smokeywren

Don't throw out the baby with the bath water. Consider replacing your pickup with one that has more GVWR and payload capacity.


If your current pickup has 11,200 tow rating, then it has the max tow pkg. But if it's overloaded with a 30' TT, then it probably doesn't have the HD Payload pkg.


Look at the specs for a 2015 F-150 with HD payload pkg. You can get it with ordinary 18" wheels now, and the tow rating is still over 11,000. The GVWR is 7,800, so with a wet and loaded F-150 that grosses 6,000 pounds when wet and loaded for the road, you still have 1,800 pounds of payload capacity left for hitch weight. At the average of 13% tongue weight, that's a TT with GVWR of over 13,000 pounds. I'll bet your TT doesn't have GVWR anywhere near 13k.


If you're leery of the aluminum body on the 2015 F-150, then move up to the SuperDuty. That's the one your dealer should have sold you to begin with.

KR Kodi

iTrader: (1)

It looks to me like you have a very capable tow vehicle!!!

With the max tow pkg it looks like your GCWR is 17,100 lbs, and I think the GVWR of your truck is either 7650 or 7700. I assume your payload capacity is in the 1500 to 1600 lb range - what's it say on the sticker on your door??

The sticker up under the rear bumper that has your max hitch weight limit should say that your max tongue weight with a WDH is 1150 lbs for the max tow pkg.

So....I would bet those are the main weight limits you need to worry about.

What is the wet&loaded weight of your TT?

If you can keep it around 9000 lbs you'll probably be fine.

Your WDH will weigh about 100 lbs, so that will leave you 1050 for tongue weight to stay within the hitch weight limit of 1150.

Your tongue weight needs to be 10% to 15% of the trailer's weight - let's use a realistic minimum of 12%. 12% of 9000=1080. Oh well, let's use 11.666% to keep the tongue weight at 1050 lbs!

That's a pretty good number - right at max, but your WDH will redistribute some of the tongue weight forward to your truck's front axle, and some back to the trailer's axles.

What's your truck's payload capacity on the door sticker? If it's 1600 lbs, and you have a 100 lb WDH mounted and 1050 lbs of tongue weight, that leaves you 450 lbs for people and cargo in the cab and bed for the guesstimate weights above.

So....if you can keep the load in your truck real light (450 lbs or less) then you can pull a 9000 lb trailer and be within hitch and GVWR/payload limits in the example.

Also, if your GVWR is 7700, and your payload capacity is 1600, your empty truck (completely empty except for a full tank of gas) is 6100 lbs.

If you mount up your 100 lb WDH and load up the 450 lbs of people and stuff, the truck will weigh 6650 lbs before you hook up the trailer. (that leaves you the tongue weight of 1050 lbs that will bring the truck right up to its 7700 lb GVWR)

The GCWR is 17,100 so subtract the weight of the truck ready to tow from that to find the max weight that won't exceed the GCWR, which is 10,450 in this example. With the example weights above you won't be exceeding your GCWR.

Bottom line - a 9000 lb trailer will probably be waaaay up at the max you can pull with your truck. However, if you can keep your TT weight down well below that, and load it to keep the tongue weight less than 1050 lbs, you'll probably be in good shape.

You'll also need to take your rig to the local CAT scales to confirm weights, and especially to find the weight on the front and rear axles of your truck to make sure you aren't over the GAWR limits for them.

Do your own math with the actual numbers for your truck and you can see if you can stay comfortably within limits.

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stormrider151

Replacing the truck is not an option. I'm not a wealthy man and the 2015's and 250"s are off the chain. The tongue weight on the trailer loaded and including is 1050# (great estimate I'm impressed). We seldom carry anything in the truck but a few tools and just the two of us. However I have added al Leer cover running boards, brush guard and running boards to the truck. Total all that up with me and my girl and it's a little over the 1708# on the sticker. We weighed everything we put in the trailer (talk about ****) and we are no where near the max cargo on the trailer. We mapped out where everything goes to keep the load consistent. My figure's put the tongue weight at just over 13%. The factor that kill's the deal unfortunately is the truck. Don't get me wrong I'm crazy about the truck. It's awesome for what it is. It's just not a tow vehicle. But thanks for your input. I appreciate it and respect everyone's knowledge and opinion. Who knows you might I have saved us from a tragedy.

Wannafbody

Back to payload and GVWR. Based on a thread I read on another forum, it seems that the transmission is the weak link with consistent overloading over a large number of miles, at least with GM's.

smurfs_of_war

And that's weird because the transmission is rated up to the GCWR not the GVWR. I believe you and I read the same thread.

ragerjr

On my travels this past weekend I had rented a 2014/15 (I think, based onthe manf. date) Explorer Limited. While I was waiting on my buddy I looked atthe payload sticker on it. The payload was 1500# and some change. I forgot tolook at the GVWR for it. It had the third row so it had seating for 7 people.

IMO right or wrong I am to the point that all these #s are nothing but abunch of BS. The payload on my truck it around 1400# and some change accordingto the sticker. There is no way that anExplorer can carry more than our trucks sorry I have owned one they’re notdesigned for that. Fords says that I can pull 9700# then that is what I amgoing to do. I pull a 9200# fifth wheel (it is posted in the trucks pullingcampers thread, I had the stock P tires on it at the time of the pic, now have LT E rated tires on it now) on a gooseneck hitch. The truck pulls, stops, and handles that load very wheel. Before anyone thinks that I am just putting people in danger by ignoring the #s or that I have zero towing experience, I will correct you now. I have driven everything from a little ranger to a single axel dump truck to a 15ton military freightliner. All of these trucks at one pointhave had a trailer behind them either a tag or a gooseneck all of different sizes, shapes., and weights I have also been towing for 20 years, some years more than others.

Rant over and sorry for the rant because I started this thread to better understand where these #s come from.
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ragerjr

Thank you to everyone that has commented on this thread.

Wannafbody

One thing I read that while testing the EB, Ford towed an 11,000# trailer up and down hills and the truck did fine. Maybe towing 11,000# daily will shorten the ultimate life span of some components, especially transmissions which build up heat.

smokeywren

Then you need to go back to school and learn to read and comprehend what you read. Ford did NOT say you can pull 9700#. Ford said you can pull up to 9700# PROVIDED you don't exceed the GVWR (or any other weight rating) of your tow vehicle when towing.

ragerjr

Thank you, but I do know how to read and comprehend what I read. That was a rant to blow off steam because none of these #s that Ford, GM , Dodge or anyone else puts out makes any sense. It is all marking and that is it. I know what my truck can handle safely.