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!

[rbpru]

This is the same old argument, if 3/4 and 1 ton trucks have LTs your pick up needs LTs. Well why not your Chevy or Smart car? You want you family to be safe don't you.

There is no doubt that an LT is more robust tire. But thousands of farmers, construction workers and others will tell you that a half-ton is much more than a grocery hauler.

We all like to think that bigger and stronger means safer but safer is more closely related to the user.

This is all a moot point anyway, if you feel faster, stronger or safer with LTs or any other TT "upgrade" then by all means do it.

Heck, I like to tinker with improvements myself. Like chicken soup, they usually cannot hurt. But please remember, no matter what TV you have, it comes with a set of spec's and ratings written by the folks who built it.

[Hideout17]

The e rated tires on my tundra made a big ddifference. I run them at 50psi and ride is still just fine. Just my honest opinion.

[Desert_Captain]

"if you like a buck board ride, the illusion of safety or you know more than the TV designers than indeed LTs may be for you."

LMAO, if you have a buck board ride you bought the wrong tires or need new shocks. :S

If you believe upgrading to tires designed and built for enhanced towing performance gives you the "illusion of safety" you are delusional. Vehicles that are intended for serious towing come with LT's, name one 3/4 or one ton truck that doesn't.

Yes, some half tons come with P's but most are built to be grocery getters and not serious towing platforms (check their payloads for a clue as to which category they fall into). One of the most common and cost effective upgrades for a marginal tow vehicle equipped with P's is to simply upgrade to LT's.

:R

[rbpru]

The dreaded "P" tires have worked just fine for me. They are rated for a specific load and matched by the manufacturer to the suspension and anticipated load of the vehicle they are put on. That is why the manufacturers issue towing guides.

If you are the type that off roads, drives in a severe environment or other abusive conditions that need a stronger tire; that is different. If you like a buck board ride, the illusion of safety or you know more than the TV designers than indeed LTs may be for you.

There is no question that LTs are more robust then P tire. The question is do you need them. That is an individual decision.

[Desert_Captain]

Get the E rated LT tires. P's are not designed/built for the additional loads imposed by towing. No downside to getting the LT's as the performance difference when towing is amazing and they ride just fine without the tow. I have had particularly good results with the Michelin M/S 2's both towing my 5,000# TT with an F-150 Scab 5.4L and now on my 11,500# V-10 6.8L Class C.

Few things matter more in terms of safety and performance than tires... why skimp just to save a couple of bucks? :h

As always.... Opinions and YMMV

:C

[Campfire_Time]

Lula85 wrote:

Hideout17 wrote:
I see no issue from info posted. May want to get D rated tired or E instead of p series. A good wdh is a must.

Cool! Will tell DH to look in to that, thanks for the tip 🙂

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.

[Guinness1968]

Thank you, the GVWR for the TT is 6800 and yes I have the 5.7 L, it says towing capacity 9800 lbs for my truck. I think I should be good but will still do research before buying anything. thank you for the information.

[rbpru]

I can only speak from experience, but my 25 ft. Dutchmen weighs 6200 lbs. across the scales when loaded. (The dry weight is listed at 5000 lbs.) I have had no problems towing it with my E-Boost F-150 which is stock from the factory and has a max cargo of 1400 lbs.

My previous F-150 had about the same cargo capacity but only a 200 hp. V6. That was an issue.

Also as mentioned make sure your TV has the towing package.



I sound like you will be well within both you towing and payload capacity.

[MFL]

Guinness1968 wrote:
New all the way around! Have a 2014 Tundra Double Cab TRD Pkg, has Haul Assist. Looking at a KZ-Spree Connect C250BHS 28'2 Long, dry weight is 5100. I think I would be good but any feed back would be appreciated.

Welcome to the forum!

First off, you will always get more response by starting your own thread, making you the original poster.

You need to give more complete info on the truck, and GVWR of the camper. I also think you are likely good to go, especially if your truck has the 5.7 with tow package.

Jerry

[Guinness1968]

New all the way around! Have a 2014 Tundra Double Cab TRD Pkg, has Haul Assist. Looking at a KZ-Spree Connect C250BHS 28'2 Long, dry weight is 5100. I think I would be good but any feed back would be appreciated.

[2012Coleman]

When doing calculations on weights, you always go with the gross numbers. Saying "I won't load it to the gross weight" is rubbish. Calculation is akin to guessing, so if your not going to get actual weights, you need to have room for error when calculating.

In your case, your stated gross weight of 5550 * 13% is 715. Subtracting this, leaves 973. Take off another 100 for WDH setup - 873. From this, you need to subtract the weight of occupants, including pets and cargo in the TV and in the bed. Plan on bringing firewood?

If you want the actual payload of your TV, then load it up like your going camping and find a Cat scale

Tow ratings are a fantasy. They are obtained by pulling a flat trailer with a load. Towing a high walled Travel trailer is a whole lot different. I will say that the Lance is a great TT.

Does your truck have a tow package?

Good luck.

[Lula85]

fla-gypsy wrote:
Safe? yes, fun? No

ah, sigh, I see what you're getting at. I won't be the one driving, but I definitely don't want DH white knuckled and stressed the whole time!

[fla-gypsy]

Safe? yes, fun? No

[Ron_Gratz]

Lula85 wrote:
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?

Welcome to Open Roads Forum.

Most people don't load a TT to its GVWR, so let's assume the Lance 1685 would be loaded to 5000#.

With a 5000# TT, you would have 6200-5000 = 1200# available for weight of occupants, cargo, weight distribution hitch, and any optional or aftermarket items added to the tow vehicle.
Assuming 100# for a WDH and 300# for optional and aftermarket items would leave a maximum of 900# for occupants and cargo without exceeding the TV's "tow rating".

Then you must also consider how much the TV can carry (versus how much it can pull).
If the "payload" value of 1688# is from the TV's "Tire and Loading Information" sticker, the total weight of occupants, cargo, WDH, and vertical load imposed by the TT should not exceed 1688#.

If the TT is loaded to 5000# and the tongue weight percentage is a typical 13%, the TW would be 650#.
Using a WDH could allow a load equal to 20% of TW to be transferred to the TT's axles, leaving a load of about 520# to be carried by the TV.
The total of imposed vertical load plus WDH weight would be 520+100 = 620#.
Given the above assumptions and based on the payload criterion, the total weight of occupants cargo should not exceed 1688-620 = 1068#.

For this example, it appears that the TV's "tow" rating is the limiting factor.
And, it appears the weight of occupants and cargo would need to be limited to about 900#.

For a more accurate estimate of how much load the TV could pull or carry, you could load the TV as it would be loaded for camping and get it weighed.
Then, with that number, we could do some additional calculations.

Ron

[MFL]

Lula85 wrote:

MFL wrote:
I would be curious what truck you have? It seems a truck with nearly 1,700 lbs payload, would have a higher tow rating than 6,200. It must be a full size 1/2 ton, with a small engine?

The numbers do indicate it will work for that trailer.

Jerry

It's a 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 quad cab. 4.7L V8 Flex Fuel

That should do the job for you, the 4.7 is a small V-8, but I have heard of many others towing with that engine. Lance has a rep for quality too, sounds like a good combination.

Happy camping,
Jerry