Double check math 3.5 eco with max tow
 

Hello all. Just wanted to double check numbers with you all before I even begin looking at travel trailers.
2018 F-150 screw with max tow. Family of 5.
I haven’t got to a scale yet so these are still approximate.
Weight of me and family: 800 (gives us a buffer for growth over the next few years.
WD hitch 100
1710-800-100=810
810/.13 tongue= 6230 lbs

so my total wet trailer weight should not exceed 6230 lbs?

That really limits my options for TT’s for a family of 5 doesn’t it? Am I off in my numbers here? Thanks.
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https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.f15...bbeb09028.jpeg
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Edit, welcome to the forum and thanks for learning about towing within spec. It's a good bet for public safety to learn what you are learning.

You've done much of the work already, and are in the eight inning of the trailer selection game. The only mistake that I saw, (and to be fair you mentioned) is that you have not weighed your truck empty on a cat-scale yet. Your real payload is less than or equal 1710, because it is the payload your truck had when it rolled off the assembly line. See my sig for an example of the type of numbers you should go get for your truck.

Measuring something on the cat-scale is not expensive (like probably $10). It's Sunday, go get the cat-scale ticket and post up the numbers :)

Just as a reference point here's what we have - and full disclosure, we're right on the border with our weight.

Loaded camper weight: 6180
Hitch weight: 840

Edit - added info from Forest River specs
TT weight from spec sheet: 4772
Tongue weight: 540

We have a 2017 Cruise Lite 210XLRB - so a fairly small TT with a slide out. The TT weight above is from a CAT scale with the trailer fully loaded for a 10+ day trip with a full tank of water. This TT is comfortable for the DW, myself and 2 medium size dogs. If we had a small child or two it would still be OK but anything beyond about a 5 year old it would be a push - and that's just for short weekend type camping trips. Of course once the kids get a little bigger, you can pitch a tent on your site an move the kids into that when you're camping - WIN WIN!

Welcome to the understanding of payload capacity. It's the limiting factor that nobody thinks about/knows about/ignores.

Max tow is a bad name for the package anyways. HDPP is the one you want.

Anyway, you want to estimate on the high end for tongue weight....15%, not 13%.

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Full tank of gas. Whole family with car seats

Realize now that I should have emptied the truck before weighing. I weighed with all of us in there. Darn it. Oh well.

So we are at GVWR 7000 minus curb weight plus passengers 5800. 1200 - 100 WD hitch. 1100/.15=7333. Is that right? I will have to re weigh it empty. Then add passenger weight separately next time to be able to keep it more accurate in future measurements. What else am I missing?

First...Good for you coming in with an educated question and recognizing the abilities and limits of your truck. You are leaps and bounds ahead of most posters on this forum!

Using your original calculations, the truck loaded with your family of 5 and WDH wouldn't allow any cargo in the bed.

So, at 13% tongue weight, you could pull a 6230 trailer; but, if it was closer to 11% tongue weight (some will say that's sketchy....it's really plenty) your trailer could get up to 7363 pounds. Loading a trailer wisely, reducing some of the unneeded factory weight and rolling with empty tanks, an 11% TW and 7300 pound trailer is very achievable. Think in the ultra light series bunkhouses...maybe a 24' box and one slide for the dinette. This will keep weight down but still provide adequate sleeping quarters for the family. Sleep 2 kids in the bunks, one in the dinette and the two of you in the front bedroom. You can lose unneeded weight in trailer add on items like BBQ's, bike racks, etc. And, loading wisely means putting most of the added weight right over the axles. If we're taking bikes, coolers, etc. I will often stick them in the dinette slide floor to put the bulk of the weight over the trailer's axles.

Here a couple options that may fit your needs. And, even while loaded, the tongue would likely come in at about 750 pounds:

Surveyor Legend Travel Trailers 240BHLE FLOORPLAN

Grey Wolf Travel Trailers 23DBH FLOORPLAN

Wow, you actually went and did it haha. Great for you. Your now in the 9th inning of the trailer selection game.

I personally wouldn't remeasure it dry, unless you wanted to. Just make a good faith estimate of all non-permanent cargo that was in your truck while it was on the cat scale (your family + carseats, etc), subtract that off, and call it your real curb weight, GVWR less your real curb weight is your truck's measured payload.

You mentioned carseats, since your family is growing, I'd make a "best guess" as to what your family will weigh in say 5 years. Let's say over the next 5 years all your kids combined grow to be 125 lbs heavier than they currently are. You need to make your own choice of course, but for a travel trailer, and your truck, I would shoot for trailers weighing less than (1200-125-100)/.13=7500 lbs. If you can find one for say 6500 lbs, all the better so you have some breathing room if our estimates come out a little off. At 6500 lbs, I would imagine you can distribute the cargo between the trailer and truck in such a way to be within all specs.

Post up if you have any more questions, or if you make your decision about which one to buy!

(BTW, I bought the truck in my sig to do family camping with a 7klb trailer, which is close to your use-case)

Welcome to the club, we made jackets but no one wears them because we're all concerned about not exceeding our gross vehicle weight ratings.

Yes, not exceeding the GVWR is harder to do than not exceeding the GCWR. Adding a bunch of things to the cab really cuts down on your ability to tow without exceeding rating of your truck to carry weight.

When towing, in my opinion, its important to not exceed any of the following: GVWR, GCWR, FAWR, RAWR, trailer GVWR, and also have sufficient tongue weight that things are stable.

No reason to empty the truck. Everything and everyone in it’s going camping anyhow. Now you’re shopping for a TT with a gross near 7300. No worries. There will be a learning curve to packing and loading and hitch setup for the proper weight distribution. Happy camping!