Question Pairing a truck to a TT

[Rozy]

Hi all, we are new to trailering. We are hoping to retire soon and are thinking of travelling around the country for a few weeks at a time and maybe a couple times a year.
We are looking at purchasing a Keystone Cougar 25MLE and were told we should purchase the truck first. I was hoping to purchase a new 1/2ton to pull this 29' trailer 6770lb dry weight, 9645 max weight, 845# hitch weight.
My question is "can a 1/2 ton pull this safely"? I find that the truck dealer salesperson very uninformed of what you can pull with a 1/2 ton, eg. "oh sure you can pull that trailer, the truck can pull 13,000 lbs easy". But when I take the payload, the hitch weight and cargo you need to load... I don't know?
Any advise would be digested and appreciated, thanks!

 

[Kevin D Pem]

The issue is not tow capacity. The problem is toung weight.3/4 ton would be a better fit.

 

[Rosy]

I agree with Kevin. A half-ton won't have the payload for the loaded pin weight of a fifth wheel.

 

[TheLooks]

That weight is not even close to 1/2 ton country. Oh, people do it....And if you are really skilled and experienced and keep your speed down it can be done.....but it is not remotely safe for most of the driving public. Especially on interstates at speed with cross winds etc...

 

[Phillbo]

The Keystone Half Ton line of trailers is just that, a line of marketing BS.. i upgraded to an F250 when I bought my 24RDS.

As stated payload capacity is not enough with a 1/2 ton truck. Go bigger and remove the butt pucker so you can enjoy the tow instead of waiting for something to fail.

Hitch weight as advertised is also a lie. I bet your will be closer to 1000#.

I towed a 25RDS TT with a F150 eco boost and it pulled and stopped fine but a little wind and the tail tagged the dog even with a WDH.... towed it 3 times and traded up for a F250 Tremor with the 6.7L. Real glad I did.

Hook everything up and run it over a scale. Truck first with full gas tank and all the camping gear and people you plan to have in it. Then hook up the trailer and scale again. You'll be surprised how much the trailer weighs when loaded for a trip. Especially if your going to be boon docking snd need water.

 

[rjshiflet49]

We bought a "half-ton rated" fifth wheel (just over 10,000 pounds), but specifically purchased a Ford F-250 three-quarter ton truck first. I got lucky and came across a gently used two-year old truck with only 13,000 miles on it - and it even had the 10800# GVWR PACKAGE on it. It's capacity is right at double the weight of my fifth wheel, and it tows great.

No way would I pull this with a half-ton. By the time we add all our "stuff" and dogs and my wife and I...it might work, but I sure wouldn't feel safe.

 

[Phillbo]

Ive always bought 2 year old trucks. Current truck is a '22 with 48k that i bought with 18k on it. Will drive until all warranties expire and then make a decision based on needed repairs as to keep or trade up.

 

[RobertE]

You’re smart to ask here b/c there are people with real world experience. It’s not just the weight. Once you get everything moving you find out other things like stability.

What to buy first? You either match the trailer to the truck or the truck to the trailer, depending on which is the priority. If you don’t already own a truck, I would decide what size trailer you want and match the truck to it.

The tow capacity is always overrated. My rule of thumb is halve it. For example, my 2023 F150 with the “max tow” package is rated for 11,000# and 850# hitch weight. My salesman gave a similar spiel and common sense told me no way it is even feasible.

In my case I knew we knew we did t want a big trailer and wanted one we could get into any park. We think we found the perfect couples trailer for us. And I wanted a 1/2 ton truck. I researched the RV’s first, found ine we liked, and then bought the truck.

I think a good number for a half ton is 6000# and hitch weight 500#.

For this trailer you are in 3/4 ton territory. Mainly for hitch weight. Even though a 1/2 ton could pull it with suspension upgrades, that would be a decision you would have to carefully consider.

With a 3/4 ton, the decision is diesel or gas, and I can’t advise you on that other than to say a diesel comes with a bigger price tag, higher fuel cost, higher maintenance and repair. I personally would go with gas unless I was doing a lot if cross country travel. The newer diesels also have all kinds of pollution controls so many people delete their trucks (which also voids the warranty).

The trailer I tow is about 5000# loaded. I assume a 10% hitch weight. It pulls well and seems well within the capacity of the truck, but I would not go any higher. A year later and several thousand miles I can feel the truck sagging more, so I’m considering helper springs and a stabilizer bar to help with cross winds.

 

[rjshiflet49]

With a 3/4 ton, the decision is diesel or gas, and I can’t advise you on that other than to say a diesel comes with a bigger price tag, higher fuel cost, higher maintenance and repair. I personally would go with gas unless I was doing a lot if cross country travel.

Don't forget a higher RESALE value, too and ChatGPT says that difference in resale value is $8,000 to $10,000 between gasoline and diesel, plus the difference in horsepower between (in my case of a 2022 F-250) 475 HP for diesel and 430 for gasoline...not to mention the difference in torque. Where my 2022 diesel has 1,050 ft. pounds of torque, the same year models in gasoline have either 445 or 475. That's a huge advantage for towing.

 

[John&Andrea]

I have towed with gas and diesel, 1/2 and 3/4 ton. No comparison to me diesel every time.

 

[RobertE]

Don't forget a higher RESALE value, too and ChatGPT says that difference in resale value is $8,000 to $10,000 between gasoline and diesel, plus the difference in horsepower between (in my case of a 2022 F-250) 475 HP for diesel and 430 for gasoline...not to mention the difference in torque. Where my 2022 diesel has 1,050 ft. pounds of torque, the same year models in gasoline have either 445 or 475. That's a huge advantage for towing.

True, I'm just saying it has to be weighed out. I see a lot of trailers being pulled by diesels that are not necessary.

For the trailer the OP is looking at, if I were doing cross country I'd get diesel.