Towing capicity 2008 F150 HD

[blkcrow13]

I am looking at purchasing a 2018 Heartland North Trail 24BHS and was wanting to get feedback on the ability of my 2008 Ford F150 Harley Davidson AWD, SB to pull this safely. TT weight is listed at 5350# and hitch weight at 550#. This will be my first TT purchase and wanted to get available options on this.

[Gdetrailer]

APT writes “Generally I agree with payload being the lowest limit for half ton towing. However, OP has the Harley Davidson model which is also included in your copied noted number 2 which is 5100 pounds. “
That would be a fully loaded trailer provided the tongue weight is no more than 765 lbs."

The problem with that assumption is as the OP found out, they only have 915 lbs of cargo available which if the OP was planning to not add any passengers and gear into the vehicle a 5,100 lb FULLY LOADED TRAILER would be somewhat doable..

However, as the OP found out, adding passengers and gear plus adding the weight of the hitch head and wd there is simply not enough payload to go around for a fully loaded 5100 lb trailer..

Not to mention totally eliminating their choice of trailer which the EMPTY WEIGHT is 5300 lbs 550 lb tongue (pretty light tongue weight to boot)..

Instead, they found out that they would have to look for a trailer when fully loaded is not much more than 3,600 lbs with the passengers and gear loaded in the vehicle..

Although, if the OP used the cargo weight from the yellow sticker, they would not have needed to deduct 150 lbs for driver since that should have already been accounted for.. This would give them 150 lbs more cargo which would be about 1,000 lbs more trailer but that would only be 4,600 lbs loaded, still well short of 5,100 listed in the guide.

But if they calculated via GVWR - Curb weight then driver AND fuel needs to subtracted from the available cargo.

It is far better to error a bit on the lower weight side of a trailer rather to make a huge expensive mistake which ultimately could cost them at least a new tow vehicle..

OP has a nice truck, no doubt, but all that bling adds weight to the vehicle which takes away cargo rather than increasing cargo..

Available cargo weight after deducting passengers and gear supersedes ANYTHING “published” in any generic “towing guide”.

Published towing guides are simply a GUIDE and nothing more since with Ford there are literally thousands of option combinations for the F150 with only a couple of combinations that “add” cargo, the rest all reduce cargo.

There is no way that Ford could publish a complete guide on every single possible option combination which is why they stated at the bottom of the fine print to check the Safety Compliance Label which is on the vehicle.

I realize it is dirt simple to point them to a generic towing guide but by doing so they can easily make wrong assumptions.

That IS why it is better to tell them how to determine towing capacity from the info posted on the vehicles door stickers. The info IS there, folks just need some education on how to arrive at a answer.

[APT]

Gdetrailer,

Generally I agree with payload being the lowest limit for half ton towing. However, OP has the Harley Davidson model which is also included in your copied noted number 2 which is 5100 pounds.

[jamesu]

blkcrow13 wrote:
I am looking at purchasing a 2018 Heartland North Trail 24BHS and was wanting to get feedback on the ability of my 2008 Ford F150 Harley Davidson AWD, SB to pull this safely. TT weight is listed at 5350# and hitch weight at 550#. This will be my first TT purchase and wanted to get available options on this.

My ‘03 F-150 was basically the same as yours and I used it to tow my TT which had a dry weight of 5333. Your dry weight is only 17 lbs more than that at 5350.

The F-150 got the job done, but after towing that Trail Bay for 10 years, I traded it in for the diesel in my signature. A new lease on towing for me...Way more fun and safer towing now. My F-150 was underpowered for 5333# + all the added weight (+7000#) when you’re traveling. Lack of power going up and fear of over heating brakes coming down Mt. passes was my life.

My experience is that the older 1/2 tons are underpowered and downhill braking is a major concern. My 3/4 ton diesel with an awesome tranny and comprehension brakes is the way to go.

I hope that helps.

[Gdetrailer]

blkcrow13 wrote:
Thanks all...Looks like you are spot on. I used the calculator and came up with these numbers. My GVWR is 6750# and GCWR 11000#, but Payload, on sticker shows 916#. Just doing an estimate on weights gave me this:
Driver 150#
Passengers including two furry:200#
Hitch: 50#
Extra weight : 150#
Total of 550#, giving me 336# or a max of loaded camper of 3660#
Looks like tow vehicle is not going to cut it for the trailer I was planning on. Thanks to all for educating me!!

If you used the yellow cargo sticker, the driver has already been accounted for at 150 lbs and full tank of fuel, but yeah, 915 lbs of cargo is disappointing..

Typically you will fall short on cargo weight before ever reaching the published towing weights..

Reason as I mentioned before, is the towing ratings are almost always taken from a XL base standard cab, 4x2, short bed and with F150 Max tow or Max payload packages which ARE optional (most often must order the vehicle to get those).

Every thing above that in trim levels, 4x4, crew cab, long bed WILL have less available cargo and hence less towing capacity.

[blkcrow13]

Thanks all...Looks like you are spot on. I used the calculator and came up with these numbers. My GVWR is 6750# and GCWR 11000#, but Payload, on sticker shows 916#. Just doing an estimate on weights gave me this:
Driver 150#
Passengers including two furry:200#
Hitch: 50#
Extra weight : 150#
Total of 550#, giving me 336# or a max of loaded camper of 3660#
Looks like tow vehicle is not going to cut it for the trailer I was planning on. Thanks to all for educating me!!

[Gdetrailer]

APT wrote:
Ford Fleet towing guide

Looks like the ratings are very low for the AWD models, lower than the dry ratings of the proposed TT. Otherwise, the rest of the truck is capable. You have no warranty. The truck is 10 years old. It's really your call whether you accept accelerated wear on the AWD components and/or tires.

Umm.. NO

READ THE FINE PRINT BELOW THE CHARTS FOLKS.

For those who seem to wish to skip the fine print here it is..

"(1) Reduce GCWR and Maximum Trailer Weight by 500 lbs. on models with 18" or 20" wheels.

(2) Optional Ford Harley-Davidson™ Package and Lariat Limited.

(3) Requires Heavy Duty Payload Package.

(4) Available with XLT Trim and LT245/75R17E A/T BSW tires only.

(5) Available with XL Trim and LT245/70R17E A/T BSW tires only.

Note:
Trailer tongue load weight should be 10-15% of total loaded trailer weight. Make sure vehicle payload (reduced by option weight) will accommodate trailer tongue load weight and weight
of passengers and cargo added to towing vehicle. Addition of trailer tongue load weight and weight of passengers and cargo cannot cause vehicle weights to exceed rear GAWR or GVWR.
These ratings can be found on the vehicle Safety Compliance Certification Label"

Please notice that tire size REDUCES the so called max.

Please note that TRIM AND OPTION PACKAGES REDUCE THE TOWING WEIGHT (I HIGHLIGHTED IN BOLD).

BEST PLACE TO START IS THE SAFETY COMPLIANCE CERTIFICATION LABEL WHICH IS THE YELLOW STICKER WHICH GIVES THE AVAILABLE CARGO WEIGHT FOR THAT SPECIFIC VEHICLES CONFIGURATION.

The information is right on that vehicle and everyone likes to dance around it in order to justify going bigger..

[APT]

Ford Fleet towing guide

Looks like the ratings are very low for the AWD models, lower than the dry ratings of the proposed TT. Otherwise, the rest of the truck is capable. You have no warranty. The truck is 10 years old. It's really your call whether you accept accelerated wear on the AWD components and/or tires.

[Gdetrailer]

blkcrow13 wrote:
Here is a link I found with information on the truck, mine is a 4x4. My concern was the GCWR of 11,000.

No, you cannot depend on external websites to determine your towing capacity.

The information required cannot be calculated by brochures, it is dependent on the exact configuration of your vehicle.

The brochures and external websites list the MAX towing capacity which IS based on the LIGHTEST VEHICLE CONFIGURATION which is a XT, standard cab, short bed with NO OPTIONS.

ALL OPTIONS AND HIGHER TRIM LEVELS REDUCE THE AVAILABLE CARGO WEIGHT BY MAKING THE TRUCK HEAVIER.

The easiest and best way to is to look at your door stickers.

You might have a yellow sticker which gives the available cargo weight, if you don't have the yellow sticker you can look at the vin tag on the drivers side which should have the GVWR.

If you know the unladen weight of your vehicle (also called curb weight) you can subtract the unladen weight from the GVWR and the result is your available cargo weight. With this method you will need to subtract weight of a full tank of fuel and the driver weight.

If you don't know the unladen weight you should go and get the vehicle weighed to find out.

The result is what is left for cargo.

If you are going to have passengers and other stuff in the vehicle you must deduct those weights from the available cargo..

Why cargo weight?

Simple, the tongue of the trailer becomes "cargo" of the vehicle.

Tongue weight for bumper pull trailers must be at least 10% to 15% of the trailer weight.. Going below 10% can cause instability of the trailer and should be avoided.

Ideally 12%-15% is where you really want the tongue weight to be.

To put into perspective here is a few examples..

5K trailer weigh should have tongue weight of 500 lbs (10%) to 750 lbs (15%)

6K trailer weight should have tongue weight of 600 lbs (10%) to 900 lbs (15%).

7K trailer weight should have tongue weight of 700 lbs (10%) to 1050 lbs (15%).

Additionally, you do need to check your hitch for max specs, yours should have a data plate which will give two different hitch weights, one with Weight Distribution and one without WD.

You don't want to exceed the hitch specs or the available cargo weight after passengers and other stuff loaded into the vehicle is deducted.

[handye9]

When you look at listed trailer weights, you are looking at what's called "dry weight" or "unloaded vehicle weight" (UVW). Don't use them for matching up a tow vehicle.

The average travel trailer gains about 1000 lbs, between stuff added by the selling dealer, and stuff added by the end user.

The average tongue (AKA hitch) weight is 12 - 13 percent of loaded trailer weight.

The trailer you're looking at (5350 and 550 lbs) will be approximately 6400 lbs loaded, with about 800 lbs of tongue weight. Keep in mind, tongue weight is not a constant number. It goes up and down (with varying levels of groceries, water, holding tank levels) during every trip.

Your tow vehicle has numerous weight ratings to be mindful of. The main ones are payload (what is the vehicle rated carry), hitch receiver weight (with and without WD hitch), and tow capacity. Normally, you will run out of available payload, before you get close to your advertised "max tow capacity".

Payload is used up by weight of aftermarket accessories added to the truck, people, pets, cargo (in the truck), weight distributing hitch, and trailer tongue weight.


Here's a link to an online calculator. You can put in your numbers and it will tell you your max trailer weight.

[blkcrow13]

According to a VIN guide, I just looked up, it reads:
GVWR class
Hydraulic Class E: 6,001-7,000 pounds (R) R being the 4th # in my VIN

[MFL]

I think the large tires/wheels are taking away from your 3.73 gearing. This is likely the reason for the low 11K GCWR. It may still work for you, since it appears you live in flat terrain. If you plan to tow out west, in big hills/mountains, it will be a struggle. It also depends on the number of passengers, how heavy you load truck and trailer, lots of variables.

Jerry

[blkcrow13]

5.4 , with 3.73 gears and it does have a hitch and trailer light connection on rear

[blkcrow13]

Here is a link I found with information on the truck, mine is a 4x4. My concern was the GCWR of 11,000.

***Link Removed***https://www.thecarconnection.com/specifications/ford_f-150_2008_awd-supercrew-139-harley-davidson

[MFL]

Welcome to the forum! It would help to give a little more info. Does your truck have the 5.4 engine, 3.73 gearing, tow package, with larger radiator, and transmission cooler. This all makes a difference in rated tow capacity. I think your truck would likely work, for the trailer mentioned, if it has the tow package.

Jerry