Towing Capacity - Cargo Van

Agree that you start with the VIN and get all the specs on the vehicle. Then you can start to sort out the rest of the numbers. It can get very confusing, so don't hesitate to ask or ask again. Also agree that one 24' trailer is like not even close to another 24' trailer....too many variables. Get your numbers first and then start the search. Remember, you need to include passengers, cargo, etc and with the trailer, suggest you don't even think about the dry weight since there really is no such thing. That would be like a trailer without any A/C, battery, propane, appliances, awning, etc.....just sort of a bare shell of a trailer. You'll get lots of help sorting this out, just get all the specs on your cargo van first. Good luck.

Here is a Ford vin decoder. Let's start there. Once you have that you need to go weigh your van with a full tank of fuel, loaded with all people, pets and gear that will be in it when towing. Take the gcwr you found for your van and subtract the scaled weight of your van. This gives you your adjusted towing capacity. The loaded weight of your tt will need to be less than this. Next take your scaled weight and subtract it from the vans gvwr to get your available payload. Your loaded tongue weight will need to be less than this number. You need to be below both of these and under your hitch ratings.

You also need to remember you will never tow a dry or unloaded tt. Knowing you are fulltiming and never had a tt, would shop using gvwr of tt for all calculations. Know thAt the average camper adds 1000-1500 lbs of stuff into their tt. (Plates clothes etc really do add up, we just took 1300 lbs of stuff out of our tt yesterday in prep to trade). In figuring your tongue weight, ideal tongue weight is 13-15% of loaded tt weight. AgAin you can use gvwr to calculate here.

Realistically, you will likely not be happy fulfilling in as small/light a tt as your van can probably handle. Remember lightweight tt usually sacrifices cargo space which means less space for your belongings and clothes. You may be happier with a motor home and toad or trade up your tv to match the tt or 5er that will fit your style. That said, you may want to rent a few tt in the size you can tow and we how they feel to you. Good luck

I had a 97 F250 4x2 5.4 with 3.73 axle, for that year the engine only had 235 HP and it struggled pulling a 20ft TT at 5,500 lbs loaded.

I suspect your van is much heavier than my old truck so I think you will find that towing anything heavier than 5,000 lbs LOADED is really going to work it hard.

You can get the tow rating from the door sticker, or maybe under the hood if they're still there.

For the gear ratio, here's a video of how I usually have checked mine. How To Check Rear Diff Ratio

Like said before, there is no standard for trailer length weight per foot. My 1999 26" Jayco was about 6000lbs and my 26' Thor Wave is 7200lbs.

There is an Oasis report that the Ford dealers can access. It shows exactly how your truck was equipped, when built.
But I am not sure how far back they can go.

Thank you for the axle codes.

Welcome! Your confusion is quite common based on your observations. RVs are relatively light for their length. They are big boxes of air! This means they are the most difficult type of trailer to tow as they have a lot of frontal and side profile area susceptible to wind.

So, on you what you have. I am a little familiar with Ford products. I had 1999 and 2003 F-150s and towed my current TT with the 2003 for 2 summers. You can likely determine the axle ratio by the axle code list on the driver's door. Then look here for decoding.

I think under 5000 pounds dry, maybe even 4500 lower is best for that van. That can be anywhere from 16' long to 30' long for a TT depending on construction/materials.

Take the vin# from your van and call your local dealer. There are also several online sites you can run your vin# thru that will list all items on your vehicle. This way you will know exactly what rear end, tow capacity, etc you need

There are no standard weights for 24, 26, 28 and 30 foot trailers. Every model trailer is different. My Coachman Captiva 265EX (26') trailer is 5500 empty weight. I am sure you could find a 24' trailer that is heavier and a 28' trailer that is lighter. In general a trailer with a slide out will most likely be heavier than a similar trailer without a slide out.

I would expect you should be able to find a travel trailer that your cargo van can tow safely without having to go with a tent trailer.

There are many more weights you need to consider when finding a trailer, someone will chime in shortly with that information of search for one or the many similar posts.

As with all lighter trucks (we don't know which model you have, BTW), you need to know the payload capacity. Yours will fall within 1400-2000 lbs. The tongue weight of the trailer, which averages about 13% should be under the payload rating - all cargo and - all passenger weight.