smokeywren

More info required. Does your F-150 have a factory towing package? Not just the "Class IV trailer hitch", but either what the Ford window sticker calls "Trailer tow package" or "Max trailer tow package"? If it does, then your limiter as to max gross trailer weight is probably the GVWR of your F-150.

GVWR minus the weight of the empty truck when it exited the assembly line is your gross payload capacity on the 4 tires of the tow vehicle. That number is on the yellow sticker on the doorframe of the driver's door, near the stickers you posted above. GVWR minus the weight of the F-150 when loaded with a full tank of gas and all the people, pets, tools, aftermarket options you added after you bought the truck, and everything else that will be in or on the F-150 when towing = payload capacity available for hitch weight. Divide the payload capacity available for hitch weight by 13% and the answer is the heaviest travel trailer you can tow without being overloaded.

Yeah, I know. It's a lot of trouble to load the pickup, then drive to a scale, fill up with gas, then weigh the wet and loaded tow vehicle. But that will give you a good estimate of the MAXIMUM trailer weight you want to try to tow. Any other method of matching trailer to tow vehicle involves a lot of guessing, and most folks are horrible at guessing.

rabkcs

I appreciate all the responses and help! This has helped tremendously.

I do have the Trailer Tow Package (not the Max), with the 36g tank, etc. I'll take everything to a scale and get real numbers before I make any decisions or mistakes. I can't afford spending $25k on a TT just to run into towing issues.

Thanks again everyone!

jag1886

You are close but I'd suggest looking at a slightly smaller trailer that isn't one of this wooden stick built things. A trailer 4 feet shorter built out of aluminum would be a wise choice.

Shadetree43

Great start. Figure what you can safely tow BEFORE purchase. Sales folks will tell you anything... North FL regional RV show opened in Jacksonville yesterday. Went looking based on weight first, then features. One particular dealer had photo of a 16/17 F150 on many of his travel trailers and in BIG letters sign said "your F150 can tow this" One of the trailers was 7950 lbs EMPTY. Yes, it probably could if you were by yourself & no fuel or passengers.
I had been thinking of seriously looking at a TT, but my particular 13 Lariat 5.0 SCREW with 20" wheels 3.55 axle only has a payload of 1501 lbs per the door sticker. It does have the "trailer tow pkg" & trailer brake controller, trans cooler, etc.
But after figuring 13% tongue weight, hitch weight, myself, wife, & 2 G'kids (small), most of that 1501lbs is gone.
I figured conservatively a TT in the 5000 max weight would be all I'd be comfortable with. -- I know others tow much more than that with a truck like mine, but I wouldn't.
Guess I'll stay a "hotel" person.

waltheraustin

It really depends on what you're comfortable with. Ford left more on the table but how much more is dependant on your comfort zone amd how as far are you going. I'm probably pushing it but I'll trying to get more comfortable with my 3.5 which will migh for less stressful situations in certain areas.

Take it for a test drive on the highway to see how you feel

waltheraustin

As you get older, either your cahomas get bigger or you want to play it safe. I'm still trying to find our suchw way I'm going but try it out

Run-n-gun

That's what I have to do. I load mostly plastic RV accessories in the truck and my tools and heavier things in the front pass through storage. The ice chest goes in the RV's back door.

TerryD64

Better yet, take it to a large open parking lot where you can get the rig up past 35 MPH (or faster). First set up your trailer breaks for proper stopping, then practice emergency stops at higher speeds. (Don't practice these on the open highway. Unless you know no one else is around like a seldom used country road kind of thing) After a few quick stops you'll have an idea how your rig behaves and see just how long it takes to stop. Use this information to determine truly safe following distances. (I usually keep mine at 5 secs or so when towing the big trailer. longer if windy or wet and I slow down. )

Practice again on windy days so you get a feel for that side pressure.

I have no problem being the slow guy on the road when towing.

rabkcs

Quick update from my original posts.

I took the TT out for test drive with my F150. Had the 600-800 Husky Center Line TS installed. My truck has the 3.73 diff and the tow package (not 'max'). Truck has 7000 GVWR, and the TT is max 7500. Had 3 people in the truck, plus full tank (36 gallons), plus the WDH. Trailer was empty, so 6000ish.

It was really windy, so it was a great time to give it a go. The WDH really leveled everything almost perfectly. On back roads and stop/go traffic, I couldn't even tell I was towing anything. I had the truck in tow-mode, so the RPMs were higher - that's really all I noticed. I certainly didn't feel like I was playing tug-of-war with the trailer.

We then jumped on the highway, and that's where I noticed the difference. Again - pulling the trailer was fine. But when the wind hit the trailer, it felt 'loose' up front. I could tell the WDH was working (man, gotta get used that), but I felt - for a split second - that I didn't have control of the front of the truck. You veterans might say that's normal, but it was enough for me and my wife to get nervous. The RV sales guy was with us and acted like everything was fine - don't know if that's a sales technique, or if it really was fine and I was just overreacting.

I spent the next week or so looking at mods I could add the the F150. Active Suspension, airbags, etc. I found myself trying to make my F150 to better support the trailer.

I finally gave up on that and am now in the middle of buying an F250 King Ranch. So for me, my F150 could probably tow my 33ft trailer fine, but I didn't feel safe, so I'm not taking any chances. Especially since we want to make long trips with our trailer.

Again - I may be overreacting to the test drive, and it's probably all in my head. But that's where I'm ending up.

Thanks again for all the advice and information. I would have been completely lost without it.

Roy

waltheraustin

That's a big trailer! I tow a 30ft and it's the absolute biggest I would try.