itguy08

Need some help here on towing stuff... Truck is in my sig - 2011 EB, SuperCrew, Max Tow, 145" WB. According to the sticker on the door I've got a tad over 1800lbs payload to mess around with...

Looking at some point in the next year to get the RV to go with the truck and think I've got the weights all figured out:

1800 lbs.
-700 lbs (me, wife, dog, gas, stuff in truck)
-100 lbs (WD hitch)
========
=1000 lbs of tongue weight max, or keep the GVWR of the trailer @ 9-10k.

Any issues with a 30-34' trailer if it will fit in those weight limits? Planning to spend the day at the RV show in September and want to start getting a plan of attack to what we should be looking for.

smurfs_of_war

Longer wheelbase would be more comfortable tow, but as long as you have a GOOD weight distribution hitch with sway control and keep your wits about you, those lengths are handled by many with similar trucks to yours. Out of my comfort zone- but lots do it.

missionman

my trailer body is 29', overall length is 32.1' bumper to hitch. I previously towed with a 145"wb F150. Since you are in the market for a trailer why not look for a 26 with a big slide? thatll take 4-8ft off the overall length and less of a sail riding behind you. It's definitely doable but since you have the ability to choose, try finding something a little shorter and play a bit nicer with the 145"wb

packplantpath

Using your numbers of a 1000 lb tongue weight you need to be looking at trailers that max out about 8000 lbs loaded. Using a 13% tongue weight, the heaviest would be 7692 lbs loaded .13 x=1000, solve for x I'd look at trailers with 7500 gvw as the upper limit (probably 5500 dry) and you shouldn't run out of payload. 7000 lbs would be better IMO, since it gives more wiggle room. But I'm not a fan of being on the limits. YMMV.

KR Kodi

iTrader: (1)

You've got a very capable truck!!

However, take a look at the 2011 brochure:

http://www.ford.com/services/assets/...-150&year=2011


Scroll down to the last page and look at those tables.

It looks like your truck has a GVWR of 7650 lbs.

Also, it looks like your GCWR is 17,100 lbs.

Your numbers show that your truck will be loaded right up to its GVWR, so subtract that from your GCWR.

17100 - 7650 = 9450 lbs

Looks like 9450 should be the max trailer weight to stay under your GCWR.

But, 1000 lb tongue weight is very minimal for a trailer that heavy.

An 8500 lb trailer with 12% tongue weight gives you 1020 lbs on the tongue.

I'd say an 8500 lb trailer would be the max that will keep you within all your weight ratings.

EDITED: I see some others posted while I was typing. The numbers I put up take you right to the max of your weight limits.

I agree with packplantpath when he says he's not a fan of running right up at the limits. I too would rather have some wiggle room and agree that a lighter weight trailer would be a lot more comfortable tow.

Edit #2: If you're going to tow the trailer 50 miles to a camp site in the spring, then pull it 50 miles home in the fall, you can pull a heavy trailer.

If you'll be towing thousands of miles every year traveling cross country and up and down hills, you'll want to stay comfortably within the limits for durability of your truck and safety.

.

EcoboostKev

Just stay within your trucks ratings and look into a Propride hitch. It's a bit pricey but well worth the investment.

badercubed

Below is just my experience and not my suggestion since what I am comfortable driving, you might not be comfortable driving and I do not know everything about you...

First, my setup...
I tow a 2010 Keystone Hideout 30BHDS with my 2013 SCREW 4x4 Max Tow (door sticker gives me 1,834 for payload). It has two slides and a bunkhouse, not a large living space. I have not weighed the trailer, but the side sticker tells me the dry weight is 7,260. I would estimate that I travel with between 1,000 and 1,500 pounds worth of stuff in the trailer depending on the length of travel and the location of travel. I use a Blue Ox Sway Pro set up. Max tongue weight of my factory receiver says 1,150 pounds with a W/D hitch. I have added Air Lift Air Bags to the back and E rated tires. Most of my travel involves two lane state roads with a speed limit at or below 55mph, however I do travel the NYS Thruway sometimes at around 67mph. I rarely go more than 200 miles from home, and usually within 50 miles. Purchasing a larger truck was not an option.

Second, my thoughts...
I have zero problems running up to, or exceeding, the limits of my truck. I am not a full-timer and I rarely go so far that I am doing any damage. I believe that it's a truck, it's made to be a truck. Power wise, it has never struggled or lacked for power in any circumstance that I have encountered, but again, I am not climbing the Rockies. Since I am rarely on a wide open highway, crosswinds have never effected me. The few times on the NYS Thruway that have been "windy" have resulted in little action from the trailer at 67mphs, which gives me confidence in the Blue Ox. I can't tell you if they were 10mph winds or 200mph winds. I know that given the varying setup that I drive with (family, no family, wood, no wood, water, no water, etc.) that my traveling weight of the truck fluctuates greatly but the truck has handled fine regardless of the payload, but that is probably a result of the Air Lift. I do know that I have gone over the max tongue weight as well and have considered changing to a Class V hitch. I average around 7-8mph towing, but my trailer has a very large front wall.

Again, take it as you will, just my experience towing a larger trailer with a half-ton truck. My setup is below.

Scarlet

My truck is a bit different than yours, but I have an '11 Lariat supercrew 4x4, 6.2, max tow, 5.5' bed and 3.73 LS rear. Her GVWR is 7700 lbs., Payload is 1,611 lbs., and GCWR of 17,100 lbs.. In '11 I had a 29' Keystone Bullet Premiere that had two full slides. It's total length was about 33'-34'. It was quite lite with a dry weight of about 5,980 lbs., and it's GVWR was 7,600 lbs.. I barely new I was towing it. I was using a Equil-I-zer WD bar on her. I felt completely comfortable with that length behind me.

itguy08

Thanks guys. I think I need some time with the actual numbers off the door of the truck and a spreadsheet so we can figure out weights.

Is length a huge factor or will I run over weight before I have to worry about length? Just curious as I see a lot of you guys have longer units and similar wheelbase trucks.

Plan to keep it relatively local - East Coast, say within 5 hours or so. Maybe a run down to FL or up north but that's about it. Unless I get he wife to go along on the cross country trek!

I'd definitely put the $$ into a good WD/Anti sway hitch so that's a consideration too.

tomb1269

Weight is the big issue, the length is more a matter of driving difficulty. The longer you are the more focus you have to have on what is going on around you. If you are like me you can drive for hours under the wheel with no problem with no trailer. Once you add the trailer your checking mirrors a lot more, watching your speed & RPMs, looking out for the idiot in a sedan to cut you off, picking up momentum to make the next hill with out lugging the truck down, etc. etc. This takes its toll and you will find you need to stop for a break more often. Also there is another RV fenominion, 2 years 2 feet. It seems at lot of RV owners tend to want more particularly after the 1st 2 years of owning one. So leav yourself some room to upgrade. In addition, the longer the trailer the smaller the re-sale market, the less you will get in trade (proportioanlly) (ultralights do not tend to have this issue, but also tend to be under 30feet).
FYI; there are dealers that will rent RV trailers if you want to try one out 1st. It may not be the same as you are looking at but it would give you an idea of what you want and do not want in a trailer (in both length and ammenities). Happy Camping.