Mrocha85

Hey guys been a member for a while and have never needed to use my truck to tow anything until now. Now I am new to towing and am a little confused on how much my truck can safely tow. My wife and I are looking to start a business and this will involve towing a 32' Enclosed trailer. Here is the break down of my truck and some specs of the trailer.

Truck

2012 F150 Crew FX4
3.73 gears
tow package (tow hitch and brake controller)

Sticker on the inside of my door reads

GVWR - 7350LB
Rear GAWR 3850LB

Trailer

Weighs just under 8000Lbs
800-1000LBS Tongue Weight
32' V Nose Enclosed Trailer
4' Tongue
5200# Torsion Tanden Axels

When I do tow the truck will be empty aside from myself (140lbs) and 1 other person probably my wife (105lbs). It will also be towed around the city so probably 30-50 mile trips at a time.

I have tried to research this but am getting mixed information. So I figured I would get you guys thoughts on it. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks for the help in advance. If you need any other information please let me know, thanks.

smurfs_of_war

Likely won't be a popular answer, but were it me, I probably wouldn't give it a second thought and just hook and go for what you're using it for. The only thing I might look twice at is the overall length. Big tail, little dog. If it's not a good fit, you'll know pretty quickly. Watch your RAWR and hitch capacity and keep your trailer brakes in good shape.

KR Kodi

iTrader: (1)

Well....you need more info about your truck!!

What engine do you have? You need to look at the 2012 towing guide to determine what the GCWR of the truck and trailer is to make sure you can pull an 8000 lb trailer - and I'm sure he truck is probably rated for that - i.e., it has the power and brakes to pull and stop the rig.

In addition to the white sticker on your door that tells you the max weight for your truck is 7350, there's a yellow sticker that tells you "the combined weight of occupants and cargo should never exceed xxxx lbs".

Here's a sticker I borrowed from another thread that shows the max payload capacity of that truck is 1170 lbs:




I suspect your sticker will show something in the range of 1400 lbs, depending on the options your truck has.

The tongue weight of the trailer uses up that payload capacity real quickly!!

Let's say your payload capacity is 1400 lbs. if you have 1000 lb tongue weight, and you and your wife weigh 245, that would leave you 155 lbs for other stuff you might want to carry in the cab or bed.

In addition, take a look under the back for a sticker under the rear bumper on the hitch - it will probably say you have a max tongue weight of 500 lbs for a bumper hitch, and 1050 lbs max tongue weight if you use a WDH (weight distribution hitch).

Bottom line, you'll probably be okay if you use a WDH.

Bob

Mrocha85

Thanks for the quick responses guys.

Yes knew I forgot something.
It's the 5.0
Looks like the 2012 rating is 9300LB.

KR Kodi

iTrader: (1)

You shouldn't have any weight problems pulling a heavy trailer with that truck - just use a WDH.






By "city", do you mean a large metropolitan area??


A 32' trailer is a pretty big rig to be pulling around on city streets!! If you're new to towing, I'd strongly recommend some towing practice on larger roadways that have a lot less traffic than a city. And I'd especially recommend a lot of backing up practice with that looooong trailer!!!


Good luck with your long and heavy rig!!


Bob

Mrocha85

Yeah I'll try to utilize the highway as much as possible but there will be city driving.

Yes I intend to do lots of practicing for myself and others on the road.

Thanks for the info I greatly appreciate it.


Now this is my daily driver also. So my original intention was throw a 8" lift on the truck with 37's. Can I still do this with running a full 8" leaf pack in the rear with airbags? I will also be regearing to 4.88's if I do.

wintersucks

Ick! I wouldn't want to do that much with a 1/2 ton...or even a 3/4 or 1 ton if a bumper pull. It is a little scary to me picturing a rookie towing a trailer that size. Respect the weight & length please.

smurfs_of_war

It could do it, yeah, but I wouldn't. It would add so many variables. Presumably you'd be looking at MTs for the 37s?
Wouldn't get a show pony to do the work of a Clydesdale.

Mrocha85

Yeah toyo mt's.

I was afraid of that but your right. I'll probably run it how it is then get a used diesel to be the work horse later. Thanks for the feedback.

Dirttracker18

As noted already, not recommended. Keep in mind that the extra weight of the bigger tires will add into your carrying capacity. In addition it is not safe to tow a long heavy load with that set up, although many do it.

In my younger and less learned days I towed a race car trailer behind my lifted 85 Chev with 35's and nearly paid the price one day in an emergency situation. I could litteral feel the sidewall give and the tire lean over when I needed traction the most. I was able to save it but went back to a more appropriate tire for race season. Consider this was 35s on a 15 inch rim so similar sidewall you would have with 37s on a larger rim.

Mud tires are not great for towing to begin with. Add in the extra height in the sidewall and you are asking for issues.