I could use some advice from towing experts.

[people-call-me-chris]

Am I missing anything? Anyone with real-world towing experience who can shed some light, especially with an Airstream?

Nasto - we owned a 2020 Flying Cloud 28RBT and I towed it all over the place with my 2018 Lariat supercrew short bed, with max tow package. It was great. The Ecoboost 3.5 had zero issues for me. We went through Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Oregon, Cali, Arizona. I will say however, the pay-load on my truck was the biggest downside. The 28RBT has a tongue weight of 899 (your 24 should have less TW). My truck's payload was ~1510-ish, so that didn't leave a lot of room for stuff in the truck or the front of the trailer. Also my truck squat was awful, so I got airbags installed - but I'll probably never do that again.

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[JohngaltinOC]

Nasto - we owned a 2020 Flying Cloud 28RBT and I towed it all over the place with my 2018 Lariat supercrew short bed, with max tow package. It was great. The Ecoboost 3.5 had zero issues for me. We went through Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Oregon, Cali, Arizona. I will say however, the pay-load on my truck was the biggest downside. The 28RBT has a tongue weight of 899 (your 24 should have less TW). My truck's payload was ~1510-ish, so that didn't leave a lot of room for stuff in the truck or the front of the trailer. Also my truck squat was awful, so I got airbags installed - but I'll probably never do that again.

Think we have the same truck. I'm trying to learn as much as possible about this. Want the ability to tow a TT, but also want an improved handling and capability for off road while maintaining the drivability and comfort for highway road trips. Could something improve all those needs? Probably a fantasy wish. You mention never doing airbags again? Can I ask why? TIA

 

[people-call-me-chris]

Think we have the same truck. I'm trying to learn as much as possible about this. Want the ability to tow a TT, but also want an improved handling and capability for off road while maintaining the drivability and comfort for highway road trips. Could something improve all those needs? Probably a fantasy wish. You mention never doing airbags again? Can I ask why? TIA

On the towing + off-roading, honestly I don't know. . .I'm probably the wrong person to ask so I'll defer to others on that.

On the air-bags, "never" might've been too strong a word but I wasn't wild about them. They worked great when towing and leveled my truck just fine. The 5psi unloaded bounce got kind of old for me ... maybe that could've been fixed with suspension that wasn't stock OEM but I didn't bother researching it, and I recently sold my 2018 and bought a used 2021 lariat MTP short-bed super crew.

I also read if you get airbags, it's suggested you get additional upgrades to help with axle wrap and some other things. Maybe others know?

For my current truck, I'm going to look into the "roadactive suspension" (google it)... as lots of folks on here seem to really like them when towing and unloaded.

 

[people-call-me-chris]

John i forgot to mention i also had a propride antisway hitch with my truck and A/S. That was a game changer for us because it eliminated any sway. it made a huge difference in the quality of the drive/ride.

 

[BigAzAl]

I just traded in my F-250 Diesel for a ‘23 F-150 3.5 Ecoboost with Max Tow. Pulled my 31’ Airstream and family of five on a 5000 mile excursion from Alabama out west. It pulled great, including big inclines and full water tanks. It honestly surprised me and I’m very happy with the trade. Do I miss anything about the diesel? Yes - I could drive 70-75 and still get 10-12 mpg. The F-150 has to dig into the turbos to maintain that speed and fuel economy goes down. Engine never broke a sweat and I still had plenty of power remaining if needed.
To get 11mpg I had to stay at 69-70 mph, and the turbo gauge showed flat (not in use) most of the time. That’s much safer driving and I wasn’t in a hurry.
What I love is driving this truck the other 99% of the time when I’m not towing. Fast, easy to park, doesn’t require a football field to turn around, etc.

Unless I am reading the CAT ticket wrong, you are within the GVWR for the truck, which seems incredible if it is that 30’ AS with the bikes in the bed as shown in the photo. Dang.

 

[dklyonsjr]

Unless I am reading the CAT ticket wrong, you are within the GVWR for the truck, which seems incredible if it is that 30’ AS with the bikes in the bed as shown in the photo. Dang.

Yeah. I never thought I'd be back in a half ton - or a v6 - but I've been really surprised and impressed. And it is so much better as a daily driver when not towing.

 

[Wakevictim]

You can check out my thread on my 5500 mile road trip from Alaska to Virginia. No issues with towing Tommy 31’ travel trailer. 2021 EB non max tow.

https://www.f150gen14.com/forum/thr...p-from-alaska-to-virginia-2021-3-5-eco.11724/

 

[Mtntrls]

I just traded in my F-250 Diesel for a ‘23 F-150 3.5 Ecoboost with Max Tow. Pulled my 31’ Airstream and family of five on a 5000 mile excursion from Alabama out west. It pulled great, including big inclines and full water tanks. It honestly surprised me and I’m very happy with the trade. Do I miss anything about the diesel? Yes - I could drive 70-75 and still get 10-12 mpg. The F-150 has to dig into the turbos to maintain that speed and fuel economy goes down. Engine never broke a sweat and I still had plenty of power remaining if needed.
To get 11mpg I had to stay at 69-70 mph, and the turbo gauge showed flat (not in use) most of the time. That’s much safer driving and I wasn’t in a hurry.
What I love is driving this truck the other 99% of the time when I’m not towing. Fast, easy to park, doesn’t require a football field to turn around, etc.

Just came across this post while looking for some towing info. Nice setup!

You definitely want those bike rack front wheel arms as close to the forks as possible, if they move at all those bikes can tip…

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