RSolberg

I'm a trailer virgin if you don't count pulling a small 2 foot utility trailer on a golf cart... Wife and I are planning on making an investment and purchasing a TT. Here is our real world situation we're looking at and I'm hopeful those of you with lots of experience can chime in.

Here is the information on our TV. 2015 F150 3.5 Ecoboost 4x4 Lariat with Max Tow short bed super crew and payload (per sticker) of 1528. The cargo, passengers, truck cap, & weight distributing hitch will come in at about 925 pounds leaving us with 683 pounds of payload remaining. Obviously despite the truck being able to pull 11,500 pounds, the payload and GVWR of the truck is the bottleneck.

It seems like most people are estimating the tongue weight of a trailer to come in at 12.5% or so. If I divide 678 by 12.5% I get 5,424 pounds of total wet/loaded trailer weight.

If I remove the canopy from the truck, I save 250 pounds of payload which gives me the ability to have 853 pounds of tongue weight and 6824 of wet/loaded trailer weight. Obviously this would max the GVWR of the truck, but not exceed it.

We are looking at purchasing a Keystone Passport 2810BH. The trailer weights 5,323 (dry) and the hitch comes in at 550. We will likely not do dry camping so we won't be hauling water/full tanks/etc. Even if we added 1,000 pounds of stuff to the trailer, we'd come in at 6,323 which is 500 pounds less than the amount that would put us over GVWR.

I know many will say ignore the GVWR, 200 pounds isn't going to do any harm. I'm not sure I'm willing to do that. Most of our trips will be 2 hours or so to get to the Oregon Coast or 3-4 hours to get to eastern Oregon. Our longer trips would be to western Montana (once every 5 years) or a slightly longer trek to eastern Washington. I have already said I can take the canopy off and I can also offload another 200 pounds of passengers to another vehicle as well. The trailer will likely be in storage 48 weeks a year and the truck will only pull it 8 times or so per year.

1. Will my setup be able to handle this trailer as described above?
2. Assuming yes, what should I modify to my vehicle to make it handle better or perform better?

Appreciate the help and feedback in advance!

Nighthawk87

I'm planning to tow 7600 pounds with my 2.7. My payload is 1718 since I have the payload package. This might be a good example of getting the 2.7 with payload pckg vs the 3.5. It's the same cost approx.

I think you'll be fine and are being ultra conservative.

5.0GN tow

Keep in mind the hitch weight of about 100 or so, and also that properly adjusting the WDH will move some weight back from the truck to the trailers axles. That being said, the best thing to do is move as much cargo as the trailer can handle fron the truck to the trailer where only 15% or less of the total will end up on the trucks axles. Positioning the load in the trailer is key too as it can greatly affect the pin weight of the trailer.

5.0GN tow

Double post sorry

ColbyL

Check where your 30 gal./240 lb. potable water tank is. If centered over the axles, it would not affect tongue weight, so I would recommend traveling with it full for better stability. Someone please correct me if I am wrong. I am in Portland, BTW.

11screw50

I think he has a very different configuration than you do. The reason I say that is that the 2.7 with the payload package has the same GVWR (7000) as the 3.5EB (and 5.0) without the payload package. My guess is he has the big window in the roof. I actually think that might be the lowest payload I've seen for a 2015 with the 5.0 or 3.5EB.

OP. Not sure what else you figured for removing the cap but you initially said you had ~678# left with the cap and could save 250# by removing it but then ran the trailer calc using 853#. 678+250 is 928.

If you call your loaded TT 6400# (a little more than 1000# heavier than dry) and figure 13% tongue weight, thats 832#. I do see that you included the WDH in your initial 925# occupants and cargo so you already have that.

Looks to me like you scrape by using the 853# available and make it a little more relaxed if it is really 928#.

I would say you need to lose the cap. I know it's more work but it just adds too much weight. I also think you need to put as little in the truck itself.

One other thing to consider. If you have kids, their wight can go up pretty quick. I expect in 5 years my occupant weight will be 100# more than it is right now...then they start graduating and I can trade the TT in for something with fewer bunks.

TooManyVehicles

1.Another option not thought about by most is to move the spare tire from the truck to the TT. You might also be able to do this with some of the camping supplies, etc.
2. Please post your vehicle specifics (including the option list) to this thread: https://www.f150forum.com/f82/post-your-payload-332538/ so we can have a data bank for potential buyers since Ford doesn't do a great job of helping people to calculate payload before they buy their truck.

Falcon359

My pay load is only 1506#for 2015 4x4 King Ranch 3.5 Eco 5.5 bed max tow. I pull a 27 foot Cougar. truck power no problem but suspension needs air bags in rear tt spec dry 6074# hitch wt 630# I travel with a third of a tank of water a carry most of everything else in trailer I use a equalizer 1000# hitch with sway control. I pull from Bakersfield to the central coast and to the eastern sierras about 8 times a year, long trip to southern Utah once a year. The only thing I don't care for is mpg avg 6.5-8.

sunofabeach

I think you should get rid of the topper for sure. if you're not comfortable going over GVWR, that has to go.


pack everything but snacks and drinks into the trailer, making sure you know where you're putting most of your weight.


WDH setup will be very important in how the truck handles the trailer so go to RV.net and read, read, read!


I would add helper airbags to the rear suspension for added stability and less bounce while towing.


imo, the max trailer weight I would suggest is about 7000lbs, loaded and ready to camp. whether the trailer has a 9000lbs GVWR doesn't matter to me. what matters is what it actually weighs when your ready to go.

smokeywren

12% to 15% is normal for a properly loaded TT. Average is 12.5% to 13%. I would use 13%, which results in a max trailer weight of 5,215.

　
Removing the campr shell is not an option for me. Too darned much trouble, and it's all Darling Wife and I can handle. Plus we need the shell to keep things in the bed out of the weather.

　
Nice job of rationalization to try to max out the size of a TT you can tow without being overloaded. But my guess is the CAT scale will prove you're still overloaded when you weigh the rig in the middle of an RV trip.
　
Keystone makes a slighter smaller Passport bunkhouse, 2400BH, that is very similar to the 2810 except it has no sofa. You can get by without the sofa. Shipping weight is 4730 and CCC is 2070 for 6,800 GVWR (compared to 7,200 GVWR for the 2810BH). That one would give you a better chance at not being overloaded when on the road.



Depends on your definition of "handle". Handle without exceeding any of Ford's weight limits? Probably not. Pull the trailer without burning up anything in the drivetrain? Probably yes, if you watch the tranny temp gauge like a hawk.



Assuming maybe, then that means you have to worry about every pound of stuff you haul in the truck and trailer. That's frustrating.


You're probably going to be slightly over the GVWR of the truck with the 2810BH, even without the camper shell. So the rear end is going to sag a bit too much, even with a good properly-adjusted WD hitch. So you'll need to add air bags in the rear suspension. About $400 for the parts to add Firestone RideRite air bags.


With the 2400BH you'd have a slight chance of not being overloaded with a wet and loaded TT behind you. So a bit less fustration for having to tell Darling Wife she cannot haul her favorite heavy cookware when camping, no heavy dishes, minimum fresh water in the holding tank. And less effort on your part to take most of the heavy tools out of your toolbox and leave them home. It's great to have the heavy floor jack with you in case of a flat on the trailer, but that will have to stay back at the house. Ect., etc. Oh, and no campfire wood in the rig. Good campfire wood is heavy. Buy it after you get there, and pay three prices for it.


Where am I coming from? The F-150 in my sig has 1,566 payload capacity. The TT in my sig has GVWR of 5,600 pounds, and it grosses 4,870 on the road, with 650 pounds of hitch weight (13.35%). DW hauls only light-weight dishes, glassware and pots and pans. We travel with empty black and grey tanks, and only enough fresh water in the tank to flush the pottie when on the road. I leave the floor jack at home when towing this rig. So far I haven't had to change a tire in a muddy ditch. The CAT scale shows that I'm 100 pounds overloaded over the GVWR of my F-150, with only Darling Wife and Puppydog the Welch Border Collie in the truck. Digital tranny temp gauge never shows over about 210°, so the drivetrain is not stressed with that trailer. Oncoming drivers flash their headlights at me if I dare get on the road at night, but I don't want to invest in air bags or tighten up my WD hitch more, so I don't tow at night. But I'm nervous about being slightly overloaded when on the road. A new F-150 with over 1,800 pounds of payload capacity would make the world right, but my 2012 is barely broken in now, so I think I'll keep it another few years.