TT tongue weight vs TV tongue weight capacity

[marko500]

I have a 2004 Lincoln Navigator with the tow package and self leveling air bag suspension. Ratings on truck are 8850lbs MGTW and 885lbs max tongue weight.
The trailer we want is rated at 7910lbs GVWR, 6090 unloaded vehicle weight, and 910lbs dry hitch weight.
All the numbers seem okay but I'm concerned about the hitch weight. Should I be concerned, am I correct in assuming I can lighten the hitch load by load placement in the trailer? It's so close but that little bit has me worried.
And I do plan on using a weight distributing hitch.
We camp very light and I believe the 50 gal fresh water tank is behind the rear axle. We don't have the trailer yet so not possible to get any real weights.

[lbrjet]

Hope everyone is OK.

[marko500]

TXiceman wrote:
Looks like marko500 has left the building. Being told he will likely not tow what he wants with his truck, he will move on to another forum and keep asking until he finds someone telling that he will do fine.


Ken

Well Ken since you seem to know me so well you should have known that I was with my son in my Navigator and we had a fairly serious accident with it. And NO we were not towing a trailer at the time.

[LarryJM]

TXiceman wrote:
Looks like marko500 has left the building. Being told he will likely not tow what he wants with his truck, he will move on to another forum and keep asking until he finds someone

Ken

Boy how true that is and it's kind of SCARY how often what you describe happens here. It's also very dishearting when a thread like you mention comes along and there are 5 or 6 replies all saying NO and then someone comes along and says "You'll be FINE" with no explanation. It makes me wonder that they person is REALLY ATTEMPTING to do ... I hope it's not to cause harm, but for the life of me I can't understand why someone would do something like that.

Oh well we can only do what we think is right and hope the sounder based comments stick better than those .... "JUST OUT THERE"

Larry

[TXiceman]

Looks like marko500 has left the building. Being told he will likely not tow what he wants with his truck, he will move on to another forum and keep asking until he finds someone telling that he will do fine.

On another note, I have yet to find the sticker on the drivers door jamb that list list the trucks towing capacity. It has some data used in calculating the actual tow capacity. The GVWR and the axle GAWR are there and in the owners manual you will find the GCWR for the specific cab, engine and rear axle ratio.

The OP needs to take his truck to the scales and load it with normal camping load of passengers, cargo and fuel and add 100# for the hitch if it is not installed on the truck.

GCWR - loaded truck = maximum loaded trailer weight.

GVWR - loaded truck = maximum loaded trailer tongue weight.

We can only hope that the OP takes heed and looks for a smaller trailer.

Ken

[Terryallan]

marko500 wrote:
I have a 2004 Lincoln Navigator with the tow package and self leveling air bag suspension. Ratings on truck are 8850lbs MGTW and 885lbs max tongue weight.
The trailer we want is rated at 7910lbs GVWR, 6090 unloaded vehicle weight, and 910lbs dry hitch weight.
All the numbers seem okay but I'm concerned about the hitch weight. Should I be concerned, am I correct in assuming I can lighten the hitch load by load placement in the trailer? It's so close but that little bit has me worried.
And I do plan on using a weight distributing hitch.
We camp very light and I believe the 50 gal fresh water tank is behind the rear axle. We don't have the trailer yet so not possible to get any real weights.

IF you really go back and check your weights. You will find you are over, or borderline, on ALL of them. By the time you and the family load up, and climb in the Navi, You towing capacity will be closer to 8000lbs. Every lb you put into the TV take away towing capacity.

No, You cannot reduce the tongue weight. Infact, you are going to raise it. Lightning the tongue weight will make the TT unmanageable, and extremely dangerous.

As others have said. find a better TV, or find a lighter trailer. This one is too heavy for your Navi.

[AlbertaNewbie]

You're nuts if you think you can make it work. Tw is already over on the dry brochure weight, count on 15% more actual dry tw, then add about 200lbs for wet tw, PLUS your 100lb wdh and you're looking at a tw of close to 1400lbs, which is probably your entire payload or more on that truck before you have any passengers and stuff.

[carringb]

Shifting the load to make tongue weight lighter is a good way to make an unstable trailer. Most TTs need more than 10% tongue weight to be stable. Sometimes even 15% is needed. Other trailers (like boats) can get by with less because they have a smaller moment of inertia (mass is closer to the axles).

[mosseater]

I'm guessing your payload isn't going to be up to the task even if the tongue weight isn't an issue for the receiver. I'll bet your loaded tongue weight is going easily north of 1100 lbs. Mine is 903 dry and with battery, full propane, and water on board, I have to work to keep it below 1200 lbs.

[APT]

I have never read anyone decrease travel trailer TW from dry rating. It always goes up. There is just more storage in front of the axles than behind on every TT.

You need to weigh the Navi. Payload on higher trim and luxury models is low on a half ton where payload is already the limitation. You may have 1200 pounds of payload which even at 910 pounds of TW leaves you less than 300 pounds for driver and family.

[DavisK]

You need to check the towing capacity listed on the sticker inside the driver's door and on the sticker on the hitch. You need to make sure you don't exceed either one, the car's capacity or the hitch capacity. The other thing I would be concerned about is the short wheelbase of the Navigator.

[OpenRangePullen]

Yep, that hitch weight on that trailer is going to break something, the hitch weight can only go up as you get prepped to camp in it.

[sch911]

I don't think that TT is too much for your vehicle. Regarding the hitch weight question: To know for sure load the Navigator as it would be for travel (including hitch and people) and have it weighed. Your payload (what's left for hitch weight) = GVWR - Actual Weight. Anything less than this would just be a guess based on marketing ratings.

[nomad297]

Which do you want more -- the Navigator or that particular camper? You need to decide.

Bruce

[LarryJM]

marko500 wrote:
I have a 2004 Lincoln Navigator with the tow package and self leveling air bag suspension. Ratings on truck are 8850lbs MGTW and 885lbs max tongue weight.
The trailer we want is rated at 7910lbs GVWR, 6090 unloaded vehicle weight, and 910lbs dry hitch weight.
All the numbers seem okay but I'm concerned about the hitch weight. Should I be concerned, am I correct in assuming I can lighten the hitch load by load placement in the trailer? It's so close but that little bit has me worried.
And I do plan on using a weight distributing hitch.
We camp very light and I believe the 50 gal fresh water tank is behind the rear axle. We don't have the trailer yet so not possible to get any real weights.

Look for another lighter trailer since that one is way too much for your TV. Your main limitation is going to be your payload for your Navigatorl.

Larry