TheDeadEnd

What we've got: 2010 F150 Lariat, Super Crew, 4x4, 145" WB. Max Tow Package, 3.73 AR.

What we'd like is a new TT.

Our heads hurt from running numbers for the last 4 weeks so your help is needed on what would be safe and within guidelines for our vehicle's TT weight and length limitations (note: We are not new to towing and we have two TTs in mind but to avoid pro and con replies we will leave them out of the equations as we have those numbers down pat lol).

I believe you all will need these stats from the Safety Compliance Cert Label on the door

GVWR 7675 / ACTUAL FROM CATS = 6180
GAWR F = 3900 / ACTUAL FROM CATS = 3520
B = 4050 / ACTUAL FROM CATS = 2660
THE COMBINED WEIGHT OF OCCUPANTS AND CARGO SHOULD NOT EXCEED:
1629

The truck was weighed with a full tank of gas (oversized gas tank), me and my purse in it. We own an Equal-i-zer 90-00-1000 sway control hitch and have not added that to the CATS nor was my husband in the drivers seat cause he couldn't reach the damn activation button! So, adding him and 3 dogs = 400 lbs.

We travel light and do NOT have 1000lbs of crap in our current TT nor do we load anything in the bed of the truck.

Have I given you enough numbers to come up with some safe length and weight suggestions?

KR Kodi

iTrader: (1)

You've got a great payload capacity!!

As I understand it, that 6180 lbs is with you and a full tank of gas.

When 400 lbs of hubby and the furry ones hop in, you'll be at 6580 lbs.

That leaves 1095 lbs.

Your Equal-i-zer weighs almost 100 (let's say 95), so you'll have 1000 lbs for tongue weight.

If you get a trailer that weighs 7500 lbs all loaded out, 12% of that for tongue weight is 900, and your WDH will redistribute some of that back to the trailer axles, so you'd have a little left over for luggage or other stuff in the cab and bed.

Bottom line - a 7500 lb loaded trailer weight should be a comfortable tow for your truck.

.

smokeywren

If you don't haul anything in the truck that wasn't in it when you weighed - no tools, jacks, spare parts, cooler, extra fluids such as motor oil, brake fluid, antifreeze, campfire wood - nothing - then you should look for a TT with a GVWR less than about 7,750 pounds. Then hope your wet and loaded tongue weight doesn't exceed the average of about 12.5% of wet and loaded trailer weight. Backing off to 7,500 as KR suggested would give you a bit more leaway in case your tongue weight opercent is more than average. (The tongue weight on my TT is around 15%.)

marcham

Look for a trailer with a claimed tongue weight of 500lbs or less. Manufacturers do not account for the weight of batteries, propane, water, options (AC,...), electric jack, water in the hot water tank, the water you can't drain at the bottom of all the tanks, your stuff in the fridge and front pass-through compartment... All of these WILL add 150-400lbs to your tongue weight. And there's no way of knowing until you actually pack up for your first trip... So if you look for a GVWR of 7000 lbs or less and tongue weight under 500 lbs you'll be safe. 1/2 ton pickups do not behave well when loaded to their max payload.

That puts you in a 26' or less trailer with no slide... Which is still way better than a tent!

Tystevens

Tongue weight on a travel trailer should be at least 10% of the trailer's weight. Less and you risk a lot of sway. I usually figure 10-12%. Ours comes in at 12% or a little more due to the fresh water tanks being a ways in front of the axle, and therefore loading more weight on to the truck.

Our 1/2 tons have done just fine at or slightly above their GVWR, which is about where they are at with our travel trailer hooked up (28' overall, about 6500#). The F150 EB, in particular, has plenty of power and tows very nicely.

One note, though -- you might think you will never 1000# into the trailer, but you might end up being wrong about that! I know I was ...

Good luck!

tomb1269

I assume thru the post above you would come to the conclusion, but you were looking for was a range for your new trailer, and how to determine if the trailer you are looking at can be towed by your truck. A few have stated a trailer GVWR of around 7500 lbs which would be right at the limit depending on percentage of weight transfered to the truck. IMO the easiest way to ball park a trailer for your use is to determine the dry weight percentage of tonuge weight then multiply that to it GVWR. For example the listed tonuge weight is 900 and the dry weight is 7500, the trailer will normally transfer 12% of its weight to the truck so if its GVWR (max weight) is 8500 lbs that means you'd tend to be adding 1020lbs to the truck. For most TTs (toyhaulers are different as they are designed to be counter weighted with the toys in the rear) as long as you do not exceed recomended weights when loading (i.e. in bunk houses you can usually store gear thru a rear door but it states do not exceed 250lbs, or trailer with slide out gear racks on back that state do not exceed 500lbs) you will find that the tongue weight percentage changes very little. example the TT has a dry toungue weight % of 12% when you add water, propane, food, clothes, etc. in to it the weight increases but the % tranfered will remain in the 12% range (+/-.5%).
PS. You stated you would get nowhere near a 1000lbs of stuff in the trailer. Remember water is just over 8lbs a gallon and the black & gray water tank will weight more then 8lbs per gallon in there is any thing in them. 30 gallons of gray/black water is 250 lbs. Thats is a 1/4 of the way to a 1000 lbs.

NorthernYankee

You but most people travel with the tanks empty...no point in carrying water for no reason, unless you are boon docking out in the middle of nowhere.

marcham

Agreed. Ideally around 10% of the GVWR in North America for travel trailers. But consider that in Europe, you can lift the tongue of a camping trailer easily by hand, yet they're not flipping trailers off the highway.

The point I tried to make is that the tongue weight quoted by manufacturers is for a dry, empty trailer; excluding the weight of propane, common accessories and batteries. I was just pointing out that "claimed" tongue weight is an unrealistic, imaginary, figure.