Cloudwraith

Hello all,

I just purchased my first Ford which is also my first truck. I'm also planning on getting my first travel trailer. I've tried to do my research before buying the truck based on the types of trailers I was looking at but alas, I was and still am a novice to towing/hauling. I purchased a 2011 FX4 SCREW ecoboost with 3.73 gears and the tow package.

I made the mistake of believing Ford's published numbers that the truck could pull 9500lbs (11,300 with max tow) and now that I'm more informed I understand that the limiting factor is the payload capability which is listed as 1248. With my family in the car and nothing else that leaves 700lb of payload weight. My hitch rating is 1050 and I know I'll lose some payload to the weight of the Weight Distribution (WD) hitch.

The trailers i've been looking at have a dry hitch weight of anywhere from 700-800 lbs. I'm assuming this is the amount of weight that will go against the payload capacity. I have a few questions about this.

1. Can weight be distributed in the trailer behind the axles to raise some of the weight off the truck reducing the hitch weight. Is this advisable? Would it hurt the ability to tow safely?

2. Is there a way to increase the payload capacity of my truck? I understand that I could get something like a trailer toad but I'm not sure I want to spend the $3500 if something like adding some springs or bags in the truck may work and be cheaper.

3. How bad is to be over payload capacity by 100 pounds or so?

I love the truck and I know the power plant can do the job but I'm feeling really pissed that I bought a truck thinking I could pull the trailers I'm looking at and now may not be able to because of payload restrictions.

Thanks for any help, information.

A7B2FX4

Your experience is very much the same as thousand's of others. There isn't a legal way to raise the payload. It's set in stone. You can mask the overload with air bags. Lt E rated tires and uprated new rims, increased springs etc but it wont raise your legal payload. In fact the Feds have a new payload label out now which any aftermarket installer permanently altering the weight should be using to lower your legal payload.
Moving weight to the rear of the TT can work if it doesn't increase sway etc.
Towing a big trailer behind a 2011 means you probably have the 26 gal fuel tank and wont pass many gas stations. Wasn't till 2012 where Ford decided to install 36 gallon tanks in some F150's.

BRUTE448

i have an 11' fx4 5.0 and i have the 36 gal tank! and lovve it! also i have a loww payload of 1264 lbs!! but i just pull bikes and eventually a enclosed that ill conv. to a toy hauler on the inside

Cloudwraith

How does one figure in the weight distribution properties of a WD hitch when calculating hitch weight against the payload? If a WD hitch transfers 20% to the trailer does that mean you only apply 800lb of a 1000lb hitch weight to the payload calculations?

brulaz

Yes to your last sentence. But how much gets transferred depends upon the WDH and how it's set up, and the truck and trailer's geometry: wheelbase/length. So it varies. Mine was only about 16% but I've tightened up the WDH since then. Others have up to 25% transfer.

Personally I am less worried about overloading the GVWR (payload) than I am about over-loading the rear GAWR. But if you tighten up the WDH to return all weight lifted off the front axle back onto the front axle, which simultaneously maximizes the transfer back to the trailer axles, you should be good.

Nautique

My 2010 FX4 had a 36 gal tank.

kameronth

I'm rolling with a 36 gal in my 2011.

Boulevard

Every time I make this post I start a small war but here it is;


You can move weight further back into the trailer in order to reduce tongue weight but you must be careful not to move too much too far back or the trailer will be unstable and will probably sway.


A WDH is by far the smarter way of moving weight off of the tongue. A WDH will move about 20% of the weight into the trailer and will take a pile of weight off of the rear axle by moving it forward onto the front axle. To me this is a must have device, along with some form of sway control. All good WDH's that I know of have both built right in.


You can get your load capacities increased but it is very rarely done and must be done by a government certified shop who will then do the modifications and attach a new sticker. Places that build RV's from chassis only trucks can do it but I have never heard of them actually doing it. I also hear that it is expensive. Consider this not possible.


Overloaded by something as small as 100lbs is not even worth talking about...1000lbs is definitely a no-no.


Towing safely is not just about numbers but its also about you. If you buy a good quality WDH and you set it up right and you drive within your skill level than you will find that an extra 100lbs or so means absolutely nothing. Or you could do it all wrong using weight that is well within your limits and turn the whole thing into a towing nightmare.

A7B2FX4

I was referring to the 2011 Ecoboost motor only. There was initial production issue where Ford deemed 26 gal tank was enough for the EB. That decision was quickly changed for 2012 after a lot of negative feedback from the towing crowd.

smurfs_of_war

A few hundred pounds? Wouldn't even bat an eye. I guess I am one of the few that takes those numbers with a grain of salt. The GVWR is rated for a single vehicle weight- combination of suspension, handling, acceleration, brakes, etc. After the GVWR is passed, things start handling weird and the brakes aren't as capable of stopping the rig as efficiently. You can't really exclude that number in certain jurisdictions though- some believe it a legal limit and that is their right to do so. Other jurisdictions only care about axle weights and tire weights which are a mechanical failure point, GVWR is not a mechanical failure point. I know this can, and will be, argued until hell freezes over, but I am not going to indulge that.
We travel with two vehicles right now with the whole family. My kids, my wife and myself come in at just shy of 1000lbs. Almost 600 between me and my son alone. I pull the camper with usually one or two kids with me, or my wife since my eldest has her license. The only time we all went together we were just under front axle rating and right at rear axle rating (20lbs below). I stopped at the scales just outside of town and an MTO happened to be there so I asked him. He said, and I quote "If we ever pulled you over it's because you look like you're dangerous. We check tires. If we're really picky, we check axles. That's it. But usually it's just your lights and chains." He then went on to say they will check the GVWR of the trailer though because RV frames are notoriously weak. If they weigh the trailer axles and you're over- expect trouble.

What did I find with that weight and being that far over? Nothing. It didn't pull or handle any differently than it did when I pulled it back from the farm in spring completely empty with just me in the cab. Maybe because in rural areas like here we have all grown up towing and hauling big, ugly loads and not until recently did most of us even KNOW what a payload tag looked like, and we certainly didn't care. Hell, I didn't EVER bother with them until we bought our first travel trailer and I was looking on the forums here.

That doesn't mean it isn't legal *some* places. Just as some places do not give two craps about it since the moment you strap a trailer on, all the ratings designed for a single vehicle are thrown out the window. I know this is going to run afoul of the hive mind, but whatever. Use common sense and you'll be fine.

I'm not saying it's right or "by the books" but at the end of the day, are you going to let a few hundred pounds put a damper on your holidays?

Coles Notes version: You'll be fine with the truck you have, you can upgrade your shocks, springs (or airbags) better rubber and go have fun. It won't change anything legally- but it will mechanically improve your load carrying capacity. Keep your head screwed on straight and your wits about you and you are just as safe as the guy next to you towing under all his ratings. As far as I am concerned when manufacturers can't even get a handle on what their trucks can or can't safely handle and continue to play these weird number games in this ever growing cold war, the only certainty is common sense. You have a way heavier tongue weight than I, so our payloads are similar given that spread.