TT length vs TW length

itguy08 wrote:
This is interesting to me as well. Got the truck - 2011 F150 Ecoboost, SuperCrew, Max Tow, 5' bed, 145" WB. Plenty of payload at 1820.

Now searching for the trailer to pull behind it. Plenty under weight in the 30-35ft range and wondering if there is a practical length as most say go by the weight and payload will be the limiting factor.

No issues buying a good WD hitch with good sway control if that's what it takes.

You will find no manufacturer that limits the length of a trailer, only the weight. You will run out of weight long before you run out of Wheelbase.
My 150 has a 145" Wheelbase. Longer in fact than many 2500s, and 250s. I tow a 31 foot TT. I have absolutely no sway. Big trucks do not push me around, and in fact I have several times forgotten to install the sway control bar. Still no sway, and no problems from trucks. With the proper tires, and with the WDH adjusted correctly, The TT does not move the truck around at all. If it were not for the engine working a little harder, I could forget it is there.

Yes I can feel a strong cross wind. But EVERY vehicle on the road can feel it as well.

This is interesting to me as well. Got the truck - 2011 F150 Ecoboost, SuperCrew, Max Tow, 5' bed, 145" WB. Plenty of payload at 1820.

Now searching for the trailer to pull behind it. Plenty under weight in the 30-35ft range and wondering if there is a practical length as most say go by the weight and payload will be the limiting factor.

No issues buying a good WD hitch with good sway control if that's what it takes.

The TV I have is an F-150 super cab with short bed. The TT with the floorplan I wanted was 26 feet bumper to ball.

The total length was right at 50 ft. There was not much I could do about either.

The combo pulls fine

Drew_K wrote:
Length of the TT to your tow vehicle does matter, but there isn't a magic ratio other than shorter is better. IMO, it's just another factor to consider. If you're pushing the weight capacity of the truck, I wouldn't push the length too much either.

Do you have the F150 with the 6.5 foot bed or the 5 foot bed? Reason I ask is that the wheel base on the 6.5 foot bed is basically the same as on the typical F250, which is a good thing. Personally, I'd stay under a 30' travel trailer with a 1/2 ton truck, especially if you have the 5 foot bed. The power and braking should be fine, but I do worry about stability due to cross winds. The 3/4 & 1 ton trucks weigh a lot more and have much stiffer suspensions, so they do a better job at keeping the TT in place compared to a 1/2 ton.

I used to have a 2012 F150 with the 6.5 foot bed and now have a 2013 F250 diesel. The F250 literally weights a ton more than the F150, per Cat scales. That's 2000 more pounds to keep the trailer in place, on top of having a MUCH stiffer suspension.

So bottom line is that the length of TT matters. How much depends on other factors.

Follow this advice above.

I have a 30 foot trailer and had a 2001 Sierra 1500 HD (basically a 3/4 ton) and it handled the trailer perfectly. Switched to a 2011 Sierra 1500 with a 9" shorter wheelbase and softer suspension. Had some sway, some unwanted rocking, not terribly pleasant. I solved some of the issues with adding a leaf to stiffen the rear suspension, but I can not change the length. 30 feet is about my comfort length for a shorter wheelbase vehicle.

Good responses above. I had a trailer that was 32' 10" overall and weighed about 6K lbs loaded. All was good until pulling in 30 mph crosswinds - not a comfortable experience. I now have a trailer that is 25' 6" and a couple hundred pounds lighter - much nicer towing experience. It is also much easier to navigate in gas stations, campgrounds, etc.

What is the payload capacity of your truck? You can find it on yellow sticker on the door pillar behind the front door.

On a half ton this is usually the most critical number. From this number you must subtract all passengers, any pets, any stuff stored in the cabin. You must also subtract the hitch ball assembly, plus any cargo in the bed, and finally, the tongue weight.

And if you do not know the tongue weight, then multiply the GWVR (not the dry weight) by 13% and subtract that from cargo capacity of your truck.

CRS001 wrote:
I went out and purchased a new F150 crew cab and found 2 rockwood that fit weight wise one is 29'8" and the other is 33'8". Is there something I need to consider here or does the length here matter? I have seen much about considering length just weight.

Overall Length only really matters regarding your camping locations. I'm 33' long and have a crewcab 6.5' box, I have a difficult time parking in some campgrounds. we are looking to downsize both trailer (to under 30', and truck). Which would make life alot easier. But I am unsure what the campgrounds are like where you are..

If only the OEM's would buid a 3/4t or 1t Crewcab shortbox (5.5').

Thanks for the input. The truck I have is 145" the short bed 5.5. I followed all the weight formulas provided and used the recommended buffers. We haven't done this before so we did the best we could estimating things. Thanks

Length of the TT to your tow vehicle does matter, but there isn't a magic ratio other than shorter is better. IMO, it's just another factor to consider. If you're pushing the weight capacity of the truck, I wouldn't push the length too much either.

Do you have the F150 with the 6.5 foot bed or the 5 foot bed? Reason I ask is that the wheel base on the 6.5 foot bed is basically the same as on the typical F250, which is a good thing. Personally, I'd stay under a 30' travel trailer with a 1/2 ton truck, especially if you have the 5 foot bed. The power and braking should be fine, but I do worry about stability due to cross winds. The 3/4 & 1 ton trucks weigh a lot more and have much stiffer suspensions, so they do a better job at keeping the TT in place compared to a 1/2 ton.

I used to have a 2012 F150 with the 6.5 foot bed and now have a 2013 F250 diesel. The F250 literally weights a ton more than the F150, per Cat scales. That's 2000 more pounds to keep the trailer in place, on top of having a MUCH stiffer suspension.

So bottom line is that the length of TT matters. How much depends on other factors.