boatdriver1790

Hey folks!

Total newbie here hoping for a bit of info from the experts. I'm active military stationed overseas and will be moving back to the states in June. I'm looking to live full time for at least a year in a travel trailer at my next duty station (Mississippi). I'm hoping to get your thoughts on my intended truck and trailer.

I'm ordering a 2015 F150 super crew cab short bed with the 3.5 eco-boost engine. With 3.55 gears it looks like the max trailer weight is 9,600 lbs.

The travel trailer I really like is the Keystone 277RL. From the specs on the sticker I see the trailer is 7490 lbs unloaded with a 1450 lbs cargo capacity. That gives me a 8940 lb total weight. However, the Keystone website lists a shipping weight of 7320 lbs and 1680 lbs carrying capacity for a 9000 lb total. I think they're considering the roughly 400 lbs or fresh water that could be added.

Does anyone see any issues towing this with the rig I've described above? I really appreciate any and all advice!

acadianbob

The limiting factor is almost always payload capacity. Just make sure you have enough for WET tongue weight, hitch, family, gear in the bed of the truck.

king nothing

Your problem is going to be payload, not towing capacity. The loaded tongue weight on that trailer is going to be north of 1000#. I don't know how much different the payload capacities are for the 2015s, but if we were talking about the current generation I would look at the max-tow package at minimum (available with the short bed) and probably the max-payload package (only available with the long bed).

Manuellabour247

Do you just plan on parking it for long periods of time? (3+ months) If not, I'd say that you would be at the top of your capability without max tow/heavy payload. You'd probably shorten the life expectancy of the vehicle. I can't pull up the page at work for the trailer, is it a 5'er or bumper pull? It would make a difference in the toungue weight availability.

king nothing

It's a travel trailer, not a 5er.

A7B2FX4

Thanks for your service. I imagine there will be lots of advice here on the numbers for payload, hitch weight etc. My opinion is don't rush into buying off the lot but do the research first. The Keystone is long and heavy for a F150. I wouldn't even consider the F150 without Max tow and HD package. Sure the towing numbers say you can tow that weight but as many have found if you push the limits then a $2000 dollar hitch becomes a necessity. Then add air bags to curtail the mushy rear end.
Ford does a great job promoting the tow ratings and if you notice nearly every picture of a heavy tow is a flatbed load not a TT. 9000 lbs on a flatbed is way easy to balance the load and pull it, than trying to make a 9000lb TT behave behind the truck.

boatdriver1790

Much thanks for all the advice. Here are some numbers I've found that may help.

Hitch weight of the 277RL is 870 lbs.
The trucks payload rating is 2170 lbs and GCWR is 16,000 lbs.

So if the truck's GVWR is 7,050 lbs and the trailer is 9,000, it looks like I'm already over my GCWR by 50 lbs?

I did add the Max tow package when doing the build of the truck. May payload isn't available on the 5.5' bed.

boatdriver1790

Wait...Ford's website also lists a base curb weight for that truck of 4,925 lbs. Which do I use, the GVWR or the curb weight?

If I use the curb weight I get this:

16,000 GCWR
- 4925 curb weight of the truck
- 9000 trailer weight
____________
2,075 available payload.

Sound correct?

king nothing

The listed hitch weight is useless. That's a dry, unloaded weight. No one pulls an unloaded trailer. I would look for that trailer to have a loaded tongue weight between 1000 and 1100 pounds.
The GVWR is not the actual weight of the truck, it is the maximum Ford says the truck can weigh when loaded.


That's not how you figure payload. Your payload will be GVWR minus the actual weight of the truck loaded. Say the GVWR Is 7050, which sounds low (my 13 XLT crew 4Dr with max-tow is 7700) and your actual loaded weight (with driver and passengers) Is 6000 your remaining payload is 1050.

smokeywren

The "tow rating" for a 2015 is higher. For 2011 thru 2014 it was 9,600 pounds, so you're looking at the older towing guide.

But ignore the tow rating. If you go by the tow rating, you'll be severely overloaded over the payload capacity of your F-150 when the truck and trailer are loaded for a full-timer's move. The fine print on that Ford Towing guide shouts NEVER exceed the GVWR of your tow vehicle.

So the GVWR of your F-150 is the actual limiter as to how heavy a trailer you can tow.

No, the sticker on the trailer is giving you the actual weight of that trailer with the factory options installed, plus it gives you the 9,000 GVWR of the trailer. The shipping weight on the paperwork for the trailer is usually less than the actual weight of the trailer on the sticker on the trailer.

You'll be overloaded with that trailer if you order the truck you described above. If you don't want to be overloaded, then order the truck with the Heavy Duty Payload Package. That package will include the max tow pkg, 18" wheels, and 18" LT load range C tires, 3.73 e-locker axle, along with GVWR of 7,800 pounds.

And for 2015, Ford unbundled the trailer tow mirrors, so you must remember to order them also.

The HD Payload pkg on a SuperCrew also requires the 6.5' bed. That would be considered a shorty bed on most pickups that have a standard 8' bed. But on the SuperCrew it's the longest bed offered, and the 5.5' really-short bed is an option that you cannot order with the HD Payload pkg. You can't have the really-short bed if you want to tow a 9,000-pound TT without being overloaded over the GVWR of the tow vehicle..

You can build&price your 2015 on the Ford website.
http://bp3.ford.com/2015-Ford-F-150?...rucks#/Models/
When you begin, start off with the 6.5' bed and the 3.5L EcoBoost engine, then notice Ford will offer you the option of the HD Payload pkg. If you begin with the 5.5' bed, you will never see the HD Payload pkg as an option.

Here's one I just now built on the Ford website:

2015 F-150 XLT SuperCrew, 6.5' box, 3.5L V6 EcoBoost engine, 6-speed automatic tranny, 4x2 MSRP $38,240
301a pkg (req'd for extended range gas tank) $1,400 net after pkg discount
HD Payload pkg $1,695
Max trailer tow pkg $695
LED Spotlights (req'd for tow mirrors) $175
Tow mirrors $275
Extended range fuel tank $195
3.73 E-locker axle $0 (part of HD Payload pkg)
18-inch alloy wheeks $0 (part of HD Payload pkg)
LT275.65R18C OWL All-Terrain tires $0 (part of HD Payload pkg)
Destination $1,195
Net $43,870 MSRP


Notice I included the extended range gas tank (32 gallons instead of 26 gallons). It cost me over $1,000 to have my dealer replace my 26-gallon tank with the 36-gallon tank available for my 2012. You definitely want to add the bigger gas tank to your order since it costs only $195 MSRP or about $175 actual cash increase in the cost of your pickup.

That's pretty much the minimum truck I would want for that trailer. But you can save a little by going for the XL trim, or pay more for various options and trim levels available.


But don't buy that 9,000 pound trailer unless you also get the HD Payload pkg on your 2015 F-150.