Yet another tow/weight question...
First time poster. I anticipate become a full-fledged member of this site/community as I get started. Like many, I am confused about my truck's towing capacity. I've read every word of this thread ...
Forum Discussion
It's really hard to judge - as there are a lot of factors still at play. Many will try to give rules of thumb (such as the 'use GVWR' note above), but those only go so far in some cases (if a trailer has 3k of cargo capacity, going by GVWR is probably overkill). So, here's the best quick overview I could suggest.
First, your payload is probably less than 1,681 - as that was the payload when the truck left the assembly line. Anything else added (bedliner, cover, mud flaps, bumper steps, etc.) all come off of that number. You can judge for yourself, or go to a scale to know for sure. I'll use 1,650 to start. So...
1,650:
-subtract driver and passenger weight (we'll say 400 for this example, you adjust).
-Subtract weight of the WD hitch (app. 100 pounds)
-Subtract weight of all gear, snacks, games, beverages in the cab (we'll say 50 pounds)
-Subtract tools, bikes, wood, grills, etc. in the bed (we'll say 100 pounds).
This would leave you with 1,000 pounds available for tongue weight. Assuming your hitch is rated to handle that tongue weight, you could handle somewhere around 7,500 pounds LOADED. I would suggest, based on that, you'd need to be looking at something under 6,500 pounds dry, if not closer to 6,000 even.
Obviously, you need to adjust the math based on your own family and configuration. We have 1,850 pounds of true payload available in our F150 (200 more than you), I keep the bed completely empty, and I still run right up against our GVWR with a trailer that is 8,000 pounds wet!
First, your payload is probably less than 1,681 - as that was the payload when the truck left the assembly line. Anything else added (bedliner, cover, mud flaps, bumper steps, etc.) all come off of that number. You can judge for yourself, or go to a scale to know for sure. I'll use 1,650 to start. So...
1,650:
-subtract driver and passenger weight (we'll say 400 for this example, you adjust).
-Subtract weight of the WD hitch (app. 100 pounds)
-Subtract weight of all gear, snacks, games, beverages in the cab (we'll say 50 pounds)
-Subtract tools, bikes, wood, grills, etc. in the bed (we'll say 100 pounds).
This would leave you with 1,000 pounds available for tongue weight. Assuming your hitch is rated to handle that tongue weight, you could handle somewhere around 7,500 pounds LOADED. I would suggest, based on that, you'd need to be looking at something under 6,500 pounds dry, if not closer to 6,000 even.
Obviously, you need to adjust the math based on your own family and configuration. We have 1,850 pounds of true payload available in our F150 (200 more than you), I keep the bed completely empty, and I still run right up against our GVWR with a trailer that is 8,000 pounds wet!
