Help! As much as I never thought we'd say it, we're looking to move to the dark side with a Rockwood Ultra Lite 2604. We're doing our homework and trying to figure the tongue weight. DH got the info from the dealer with our VIN, but they didn't have tongue weight. Our F-150 Crew Cab is rated at 8000+ - actually they said 8300, but he's sticking with 8000. GCVWR is 13,000+. It's a 5.4 with a 5.31 (?) rear end....he already put the book away and doesn't want to go and drag it back out, so please don't fuss if he has his numbers transposed or other. We'll be keeping the Equalizer set up. The tongue weight is 739# on the 2604. The GVWR is 6629. I already know that IF and when the time comes, I need to unload a few things....anybody want a Cuisnart Ice Cream Freezer??? How 'bout some other cr.. that we find?? I needed to do this anyway just for ease of getting around. I already unloaded the DO.. Our 23SS is at 5000# on the nose ready to pull out, so I know we won't get to the GVWR, but need to know how to figure the tongue weight.We/I really, really want to make this change. As much as we LOVE our ROO, age and ability is getting in the way. But, at the same time, don't want to be stupid and have a bad combo. If this works out, there will be a mint condition 23SS on the market with all sorts of little extras thrown in. Help!!!

You can take two bathroom scales and place them under the tongue jack with a 4X4 board between tthe scales. Lower the tongue jack onto the the 4X4 and read the scales, add the amounts together to get your tongue weight. Be sure to subtract the weight of the 4X4.Keep in mind you'll need scales with 400 pound capacity and the result you get may not be 100% accurate.The dealer or the manufacturer will have the tongue weight.

http://www.forestriverinc.com/TravelTrailers/UltraLite/default.aspx?model=ultra&page=floorplandetails&floorplanid=3988&RVType=trailersIs this what you are looking for?

I'm sorry, I didn't make that very clear....possibly because these calculations are not in my job description. What I need to know is with those engine/rear end numbers and with the numbers on the 2604, will we be in safe range with this combo. Did that make any better sense....I doubt it, but hope somebody can help us. Somehow I seem to remember (??) that the tongue weight should be x% of the GVWR or maybe not. Like I said, not in my job description. DH cannot find this in the owners manual and the Ford dealer thought it sounded fine, but wasn't sure. Not a close enough answer. Maybe I need to go out and retrieve the owners manual to double check the info. UGH! Maybe we should just keep the ROO - gonna cry if it leaves.

No street truck has that low of gears (numerically higher). Those would be for rock crawling or something. 4.10 is as low as I have ever seen a stock ford. 3.55 is a lot more common on the F-150. I have seen a few with 3.73 though. I wish I could help with your question, but I am new as far as towing goes.

Nope, maybe I'm totally messing up this question - it's happened before. I went and retrieved the manual and it's a 5.4 engine with a 3.55 rear end. Rated for 8300# trailer. So quess my queston is.....will a trailer with the # shown above and a tongue weight of 739# be good. Actually, the link to the 2604 above is not to the one we're looking at. That one is the 2604WS which has a huge wardrobe in the bedroom area that is a second slide. We're looking at the 2604 with only the dinette/sofa slide. We don't need or want that much extra space or weight. Reminder that we are using the Equalizer with sway and Prodigy just as we have now. Please don't let us make a huge mistake here. Chuck and Dan.....where are you?????

Tongue Weight calculating | Good Sam Community

16 Replies

dadmomh
Explorer
May 08, 2013
Bingo! Wayne and Chuck win! That is the info we needed - or maybe I should say reinforcement of our thinking. DH is still a basket case over this decision - he's also dealing with issues with his mother's assisted living, but that's another whole stressor of its own - but is strongly leaning toward the change IF all the ducks line up. I never thought that we'd be even considering a hardside, but things change. Now, anybody interested in a near-new condition 23SS with brand spankin' new tires and stored undercover 24/7 and meticulously maintained?
Chuck_S
Explorer
May 08, 2013
Like Wayne says. The "dry" tongue weight is not what you need to be concerned with, it's the loaded tongue weight.

The "dry" tongue weight of the Roo 23SS is listed at 435 pounds. As you can see my measured tongue weight is about 675 pounds and Wayne's is at least 600.

The Rockwood 2604 specs at just over 6600 pounds fully loaded so the truck should handle it nicely albeit not as easily as the Roo 23SS. Tongue weight should remain under 900 (my guess!).

I can't imagine, though, that your F150 will be rated any less than my Expedition's 900 pound tongue weight limit (with a WDH).

-- Chuck
dadmomh
Explorer
May 08, 2013
Good thought. Somewhere in the glove box might be the info from the last weigh-in. Will go on a search for it. Thanks for all the info.
wmoses
Explorer
May 08, 2013
dadmomh wrote:
.... I already unloaded the DO.. Our 23SS is at 5000# on the nose ready to pull out, so I know we won't get to the GVWR, but need to know how to figure the tongue weight.

Based on the title of the thread and the above, you might find this post useful.

http://forums.trailerlife.com/Index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/26103836.cfm

If you knew what your tongue weight was presently, you could get an idea of how the truck would behave with the new trailer. Note how the spec tongue weight means little. The spec tongue weight of my RV is 350# whereas the actual tongue weight is about 600#.
dadmomh
Explorer
May 08, 2013
Remembering that we're not looking at the 2604WS - with a second slide, but rather the 2604 with at GVWR of 6629 - without the second slide. According to the specs, the tongue weight is 739#, so if I'm reading all this right, we should be fine and still have plenty of wiggle room to be safe weightwise. Right?
sh410
Explorer
May 07, 2013
The GVWR of the 2604WS is 6739# and 12% of that for tongue wt is 808#. It likely to be OK with your F150. You can look at the driverside door post and look for the load sticker that will say what the maximum load that can be carried in your PU. This is not the GVWR.Subtract 800# from the payload sticker and that will give you whats left for driver passengers and stuff.
Chuck_S
Explorer
May 07, 2013
double tap
Chuck_S
Explorer
May 07, 2013
I'm here but I'm missing your question.

You determine tongue weight with a scale. :)

Here's mine:

The acceptable tongue weight on the truck is probably 800-900 pounds with a WDH, maybe as high as 1000. It'll be in the truck's manual.

-- Chuck
Desert_Captain
Explorer III
May 07, 2013
"Since optimum tongue weight is considered to be around ten percent of total, I recommend using about 650 pounds of tongue as a planning number for that trailer."

Not true. Optimum tongue weight is between 12 and 15%. Tongue weight of 10% is a recipe for a serious sway problem. So called "Dry Tongue" weights are the biggest farce on the planet. Take 13% of the trailers GVWR and you will be very close to the optimum real world tongue weight. :C
dadmomh
Explorer
May 07, 2013
Ok, that's the direction I was trying to go. Thanks. We're looking at a 2013 with the #s in the original post. I'm guessing that the tongue weight is over that 10% because there is a bedroom and bath forward of the axels....I think. The kitchen and bath could actually be mostly over the axels - hard to tell in the pix. But the bed and cabinets are on the front wall, so probably the extra percentage on the tongue. Anyone x2??

We went into the ROO without a worry, but maybe that was stupidity. DH is a basket case over making sure we don't get ourselves into something that's too snug for safety. We love the ROO and if this doesn't work out, life will go on and we love our ROO, so it would be ok. But, darn!, I'd love for this to be workable....especially while he's still in the mood.