Forum Discussion

Marshmallow256's avatar
Marshmallow256
Explorer
Sep 13, 2018

F150 pulling near it’s max

First time poster, but not new to towing.

I have a 2015 f150 eco boost, non max tow. I regularly pull near my max, but that is with being able to set the load on the trailer to perfectly distribute the weight. Also have a boat that weighs 9-9.5k, but again is set to have a perfect balance, and it typically towed short distances.

That being said, I’m not new to pulling heavy, and I don’t have a lead foot. Now here’s where my question lies. I’m going to Nebraska in late november for a week of pheasant hunting. We’re renting a trailer from rvshare.com. It weight 8500 dry, and we’ll only be pulling it with a few bags of clothes, a couple gun bags, and maybe a bin of linens. Obviously it’ll have a weight distribution hitch, but being that it’s not perfectly set like I set my trailers at home, should I be reconsidering my decision? I’ll be picking the trailer up in Omaha, and traveling 350 miles west, parking it for a week, and then returning. I don’t have a time limit, and I don’t have to travel 65+. I’m content at 55 or what the road conditions call for.

Any advice or input is helpful. Thank you.
Tow Vehicles
  • Grit_dog's avatar
    Grit_dog
    Navigator
    Oct 13, 2018
    Huntindog wrote:
    demiles wrote:
    Grit dog wrote:
    See, all answers are opinions.
    Some feel that a little trip across NE is a large task, others consider it not much more than a trip to the corner Quick Mart.
    Some liken the OPs trip to pulling that trailer full time for the next 10 years cross country and some realize he's not talking about a long term relationship between the truck and trailer.
    Some feel unsafe or overwhelmed if the trailer is bigger than the truck, some don't care as long as it will pull with relative competency.
    Some think a miserable experience is driving anything less than a loaded Escalade, some would cherish a straight piped 1st gen with a stick shift and a turned up pump.
    Some like to change the story to one of their own, some address the question at hand without getting out in left field.

    So goes the saga. Opinions are like a holes. Everyone has one, and they all stink! Lol


    God forbid you present them with facts, it really confuses them.
    And some think that they don't need seatbelts as they have never needed them.

    This situation is like that.

    There are VERY few nowadays that think that seat belts do not work,,,, but some still do not wear them. They understand the risk, and do it anyway.
    Just because they took a chance without incident doesn't change the fact that it was a risk.

    The OP WILL be over. Even if he does it without incident does not change that fact.


    And some people get on line and ask if it's ok to use their phone in a thunderstorm or if they should leave the house if the wind is blowing out of the East.
    Yes seat belts save lives, but what is a bigger risk, no seatbelt heading to the corner store or dirtbike on a rocky single track on the steep side of a Mountian?
    Should no dirt bikes become a law too? How far do you go to protect yourself or others from the least common denominator?
    Should, I only wakeboard where the water is 5' deep or less in case I fall, I can stand up and don't have to swim?
    What about cooking? Maybe should only microwave so there's no chance of burning myself on the oven door...but then there's the danger of microwaves.....
    Oh gawd, I'm going back to bed. I should move the bed down stairs so no risk of tripping on the stairs....
  • Grit_dog's avatar
    Grit_dog
    Navigator
    Oct 13, 2018
    Marshmallow256 wrote:
    Plans have changed. I'm now taking my in-laws 35' 5th wheel, using their f350 dually. They originally were going to be using it for a trip to Arizona, but they had to cancel, so they offered it to us.


    Excellent!
    Please don't ask about pulling it across Nebraska though.....you'll get questioned as to whether you've analyzed pin weight vs gvw vs rawr and how that may affect the one 10' tall hill west of Kearney. Oh wait that was just an overpass......
  • Marshmallow256's avatar
    Marshmallow256
    Explorer
    Oct 09, 2018
    Plans have changed. I'm now taking my in-laws 35' 5th wheel, using their f350 dually. They originally were going to be using it for a trip to Arizona, but they had to cancel, so they offered it to us.
  • Huntindog's avatar
    Huntindog
    Explorer
    Sep 16, 2018
    demiles wrote:
    Grit dog wrote:
    See, all answers are opinions.
    Some feel that a little trip across NE is a large task, others consider it not much more than a trip to the corner Quick Mart.
    Some liken the OPs trip to pulling that trailer full time for the next 10 years cross country and some realize he's not talking about a long term relationship between the truck and trailer.
    Some feel unsafe or overwhelmed if the trailer is bigger than the truck, some don't care as long as it will pull with relative competency.
    Some think a miserable experience is driving anything less than a loaded Escalade, some would cherish a straight piped 1st gen with a stick shift and a turned up pump.
    Some like to change the story to one of their own, some address the question at hand without getting out in left field.

    So goes the saga. Opinions are like a holes. Everyone has one, and they all stink! Lol


    God forbid you present them with facts, it really confuses them.
    And some think that they don't need seatbelts as they have never needed them.

    This situation is like that.

    There are VERY few nowadays that think that seat belts do not work,,,, but some still do not wear them. They understand the risk, and do it anyway.
    Just because they took a chance without incident doesn't change the fact that it was a risk.

    The OP WILL be over. Even if he does it without incident does not change that fact.
  • demiles's avatar
    demiles
    Explorer
    Sep 15, 2018
    Grit dog wrote:
    See, all answers are opinions.
    Some feel that a little trip across NE is a large task, others consider it not much more than a trip to the corner Quick Mart.
    Some liken the OPs trip to pulling that trailer full time for the next 10 years cross country and some realize he's not talking about a long term relationship between the truck and trailer.
    Some feel unsafe or overwhelmed if the trailer is bigger than the truck, some don't care as long as it will pull with relative competency.
    Some think a miserable experience is driving anything less than a loaded Escalade, some would cherish a straight piped 1st gen with a stick shift and a turned up pump.
    Some like to change the story to one of their own, some address the question at hand without getting out in left field.

    So goes the saga. Opinions are like a holes. Everyone has one, and they all stink! Lol


    God forbid you present them with facts, it really confuses them.
  • Marshmallow256's avatar
    Marshmallow256
    Explorer
    Sep 15, 2018
    Groover wrote:
    "My boat has a massive t-top and a huge bow flare, but it ties nicely. It’s trailer does have electric brakes, since I don’t like surge."

    Electric brakes on boat trailers are quite rare due to corrosion and being really annoying after the boat is unloaded. My brother put some on his boat trailer but he had a tilt trailer and kept the axle dry plus put a disconnect on the brake circuit. Do you have electric over hydraulic? How do you deal with those issues? I am just curious and hope that you don't mind me asking. Also, I have had pretty good luck with surge brakes but it is hard to find an actuator for trailers over 6000lbs


    They’re fully electric. It was custom built by a shop in Florida. All connectors are heat shrinked and I keep them geled up. I hose the whole trailer down after I wash the boat. No issues in the 3 years I’ve had the trailer. It’s typically put in the water on the Chesapeake, but it’s made it’s way to the inlets on the ocean 10-15 times.
  • Groover's avatar
    Groover
    Explorer II
    Sep 15, 2018
    "My boat has a massive t-top and a huge bow flare, but it ties nicely. It’s trailer does have electric brakes, since I don’t like surge."

    Electric brakes on boat trailers are quite rare due to corrosion and being really annoying after the boat is unloaded. My brother put some on his boat trailer but he had a tilt trailer and kept the axle dry plus put a disconnect on the brake circuit. Do you have electric over hydraulic? How do you deal with those issues? I am just curious and hope that you don't mind me asking. Also, I have had pretty good luck with surge brakes but it is hard to find an actuator for trailers over 6000lbs
  • Grit_dog's avatar
    Grit_dog
    Navigator
    Sep 15, 2018
    See, all answers are opinions.
    Some feel that a little trip across NE is a large task, others consider it not much more than a trip to the corner Quick Mart.
    Some liken the OPs trip to pulling that trailer full time for the next 10 years cross country and some realize he's not talking about a long term relationship between the truck and trailer.
    Some feel unsafe or overwhelmed if the trailer is bigger than the truck, some don't care as long as it will pull with relative competency.
    Some think a miserable experience is driving anything less than a loaded Escalade, some would cherish a straight piped 1st gen with a stick shift and a turned up pump.
    Some like to change the story to one of their own, some address the question at hand without getting out in left field.

    So goes the saga. Opinions are like a holes. Everyone has one, and they all stink! Lol
  • Groover's avatar
    Groover
    Explorer II
    Sep 15, 2018
    "My boat has a massive t-top and a huge bow flare, but it ties nicely. It’s trailer does have electric brakes, since I don’t like surge. My work trailer also has electrics. I installed a tekonsha p3 when I bought the truck back in 15. The truck has the electronic sway control, although I have no idea how it works.

    Also, it has load range E tires. I replaced the factory ones at 10k since they had a lot of sidewall flex. "

    Boats don't seem to have sway issues nearly as much as campers and for lack of a better reason I have attributed that to the pointed bow of a boat vs the typically boxy front of a camper.

    I believe that the sway control works by activating the trailer brakes when sway is detected by the antilock brake system but this only works with the factory brake controller, I could be wrong on that. I just wanted to be sure that you know that a manual intervention on the brake controller can be a big help if you do encounter sway.

    "Once your up over 7500lb loaded trailer weight your in 3/4 ton truck territory in my opinion." And my 1991 F250 with the highest tow rating of any pickup built that year was rated for 10,000lbs behind the truck or 12,500lbs on a fifth wheel. The new ones are rated for double to triple that much with a more demanding qualification test. All trucks have increased in capacity since then. I will go with the builder's ratings if you don't mind.
  • Camper_G's avatar
    Camper_G
    Explorer
    Sep 15, 2018
    Once your up over 7500lb loaded trailer weight your in 3/4 ton truck territory in my opinion. If 8500 is your actual loaded trailer weight, plus gear and passengers, your asking a lot of any 1/2 ton truck.

    It does sound like you know what your doing though. Upgraded tires, great move. Driving slower, good choice.

    My biggest concern would be your trucks rear axle weight rating rawr and making sure your within that and not overloading it. You really should hit a cat scale and check your weights before you head west. That is critical information to help you set up your wdh. I have and you can tow heavy with a half ton, but having your wdh dialed in perfectly becomes much more critical.

    Good luck and be safe. Sounds like a fun trip.

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