New to RVing and have a few questions...

You have 955 lbs of tongue weight before you even load one pot or pan in the thing. The payload capacity of the truck is 1263 lbs minus the 955 lbs equals 308 lbs left in available payload.

Minus you (lets assume 200 lbs) Minus your wife (lets assume 110 lbs)and you now have 308 minus 310 and you're negative 2 on available payload and you haven't even put the kids in the truck or even a pot or pan in the camper.

Figure tongue weight as 12 percent of the total gross weight of your camper when its fully loaded and ready to roll (that's at least 1500 - 2000 lbs more then when its sitting on the dealers lot). Now add up everything you load in the truck. You, wife, kids, dog, bikes, groceries, firewood, toolbox, strollers, Twinkies, travel mug full of coffee, everything. Add those two numbers together and they should not exceed you payload number (1263 lbs).
More info

You need a bigger truck.

Two issues:
1. Will you have a place that is acceptable to park that trailer for 3 months at a time? In the northern states, it is almost impossible to find a place open in the winter, and living in a RV in the cold climates can be difficult at best and almost impossible at worst. It is not for the faint of heart of a newbie, especially with a family to protect.
2. That is a lot of trailer for that truck. I would not consider using it except in the flatlands and for shorter distances.

Normally I'm not a part of the weight police on here, but in this case your at least one weight class and more likely 2 weight classes short of where you should be for that trailer.
2 choices
1. smaller trailer
2. bigger truck
Not really much else can be said.
You can hitch it up, and yes you can make it move, but you will be outside every safety and stability parameter out there.

Way too much trailer for your truck. You're well into 3/4 ton truck territory with that size and weight trailer, especially if loaded to full time with a family of 4. You need a bigger truck or smaller trailer.

wing_zealot wrote:
You have 955 lbs of tongue weight before you even load one pot or pan in the thing. The payload capacity of the truck is 1263 lbs minus the 955 lbs equals 308 lbs left in available payload.

Minus you (lets assume 200 lbs) Minus your wife (lets assume 110 lbs)and you now have 308 minus 310 and you're negative 2 on available payload and you haven't even put the kids in the truck or even a pot or pan in the camper.

Figure tongue weight as 12 percent of the total gross weight of your camper when its fully loaded and ready to roll (that's at least 1500 - 2000 lbs more then when its sitting on the dealers lot). Now add up everything you load in the truck. You, wife, kids, dog, bikes, groceries, firewood, toolbox, strollers, Twinkies, travel mug full of coffee, everything. Add those two numbers together and they should not exceed you payload number (1263 lbs).
More info

^^^^^ This. Might be a good idea to think of getting a bigger truck, so you can get a trailer that will better suit your needs, especially one with more carrying capacity. Full timing, with two children, look in the 3500lb carrying capacity range.
Good luck with your future endeavors

Keep posts to the topic at hand, and your off topic opinions to yourselves folks.

Thank you

Welcome to the Forum.
Beside all the correct advice you have gotten so far about your truck and proposed trailer.....

If you are going to full time with a family you really need to look at a trailer with much more than 1500 lbs of carrying capacity...Enough stuff, even basics, to full time will put you way over that number.

Your plan is do-able, but you need a different trailer and a bigger truck.
Good luck with it. You are smart to be doing what you are doing....researching BEFORE you leap.

A proper F150 equiped with higher rated 4550 or 4800 RAWR and 7550 or 7750 GVWR could handle that size trailer however..... Your truck has those small 3850 RAWR that Ford sometimes uses. This limits the trucks rear axle ability to carry the hitch load......hitch.....and other stuff you carry in the bed.
The 955 hitch weight is a estimated dry weight. Now add 1000-1500 lbs of stuff in the trailer and hitch weight could be in the 1100-1300 lb range depending on how much stuff you load. This truck simply doesn't have the axle/P tire capacity for that trailers wet hitch weight plus other stuff. You would have to beef up the wheels/tires and rear suspension....which isn't a good idea on a semi float axle in 1/2 ton trucks.

Now for how much trailer can your truck pull. Looking at Fleet Ford specs shows a '12 F150 5.0 engine 4wd can tow up to 9100-9400 lbs depending on gear/cab selections. This trailer after loading is more gross weight than Fords tow ratings.

Some folks pull more than the truck makers tow rating. Your call there.

First off I'd like to thank everyone, well almost everyone, for their responses. I had already been looking at upgrading to an F-350, but after speaking to a salesperson, having them tell me that I'd be fine, and then reading how much they lie, I figured I'd ask some people that know a thing, or two, and get some honest responses. I've been looking at the F-250/350 6.7 Diesels, any advice as far as other TV's or RV's that are full-timer friendly to a family of four? I know I'm in the TT thread, but I'm not against the idea of a 5th Wheel either.