MOTOR20

I just bought a 28ft Jayco Swift the dry weight is 5243lb and GVW can be maxed at 7000lb on TT ( I'm sure I will not max out that weight). Im towing it with a 2013 F150 Ecoboost 3.15 with a tow package. After doing the math I believe Im ok. F150 is rated for 8500lb trailer capacity. I have an equalizer WDH and am about to put in some air bags for more stability and to level the truck out. Just making sure I have not missed something.. Just making sure I did all my math right......

KR Kodi

iTrader: (1)

Well....you didn't tell us the math that you did as far as the numbers that relate to YOUR truck!!


All I see is one sales brochure number of 8500 lbs that you think your truck is capable of pulling.


Butt....I doubt that you'll actually get anywhere close to that when you really do the math for YOUR truck!!


I think you probably have a SCrew 4x2 with a 5-1/2' bed, and you say you have the 3.15 rear end.


The "brochure" says that you can pull a trailer with a max loaded weight of 8500 lbs, but when you start doing the math with YOUR truck's specs you'll probably come up with a max of much less.


The brochure also says you have a GCWR of 14,000 lbs. If you hooked up an 8500 lb trailer to your truck, the weight of the truck could not exceed the GCWR minus the 8500 trailer weight, which equals 5500 lbs.


I bet your truck weighs more than that EMPTY!!!


There are two stickers on your driver's side door - one has the GVWR of your truck and the axle limits (and I believe your truck's GVWR is 7100 lbs); and the other sticker (the "tire pressure" sticker) has the payload capacity of your truck (it says "weight of occupants and cargo can never exceed xxxx lbs").


Now to do the REAL math for your truck. Subtract your payload capacity from the GVWR to see how much your empty truck weighs (empty except for a full tank of gas).


I bet it's more than 5500 lbs!!!


Who/what will you carry in your truck when you tow?


Figure out how much the weight of the people and cargo you'll normally carry in the cab and bed of the truck when towing and add that to the empty weight of your truck (or subtract from your payload capacity) to see how much you have left for weight on the tongue.


Let's say you have a 1400 lb payload capacity (5700 lb empty truck weight), and you plan to tow with two people and a couple hundred lbs of other stuff in the cab and bed, for a total of 500 lbs of occupants and cargo - that brings your truck's weight up to 6200 lbs, and brings your payload remaining down to 900 lbs.


And if you subtract your 6200 lbs of truck from the max GCWR of 14,000 then you're down to a max trailer weight of 7800 lbs.


So...you can see that the "sales brochure" numbers are not really of much value at all - except to "sell" a truck!


Let's continue with the math by figuring out the tongue weight of your trailer. First of all, you don't think you'll get up to the 7000 lb max GVWR for your trailer, but I bet after a couple trips with stuff getting added each time that you'll rapidly get real close to that.


Let's say your trailer weight gets up to 6500 lbs. Common wisdom is that the tongue weight should be 10% to 15% of the trailer weight, with a more normal real world minimum of 12%.


12% of 6500 lbs is 780 lbs.


Your WDH probably weighs as much as 100, but let's say 70 lbs.


So....tongue weight plus the weight of your WDH equals 850 lbs.


Above, the sample numbers we used gave us, after people and cargo are loaded into the truck, a remaining payload capacity of 900 lbs, and if you have 850 on the tongue then you're 50 lbs below your truck's limits when towing a 6500 lb trailer.


The WDH will redistribute some of the tongue weight forward to the truck's front axle and back to the trailer's axles, but you're right at your limits.


Take a look at those stickers on your driver's door to get YOUR truck's GVWR (I suspect 7100 lbs) and payload capacity (probably 1400 to 1500 lbs), then do the math using YOUR truck's specs to get the real world limits for YOUR truck instead of the sales brochure totally unrealistic numbers.


Good luck, and let us know what your payload capacity is off the stickers on your door.


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EcoboostKev

Not sure how many in your family? The average family will add 1000-1200lbs to the trailer with food,clothes and gear. Your looking in the neighborhood of 6500lbs(loaded) and like KR Kodi mentioned 12% of that will be tongue weight(780lbs) plus the weight of the WDHitch itself(80lbs+/-)..

Keep in mind a properly adjusted WDHitch will transfer some weight to the front axle and also 20%(approx.156lbs of the 780lbs) to the trailer axle. So you will not have all that tongue weight on the rear axle.

You need to find out your trucks GVWR and payload ratings to know for sure. But I'm willing to bet you will be under your trucks ratings..

Norotso

https://www.f150forum.com/f82/towing...4/#post3536469

Mike Up

Not sure which Jay Flight Swift model you have as you didn't mention it. Also don't know what your Tire Loading Tread Act payload is. It's the yellow sticker in the driver's door jam.

These are "AVERAGES" I found over the decade from www.rv.net on tongue weight percentage, weight distribution hitch weight distribution percentage, and loading.

Most dual axle travel trailers have a 13% tongue weight when properly designed and loaded. Most correctly adjusted weight distribution hitches will transfer 80% of the tongue weight to the trucks axles and 20% to the trailer axles. That already account for the near 100 lbs of the 'weight distribution hitch' itself.

Most load around 1300 lbs into the trailer. This accounts for clothes, food, camping gear, battery, propane, and water storage.

So by going by the averages I've seen for years at www.rv.net, you trailer loaded would be 6543 lbs (about the weight of mine but I have 90 gallon fresh water capacity), 851 lbs tongue weight, and 681 lbs of that tongue weight going to your truck axles.

So what ever your yellow tire loading sticker says your payload is, subtract 681 lbs from that. You'll then have the weight you can have which includes you, your passengers, all your gear, and your trucks accessories (tonneau cover, bedliner, side steps, bed extender, etc.). When adding that up, if it's higher than what is left of your payload, you'll have to delete weight somewhere to keep from overloading your truck.

You shouldn't need air bags. If fact they can cause more problems by throwing the weight distribution off when used with your hitch. If you have the 'correct' rated bars for your tongue weight (I use 1200 lbs as the 800 lbs were to low, and no 1000# bar offered), your truck should be leveled fine and correct for proper weight transfer.

BTW, tow rating means nothing. First any 1/2 ton truck is limited to payload far before tow rating. Second tow rating is a fictional number as the real rating is CGWR. Which is the weight of your truck and trailer added. It's found by a base truck (no options) with only a 150 lbs driver. Any weight you or the factory adds the base truck is subtracted from your tow rating.

With my family and gear of 800 lbs, my true tow rating is 8500 lbs, not the Ford 9300 lbs tow rating.

My RV.net profile page.

Of course, you should weigh your rig as the above are only averages. Visit www.rv.net for anything you want to know about towing or your Jay Flight Swift.

MOTOR20

Ok with the advise from you guys I crunched some numbers. I used high number to be safe based and this is what I came up with..... I calculated using GVWR of trailer.....

2013 ECOBOOST F150 XLT GVWR 7100#
PAYLOAD 1621#
2013 JAYCO 281BHS DRY 5243# GVWR 7000#
PASSANGERS 450#
12% TONGUE WEIGHT 940# INCLUDING WDH of 100#
20% (188#) FOR WDH MAKES TONGUE WEIGHT 752

So with those numbers that leaves me:

1621# (Payload) - 750# (Tongue Weight) - 450# (Passangers) = 420# under my payload capacity.....

So in my thinking as long as I keep my trailer weight around 6500 that will give me plenty of room with weight as long as I keep my WDH properly adjusted. Using 6500# as a weight for my trailer that gives me about 470# under my payload capacity.

My next step is to find some scales near me and have some weight taken of truck and trailer while they are filled up so that I can get some definite numbers. But based on those numbers I should be just fine.

Adobe2X

Please consider switching to a 10 ply tire if you are going to tow that near your truck's capacities. The 4 ply tires on your truck will do it OK, but the 10 ply tires make all of the difference in the world. The stability and safety they add is much more that the bags alone will lend to your truck.

EcoboostKev

Don't forget about the things that will be loaded in the bed.. No one goes on a camping trip without throwing something(firewood,coolers,bikes) in the bed!

KR Kodi

iTrader: (1)

Excellent!!! With 1621 lbs of payload capacity you're in great shape! Much better than I am with 1020 lbs of payload capacity.

Happy towing!!

Bob

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pirateman98

trying to follow these threads is proving difficult for me so I will just put up my numbers and see what comes out. Looking at a camper that weighs 6221 dry with a toungue of 906. My 2004 SCAB with 3.55 and towing pack. Door sticker says GVWR 7200, Rear GAWR 3850. According to trailer life max trailer weight is 8300. I dont see where to find the payload or the curb weight of my truck. Please any help you can offer would be great!!

Thanks DC