Making sense of Tow #'s

[itguy08]

Looking at buying my first truck and need some help with Towing. We're planning to get an RV in a year or 2 and I want it to do it right the first time!

Looking at a 2011 F150 Supercrew Ecoboost with Max Tow. According to the Payload on the door jamb it's 1850 lbs and Ford says it can tow 11,200 lbs.

Now we've been looking at RV's for a few years now and like these:
Jayco 33RLDS
Jayco 26RKS
Lacrosse 323RST
Lacrosse 327RES
Prowler 30PRLS
Outback 316RL

All have gross weights between 8,400 lbs and 10,300 lbs. and about 30-36ft. I worked up a spreadsheet based on 10 and 15% tongue weight and it looks like at 10% we're good as we have 820 and 1010 payload left. At 15% it gets a lot closer and in some cases only 300 lbs.

Is this doable and with a Weight Distributing hitch would it make sense or should we be looking elsewhere?

Also the #'s I came up with on young weight are much different that the RV brochures. Is that normal?

[itguy08]

handye9 wrote:

It's amazing how fast the weight adds up. Average load of dishes, pots / pans, bedding, BBQ, camp chairs, groceries, water, etc, is 10 - 1200 lbs. If you get in a situation where you have to tow with full tanks, thats 8 - 10 lbs for every gallon in black and grey tanks. Don't know about trailers the OP is looking at, but my TT has 112 gallons combined black and grey. Thats about 1000 lbs right there.

OP - You may want to verify your payload. Very possible, that 1850 number is a generic F150 max payload. If so, that would be max payload for a stripped down 2 wheel drive model.


Thanks. I was wondering what an average for all that stuff would be. Most likely I'd never travel with the tanks full - we're mainly looking at campground camping so emptying tanks before we leave would not be an issue.

The 1850 is straight off the yellow sticker on the truck. I verified it after the test drive.

[handye9]

rfryer wrote:

From reading these posts for a long time my impression is people who pull near their max don’t like the experience and most often upgrade the TV or sometimes go to a smaller TT.

Been there, done that, didn't like it. Windy days created some serious white knuckles and leg cramps.

I wouldn’t go with a 10% HW, you’ll likely be closer to the 15%. In lieu of having some real world numbers I’d use the GVWR of the TT for your calculations. Too, I would ignore the effect of the WD hitch to squeeze in under the ratings. Others may disagree, but that always struck me as bordering on an act of desperation.

It's amazing how fast the weight adds up. Average load of dishes, pots / pans, bedding, BBQ, camp chairs, groceries, water, etc, is 10 - 1200 lbs. If you get in a situation where you have to tow with full tanks, thats 8 - 10 lbs for every gallon in black and grey tanks. Don't know about trailers the OP is looking at, but my TT has 112 gallons combined black and grey. Thats about 1000 lbs right there.

OP - You may want to verify your payload. Very possible, that 1850 number is a generic F150 max payload. If so, that would be max payload for a stripped down 2 wheel drive model.

GVWR for same year and model F150's will be the same for all of them. Available payload will be different from one truck to another, depending on the weight of anything that has been added by dealer or customer.

[itguy08]

The one we are looking at is Max Tow buy not the HD Payload.

Anyone have any recommendations on units that would work? (So we can look at floor plans.)

Thanks all!

[uterep]

Also look at the HD option this push's the F150 closer to a F250 in towing ability

[rfryer]

The F150 EB has a reputation as a strong TV. But it’s still a ½ ton. If I were considering as massive a TT as you are I’d be inclined to go with a heavier built ¾ ton, too. Just because the TT falls within the TV rating doesn’t mean you’ll enjoy pulling it. Most especially if you want to do any mountain driving.

From reading these posts for a long time my impression is people who pull near their max don’t like the experience and most often upgrade the TV or sometimes go to a smaller TT. Then again, one frequent poster, Skip, has an EB and pulls a 30’ plus TT and is perfectly happy with it. Maybe he’ll chip in with some firsthand info.

Then, too, don’t overlook where you want to go. If you stay in tame areas and like commercial parks it shouldn’t be a problem. But the size can be very restrictive for a lot of campgrounds and more scenic roads and areas and you’ll likely have to make reservations to ensure you have a site. Plus you’ll need to be careful where you gas up or pull off because of the difficulty of maneuvering tight areas.

I wouldn’t go with a 10% HW, you’ll likely be closer to the 15%. In lieu of having some real world numbers I’d use the GVWR of the TT for your calculations. Too, I would ignore the effect of the WD hitch to squeeze in under the ratings. Others may disagree, but that always struck me as bordering on an act of desperation.

[old_guy]

I have found that brochures don't always tell the true weights of TT. for one thing the stuff you load into a TT may put the numbers way out of site for a ford 150. I had a chevy 1/2 ton and towed for many years with it. had my share of scary moments and I would always be on the look out for things to add to the truck to make it tow better. One day a friend told me I should have bought a 3/4 in the first place. So I did buy a 3/4 and boy was he ever right. I will go back to a 1/2 ton again, only if I don't tow any thing. my advise is the same as my friends, if you are going to tow any thing, get a 3/4 ton with a tow package and never look back.

[Old-Biscuit]

itguy08 wrote:

Old-Biscuit wrote:
Tongue weights will be closer to 15% (even more) than 10%

Yes Ford claims 11,200# towing but are you 150# and going by yourself?

When the towing experience is no fun......folks stop going and having fun.

Is it 15% from the #s in the brochure or 15% from the GVWR of the trailer? Cause when I do 10 and 15% from the GVWR or even the unloaded weight, none of those #'s match what's printed in the brochures.

This is way confusing!

GVWR.
Brochures lie :B Well maybe not lie..but fuzzy math for sure
And forget 'dry' numbers....nobody tows dry and dry doesn't always include options/add-ons etc.

[Steeljag]

You can stay with the same makes, just stay in the 26' & 28' ft area.

[pappcam]

I'd keep it down below 8000 GVWR with a 1/2 ton. There are lots of options in the 6500-8000 range which would be a decent match for your truck.

[itguy08]

Old-Biscuit wrote:
Tongue weights will be closer to 15% (even more) than 10%

Yes Ford claims 11,200# towing but are you 150# and going by yourself?

When the towing experience is no fun......folks stop going and having fun.

Is it 15% from the #s in the brochure or 15% from the GVWR of the trailer? Cause when I do 10 and 15% from the GVWR or even the unloaded weight, none of those #'s match what's printed in the brochures.

This is way confusing!

[itguy08]

Then I guess the next question would be what should we be looking at for towing behind this truck? Weight, size, what?

The only thing keeping me in the F150 camp is the fact that the truck may end up being my daily driver a few years down the road and I've got a 38 mile 1 way commute so getting, say 19 MPG in an Ecobost vs, say 10MPG in a F250 makes a huge difference in fuel costs.

[Old-Biscuit]

Tongue weights will be closer to 15% (even more) than 10%

Yes Ford claims 11,200# towing but are you 150# and going by yourself?

When the towing experience is no fun......folks stop going and having fun.

[pappcam]

I'd never tow any of those trailers except the smaller Jayco with a 1/2 ton but it's up to you after you calculate real world numbers. Seems like your tastes in TT's are in 3/4 ton territory.

[outdoorlovers]

3/4 ton - I'm a female and don't have all the specifics but I was always the one driving when we were going up steep grades. I then understood all those advocating for 3/4 ton vs. the 1/2 ton Nissan Titan we purchased. We now tow with a 3/4 ton Dodge - all the difference in the world. And, because of that change, we were able to enter the FW market. Others will disagree but I now understand buy more than you think you need for towing.