5.0GN tow

Ok easy math here. You have a max tow package truck correct? If so hitch rating is 1320 WDH tongue weight, and 13200 towed trailer with WDH use. There will be no limitation from the hitch for you.

How much do you personally weigh? Let's use 200 to make it easy math. Your payload as built includes a full tank of fuel. So full of gas, you in seat and WDH hitch on the truck you are at (1680-200-100=1380) available payload . That leaves you with on a travel trailer at 13% tongue weight a max trailer of 10,600lb trailer (10600x.13 = 1378lbs)

Now if wife kids, dog, and tools weigh 300lbs more you drop to 1080 available payload your max at 13% tongue weight drops to 8300lb trailer(8300x.13=1079lbs)

Now if towing a boat or trailer with 7% tongue weight you can go right up to your max GCWR or listed tow rating of 12900 with you plus 300lb of gear or people extra with you. (1680-200-100-300=1080), (12900 x.07 = 903lbs).

Jeff1024

Thanks Forgot MaxTow was 1320lb Weight Distributed on the hitch, my mistake.

To the original poster, there should be a sticker on the underside of the hitch that gives its rating both weight carrying (WC) and weight distributing WD. You can' t exceed those numbers either. It really isn't that hard once you work through the math a few times promise. Here is how ours works out on our truck /w 1545lbs of payload and our boat which is lower on tongue weight at 8%

Payload 1545

Subtract:

Bed Cover / Bed Liner 100lb
Me 400lbs
The Wife 0lbs
Dog 45lbs
Boat 525lbs
Beer / Water / Misc Crap / Firewood 150

Leaves us at 373 leftover.

Does that help?

smolenr

Why do I feel like I'm back in grade school trying to learn basic math ? Oh well they do say as we get older we start to regress. Anyway you're numbers are helping and I do get the concept that the more I take up in the payload, the less I can tow. I also get the concept of using up the 1680 (if needed) and the 13% for the tongue weight. I also understand the GVWR and GCWR. But what continues to escape is getting to that towing load capability. SO here comes the stupid questions: where did you get the 13200? Where did the 10,600 come from? Thanks again, almost there...............
P.S. Yes I have the max tow package

Jeff1024

Like I said it only gets tricky because there are multiple limits and you cant exceed any of them. 13,200 is the limit on a F150 Maxtow hitch, however your going to run out of GVWR before you ever get to a 13,200lb trailer.

10,600 is most likely the tow rating from Ford of your truck. Which is Gross Combined Weight Rating - GVWR. Again you will run out of payload before you get to the Ford published tow rating.

smolenr

GCWR is 18,400, GVWR is 7050.

5.0GN tow

The 13200 is the maximum rating on the max tow package hitch. I just listed it so you know there won't be a limit on your trailer due to a hitch limit.

10600 is the maximum trailer your truck can pull as equipped with you(allowing 200lbs), a full tank of gas, and a 100lb WDH onboard, with a tongue weight at 13%(10600 x .13) equals the 1380 you have left in payload. So if you take 1380÷.13 you get 10615.38 pounds. That confirms my quick .13x10600, so at a 13% tongue weight, with only you and the hitch in the truck you can pull 10600 pounds.

Sstephens

I too feel your pain and frustration on figuring actual towing!! luckily I don't really have plans to pull anything specific but bought a new truck wanting the ability to do so often only to be fooled by the advertisements of these amazing tow capacities and disappointed in the end to find out I only had a thousand pounds more than what I was driving even with a tow package. it's really not that high but I really do appreciate this forum and this particular thread. It is exactly what I needed to understand what I can tow. Thank you all for taking the time to explain it to us.

smokeywren

It's not just math, it's also definition of words. The receiver "hitch" on the truck is rated for up to 1,320 pounds tongue weight (TW). But your Equal-I-Zer "hitch" on the trailer is rated for only 400 pounds TW. 400 pounds TW is a trailer that weighs not more than 3,077 pounds when loaded with average TW of 13% of gross trailer weight.

So all those folks stating your max trailer weight is over 3,100 pounds are assuming that your WD hitch is rated for more than 400 pounds TW.

The component with the least weight capacity is your limiter. So in your case it's probably the Equal--Zer hitch, not the GVWR or payload capacity of the truck, and certainly not the GCWR or tow rating of the truck.

Go back to post #4 above. Determine your payload capacity for hitch weight an your payload capacity for TW. If your payload capacity for TW is more than 400 pounds, and your TW is more than 400 pounds, then you need a heavier-duty WD hitch. Equal-I-Zer makes WD hitches rated for 400, 600, 1,000, 1200, and 1400 pounds TW.
https://www.equalizerhitch.com/store/hitches

Ignore the gross trailer weight specs in the hitch description, because they're based on 10% TW, But travel trailers average 13% TW and some have as much as 15%

TW … Actual max gross trailer weight based on 13% TW
____. __________________________________
400 …... 3,077
600 …... 4,615
1,000.. .7,692
1,200,,. 9,231
1,400..10,769

So if you need to tow a trailer that grosses more than 3,077 pounds, then you need to upgrade your Equal-I-Zer hitch to handle the increased TW.

5.0GN tow

If these are just sample figures no problem, but if this the actual max for your hitch you need a heavier duty one to utilize the capability of your truck. I cant see why you would even use WDH gear for a 4k trailer, it seems like an un needed complication.

smolenr

OK, I didn't want to write my story, but it probably will help put in perspective. Last year we bought a Lance 1575 trailer and I would pull it using my 2014 Honda Ridgeline. The equalizer WDH was recommended because of the short wheel base. We towed the camper several thousand miles last summer without a problem. I bought the F150, because I know that in a year we are going to upgrade to the next camper size and I wanted to have some "wiggle" room. Especially because we love to kayak.
But now I understand the weak link is the WDH. I didn't think of trying to tow our current (1575) without the equalizer, only because there is a "comfort" factor. But now I wonder if I should even use it.
And BTW, I really do want to thank every one for their patience. I know how critical this is, especially when getting behind someone whose trailer is "wagging". I thought I would start with finding out max tow capability with just me in the truck and nothing else. I can probably figure it out form there, once the max is known.

So it appears I can tow more without the WDH (at least my current one).