Pulling a 7500# Travel Trailer
I am looking to buy a TT that is 7500#. I have a 2010 f150 with 5.4liter, 3.55, and 145"WB. I am rated up to 9600#. I am wondering if this 7500# TT is to much weight to be pulled by my 2010 f-1...
Forum Discussion
Too much trailer for the truck.
My 31 Ft Layton was 4950lbs dry. Loaded for camping we sat at about 6600 lbs scaled.
I pulled it all over Tennessee with my 97 F150 with 5.4 and 3.55 gears.
I remember one pull in particular up a 6% 3-4 mile grade... The truck did the job....I hit the grade doing 60 and reached the top turning 5000 RPM and doing 35 mph.
I am a gasser driver and am comfortable losing speed.
However, at 7500 lbs brochure dry weight you are really looking at 7750-8000 lbs before you pull it off the lot with add on's, few gallons of water in the tank from the PDI, etc...
After food, clothing, pots, pans, sheets, blankets, awning lights, camp chairs, bikes...... Your trailer will be more like 9000 plus lbs loaded down.
9000 x .13 = 1,170 lbs of tongue weight.
9000 x .15 = 1,350 lbs of tongue weight
Here are some facts that you will have to resolve if you buy this trailer and pull it with your F150...
1) you will be over your receiver rating
2) you will be over the payload sticker by the time you hook up and load the truck
3) you will receive receiver flex due to the receiver being overloaded and then applying the torque from the 1400 lb weight distribution hitch bars. The only alternative is to have a custom reinforced class IV receiver built that can handle the weight.
4) the rear suspension will be maxed out ... So you will eventually add Timbren SES or Airbags to Strap up the tail end.
5) you may be over the p rated tires load ratings...so you may be upgrading to the LT range of tires.
6) the first serious grade you hit you will find that you are crawling, not at 35 MPH but a 20-25 mph because of the 3.55 gears. The. You will change to 4:56 gears and resolve the speed up the hill issue.
By #6 you will have resolved all the issues you can without changing one fact...you still have a half ton truck.
With that said, there are those who do exactly what I say above and enhance the capability of the truck. There is performance to be gotten by doing this and will cost you between $2000-3000 to do these changes.
Then in the back of your mind you will have to deal with the voice that says "your overloaded".
I am by NO means the weight police and I will advocate the half ton till I am blue in the face but....
I think you are squarely in 3/4 ton truck range or HD Half ton range.
The two half ton trucks that may handle this load are the F150 with the Max Payload and the Max Tow package and the Silverado with the NHT package.
There are some great reports on the new 6.4 Ram 2500 Gasser :).
Cheers and good luck!
Jeremiah
My 31 Ft Layton was 4950lbs dry. Loaded for camping we sat at about 6600 lbs scaled.
I pulled it all over Tennessee with my 97 F150 with 5.4 and 3.55 gears.
I remember one pull in particular up a 6% 3-4 mile grade... The truck did the job....I hit the grade doing 60 and reached the top turning 5000 RPM and doing 35 mph.
I am a gasser driver and am comfortable losing speed.
However, at 7500 lbs brochure dry weight you are really looking at 7750-8000 lbs before you pull it off the lot with add on's, few gallons of water in the tank from the PDI, etc...
After food, clothing, pots, pans, sheets, blankets, awning lights, camp chairs, bikes...... Your trailer will be more like 9000 plus lbs loaded down.
9000 x .13 = 1,170 lbs of tongue weight.
9000 x .15 = 1,350 lbs of tongue weight
Here are some facts that you will have to resolve if you buy this trailer and pull it with your F150...
1) you will be over your receiver rating
2) you will be over the payload sticker by the time you hook up and load the truck
3) you will receive receiver flex due to the receiver being overloaded and then applying the torque from the 1400 lb weight distribution hitch bars. The only alternative is to have a custom reinforced class IV receiver built that can handle the weight.
4) the rear suspension will be maxed out ... So you will eventually add Timbren SES or Airbags to Strap up the tail end.
5) you may be over the p rated tires load ratings...so you may be upgrading to the LT range of tires.
6) the first serious grade you hit you will find that you are crawling, not at 35 MPH but a 20-25 mph because of the 3.55 gears. The. You will change to 4:56 gears and resolve the speed up the hill issue.
By #6 you will have resolved all the issues you can without changing one fact...you still have a half ton truck.
With that said, there are those who do exactly what I say above and enhance the capability of the truck. There is performance to be gotten by doing this and will cost you between $2000-3000 to do these changes.
Then in the back of your mind you will have to deal with the voice that says "your overloaded".
I am by NO means the weight police and I will advocate the half ton till I am blue in the face but....
I think you are squarely in 3/4 ton truck range or HD Half ton range.
The two half ton trucks that may handle this load are the F150 with the Max Payload and the Max Tow package and the Silverado with the NHT package.
There are some great reports on the new 6.4 Ram 2500 Gasser :).
Cheers and good luck!
Jeremiah
