cman88 wrote:
Hey guys and gals, new to the forum and new to the trailer life in general.
I have a 2013 f150 fx4 screw with the ecoboost engine and the 3.73 gears. We've been looking at a couple travel trailers and the Prime Time Manufacturing Tracer Ultra Lite # 3150bhd has caught our eyes.
The trailer comes in at 6,955 lbs base weight and 706 lbs hitch weight. The sales guy says my truck will pull this without a problem as long as I use an equalizer hitch. I want to believe him but he knows we like the trailer and could be saying this just to make a sale?
We are a family of 4 with a small dog and are looking forward to camping, but don't want to be buying a trailer that's gonna be to much for my truck.
Here's a link to the Tracer 3150bhd
Tracer 3150bhd
Thanks.
You definitely have way to little truck and way to much trailer. That trailer would need a F250 or a F150 with Max Tow based just on hitch weight. I wouldn't even use a Max Tow package truck. That to much IMO, I'd go straight to a 3/4 ton F250.
You are starting with a Ecoboost optioned truck which already lowers your payload by 150 lbs from a GVWR of 5.0L's 7350 lbs GVWR to 7200 lbs GVWR for a Crew Cab 5.5' bed 4WD truck. Then you are using a heavier FX4 which will lower your already low payload.
You have to find your payload rating. It's on the Tread act tire loading sticker on your driver's side door jam. That is what your individual vehicle has as a payload after Ford weighed it after building it with all factory options and fluids then subtracted that number from your GVWR. I'm guessing you have mid 1300 lbs of payload.
OK I was wrong, I see in a later post you have only 1,162 lbs. At this point, I'd give up towing any travel trailer. You have no payload to tow a travel trailer. What in the world do have on your truck as options to take your payload down so low??? I hope you don't have any accessories on your truck at all as a bedliner or cover or cap because your actual payload will even go lower. Caps are ~200 lbs so don't go with that. You'll have less payload than most Ford focus subcompact cars.
I also see in later posts you expect about 700 lbs of cargo, your family and an additional 150 lbs.
Then I see your dry, unoptioned weight of the trailer you want is 6,955 lbs.
Let me show what you need as far as payload and what size trailer you can actually tow with your super low payload.
First, an average dual axle travel trailer has an "average" of 13% of tongue weight. That's an average so it could be higher, most likely not lower. Also with a weight distribution hitch, you distribute an average of 20% of the hitch weight back to the campers axles. That leaves an average of 80% of that hitch weight going to your trucks axles and payload. That again is an average. It could be higher for your truck axles if the hitch is adjusted poorly, you have loaded incorrectly, or the camper by design has a heavier hitch weight.
Then the none max tow package trucks get an integrated hitch that's rated for 1,050 lbs of hitch weight (when used with a weight distribution hitch) or 1,150 lbs for a Max Tow Package truck (when used with a WDH).
Also most brochure weights do not included options and any loaded gear. I've found option can go up to 300 lbs but that varies. Also, going by this site threads and posts, many load at a "MINIMUM" of another 1000 lbs for water, clothes, food, camping gear and such. So for another total of 1,300 lbs but I have seen this number go up to 2000 lbs and more. It all depends but we'll use 1,300 lbs as a minumum loaded camper for your numbers.
So you have a dry unoptioned 6955 lbs camper. Add 1,300 lbs and now it's 8,255 lbs. Now 13% of that 8255 is 1073 lbs for your hitch weight. You are already over your trucks integrated receiver hitch rating by ~25 lbs !!
Now take 80% of that hitch weight to find what's going to go onto your truck's payload. That's 858 lbs. Your family and gear are another 700 lbs. So you'll need a truck that has a minimum of a 1,558 lbs. You are overload by a lot!! Overloaded by 396 lbs !!
To stay within your payload and hitch ratings, you'd have to have a "LOADED" weight of 4,438 lbs.
This is calculated by taking your 1162 lbs payload and subtracting your family and gear 700 lbs from it. That leaves 462 lbs for hitch weight. Now take that 462 lbs and divide by the 80% distributed weight to give a total hitch weight of 577 lbs. Now take that 577 and divide by 13% to get your actual "LOADED" travel trailer weight which would be 4,438 lbs. Now subtract that 1,300 lbs and you have a travel trailer weight of 3138 lbs. That's just a bit heavier than a larger Pop Up camper.
Actually with a very little travel trailer, you'll only have about 700 to 800 lbs of payload for trailer options and water and such. So figure on loading very very lightly and you might be able to get a dry unoptioned travel trailer around 3500 or 3600 lbs. That's a mini camper that will likely only have one bed for 2 people but you said you have a family.
For your truck, a pop up is likely your only alternative to keeping your truck within limits OR upgrade your truck to a 3/4 ton truck and tow what you want.
Good luck.
