Bought new TT today, 2016 Stealth, worried I cant pull it!

[AMG1978]

Today I bought a 2016 Forest River Stealth WA2916 toy hauler. I have a 2015 Ford F-150 3.5L EcoBoost, 6.5' bed, 4x4, SuperCrew, MaxTow package, 3.55 axle, 157" wheelbase. ford site: http://www.ford.com/resources/ford/general/pdf/towingguides/15RV&TT_Ford_F150_r1_Jan12.pdf

My truck shows with a full 36 gallon tank, I have a payload of 1630lbs (with a full tank, @ 300lbs of fuel). Ford.com shows my maximum loaded trailer weight of 11,700lbs. I planned on using an Anderson WDH with "no-sway". I haven't bought it yet, but will. I used a ProSeries bar unit on my current TT, and it was noisy, heavy, and couldn't back up. Want something better. (http://www.amazon.com/Andersen-3380-Distribution-Universal-Brackets/dp/B006X21BH0).

My truck has AirLift airbags installed too. I do not plan on having anything in the bed of the truck, simply myself, my wife, son, daughter and dog in the cab. In the rear of the toy hauler, I thought any weight REAR of the axles (dirt bikes, boxes, gear, etc.) may reduce the hitch weight, am I grasping on this one? I definitely have no plans to load it up anywhere near the max. I don't own sand rails or quads, just a few motorcycles and normal gear. We keep minimal water in it until we get to close to where we are going, or where we are going directly, then fill 'er up.

My biggest concern right now is the hitch weight on their site shows 1025lbs, I can't say what the ACTUAL hitch weight is on this model, it hasn't been delivered to the dealer yet, but we did sign papers and put $1,000 down.

Am I crazy?
Do I scramble this week to trade my F-150 in on an F-250?
I might add, that I am replacing my 25' TT that weighs about 1/2 dry (4000'ish) and a 500lb hitch weight. I pulled it with ease.

Moderator edit to re-size picture to forum recommended limit of 640px maximum width.

[CantCampEnuf]

badercubed wrote:
So I had a 2013 F-150 Crew Cab Max Tow and rushed into purchasing a 35ft TT. The truck handled the 9600lb trailer with 1300lb tongue weight admirably, but I could tell I was undersized after making a few trips.

Will it do it? Yes.
Will you be pleased? Maybe to start.

I upgraded my truck because once I got the new trailer I wanted to take longer trips. I wasn't comfortable going on a 2,000mi ride with it. A 200mi ride, I could bear it

Agree 100%. It will handle it. Is it undersized for trailer? yes. We pulled our 32jayco bhds behind our 2014 F150 supercrew. Pulls it better then my excursion ever pulled my previous trailer. But I know the payload is an issue. I do not have as much tongue weight as you. have. I am going to upgrade my tires.

[taken]

LOLOLOL. Isn't that the truth....

[DynoDragn]

It's always fun reading the tow vehicle rating threads. By the time you finish you feel you need this



To tow this

[taken]

Fortunately, CA is the only state in the nation that checks private rigs for weight so unless that's where you live or camp, it's really a non issue. Sure, if the deal is right, grab the 350. I did. But, if the deal is right on a 250 that's ok too. To get a new, identically equipped SRW 350, it's less than $800 more than a 250. However, in some areas, SRW 350s are much harder to find.

[mrw8i]

If you are considering a 3/4 ton, do not rule out a 1 ton. At some point you are going to consider a 5th wheel Toy Hauler - the 1 ton will most likely be a much better fit for that. As others have said 3/4 ton has limited yellow sticker payload, whatever the reason for the limited payload it is limited at the factory and nothing will change the printing on the yellow sticker.

[BubbaChris]

AMG1978 wrote:

I've read people who have pulled 12,000lb with 1200+ tw and said the hitch worked out great. I did see some negative feedback from a few people who had down right major problems with it. I guess I figure you cant please everyone. I appreciate your feedback and it could be that this is a mistake, but I own it now. It's sitting downstairs, so there's no going back on that other than down the road selling it used to buy some other hitch. We'll see how it goes.

Totally understand. Part of what I'm dealing with is a TV with passenger tires rather than LT's, so that adds to the flex in the setup. If you hook up a heavier load to a better matched TV then the Andersen may perform well.

You may already know the common trick for attaching your WDH is to crank up the tongue jack so you're not working with any tension on the system while attaching the nuts.

I'd also advise putting tape or some other type of marking just behind the mounts on the trailer's frame to make sure they aren't slipping forward under load (mine did at first).

[Bedlam]

Maybe you can provide us with some actual axle weights with the WDH connected and disconnected while the trailer still sits on the ball. We can see if you are outside any rating or if adjustments will make this a better combination that will allow you enjoy some camping without more equipment changes.

[Mike_E_]

As for the semi passing you...

You will feel that even with a 3500 truck. Semi's push a huge wall of air that is going to be felt by you regardless.
I noticed it when the nose of the semi reached the point between the front of my trailer and the back of my truck.....just a slight "sucking in feeling as the wall of air hit me.
I compensated by just moving over to the white line to lessen the effect and slightly steer away from the "sucking in".....hope that makes sense.

Now, if the semi is causing your trailer to move indepentently from your truck, then that is a cause for concern.
As it sits, your truck/trailer will feel the odd tug as a unit, but 'trucking up' will not eliminate it.....towed with a 2500 Suburban and F350 and had this occur. Never any sway, just the slight tug.

Enjoy the trailer!!!!

[AMG1978]

We picked up the TH today. It was 40 miles home with a few decent grades. I think we could have gone 65 up them if I wanted to have the truck really working hard, but I dont drive that fast even on flats towing. I can definitely feel the difference in weight back there, but the damn truck does pull it when you get on the gas. I guess the twin turbos help.

I will say I can feel a difference when I got passed by a semi, even in the lane to the side of me going a bit faster than me. It did feel like the trailer was causing my truck to want to move around. The WDH has anti-sway , but It is a really big sail at 35' long. I have to imagine that the F-250 6.7L Powertroke decked out has to be a few thousand more pounds.

I am going to see what I can work in regards to some deals on my '15 F-150 for a 2011-2015 F-250. TBD...

[AMG1978]

BubbaChris wrote:
IMO you DO NOT want to pair the Andersen WDH with your new trailer.

I have it for my 6,000lb (loaded) TT and it does not transfer as much weight to the front tires as recommended. We do have handling problems with this setup and I'm not sure if they are from the WDH or a too-light tongue weight.

OTOH, my DW can get us 100% hooked-up with this setup. So I'm not in a hurry to spend the money to try another WDH.

Re: truck scales - you may be able to find some scales closer to home. Call around.

I've read people who have pulled 12,000lb with 1200+ tw and said the hitch worked out great. I did see some negative feedback from a few people who had down right major problems with it. I guess I figure you cant please everyone. I appreciate your feedback and it could be that this is a mistake, but I own it now. It's sitting downstairs, so there's no going back on that other than down the road selling it used to buy some other hitch. We'll see how it goes.

[BubbaChris]

IMO you DO NOT want to pair the Andersen WDH with your new trailer.

I have it for my 6,000lb (loaded) TT and it does not transfer as much weight to the front tires as recommended. We do have handling problems with this setup and I'm not sure if they are from the WDH or a too-light tongue weight.

OTOH, my DW can get us 100% hooked-up with this setup. So I'm not in a hurry to spend the money to try another WDH.

Re: truck scales - you may be able to find some scales closer to home. Call around.

[trail-explorer]

2016 Forest River Stealth WA2916 toy hauler + 2015 Ford F-150 3.5L EcoBoost, 6.5' bed, 4x4, SuperCrew, MaxTow package, 3.55 axle, 157" wheelbase. = mega fail.

Time to go truck shopping.

[taken]

itguy08 wrote:

taken wrote:

As I just posted, the payload is a fabricated number on an F250. It is IDENTICAL to a SRW F350 so the payload on an identically equipped 350 is your real number. The 250 is de-rated from the factory to fill a different market segment and has no physical differences other than the sticker on the door jamb.

Well, I'd rather go with what is posted on the door jamb of the truck rather than an Internet rumor. I find it funny when people say the 1/2 tons are overloaded an unsafe at their capacities but you can overload a 3/4- 1 ton without issue.

It's not an "internet rumor." I (as well as tons of other Ford enthusiasts) have personally verified every part number in question between the two to be identical. I also never said a half ton was unsafe. I was one of the people who told the OP he would likely be fine with his current TV and to try it before upgrading the truck.

[itguy08]

taken wrote:

As I just posted, the payload is a fabricated number on an F250. It is IDENTICAL to a SRW F350 so the payload on an identically equipped 350 is your real number. The 250 is de-rated from the factory to fill a different market segment and has no physical differences other than the sticker on the door jamb.

Well, I'd rather go with what is posted on the door jamb of the truck rather than an Internet rumor. If you have any issue or accident they will blame you being overloaded as per the sticker. Doesn't matter what the Internet says.

I find it funny when people say the 1/2 tons are overloaded an unsafe at their capacities but you can overload a 3/4- 1 ton without issue.

[taken]

itguy08 wrote:

taken wrote:
You will have plenty of truck with a 11-14 250 6.7. The F250 is identical to the SRW F350 so it will handle your new rig like it's not back there! Enjoy the search. Shopping is half the fun...

Just watch the payloads on the F250 Diesel. They can be as low as the F150. Diesels are HEAVY!

As I just posted, the payload is a fabricated number on an F250. It is IDENTICAL to a SRW F350 so the payload on an identically equipped 350 is your real number. The 250 is de-rated from the factory to fill a different market segment and has no physical differences other than the sticker on the door jamb.