Tow weight

[Ejraste]

Im new to the rv trailer world. I am currently in the market for my 1st travel trailer. The idea is to eventually find a full time/seasonal campground that has full amenities. I have small children and thought it would be a good time to start the process. I currently drive a 2018 f150 xlt supercrew 4x4. The max towing capacity is 7400 lbs and max payload is 1990 lbs. I do want a nice size trailer that we won’t put outgrow anytime soon, so my question it’s what is my max trailer weight? Would it be the 7400 lbs? So ideally, I would want my dry weight to be around 5000 to 6000 lbs? Thanks

[Ejraste]

So I’m glad I came to this site. What it seems like is I just need a new truck if the wifey wants a trailer. A win win!! Haha

[Sjm9911]

I went from a pop up to a TT, my 1500 had a towing capacity listed around 10,000. The v8 5.6 ? votex with max towing package. The rpms on long trips were loud and i couldn't tow over 60 , 65 max. This leads to trucks passing you at 75 and sucking in the trailor. I upgraded the suspention and tires. But after taking it to disney i got a 2500 gasser. It was not fun trip.For small jaunts on flat surfaces you may be ok. But , my truck could tow it, it just wasnt a pleasant ride. I want no stress trips. They list the towing at optimal conditions , sort of like gas mileage. Its never at the numbers they list.

[JIMNLIN]

Holy cow....looking at Fleet Ford specs shows a 2018 F150 SC 4wd... tiny 3.3 V-6 engine...6500 gvwr and really small 3350 rawr.
Just sayin' but this truck will struggle severally trying maintain speed and pulling grades due to the small hp/torque 3.3 v-6.

The biggest safety factor is those tiny 3350 rawr that will be carrying the load. A super crew F150 4wd rear axle may weigh in the 2300 lb range....1640 plus 2300 = 3940 lbs for close to a 600 lb overload on the rear axle. The weak link on the 3350 rawr can be the rear axle assy....tires....wheels....rear spring pack. That particular 3350 rawr is good for around 1000-1050 lb payload.

AS other posters say that small 3.3 will struggle but may or may not be a issue with you.
You may have to address upgrades to that tiny 3350 rawr....but is doable if done right.
I see a better truck for towing in your near future.

[Jebby14]

APT wrote:
I would plan for about 4000 pounds dry. That gets you in the 4500-5000 pound range. The 3.3 will spend a lot of time in the 3000-4500rpm range due to combination of weight, wind resistance, and engine torque. If that is acceptable for you, then go for it.

BTW, what hitch weighs 100 pounds? Shipping weight for my Reese Strait Line is 70 pounds and not all of that is dead weight on the TV.

clicky

a basic reese is listed at 101.96 lbs. 100 lbs is a good ballpark

[Ejraste]

Jebby14 wrote:
possible yes, comfortable likely no. another option to consider is daytripping or tent camping to find your prefered location then buying a park model there. will give you way more bang for your buck. Bettter yet you can grab an older pop up for exploring quite cheap and usually get most of your money back selling them unlike travel trailers.

Ok thanks. Yeah I’m just confused by the Numbers and ratings, that’s all. I’m good at Math, so I’m just curious if my truck says it can tow 7400 lbs comfortably, why I would have an issue with a trailer that weighed say 5200 dry or 6500 loaded? This is considering that my payload of my truck was still under the max allowed. The ratings on trucks usually have a safety factor, meaning they are tested and can prob do more but they place a number where anything over that amount is not suitable. For example, why put 7500 but they really mean you should only pull 5000.

[Jebby14]

possible yes, comfortable likely no. another option to consider is daytripping or tent camping to find your prefered location then buying a park model there. will give you way more bang for your buck. Bettter yet you can grab an older pop up for exploring quite cheap and usually get most of your money back selling them unlike travel trailers.

[Ejraste]

Jebby14 wrote:
A trailer needs enough tongue weight to pull correctly. too little causes sway. the sweet spot on travel trailers us usually 13-15%.

the truck has to be able to carry that weight which is why on suv's and half ton trucks payload is typically the limiting factor
I would recommend you re-evaluate what you want. if its going to be seasonal buy a seasonal. if its travel either get used to a smaller camper or get more truck. if you opt for a smaller trailer understand you will likely be going larger (and still needing more truck) later.

Thank you for the information and I’m not trying to be combative, just trying to figure it all out. The majority of the use would most likely be seasonal use and trying to find a seasonal campground for my children. I do work a lot and it would essentialy be something for my wife and kids to have a spot to go to and enjoy camp life. There would be occasional road trips in the future but it’s not going to be an every weekend type trailer. I want to go as big as possible now and just trying to see what my truck would be comfortable going with. If I had to tow it without cargo Or passengers in the truck to get it to the location, then that is an option. That’s why I ask asking if it’s possible to tow a 5500 dry weight or 6500 loaded trailer with my setup now? I can always get different truck in the future if things change and I want to do multiple road trips each year.

[APT]

I would plan for about 4000 pounds dry. That gets you in the 4500-5000 pound range. The 3.3 will spend a lot of time in the 3000-4500rpm range due to combination of weight, wind resistance, and engine torque. If that is acceptable for you, then go for it.

BTW, what hitch weighs 100 pounds? Shipping weight for my Reese Strait Line is 70 pounds and not all of that is dead weight on the TV.

[wing_zealot]

As long as you understand, a dry weight trailer of the size you are contemplating will have a loaded weight of somewhere around 1000lbs - 1500lbs more then the dry weight. The tongue weight needs to be at least 10% but better yet 12% of the Loaded Weight.

[Sjm9911]

Trust these guys for the weights, im not good at that. I will say towing a trailer at max isnt fun. Can you pull it probably, will it be a white knuckle adventure, yes. Not worth it. I'll add it also depends on where you are, so in a place that has lots of flat ground say Florida, tou can get away with a bit more. By your in PA there are lits of mountains. My old 1500 could pull my trailor but going through the Delaware water gap from NJ was not fun. I didnt have the power to go the speed limit up the inclines.

[Jebby14]

A trailer needs enough tongue weight to pull correctly. too little causes sway. the sweet spot on travel trailers us usually 13-15%.

the truck has to be able to carry that weight which is why on suv's and half ton trucks payload is typically the limiting factor.

The listed tongue weights are not accurate just like the dry weights these dont include things like batteries, propane, even appliances. assume you will load your camper.

using my setup as an example.
my camper (https://www.rvusa.com/rv-guide/2008-forest-river-flagstaff-micro-lite-travel-trailer-floorplan-23lb-tr3599) can be loaded to weigh 4677 (im close to this and NOT loaded excessivly)

my truck has a payload of 1950 lbs

1950 payload
-500 lbs (my family, remember they will grow)
-100 lbs (my hitch)
-350 lbs in the bed (usually bikes and fire woord)
=1000 payload available.

my tongue weight is right aroung 800 lbs at max (fresh tank in the front) and 700 on the return.

i have 1000 lbs left to carry the tongue weight of my trailer and use at most 800 lbs of it. this leaves me with enough to carry my trailer (dont think pull thing hold the weight of).

since my kids will grow i know I need this buffer.

my last camper was slightly lighter (not much) and I was right at capacity towing with a grand Cherokee, wouldn't like to be there again, towing was NOT comfortable.

I would recommend you re-evaluate what you want. if its going to be seasonal buy a seasonal. if its travel either get used to a smaller camper or get more truck. if you opt for a smaller trailer understand you will likely be going larger (and still needing more truck) later.

[Ejraste]

Jebby14 wrote:
1640
-100 for the hitch
-500 for the family (guessing modify this to your needs)
-300 for randoms (food, coolers, gas cans, gear whatever again modify since im guessing)
=740 left for payload

740 / 0.15 =4933 fully loaded.

assuming my numbers are correct your rig shouldnt weigh more than 5k fully laoded to be able to carry 15 percent of the trailer weight on the tongue for a nice tow. dont look at dry weight look at GVWR. id guess you will be around 24 feet.

Thanks. If my truck was capable of towing 7400 lbs, wouldn’t I be able to add more cargo to the empty trailer to not max out my payload of my truck? And do the trailers have the exact tongue weight on the specs, so I could essentially be in the 6500 range fully loaded trailer and still be ok? Like what you are saying is a 5000 lb trailer will have a tongue weight of 740 based on 15%, but couldn’t there be a 6500 lb trailer with tongue weight of 650 lbs?

[Ejraste]

ken56 wrote:
Your first trailer will not be your last. You say you want to park it a destination campground in the future but how far out in the future? Are you going to pull it to places while the kids are young like the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone and Mt. Rushmore, you know , long trips cross country?

You will find that by taking longer trips and really using your trailer if it suits your lifestyle to the point of parking it for long term use. Floorplan is critical to function and how YOU use it. we started RVing in 2012 and are on our 3rd trailer. We like this one, finally.

Your truck will handle towing a trailer in the 5000lb empty range but the payload number is the one to watch as others said. I pulled a 6500lb trailer with my Chevy 1500 just fine.....most of the time. I did tow an 8000lb trailer for a friend and it was a struggle with my 1500. Get the best hitch you can afford. Equal-I-Zer is a good one for fair money. Make sure you size it for the heaviest tongue weight possible for your combo. A 1000/10,000 should do it for you but you might consider a 1200/12,000 if the tongue weight is anywhere near 1000lbs.

Thanks. Yes, I’m looking to buy something we won’t easily outgrow with a nice floor plan. We would def be open to pulling out for Trips in the future. That’s why I’m looking at trailers in 27 to 30 feet range. There’s a lot of trailers in that range with a gvwr under the towing capacity of my truck which is 7400 lbs. that’s for a fully loaded trailer.

[ken56]

Your first trailer will not be your last. You say you want to park it a destination campground in the future but how far out in the future? Are you going to pull it to places while the kids are young like the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone and Mt. Rushmore, you know , long trips cross country?

You will find that by taking longer trips and really using your trailer if it suits your lifestyle to the point of parking it for long term use. Floorplan is critical to function and how YOU use it. we started RVing in 2012 and are on our 3rd trailer. We like this one, finally.

Your truck will handle towing a trailer in the 5000lb empty range but the payload number is the one to watch as others said. I pulled a 6500lb trailer with my Chevy 1500 just fine.....most of the time. I did tow an 8000lb trailer for a friend and it was a struggle with my 1500. Get the best hitch you can afford. Equal-I-Zer is a good one for fair money. Make sure you size it for the heaviest tongue weight possible for your combo. A 1000/10,000 should do it for you but you might consider a 1200/12,000 if the tongue weight is anywhere near 1000lbs.

[Jebby14]

1640
-100 for the hitch
-500 for the family (guessing modify this to your needs)
-300 for randoms (food, coolers, gas cans, gear whatever again modify since im guessing)
=740 left for payload

740 / 0.15 =4933 fully loaded.

assuming my numbers are correct your rig shouldnt weigh more than 5k fully laoded to be able to carry 15 percent of the trailer weight on the tongue for a nice tow. dont look at dry weight look at GVWR. id guess you will be around 24 feet.