Is this truck and trailer combo safe??

[Lula85]

So I've been lurking here for awhile, and now DH and I are getting ready to purchase our first travel trailer.

His truck is rated to tow 6,200 pounds, and the payload is 1,688 pounds.

The trailer we really want is the Lance 1685.
Dry weight is 3710. GVWR is 5500. Dry hitch weight is 435.

Do we have enough wiggle room to be safe? Or, should we find something that is much lower than the 6200 his truck is rated at?




Also- if anyone has any other trailers to recommend, I'd love to hear them. Looking for something that sleeps 4-6 (we currently have one small child), 6 cubic ft fridge, large as possible tanks (I know, water etc is heavy)for dry camping. In the 16-18 ft range at most. No pop outs! TIA!

[Otterman]

Kevin O. wrote:
Some of you crack me up. Just because Ford classifies the F150 as a 1/2 ton doesn't mean it's only good for getting groceries.. I towed 8000lbs with my F150 Ecoboost for 4 years without any issues. I'm willing to bet the F150 eco and even 5.0 would tow circles around your 3/4 ton school bus.. 😉

Maybe so. But when you have an accident and the insurance company sees that your actual payload exceeded the manufacturer ratings, guess who gets to pay for the accident then?

That's exactly why I went from a 1/2-ton Titan to a 3/4-ton Chevy to a 1-ton Chevy. Tow ratings mean nothing. Payload is everything. OP's truck is the first one I've seen that has a tow rating properly in line with its payload rating.

OP, FWIW I think your setup will be fine and well within its ratings, but a bit underpowered. I would also go with LT tires and weight-distributing hitch if I were you. Any additional safety margin can't hurt.

[Kevin_O_]

PAThwacker wrote:

Mike Up wrote:

Campfire Time wrote:


I disagree with the need for LT tires. Not with that size of trailer anyway. The P rated truck/SUV tires on today's trucks are not the same as the one on your dad's '72 Buick, nor like those that Suburbans came with 20 years ago. They have stiffer sidewalls than car tires, are built for loads, and properly inflated (many take up to 51 psi) will work fine for a trailer this size. I have no trouble with the P rated tires on my Sierra or my previous SUV.

I disagree, p-rated tires have no place on ANY truck!

I had P rated tires on my current F150. The truck would wallow back and forth after wind would push it. The rig would move as one so I'm not talking sway, I'm talking soft sided tires that flex and give.

You have to be careful not to over compensate for the wallowing from the tires, because if you do, you'll start swaying from trying to correct that wallowing with the steering wheel.

People who tow generally know this but newbies do not.




After going to a LT tire, I get no wallowing anymore and more secure and stable ride. The tires are firmer and take corners better and generally have a less bouncy ride.

After having LT tires, it's BS that makers even put P series car tires, on a truck.

I have BFGoodrich All Terrain T/A KO2 tires.

I've seen and been in grocery getters hauling boats with p rated bombs flex and wallow at low and high speeds.
I'm in 3/4 ton to 1 ton crowd for any type of hauling, towing, and snowplow. I chuckle when I see half ton with snow plow setups, 5 foot beds, and cc
The definitive grocery getter setup.

Some of you crack me up. Just because Ford classifies the F150 as a 1/2 ton doesn't mean it's only good for getting groceries.. I towed 8000lbs with my F150 Ecoboost for 4 years without any issues. I'm willing to bet the F150 eco and even 5.0 would tow circles around your 3/4 ton school bus.. 😉

[PaulJ2]

TrailerTraveler1 wrote:
For what it's worth, we love our Lance 1685 and tow it with an 06 4 Runner, which is not ideal, but it is what it is until we get a new truck in a year or so.

Just noticed your blog and see that you have a front mounted bike carrier. We are in the same situation with two bikes to carry somehow. What is your opinion of the carrier? Easy enough to load/unload bikes? Thanks. PJ

[Lula85]

TrailerTraveler1 wrote:
For what it's worth, we love our Lance 1685 and tow it with an 06 4 Runner, which is not ideal, but it is what it is until we get a new truck in a year or so.

Thanks for the info! I think we will be going with the Lance 1685. Now, we just have to figure out where to buy. We are in So Cal, if anyone has recommendations!

[TrailerTravele1]

For what it's worth, we love our Lance 1685 and tow it with an 06 4 Runner, which is not ideal, but it is what it is until we get a new truck in a year or so.

[PaulJ2]

Lula85 wrote:

PaulJ2 wrote:
I just bought a Lance 1685 new last fall and have not had a chance to camp in it yet, too much cold and rain. Stated on the inside yellow tag says: Weight from factory with propane tanks full and fresh water tank full but black and grey empty is 4071. That leaves 1429 lbs for added cargo.
I noticed that fresh water tank is just forward of the axle and the waste tanks are behind the axle. But I tow with a 3/4 ton PU with 1000 lbs in the bed.
Also may stop by Death Valley in Feb.

Did you do some research on Lance b fore your purchase? It seems to be a product with good materials, but sometimes bad workmanship, from what I've read on the Internet. However, it seems like shoddy workmanship is a problem with just about all different trailer manufactures. I really love the features and floor plan of the 1685 for our family.

Yes we did. And we also fell in love with the floor plan and room in such a short trailer. Had one problem that I repaired my self instead of towing it back to the dealer. Had a water pipe leak underneath the bathroom sink. Leaked at a joint where a shutoff to the outside shower was located. Ended up removing a factory clamp and replaceing with a screw type clamp. Bottom line is it seemed to me that the quality/features was better than the competition and the price a bit higher.

[Mike_Up]

PAThwacker wrote:

I chuckle when I see half ton with snow plow setups, 5 foot beds, and cc
The definitive grocery getter setup.

The new 2015/2016 Crew Cab, 5.5' bed F150s now come with a snow plow ready package which configures the electrical to handle the amperage from the snow plow.

[PAThwacker]

Mike Up wrote:

Campfire Time wrote:


I disagree with the need for LT tires. Not with that size of trailer anyway. The P rated truck/SUV tires on today's trucks are not the same as the one on your dad's '72 Buick, nor like those that Suburbans came with 20 years ago. They have stiffer sidewalls than car tires, are built for loads, and properly inflated (many take up to 51 psi) will work fine for a trailer this size. I have no trouble with the P rated tires on my Sierra or my previous SUV.

I disagree, p-rated tires have no place on ANY truck!

I had P rated tires on my current F150. The truck would wallow back and forth after wind would push it. The rig would move as one so I'm not talking sway, I'm talking soft sided tires that flex and give.

You have to be careful not to over compensate for the wallowing from the tires, because if you do, you'll start swaying from trying to correct that wallowing with the steering wheel.

People who tow generally know this but newbies do not.




After going to a LT tire, I get no wallowing anymore and more secure and stable ride. The tires are firmer and take corners better and generally have a less bouncy ride.

After having LT tires, it's BS that makers even put P series car tires, on a truck.

I have BFGoodrich All Terrain T/A KO2 tires.

I've seen and been in grocery getters hauling boats with p rated bombs flex and wallow at low and high speeds.
I'm in 3/4 ton to 1 ton crowd for any type of hauling, towing, and snowplow. I chuckle when I see half ton with snow plow setups, 5 foot beds, and cc
The definitive grocery getter setup.

[Mike_Up]

Campfire Time wrote:


I disagree with the need for LT tires. Not with that size of trailer anyway. The P rated truck/SUV tires on today's trucks are not the same as the one on your dad's '72 Buick, nor like those that Suburbans came with 20 years ago. They have stiffer sidewalls than car tires, are built for loads, and properly inflated (many take up to 51 psi) will work fine for a trailer this size. I have no trouble with the P rated tires on my Sierra or my previous SUV.

I disagree, p-rated tires have no place on ANY truck!

I had P rated tires on my current F150. The truck would wallow back and forth after wind would push it. The rig would move as one so I'm not talking sway, I'm talking soft sided tires that flex and give.

You have to be careful not to over compensate for the wallowing from the tires, because if you do, you'll start swaying from trying to correct that wallowing with the steering wheel.

People who tow generally know this but newbies do not.

After going to a LT tire, I get no wallowing anymore and more secure and stable ride. The tires are firmer and take corners better and generally have a less bouncy ride.

After having LT tires, it's BS that makers even put P series car tires, on a truck.

I have BFGoodrich All Terrain T/A KO2 tires.

[Lula85]

PaulJ2 wrote:
I just bought a Lance 1685 new last fall and have not had a chance to camp in it yet, too much cold and rain. Stated on the inside yellow tag says: Weight from factory with propane tanks full and fresh water tank full but black and grey empty is 4071. That leaves 1429 lbs for added cargo.
I noticed that fresh water tank is just forward of the axle and the waste tanks are behind the axle. But I tow with a 3/4 ton PU with 1000 lbs in the bed.
Also may stop by Death Valley in Feb.

Did you do some research on Lance b fore your purchase? It seems to be a product with good materials, but sometimes bad workmanship, from what I've read on the Internet. However, it seems like shoddy workmanship is a problem with just about all different trailer manufactures. I really love the features and floor plan of the 1685 for our family.

[Lula85]

I have a Grand Cheokee with a V6 and recently tried towing a 1685 from Castaic to Frazier Park. I had it mostly loaded 4100 lbs at the CAT scale. It didn't have any problems. My tongue weight capacity is 620 lbs and that day it was 600 lbs. The 1685 seems to be a nicely balanced trailer and is easier to tow than I had expected. I have more stuff in it at the moment, but it still handled the breezy weather without a problem going across hwy 138 yesterday.

California has a 55 speed limit for vehicles towing trailers, and my V6 JGC seems to go along nicely between 55-60.

Whether your vehicle came with the factory tow package or not might make a big difference- the JGC would be rated to tow 3500 instead of the 6200 with tow package.

I'll probably will know more tomorrow as I'm heading to Death Valley, probably by way of Trona. At the moment I've only driven the Grapevine and the 138.

Thanks, hearing about your personal experience really helped! We are looking at buying the Lance 1685 next month 🙂

[PaulJ2]

I just bought a Lance 1685 new last fall and have not had a chance to camp in it yet, too much cold and rain. Stated on the inside yellow tag says: Weight from factory with propane tanks full and fresh water tank full but black and grey empty is 4071. That leaves 1429 lbs for added cargo.
I noticed that fresh water tank is just forward of the axle and the waste tanks are behind the axle. But I tow with a 3/4 ton PU with 1000 lbs in the bed.
Also may stop by Death Valley in Feb.

[fpmtngal]

Lula85 wrote:

romore wrote:
It will work, you will be legal, but the truck is not going to like the Grapevine or Donner Pass with that load. For safety's sake no more than 80% of your towing capacity, in your case 4960 lb, is recommended.However, it's your call.

Ah yes, I think I would feel a lot more comfortable at 80%. And we will head through the Grapevine from southern California a couple times a year to go to Kings Canyon, maybe Yosemite. I do figure that on the way there we will have empty water/black tank, which will obviously help with the weight. Fill them up at the closest possible stop before heading down the canyon.

So far, this has been the best trailer under 6200 pounds, that still has a 6 cubic ft fridge and decent water tanks at 45/45/45.

I have a Grand Cheokee with a V6 and recently tried towing a 1685 from Castaic to Frazier Park. I had it mostly loaded 4100 lbs at the CAT scale. It didn't have any problems. My tongue weight capacity is 620 lbs and that day it was 600 lbs. The 1685 seems to be a nicely balanced trailer and is easier to tow than I had expected. I have more stuff in it at the moment, but it still handled the breezy weather without a problem going across hwy 138 yesterday.

California has a 55 speed limit for vehicles towing trailers, and my V6 JGC seems to go along nicely between 55-60.

Whether your vehicle came with the factory tow package or not might make a big difference- the JGC would be rated to tow 3500 instead of the 6200 with tow package.

I'll probably will know more tomorrow as I'm heading to Death Valley, probably by way of Trona. At the moment I've only driven the Grapevine and the 138.

[Lula85]

Thanks for all of the great advice and feedback. As someone new to the RV world, I have already learned so much, but it just feels like the tip of the iceberg!!