Looking at buying my first truck and need some help with Towing. We're planning to get an RV in a year or 2 and I want it to do it right the first time!Looking at a 2011 F150 Supercrew Ecoboost with Max Tow. According to the Payload on the door jamb it's 1850 lbs and Ford says it can tow 11,200 lbs.Now we've been looking at RV's for a few years now and like these:Jayco 33RLDS Jayco 26RKSLacrosse 323RSTLacrosse 327RESProwler 30PRLS Outback 316RL All have gross weights between 8,400 lbs and 10,300 lbs. and about 30-36ft. I worked up a spreadsheet based on 10 and 15% tongue weight and it looks like at 10% we're good as we have 820 and 1010 payload left. At 15% it gets a lot closer and in some cases only 300 lbs. Is this doable and with a Weight Distributing hitch would it make sense or should we be looking elsewhere? Also the #'s I came up with on young weight are much different that the RV brochures. Is that normal?

3/4 ton - I'm a female and don't have all the specifics but I was always the one driving when we were going up steep grades. I then understood all those advocating for 3/4 ton vs. the 1/2 ton Nissan Titan we purchased. We now tow with a 3/4 ton Dodge - all the difference in the world. And, because of that change, we were able to enter the FW market. Others will disagree but I now understand buy more than you think you need for towing.

I'd never tow any of those trailers except the smaller Jayco with a 1/2 ton but it's up to you after you calculate real world numbers. Seems like your tastes in TT's are in 3/4 ton territory.

Tongue weights will be closer to 15% (even more) than 10% Yes Ford claims 11,200# towing but are you 150# and going by yourself?When the towing experience is no fun......folks stop going and having fun.

Then I guess the next question would be what should we be looking at for towing behind this truck? Weight, size, what? The only thing keeping me in the F150 camp is the fact that the truck may end up being my daily driver a few years down the road and I've got a 38 mile 1 way commute so getting, say 19 MPG in an Ecobost vs, say 10MPG in a F250 makes a huge difference in fuel costs.

Old-Biscuit wrote:Tongue weights will be closer to 15% (even more) than 10% Yes Ford claims 11,200# towing but are you 150# and going by yourself?When the towing experience is no fun......folks stop going and having fun.Is it 15% from the #s in the brochure or 15% from the GVWR of the trailer? Cause when I do 10 and 15% from the GVWR or even the unloaded weight, none of those #'s match what's printed in the brochures.This is way confusing!

Making sense of Tow #'s | Good Sam Community

28 Replies

Old-Biscuit
Explorer III
Jan 11, 2014
itguy08 wrote:
Old-Biscuit wrote:
Tongue weights will be closer to 15% (even more) than 10%

Yes Ford claims 11,200# towing but are you 150# and going by yourself?

When the towing experience is no fun......folks stop going and having fun.

Is it 15% from the #s in the brochure or 15% from the GVWR of the trailer? Cause when I do 10 and 15% from the GVWR or even the unloaded weight, none of those #'s match what's printed in the brochures.

This is way confusing!

GVWR.
Brochures lie :B Well maybe not lie..but fuzzy math for sure
And forget 'dry' numbers....nobody tows dry and dry doesn't always include options/add-ons etc.
Steeljag
Explorer
Jan 11, 2014
You can stay with the same makes, just stay in the 26' & 28' ft area.
pappcam
Explorer
Jan 11, 2014
I'd keep it down below 8000 GVWR with a 1/2 ton. There are lots of options in the 6500-8000 range which would be a decent match for your truck.
itguy08
Explorer
Jan 11, 2014
Old-Biscuit wrote:
Tongue weights will be closer to 15% (even more) than 10%

Yes Ford claims 11,200# towing but are you 150# and going by yourself?

When the towing experience is no fun......folks stop going and having fun.

Is it 15% from the #s in the brochure or 15% from the GVWR of the trailer? Cause when I do 10 and 15% from the GVWR or even the unloaded weight, none of those #'s match what's printed in the brochures.

This is way confusing!
itguy08
Explorer
Jan 11, 2014
Then I guess the next question would be what should we be looking at for towing behind this truck? Weight, size, what?

The only thing keeping me in the F150 camp is the fact that the truck may end up being my daily driver a few years down the road and I've got a 38 mile 1 way commute so getting, say 19 MPG in an Ecobost vs, say 10MPG in a F250 makes a huge difference in fuel costs.
Old-Biscuit
Explorer III
Jan 11, 2014
Tongue weights will be closer to 15% (even more) than 10%

Yes Ford claims 11,200# towing but are you 150# and going by yourself?

When the towing experience is no fun......folks stop going and having fun.
pappcam
Explorer
Jan 11, 2014
I'd never tow any of those trailers except the smaller Jayco with a 1/2 ton but it's up to you after you calculate real world numbers. Seems like your tastes in TT's are in 3/4 ton territory.
outdoorlovers
Explorer
Jan 11, 2014
3/4 ton - I'm a female and don't have all the specifics but I was always the one driving when we were going up steep grades. I then understood all those advocating for 3/4 ton vs. the 1/2 ton Nissan Titan we purchased. We now tow with a 3/4 ton Dodge - all the difference in the world. And, because of that change, we were able to enter the FW market. Others will disagree but I now understand buy more than you think you need for towing.

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Making sense of Tow #'s

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