rene T]

First, welcome to the forum.
Before ordering the truck you should have come here and started asking questions. You may find that the RV you want will not be able to be pulled  by your new truck. Any chance of cancelling your order or at least postpone it for a while?
Also where this will be your 1st RV, most people will recommend buying slightly used for at last the 1st one. You take such a huge hit on depreciation as soon as you remove it from the RV lot. Also, do not listen to what salesmen will tell you. Most don't have a clue about towing and will tell you that your truck will pull anything just to make a sale. It's up to you to do your homework by coming here and ask a million questions. 

 

[SeilerBird]

First, welcome to the forum.
Before ordering the truck you should have come here and started asking questions. You may find that the RV you want will not be able to be pulled  by your new truck. Any chance of cancelling your order or at least postpone it for a while?
Also where this will be your 1st RV, most people will recommend buying slightly used for at last the 1st one. You take such a huge hit on depreciation as soon as you remove it from the RV lot. Also, do not listen to what salesmen will tell you. Most don't have a clue about towing and will tell you that your truck will pull anything just to make a sale. It's up to you to do your homework by coming here and ask a million questions.

) ) )
Rene gives great advice. If you are going to be towing an RV you should at least have a 250.

 

[Rene T]

) ) )
Rene gives great advice. If you are going to be towing an RV you should at least have a 250.

Unless it's teardrop RV.  ;D

 

[F150]

I ordered the truck before the rving idea came up. The transmission went out on my old truck and I did not think the truck was worth keeping. Like I said the subject just came up so it may be a no go. Thanks for all replys.

 

[UTTransplant]

You should be able to find a 20? trailer that the 150 will safely tow. Most of us are long term RVers, and having more space at the cost of more weight is something we feel necessary. YMMV. I have friends who are very happy in a small A frame for trips of 2 or 3 weeks. We were very happy with a 17? Casita fiberglass trailer for trips up to 2 weeks. Then there are the nicer 20? trailers from manufacturers like Outdoors RV or Northwoods. Those would be fine too. Just one note: RV dealer?s absolutely lie about what your truck can tow. In fact they will tell you that your truck will tow anything on the lot. They are wrong. Check the yellow placard on the door of your new truck, and post here with the numbers to get better recommendations.

 

[RVdad]

Welcome. I think you should be fine with the F150 as a tow vehicle. If it will just be you and your wife you should be able to find plenty of towables within the capacities of the vehicle. There are a plethora of options out there that your new vehicle will be able to tow. Just keep it within the capacity of the truck.

I tow a Salem Cruise Lite 261BHXL with a  2015 Dodge Durango. While it is not the ideal tow vehicle it does the job just fine and is well within the capacities of the vehicle.

Oh, and not sure about your state, but here in Indiana it is illegal for a dealership to sell you a trailer that your vehicle can not tow.

Cheers!

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

That new F150 will probably be fine with the size trailer you are NOW considering, but my guess is that you will be upgrading your notion of a suitable size before you actually purchase a trailer.  Depends, though, on your expected use, e.g. how long a trip, how often you travel, and your needs for personal space and comfort.  Will you want a place to kick back and watch tv in the evening?  Space to prepare a nice meal rather than sandwiches and hot dogs?  How about a decent size shower, and maybe the wife just loves a tub bath?    Little things that are tolerable or even fun challenges for a weekend trip can get really old after living that way for several days.

 

[SeilerBird]

The worst thing about a truck like that is that in the future if you decide your RV is too small and want to upgrade, you will have to upgrade the truck too. And you most likely will want to upgrade because just about everyone gets their first purchase wrong. You simply don't know what you want, what you need and what works for you.

 

[John From Detroit]

My personal opinion of hte F-150 as a tow vehicle is not good. I do not like driving Ford Pickups "Bobtail" (without a trailer or in this case load) nor do I think the F-150 is big enough for most trailers.

But that said I don't drive Ford Pickups.. for reasons stated above.  I will admit I like the "Cockpit" Driver's control layout and seat belt design) on the Ford better than I do others.

Once Wife and I were both retired we towed the trailer we had to the dealer and drove home in a brand new 38' Class A (big change).. Dumped the house and life on the road is kind of laid back. ain't much an old country boy like me can't hack...  (apologies to Mr. Denver, I had to rewrite a bit).

just an option you may wish to consider.. Wife and I decided to take advantage of MEMBERSHIP camping so summers what I pay for a month's parking.. Is about what I'd pay for ONE NIGHT at Port Huron KOA which is just down the road from one of my membership parks.. (Winter I spend about the equal of 3 nights at the KOA.. PER MONTH..  Though I plan to spend a bit more this winter due to traveling to places I've not been in a while.

 

 

[jackiemac]

Hi and welcome to the forum.  I am sure with some homework you can find the right trailer for your F150.  The size and floorplan requirements are different for everyone.  We met folks out for several months living in a pop up trailer with no shower so it really depends on what you want and need.

Good luck with your search and let us know if you have more questions.  Just post in the relevant board and you should get some responses.

Let us know how it goes.