# Towing An Outback 26Rs Or 23Rs



## Camping

Hi all,

Trying to do a final narrowing-down of our next camper. On the larger-trailer side we really like the 26rs or 23rs.

We have a 2008 F-150 (supercab/145" wheelbase) with the 5.4L V8, and 3.55 axle. Manual says that the max towing wt. is 8700 pounds, with a max GCWR of 14000 pounds. Max occupant and cargo load said 1818 pounds.

Empty weights of the 26rs is approx 5300 and 5000 for the 23rs.

Anybody here tow either of these models with an F-150 or similar model truck?

With the weights/size of the campers it seems on the marginal side to me (never having towed one). Just wondering if anybody had some "real world" experience with the combo.

Thanks
Tim


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## tomE

I'm pulling a 26 RKS with a Toyota 4 Runner V-8, 4.7 ltr, 5 speed OD, max GCVWR 12000 and have plenty of power. Will admit I'm looking toward a 1/2 ton after sample-towing it with a friends 1/2 ton GMC. GMC was totally stable, lots of grunt (6.0 ltr), making me think a little more TV is better. Your 5.4 and higher gear ratio may be something of a struggle going up bigger hills (get a good run at them or grab a lower gear early) but the truck itself should be good to go. IMHO (and worth every penny paid for it).
tom


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## Lmbevard

Not sure where your towing, but I was told by a car dealer with some experience towing that any truck will haul a camper, it's the stopping that's the problem. I don't think you would have any major problems with either the 23' or the 26' but like you said, it's on the edge. Nice thing is that if after towing for a while you feel you need a bigger rig, with a TT you don't have to worry about having to have a 5th wheel hitch re-installed. Just pull the hitch and slide it into the new truck. Most of the newer Fords, GMCs and Dodge 1/2 T are built closer to a 3/4 T use to be so you do have some margin there. I would say try it.


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## Barry

I just bought a 23KRS which is comparable in dry weight. I have a 2004 F150 Ext cab 4X4 with 4.6 V8 and 3:55 gear. I also run 10 ply tires. I purchased 1200 lb distribution bars because I will be hauling my motorcycle in the toyhauler.

Stability and stopping are fine. I do not believe I will be towing in the mountains very often as the engine revs more than I like on grades. I do not have a tach but I just did not like the sound of the engine working that hard.

If I were buying a new F150 today I would get the 5.4 with 3:73 gear ratio.


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## GO WEST

I had an 03 F150 5.4L with 3.55 super cab and I towed my camper about 10,000 miles including out to Northern Arizona. I have a Jayco 26 ft that weighs about 6,000 lb loaded. I took it easy with speed going 55-65 mph, and I made it fine. Your truck has more hp than mine; you should be okay with that combo. Use a good WD hitch like Equalizer.


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## Dan Borer

Barry said:


> I just bought a 23KRS which is comparable in dry weight. I have a 2004 F150 Ext cab 4X4 with 4.6 V8 and 3:55 gear. I also run 10 ply tires. I purchased 1200 lb distribution bars because I will be hauling my motorcycle in the toyhauler.
> 
> Stability and stopping are fine. I do not believe I will be towing in the mountains very often as the engine revs more than I like on grades. I do not have a tach but I just did not like the sound of the engine working that hard.
> 
> If I were buying a new F150 today I would get the 5.4 with 3:73 gear ratio.


Ford dropped the 5.4 motor in the 2011 F150s. V-8 options are the 5.0 and 6.2. Believe it or not, the preferred towing motor is the EcoBoost 3.5 V-6. My '09 F150 with 3.73 gears and the MaxTow option pulls my 8200# 29RLS with ease and stopping is not a problem. This past week we descended the 8% grade down into Borrego Springs by letting the computer and trans control the speed.


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## GenesRUs

Where ya towin? Makes a difference. Towed a 21RS (5677 total camper + gear weight) with '05 F150 and destroyed 2 trannys towing the passes in Colorado. I know a lot on this site think a 1/2 ton will get it done but I suspect they are older RVers who wouldn't drive faster if they were in a Vette. If you want tow a 23 or 26 RS anywhere and not be limited by your TV, get a 3/4 or 1 ton.

Oh, everyone will advise you that you can't exceed 65 mph because the camper tires are rated to 65 mph. But, the tires are rated to 65 mph at a specific weight. If you are under the weight, and you will be, you can go faster.


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## Ridger

tomE said:


> I'm pulling a 26 RKS with a Toyota 4 Runner V-8, 4.7 ltr, 5 speed OD, max GCVWR 12000 and have plenty of power. Will admit I'm looking toward a 1/2 ton after sample-towing it with a friends 1/2 ton GMC. GMC was totally stable, lots of grunt (6.0 ltr), making me think a little more TV is better. Your 5.4 and higher gear ratio may be something of a struggle going up bigger hills (get a good run at them or grab a lower gear early) but the truck itself should be good to go. IMHO (and worth every penny paid for it).
> tom


Interesting, I too have a 2006 Toyota 4Runner 4.7L V8.

I am considering a 21RS (posted dry wt of approx 4,500lbs) or maybe even the 23RS (posted dry wt of approx 5,000lbs). What does everyone else thing?

My 4Runner specs are:
GVWR - 6,008 lbs
GAWR - 3,296 lbs (rear)
Max Towing Wt - 7,000 lbs (with WD)
Actual weight - 5,125 lbs (with full tank,me and wife) - Add in another 125 lbs for 2 kis and small dog = 5,250 lbs total (don't plan on adding any gear - will all be in trailer)

I did some initial calcs and with no safety factor, it seems I should be good to about 5,800 lbs with 12% tongue weight.

Thoughts/Input?


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## Nathan

I towed a 28RSDS with a similar truck. That trailer was too much. I'd say the 26 is on the line and the 23 should be well within. The truck could handle either with weight, but the 26 is longer and that's where I saw issues with the F150. Understand that you will have the engine revving to get you there. If you have tow/haul mode, punch the button, otherwise lock out OD and go. Fuel economy will be poor, but that's life and it's cheaper than a new truck....









With a 23, I'd pull any passes, but would make sure OD was locked out and would also put on an aftermarket trans cooler if I were pulling a lot of passes. Regarding tow speed, I highly reccomend 65mph max.... never have seen a table that allowed higher speed at lower load







plus I'll bet you're very close to the max weight once loaded and ready to go.


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## Ridger

n/a


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## ashbongo10

Happy to see someone else had this question. We, too, have a 2003 F-150 4x4 supercrew and are trying to decide between a 21rs up to 26rs. We currently have a 16ft TT, and towed it into the mountains of Gatlinburg, TN with some major revving and horrible sounds coming from the engine, even in a lower gear and OD off. Couldn't tell you the truck specifics because I'm a girl, and it's hubby's truck- LOL- but I think it's a 5.4L V8. Looks like we need to get a tranny cooler (which I had mentioned to hubby previously) and stick to the 21rs we were leaning towards! Love this forum!


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## joeymac

We have an 11' 312BH with an empty weight of 7304LBS. I had a 05' F-150 XLT Crew Cab with the tow package and the 5.4L. I believe the tow capacity was 8400lbs. Once we loaded the camper I image we were at the capacity of the truck. Had this combo for a year. Just sold the truck this spring for a 08' Suburban 2500.
Last summer we vacationed in PA. Plenty of hills for sure! The truck did fine pulling the hills, were we the fastest, no. Took my time and was not in a hurry. Always locked OD out when I towed the trailer. We packed the camper light, and were always thinking about the weight of the trailer and the capacity of the truck. That's the primary reason we sold the truck. I did not want to continuously worry if we were overloading the trailer and therefore overloading the truck. My experience in towing the 312BH with the F-150 was fine if we were only going 2-3 hours away. If you plan on taking long trips then I would think twice about the bigger camper. The other thing the older F-150's don't have that the new ones do are the 6 spd tranny. Very helpful, IMO, as you have more range in the gears and not constantly straining the engine and tranny. I had concerns about the longevity of the tranny if we would have continued to tow that trailer with the F-150. That's why we made the change. No more worrying about overloading the truck and more confidence while towing long distances. We had a Reese dual cam sway and weight disturbing hitch which made a huge difference in our towing experience. Our dealer gave us a friction sway control which was useless with a trailer that size, (figured that out after one white knuckle trip) so we upgraded to the dual cam. Best money I spent, made a huge difference! 
That's my 2 cents!


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## Camping

Thanks for all the great replies so far.

Somebody asked where we would be towing. It would mostly be in the Midwest/east of the Miss.. I would, however, like to make it out West a time or two.

I have also recently discovered the Keystone Passport 240QS. It is a quad-bunk/rear slide-out like the Outback 26RS. It is only a few inches shorter than the 26RS but it has an empty weight that is almost 800 pounds lighter. I also like that some of the windows are larger than the 26RS (not so short), and has a stove vent that vents outside.

Just when I think I have found all of the layouts and/or brands that meet our "wants"......







!

I need to stop searching the internet for campers.


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## ROB & JUDY OUTBACKERS

I had a Outback 28rsds and pulled it with a F150 5.4L...it was at the limit for towing. I still have the F150 5.4L, but I downsized to a Outback 269rb and that TV pulls it with ease...so if you decide on a TT 23' - 26'...you should enjoy the pull almost as much the TT.
Rob


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