Another towing question
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 239
Likes: 17
From: DFW
Another towing question
Sorry in advance for the long winded post.
We were thinking of getting a Travel Trailer. A friend of a friend has one for sale at what seems a really good deal. The specs are:
Total Dry Weight*
(UVW): 5,890
Dry Hitch Weight*
(LBS): 628
GVWR*
(LBS) 7600
Cargo Carrying Capacity*
(LBS) 1,710
2011 Coachmen Freedom Express 295RLDS.
So am I thinking correctly that this is just a too much for a non max-tow
7200 gvwr truck with a payload of 1265?
I've done a lot a reading and I'm guessing that 628 lb. hitch weight will be @850 or 900 with propane, batteries and a WDH, which would leave me probably at my limits on payload with little or no gear. I woiuld appreciate some input so I can talk the girlfriend, who is really set on this, out of it in favor of something smaller. I told her that it may be a bit much but she talked to the seller who said they towed it with a 6800 lb. gvwr dodge quad cab from Texas to Utah with no problems. Thoughts and opinions please?
We were thinking of getting a Travel Trailer. A friend of a friend has one for sale at what seems a really good deal. The specs are:
Total Dry Weight*
(UVW): 5,890
Dry Hitch Weight*
(LBS): 628
GVWR*
(LBS) 7600
Cargo Carrying Capacity*
(LBS) 1,710
2011 Coachmen Freedom Express 295RLDS.
So am I thinking correctly that this is just a too much for a non max-tow
7200 gvwr truck with a payload of 1265?
I've done a lot a reading and I'm guessing that 628 lb. hitch weight will be @850 or 900 with propane, batteries and a WDH, which would leave me probably at my limits on payload with little or no gear. I woiuld appreciate some input so I can talk the girlfriend, who is really set on this, out of it in favor of something smaller. I told her that it may be a bit much but she talked to the seller who said they towed it with a 6800 lb. gvwr dodge quad cab from Texas to Utah with no problems. Thoughts and opinions please?
Grumpy Old Man
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 3,129
Likes: 887
From: Midland County Texas, just west of the star in my avatar
I've done a lot a reading and I'm guessing that 628 lb. hitch weight will be @850 or 900 with propane, batteries and a WDH, which would leave me probably at my limits on payload with little or no gear.
I told her that it may be a bit much but she talked to the seller who said they towed it with a 6800 lb. gvwr dodge quad cab from Texas to Utah with no problems. Thoughts and opinions please?
My F-150 4x2 has GVWR of 7,100 and 1,366 payload per the yellow sticker, but I'm overloaded with my TT that weighs 4,870 when wet and loaded on the road. The TT has a GVWR of 5,600, but we usually travel with it grossing less than 5,000. So you're going to be severely overloaded with that TT that will have a lot more hitch weight than mine at about 600 pounds.
What to do? Trade up to more truck, or down to less trailer. Or maybe change girlfriends?
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 239
Likes: 17
From: DFW
Dry weights are meaningless, so ignore them. Assume your trailer will be near the GVWR after a couple of camping trips, and assume 15% of the trailer's GVWR will be the wet and loaded hitch weight. So up to 1,140 hitch weight.
Yep.
Folks tow overloaded all the time, and often they get away with it. But knowing ahead of time that a trailer will result in your always towing overloaded would cause some to question how many brain cells you have to rub together.
My F-150 4x2 has GVWR of 7,100 and 1,366 payload per the yellow sticker, but I'm overloaded with my TT that weighs 4,870 when wet and loaded on the road. The TT has a GVWR of 5,600, but we usually travel with it grossing less than 5,000. So you're going to be severely overloaded with that TT that will have a lot more hitch weight than mine at about 600 pounds.
What to do? Trade up to more truck, or down to less trailer. Or maybe change girlfriends?
Yep.
Folks tow overloaded all the time, and often they get away with it. But knowing ahead of time that a trailer will result in your always towing overloaded would cause some to question how many brain cells you have to rub together.
My F-150 4x2 has GVWR of 7,100 and 1,366 payload per the yellow sticker, but I'm overloaded with my TT that weighs 4,870 when wet and loaded on the road. The TT has a GVWR of 5,600, but we usually travel with it grossing less than 5,000. So you're going to be severely overloaded with that TT that will have a lot more hitch weight than mine at about 600 pounds.
What to do? Trade up to more truck, or down to less trailer. Or maybe change girlfriends?
I like that meter....
Yeah, I don't won't to be overloaded. I will look for a much lesser trailer at least until I can upgrade to a truck that can handle it.
Last edited by WH-7; Mar 31, 2014 at 08:35 PM. Reason: not enough info
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 580
Likes: 13
Make sure to follow the book. You can not have 1 pound over the ford recommended weights or you will kill at least 10 people in your travels!!!!
I(and most of the world) would put 7600 lbs. behind any 1/2 ton that is in good condition! make sure the truck brakes are in good shape and you have a brake controller and you will be just fine. If you want you can use a magic WDH hitch and it would your best bet to add some helper bags so the rear of the truck isn't sagging to the ground. If you do those few things you will be able to tow that trailer all day long with no added issues other then being a ford.
I have said it in a few threads around here if everyone followed your guidelines you would not see very many campers! Not everyone wants to drive and pay for a 2500/250 or 3500/350 so that the towing pamphlet tells them it is ok. Event your ford will do just fine for many many miles with this camper behind it!
Hate on this answer all you want but this is the real world answer! Millions and millions of people operate like I am telling you to do every day. Lots of them are WAY more overloaded then you looking at.
I(and most of the world) would put 7600 lbs. behind any 1/2 ton that is in good condition! make sure the truck brakes are in good shape and you have a brake controller and you will be just fine. If you want you can use a magic WDH hitch and it would your best bet to add some helper bags so the rear of the truck isn't sagging to the ground. If you do those few things you will be able to tow that trailer all day long with no added issues other then being a ford.
I have said it in a few threads around here if everyone followed your guidelines you would not see very many campers! Not everyone wants to drive and pay for a 2500/250 or 3500/350 so that the towing pamphlet tells them it is ok. Event your ford will do just fine for many many miles with this camper behind it!
Hate on this answer all you want but this is the real world answer! Millions and millions of people operate like I am telling you to do every day. Lots of them are WAY more overloaded then you looking at.
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 675
Likes: 128
From: Connecticut
Make sure to follow the book. You can not have 1 pound over the ford recommended weights or you will kill at least 10 people in your travels!!!!
I(and most of the world) would put 7600 lbs. behind any 1/2 ton that is in good condition! make sure the truck brakes are in good shape and you have a brake controller and you will be just fine. If you want you can use a magic WDH hitch and it would your best bet to add some helper bags so the rear of the truck isn't sagging to the ground. If you do those few things you will be able to tow that trailer all day long with no added issues other then being a ford.
I have said it in a few threads around here if everyone followed your guidelines you would not see very many campers! Not everyone wants to drive and pay for a 2500/250 or 3500/350 so that the towing pamphlet tells them it is ok. Event your ford will do just fine for many many miles with this camper behind it!
Hate on this answer all you want but this is the real world answer! Millions and millions of people operate like I am telling you to do every day. Lots of them are WAY more overloaded then you looking at.
I(and most of the world) would put 7600 lbs. behind any 1/2 ton that is in good condition! make sure the truck brakes are in good shape and you have a brake controller and you will be just fine. If you want you can use a magic WDH hitch and it would your best bet to add some helper bags so the rear of the truck isn't sagging to the ground. If you do those few things you will be able to tow that trailer all day long with no added issues other then being a ford.
I have said it in a few threads around here if everyone followed your guidelines you would not see very many campers! Not everyone wants to drive and pay for a 2500/250 or 3500/350 so that the towing pamphlet tells them it is ok. Event your ford will do just fine for many many miles with this camper behind it!
Hate on this answer all you want but this is the real world answer! Millions and millions of people operate like I am telling you to do every day. Lots of them are WAY more overloaded then you looking at.
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 270
Likes: 38
From: Melbourne Beach Fl
Make sure to follow the book. You can not have 1 pound over the ford recommended weights or you will kill at least 10 people in your travels!!!!
I(and most of the world) would put 7600 lbs. behind any 1/2 ton that is in good condition! make sure the truck brakes are in good shape and you have a brake controller and you will be just fine. If you want you can use a magic WDH hitch and it would your best bet to add some helper bags so the rear of the truck isn't sagging to the ground. If you do those few things you will be able to tow that trailer all day long with no added issues other then being a ford.
I have said it in a few threads around here if everyone followed your guidelines you would not see very many campers! Not everyone wants to drive and pay for a 2500/250 or 3500/350 so that the towing pamphlet tells them it is ok. Event your ford will do just fine for many many miles with this camper behind it!
Hate on this answer all you want but this is the real world answer! Millions and millions of people operate like I am telling you to do every day. Lots of them are WAY more overloaded then you looking at.
I(and most of the world) would put 7600 lbs. behind any 1/2 ton that is in good condition! make sure the truck brakes are in good shape and you have a brake controller and you will be just fine. If you want you can use a magic WDH hitch and it would your best bet to add some helper bags so the rear of the truck isn't sagging to the ground. If you do those few things you will be able to tow that trailer all day long with no added issues other then being a ford.
I have said it in a few threads around here if everyone followed your guidelines you would not see very many campers! Not everyone wants to drive and pay for a 2500/250 or 3500/350 so that the towing pamphlet tells them it is ok. Event your ford will do just fine for many many miles with this camper behind it!
Hate on this answer all you want but this is the real world answer! Millions and millions of people operate like I am telling you to do every day. Lots of them are WAY more overloaded then you looking at.
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Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 14,975
Likes: 6,035
From: SE Michigan
My father in-law used to use different size tires on the car, filling the smaller one with more air to make them the same size...
He had original tires on his 1999 Marquis (CROWN VIC!) when in 2008 I forced him to replace the tires (you could see the dry rot from 10 feet away). Then he broke a tire rod, while driving, AFTER the Ford dealer had told him to replace them.
Some people are just unsafe on the road, thinking themselves invincible. The best part of this forum are people stating, for the record, that they drive while overloaded...
He had original tires on his 1999 Marquis (CROWN VIC!) when in 2008 I forced him to replace the tires (you could see the dry rot from 10 feet away). Then he broke a tire rod, while driving, AFTER the Ford dealer had told him to replace them.
Some people are just unsafe on the road, thinking themselves invincible. The best part of this forum are people stating, for the record, that they drive while overloaded...
Last edited by Ricktwuhk; Apr 2, 2014 at 06:20 AM.
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 738
Likes: 166
From: NOVA
Here's a handy Trailer Weight Calculations & Load Estimator Utility to help you determine how much truck you need based on your trailer specs. Specifically the "Load Estimator" tab will help you.
https://www.f150forum.com/f82/traile...tility-244126/
https://www.f150forum.com/f82/traile...tility-244126/
