CFH

I’m looking into purchasing a travel trailer and have narrowed it down to two. One weighs approximately 7467# and the other 7875#. I would probably add no more than one thousand pounds as extra cargo when towing it. I do not have the max tow package as my truck has only the basic tow package with a trailer brake control. My truck specs:

2010 Ford F150 FX4 supercrew
5.4L FFV V8 145” Wheelbase 3.73 Electronic lock RR axle
7200# GVWR
Front GAWR 3900 Rear GAWR 4050
Hitch type V-5
1050/10500 WD
500/5000 WC
P275/55R20 3 leaf springs

I will be installing a weight distribution hitch and sway bar. With my max towing capacity at 9600#, will towing up to 8900# be a problem driving through the hills and mountains?

I currently get 10/15 mpg. Anyone know what mpg I will get towing this much weight at about 65mph? I’ve been told differently from 4-6 mpg and 8-10.

zx12-iowa

You will not get 4-6 mpg. Lol. You will likely get 10 mpg. You will have no problem towing your proposed trailer weight. You will win no races but it will tow ok.

acadianbob

Just check to make sure that your payload capacity is sufficient for your anticipated tongue weight, weight of family/pets, whatever you put in the bed of your truck, hitch weight, etc.

KR Kodi

iTrader: (1)

You gave us a bunch of good numbers, but not the payload capacity.


What's the empty weight of the truck, and what's the payload capacity? They're on the stickers on the door.


I suspect payload is in the range of 1300 lbs - that's the empty truck (nothing in it but a full tank of gas).


Your WDH will weigh about 50 to 75 lbs, so subtract that from the published payload.


If you have added a tonneau, tool box, or bed liner - subtract those weights from the payload capacity on the sticker.


Also, what's the hitch rating? look up under the rear bumper and you should see a sticker that tells you. It will probably be a max for a weight carrying hitch (no WDH) of a 5000 lb trailer/500 lb tongue weight; and for a WDH a max trailer of 10500/1050.


If you're pulling an 8900 lb trailer with a WDH, the minimum tongue weight would be 10%, or 890 lbs. If you load the trailer to get your max allowable tongue weight of 1050 lbs, that would be 11.8%.


If you have a tongue weight of around 900 lbs, and if your max payload is somewhere around 1300 lbs (maybe less after you subtract the weight of the WDH and other mods), then you'd have 400 lbs for people, luggage, and cargo in the cab and bed of the truck.


Bottom line - just because the brochure says your max trailer weight is 9600 lbs doesn't mean you can pull a 9600 lb trailer without exceeding some weight limit!!

CFH

Combined occupants and cargo should not exceed 1150#. Total passenger weight would be 550#. Tonneau cover 60#.

Hitch weights on the TTs are 767# and 755#. Is tongue weight additional weight from the rv (ex. 7467+767=8234#)? I thought it was the amount of pressure put on by the hitch of the trailer and it would be evenly distributed between the truck and the trailer pulled.

Hitch rating was posted as V-5, 1050/10500 WD and 500/5000 WC.

With total payload not to exceed 1150, then would a trailer weighing about 5000# be the logical choice?

KR Kodi

iTrader: (1)

No - the tongue weight is part of the overall trailer weight!!


If the trailer weighs 7467 lbs, that's the total weight.


If the tongue weight is 767 lbs, then 7467-767=6700.


If the trailer is sitting there unhooked, 767 lbs is supported by the tongue jack, and 6700 lbs is supported by the trailer's axles.


When you hook the trailer up (without a WDH, or before you hook up the WDH spring bars), 767 lbs will be supported by the hitch of the truck.


The WDH will weigh at least 50 lbs, so you'll be up to 817 lbs on the rear end of the truck.


When you hook up the WDH you'll redistribute the weight so some of that weight will be sent forward to the front axle of the truck, and some will be sent back to the trailer axles.


However, you still will have a very limited amount of weight that you will be able to carry in the cab and bed of the truck.

Straight6jeff

One more thing to consider and pay attention to is the tire pressue. More than likely you will need to air them up significantly to handle the additional weight and stresses of heavy towing. Even at that, your tires may not like the heavy load. Keep an eye on tread cracking and spalling.

ecobeest

You'll likely be over on a rating or two, but nothing enough to get all worked up over. Watch your loading (ie leave the rock collection at home) and you will be OK.

Keep your foot out of the go go pedal and you'll manage I am guessing in the 9.5 to 10.5 MPG. In mountainous terrain it'll suck; terribly...

Get a good WDH, like an equal-I-zer brand or something similar and adjust it PROPERLY.

As Straight6jeff mentioned watch the tire pressure. That includes the TT tires.

CFH

Thanks for your feedback guys! I'll surely take your advice into consideration.

EcoboostKev

You still haven't given us your payload #?? If you are expecting your occupants and cargo to weigh 1150lbs and you then add the (DRY) tongue weight of 767lbs that gives you 1917lbs added to your truck. Also the tongue weight will actually be in the 850-900lb+/- range once the trailer is loaded. Look at your door jam sticker and see what you have for payload.