Forum Discussion

RPMZTIG's avatar
RPMZTIG
Explorer
Jul 28, 2013

Opinions wanted on Towing

Hello All,
Newbie to the forums, I am considering a TT Purchase and thought I would throw out some numbers and get some advice/comments back from experienced RV'rs.
Tow Vehicle.. 2011 Ford F-150 Super Crew with tow package
Tow rating 9400# GVCW 14900#

New TT 2013 2703 WS Rockwood Dry weight 6282#

I weighed the truck with a full tank gas myself and the wife 6100#
adding in an additional 250# for stuff tools etc. in bed we have 6350#
deducting that from GVCW leaves me 8550# max trailer weight.
new trailer 6282# +- 800# gear etc. puts me at +- 7100# trailer.
Any advice on whether you think it is to much trailer or if you think I am good in the 80% range of Maximum.

Thank You,
Bob
  • The numbers are in there. It appears the OP has (7100-6350) 750 pounds of payload left. A 7,000 pound trailer will need more than that.
  • you meet all the weight requirements for your truck... only don't forget to add any accessories that you added to truck after purchase, like spray on bedliner and tonneau cover. I was surprised how much weight those two things added. That being said, I have 2010 Super Cab F150 with 5.4L and and TT with 5202 dry weight from factory and have had no problems with my truck handling the load.
  • Best is to take it over the scales and weigh each axle. No need for 80% rule, you can go max GCVW no problem with that truck. Fifteen years in trucking never heard of anyone say lets just load it 80%.
  • RPMZTIG wrote:
    Tongue weight dry on sticker is 621 GVWR on trailer is 7621
    Payload on F-150 is 1800#


    Since you are working with real numbers (a good thing!) - what is the gvwr of your truck? Is this 1,800 a pamphlet weight? Your real payload is as important as the rest of these numbers.
  • Tongue weight dry on sticker is 621 GVWR on trailer is 7621
    Payload on F-150 is 1800#
  • 80% range is useful for those not willing or able to do the REAL numbers but it appears you don't have that problem. Using 80% of capacity just allows you to do estimates instead of real numbers. You should be good to go but do watch your tongue weight (fully loaded, not the brochure numbers which are meaningless). With many half ton trucks the tongue weight is the limiting factor as the available payload is often reached long before the maximum trailer weight is achieved. Your door panel should give you the total payload your truck has (based on a completely empty truck). YOu have already factored in passengers, driver, cargo so all you need is the actual tongue weight. On my Rockwood this is 15% of the trailers GVWR or 1,200 lb. With a standard duty truck this MAY put you close to your limit so watch that number. Other than that you should have no problems and that ALSO may not be a problem for you.
    Good luck / Skip