dotcomdewd

I am buying a toy hauler tomorrow. I have a 2010 F150 with the tow package. At least i think i do. It has the receiver hitch, the 7 and 4 pin connector. the trailer brake wiring (not the actual brake in the dash) etc. I purchased a 3rd party trailer brake because everyone said they couldnt get me the factory oem brake that goes in the dash.

Anyway, my question is on weight. I have the 5.4 engine, the XLT package and it is 2x4 S-crew. What i am buying is a 2006 toy hauler. It has a dry weight of just under 6000 lbs. Can hold 100 gallons of water, 40 grey, 40 black, 60 lbs of propane. So i hooked the thing up to my truck today just to see how it would feel and it lowered the back end of my truck all the way down (not too bad, just didnt have any play left). The tires looked like they were bulging but everything seemed pretty ok. I do have the weight distribution bars and a sway bar on it.

What I am asking is, am i pushing it? This thing is 30' long, 8.5 feet wide and 12 feet tall. I called the ford dealer and they gave me the "Ford can do anything" speech which i am not falling for. I am just not used to towing this much weight and this is my first ford.

Can anyone tell me if you think i will be fine or am i pushing it? Also, for some icing on the cake, im in Atlanta right now picking it up and will be towing it back to PHX

Any help before tomorrow afternoon when i actually pay for it will be appreciated.

Thanks a ton!

Mlarv

Well I have two ideas first check the door sticker and see what the max weight is. Then get a good set of tires with a stiffer sidewall. If the tires are squishing really bad then the drive home will not be to much fun.

dotcomdewd

According to the book and truck it says i can do 9800lbs with a GVW of 15000. The tires are the original Michelins that come on it.

dotcomdewd

On that note I know the book says the truck can do it, i was really looking for someone to say that the 30 feet long and 12 feet high wont be a problem. As well as my concerns with the tires which i cannot replace by monday

magblue10

Depending on your rear end you should be fine for towing it. Are you sure you have the weight dist bars correct is my first question. I would assume you are towing this thing dry. If you do have water, ect you should still be fine. I would think you are at least rated for 8000 and if you have 3.55 or 3.73 then you up to 9600. You should of probably checked this out cuz once you load with gear, toys, and fluids you may be up near your limit. But check those bars out cuz they should keep the truck from squating to bad. Good luck and hope this helped a little. When you lock them in sort of speak it should be real hard to do with extention bar

dotcomdewd

I have 3.55's and the distribution bars were NOT hard to put up. The guy helping me just put the chain on and used the bar with 1 hand to put it up. To me it sounds like things were not distributed properly. When I go to pick it up I will make sure I make them as tight as possible.

DonnyD25

Do some research on your weight dist. hitch and understand how to adjust it. Normally you should have the tongue jack down to relieve the pressure before you hook up the distribution bars. Then when you release the pressure by raising your jack, the trailer and truck should remain level if everything is adjusted properly. This will also relieve a lot of the pressure from your rear wheels, reducing the bulge. I pull a similar trailer in weight and size, and have 20" tires and have no problem towing it. One thing to keep in mind would be the weight of your toys. You may be getting close to your limits once you get them loaded. On a side note i pulled the same trailer with an 07 4.6L with very little difficulty. Good Luck

magblue10

Im no expert but I have had several trailers and you usually do have to put something into it to put them up and when they come down watch yourself cuz then spring pretty hard down so make sure you leg isnt in the way of that bar. Hopefully that is just the issue you had with the rear end squating but I think it will make a difference. Let me know cuz Im looking to get a toyhauler myself so Id love to hear how the trip goes for ya. Be safe and again good luck to ya

v_tach

If the distribution bars are for the correct size and the hitch is adjusted properly, both the front and rear of the truck should squat almost the same when the trailer tongue load is put on it. The back may squat just a bit more but not more than maybe an inch or two at the most more than the front. The trailer should also sit level front to back.

My TT is a little over 5,000 pounds with about 800 pound tongue weight with all my gear in it. The back of my 2x4 truck squats only 1 inch more than the front when I'm hooked up ready for the road.

It took trial and error to get my WD hitch right but it makes a heck of a difference when its done correctly.

dotcomdewd

Thanks guys. I really appreciate it. I think the truck has what it takes to pull this thing and im about to do 2000 miles with it empty so that should be a good test. I am reading up tonight on the dist bars and pulling with the setup i have and I think i will be ok. Im just going to have to take it slow for a while. Normally i wouldn't even attempt this but this toy hauler has a low NADA value of 22K and I am getting it for 10K from an old couple who wanted to do daytona with it but cant anymore so they just want to get rid of it. Im hoping this is all worth it.

Thanks again guys, you rock!