Towing a Bigfoot 25 - Reccomendations

[Vicki Cobb]

We tow a 2003 Bigfoot, 25RQ, with a 2016 Tundra with the tow package, mirrors, extra large gas tank (@ 38 gallons) and love it! Mileage is about 11 to 13 MPG. Before this we pulled with a Ram 3/4 ton diesel, and got about the same mileage. Put 250,000 towing mile on that one. We usually run at 60mph and pull mostly on blue highways!

Vicki & JC

[dyno]

Did the same thing you're doing ... used to have a Scamp 19 and then a Casita 17.

New Big Foot, new truck = many dinero, but yes new.
Used Big Foot, used truck can be outstanding value, but yes risk in used ones.

Specifically watched for pristine condition 2000-2008 BF 25 and 2000-2002 Super Duty F-250 with power Stroke 7.3.

Found the truck 1st ... used doesn't mean cheap, $18.5 k for Lariat, kept inside Texas truck, complete mx records, excellent paint,interior,leather ... 76 k on PS 7.3 (barely broken in).

Eventually found the BF 25RQ ... $25k,stored inside w/deep cycle AGM solar.

Well balanced pair:

- 2005 year model trailer weighs gross 6360 lbs. with a tongue weight of 1000 lbs even

- 400 lbs is transferred off the truck rear axle by the wt. distribution hitch
(260 lbs to the truck front axle and 140 lbs to the trailer axles)

- 2000 F-250 7.3 Power Stroke 2wd, full fuel, no passengers, gross weight 7060 lbs

Trailer was carrying 40 gallons of water, full propane bottles, & normal 4 day trip provisions.

We average 12-14 mpg, cruise at 60-65 mph ... diesel provides excess power, can basically drive over Colorado mountain passes at our cruising speed.

Cheers, CJ

[damueller]

We tow our 2016 BF 25RQ with a 2015 F150, Lariat, supercab, 6.5 ft bed, 3.5EB, max tow package, with a WDH hitch, anti sway built in the truck with the tow packages etc. GVW is 7050 and total cargo carrying is 1812.

It is a great package for us, plenty of power (not really a problem with most towing packages these days) and handling, braking, etc issues are non existent. Works great for us.

The only other truck I considered was the same configuration in a super duty Ford with the 6.2 gas but could not find one so ordered the F150 the way I wanted it.

If you have doubts and are skittish of a properly equipped 1/2 ton that is properly equipped, than of course you will be happier with a 3/4 ton, as long as it is properly equipped also. Heavy duty rigs will always (usually) tow better pulling anything than a lighter model, but in this case at least my F150 handles the 25RQ well within its capacities.

[Wacenturion]

Originally Posted by Roger H

I towed a '06 Bigfoot 25RQ with an '07 Nissan Titan King Cab 4WD for nine years. The Titan had the 5.6L V8 and the "Big Tow" option package with a 9200 lb tow capacity. It was all the Nissan could handle the 25 RQ.

I sold a 3/4 ton Ford V10 Excursion to buy the Nissan. If I had it to do again, I'd have kept the Excursion. It's good counsel here to go with a 3/4 ton truck.

Been towing a 2008 30th Anv. 25B25FB with the extended front storage area and generator package with a 2002 Ford Excursion 7.3 diesel. One word....effortless. Regarding Roger's comment, I previously had a 09' Bigfoot 28TE motor home with a V-10. I would jot hesitate to use a V-10 Excursion as well. Tons of power, just not the gas economy of a 7.3. However safety and ease should be the priority and not mileage per gallon. Rv's of any sort use gas....it's cheap relatively speaking for what you are moving down the road regardless of a couple miles less a gallon. JMO

[John in Santa Cruz]

pulling a 4500 lb Escape 21, my 2002 F250 7.3 Powerstroke gets 13-15 MPG over hill and over dale, thats with a fairly full load of gear in the back of the longbed truck, too.

[rldr4574]

Originally Posted by damueller

We tow our 2016 BF 25RQ with a 2015 F150, Lariat, supercab, 6.5 ft bed, 3.5EB, max tow package, with a WDH hitch, anti sway built in the truck with the tow packages etc. GVW is 7050 and total cargo carrying is 1812.

It is a great package for us, plenty of power (not really a problem with most towing packages these days) and handling, braking, etc issues are non existent. Works great for us.

The only other truck I considered was the same configuration in a super duty Ford with the 6.2 gas but could not find one so ordered the F150 the way I wanted it.

If you have doubts and are skittish of a properly equipped 1/2 ton that is properly equipped, than of course you will be happier with a 3/4 ton, as long as it is properly equipped also. Heavy duty rigs will always (usually) tow better pulling anything than a lighter model, but in this case at least my F150 handles the 25RQ well within its capacities.

What’s the difference between the max tow package and the standard tow package? Ron

[damueller]

My suggestion for the answer to this question is to go to Ford.com and look at the specs. They change from year to year and if you are looking at 2018-2019 models, that will be your best information.


base tow packages set the truck up to tow 6-7000 pounds or less. The max tow packages will provide the axle ratios, springs, built in trailer braking connections to tow 10,000 pounds plus. If you are pulling less than 5000 lbs, a basic tow package will cover you. But, to pull 5000 lbs or more, plus the stuff you might haul in the bed, a max tow package on a half ton truck is mandatory for proper safety margins.


I feel completely safe with the 7000 lbs or more 25RQ weighs loaded, that the fully loaded for tow purposes my F150 handles. I have had to brake suddenly, make some evasive maneuvers due to dumb other drivers and have survived. I would not want to pull more than that as I like my margin. I have my electric brakes set at 10 to apply the most to the trailer. The fourwheel disc brakes on my F150 are very adequate and stop really good.


Again, check the Ford website if you are interested in an F150, and be careful looking at anymake to be sure you get maximum towratings for pulling a 25 RQ. And in my opinion, if the truck is rated less than 10,000 for towing, I would not use it for a 25RQ no matter what brand it is.

[damueller]

A couple things, the reason I went with the F150 was I wanted a rig that would fit in my garage, and I did not want diesel. I ordered the truck in July 2015 and if the new super duties had been out it might have been a tough call.


I have been extremely satisfied with the truck. Have 43,000 miles on it with over 20,000 of towing miles. The 3.5 EB has the pulling characteristics of a diesel and is fun to drive unloaded. I prefer it over the 6.2 (sister in law has a 2016 Thor 27ft class C with the 6.2 and the EB is much more relaxing to drive).


Don't buy it for the mileage. It gets the same as any other rig towing, 9-12 depending on conditions, speed, wind, and 18-23 unloaded. Got 19 on a 4000 mile round trip to Kansas on Interstate 80 averaging about 80mph, Also, I don't recommend a 2.7Eb for pulling this much load, some may try to talk you into it, but stay with 3.5 for towing this trailer.


Just my thoughts and experience.

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by damueller

The 3.5 EB has the pulling characteristics of a diesel and is fun to drive unloaded. I prefer it over the 6.2 (sister in law has a 2016 Thor 27ft class C with the 6.2 and the EB is much more relaxing to drive).

Pretty much my findings too. I have pulled over 9,000 lbs up hills with no problem with my 3.5 EB F-150. I have pulled the same weight many times before up the same hills with various 3/4 and 1 ton diesels over the years, and the F-150 outdoes all of them with the exception of my last 2013 F-350 Lariat with the Powerstroke in it.

Though the Lariat option in the F-350 (or F-250) offers some really nice features and finish, you are still driving a big truck, whereas my F-150 almost seems more like a car to drive, and is WAY more enjoyable to do so.

I think for me having the need for these big Super Duty and other big pickups for the last 30+ years has made me eager to want to give them up if possible. Sure, they are fantastic towing machines, but I am getting to the point in life I need my truck for more than that, but want it to perform when needed.

I have talked to many people that have the bigger pickups when a half ton would do, and I would say for the majority of them, it is more a mental comfort thing to know they are more than covered, than an actual need for towing capacity.

I had my time with a big boy truck, and glad it is over, at least for now.

[rldr4574]

Thanks for the input, I found it very helpful. Ron

[Mike Link]

Congratulations on buying the best !
We own a 25RQ25 and just love it ! We've done some modifications to "make it our own" and couldn't be happier.
We normally tow with a crew cab pickup (full sized) but have used our midsized SUV, a GX470, with absolutely no problems....The 25 footer is heavier than many, but Bigfoot has it all under control with proper brakes and suspension....
Good Luck in your travels

[Dennis R.]

We have a 2005 model and pull it with a 2014 Toyota Landcruiser. Having had pickups in the past, we like passenger carrying capacity of the Landcruiser and the ride quality. We have a weight distribution hitch and added Firestone airbags in the coil springs. We are careful not to add too much weight in the tow vehicle and the 5.7 liter engine pulls the trailer fine. We average about 10 mpg when towing.

[jdriver]

Regular cab F150 with the 2.7l ecoboost and 3.73 axle is what I use. It's rated to tow 8500lbs. Going over Siskiyou pass the truck had no issues. During the climb I had to drop down to 30mph due to semis. Once I was able to pass I bumped the cruise control back up to 55 and was quickly back up to speed. Close to zero engine braking going downhill, so make sure you've got your trailer brakes adjusted and tested. Because you're gonna need them!

When not towing, the truck is a rocketship that gets 20-24mpg, depending on driving style and whether sport mode is engaged (so fun). Towed the Bigfoot this past weekend about 300 miles and averaged 11mpg.

Offroad I've used a slightly modded Tacoma. Which I don't recommend as the Toyota engineers say 5,000lbs max. But it worked great for the speeds I was going.

Hitch is a Propride 3P.

[Defenestrator]

Originally Posted by Derek Johnson

I tow our Bigfoot with an 2005 F150 crew cab with a canopy, 5.4L, 3.73 rear end with tow package. The trailer is 6500 lb. fully loaded with a 600 lb. tongue weight. Even though the truck is rated to tow 8700 lb. I am slightly over the rated GVWR with very little cargo in the bed. Without the equalizer bars I am over by 500 lb. on the rear axle. I did some research and it turns out there is no standard method that manufacturers use to determine their tow ratings. An 8700 lb. tow rating does not mean that you can tow a 8700 lb. trailer. Once you add the weight of the passengers, cargo, canopy, gasoline, etc. the real tow capacity is going to be greatly reduced (if you try to stay under the weight ratings for each axle). For my model F150 I would advise people to stay 2,000 lb. to 3,000 lb. under whatever Ford says. Perhaps the new F150's are better, with different engines, transmission, and aluminum bodies. I don't know about the RAM half ton. My guess, however, is that it will be near capacity if you check the axles at a scale.

I have towed our trailer for 6 years over mountain passes and I have always felt safe, but I know that I am maxed out. You don't see me passing anyone uphill and I pay careful attention to my braking. If I were buying new, I would buy a 3/4 ton. Or, an Escape 19'. We love our Bigfoot, but when you purchase one you are stepping out of the "small" fiberglass realm and it requires a real tow vehicle, unlike when we slapped the Scamp onto the back of our Honda Odyssey.

Derek

Newer F150s should be significantly better. The aluminum knocks something like 500-700Lbs off, which all goes into payload capacity.

[Bigfoot25]

We bought a Bigfoot 25FQ new in 2015; it’s a 2016 Model year. We pull it with a 2014 Tundra 4x4 with a 5.7l gas motor, 6-speed transmission and 4.3 ratio rear axle. We had it raised 2” in the front with coil spring spacers and 1” in the back with a leaf spring block. We also had leaf spring enhancers installed. We use a 12,000lb Equal-I-Zer for WD/Anti-sway and wouldn’t go anywhere without it. We also installed a DrawTite trailer brake controller that makes a HUGE difference in controlling the trailer brakes. We relied on the Tundra brake controller, which is non-existent as far as I’m concerned, for the first year of towing. The Tundra supposedly has a trailer brake controller wired in through the 7-pin connector, but there are no in-cab controls. So I have my doubts that one exists.

The Tundra does well, actually very well considering. We get 9.2mpg towing as long as we keep it under 65mph. I weighed the fully loaded truck and trailer 3 years ago before departing for Alaska. We are more than one ton over the GCWR of the Tundra which is 16,000lbs. The max trailer towing weight is 9,900lbs which we are under. Now let me continue before you crap your pants or attempt to turn me in. We have towed this way for 3 years, going from Arizona to Alaska in year one, Arizona to Newfoundland in year two, and we spent all summer in 2018 in Colorado and the Rocky Mountains pulling 12,000’ passes. We have had no problems. We can go uphill just fine, and we can stop the truck and trailer just fine also.

In the last couple of months, we thought about getting a 2018-19 Ford F-250 or F-350 6.7l diesel for more towing capacity and pulling power. I’ve spent the last 1-1/2 months researching the Fords and the Tundra. I discovered something that makes me believe either the Tundra is way underrated or the Ford is way overrated. My opinion is based on how well the Tundra has performed; I’ve never driven or pulled a trailer with a Ford diesel. Both the gas 6.2l Fords, the 250 and 350, have the same weight ratings. The max trailer weight is 12,500lbs and the GCWR is 22,000lbs. For those interested, the diesel is 14,000 and 23,500. I have hard time believing that a half—liter, 5.7l Tundra versus a 6.2l Ford, can make that much difference in GCWR and trailer weight limit. In addition, I have heard from more than one person that the Tundra is more like a 3/4-ton truck, but Toyota doesn’t classify their trucks as 1/2 or 3/4 or 1-ton as far as I know. Our Tundra does not sag in the tail under our 900lb tongue weight - at all.

We have pulled back from our intention to give up the Tundra and spend $66,000 to $75,000 on a new Ford. That is what it would cost us to purchase and outfit a new Ford F-250 or F-350 truck with a camper shell and other appurtenances. Our Tundra has 92,00 miles on it, and all we have had to do so far is change the fluids and put tires on it. We may want a bigger truck some day, but for now our Tundra is everything we need to pull our 25B25FQ. It gets the job DONE!

[thrifty bill]

On F150s, Ford makes three different thicknesses of frames alone. I can only imagine what that does to supply chain and inventory. At least in the case of their max payload trucks, there is a huge difference compared to their basic trucks (and not just thicker frame).

I don't know about the Tundra. But given the Japanese strategy on uniformity and low inventory, I would be surprised if they made three different frame thicknesses for it. Realize its not just three different frames. Its three different thicknesses, across 3 or 4 different wheelbases. So that makes 12 different frames.

Properly equipped, a new F150 is going to have payload and tow ratings that exceed what my old 1 ton Chevy dually used to be rated for. Now you can still buy an F150 with mediocre ratings too.

As far as choices, there are always used trucks out there. Any of the US brands go down in value rapidly. I paid half of what the original buyer paid for my F150, it had 12,000 miles on it, but was five years old. I've now owned it for three years, and it has 102,000 miles on it. So I am feeling pretty good about it.

My next truck may just be new, to get the equipment I really want. But its hard to pay the prices of a new truck.

[John in Santa Cruz]

towing capacity has less to do with horsepower/torque, and a lot more to do with frame sturdiness, suspension, wheel bearings, and brakes.

the F250/F350 superduty trucks have floating axles, while the F150 still uses car style axles where the wheel bearing is directly on the axle... see this diagram... top is a F150 (also chevy/dodge 1500, and undoutably Tundra, too), while the bottom is a 250/350/2500/3500 class truck (and everything bigger, for that matter).

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by Bigfoot25

...The Tundra supposedly has a trailer brake controller wired in through the 7-pin connector, but there are no in-cab controls. So I have my doubts that one exists...

My friend has a Tundra with a factory integrated brake controller. The dashboard controls are simple but unmistakable. No controls = no controller.

Many larger tow-rated vehicles are pre-wired for electric trailer brakes with a 7-pin plug and a port under the dash to connect an aftermarket controller. Perhaps that's where the confusion lies.

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

Many larger tow-rated vehicles are pre-wired for electric trailer brakes with a 7-pin plug and a port under the dash to connect an aftermarket controller. Perhaps that's where the confusion lies.

on my 08 Tacoma, that brake connector was just behind the top of the plastic kick panel on the left side of the driver footwell. all Toyotas use the same connector, and you can get a pre-wired 'pigtail' from Tekonsha that will plug into the Toyota connector on one side and the Tekonsha brake controller on the other side.

[Bigfoot25]

Thanks to the two Jon’s/John’s. I used to live in Santa Cruz before moving to the desert, Tucson, 14 years ago. I did find the plug for the trailer brake controller down next to the emergency brake, and I installed a DrawTite controller which works great.

I knew a little about the capacity rating elements in a truck, but I did not know about the differences in axle and bearings setups. The Tundra has leaf springs and does not sag very much when the trailer is connected. The Equal-I-Zer mitigates most of the sag.

In regards to Thrifty Bill’s suggestion, I have considered a used truck, a Ford F-250 or F-350. However, I wouldn’t want one older than a 2017 as Ford made some significant changes in that model year. People and dealers want a lot of money for these trucks. The other disturbing thing I learned recently is that manufacturers, specifically Ford from my limited experience, takes back problem vehicles and sells them at auction. They call them RAV’s as in Re-Aquired Vehicles. They don’t do a damn thing to fix them from the two I saw. A dealer purchased them at auction and had listed them in their inventory for a LOT OF MONEY. This was my first learning experience with this kind of shenanigans. I was appalled. The warning phrase “Buyer Beware” does nothing to forgive Ford or the dealership in this instance, IMHO.