This to me is the biggest thing to watch. If someone's first post is "how much can I get away with towing behind my new F150?", then the answer he needs to hear is LESS than what the truck is rated for, because he's obviously new to towing, and shouldn't be pushing any limits.

Of course someone with a lot of experience who knows his limits, his truck's limits, and his trailer's behavior can get away with more. But I'd never recommend that to someone asking about his first tow.

And yes, I'm a bit over-cautious because I've rolled a trailer (NOT my first tow, or my heaviest at that point).

 

A boating buddy of mine, back in the day, towed a 38' boat, triple axle trailer, weight around 13,000 lbs back and forth to Florida using a standard cab Chevy...never had any issues. So, like others have indicated, it's all about getting the 'setup' juuuuuuuuuuusssssst right.

 

There’s a whole lot of people out there, buzzing down the highway, with absolutely no clue how to properly tow a trailer. Stay clear of them, they’ll suck you right into their inevitable disaster.

They’re pretty easy to spot. Before AND after the interstate yard sale.

 

If that was remotely true there would be threads everyday showing the carnage. I don’t know how some of you leave the house every day.

 

I don't stay home. i just accept that my job is the highest fatality rate due to that type of person. The biggest issue I see on a daily basis with the long trailers is more an issue of wind, than weight. A heavier trailer is actually much safer in side winds and gusty winds.I have just learned through the years to be ready to share my lane with campers when the wind is blowing and hope they don't kill me. I also keep my life insurance paid up.

 

I’m not looking at arguing with you or challenging you. I’m merely saying that I draw from my personal experiences, which are extensive. I know firsthand that all too often, people drive an overloaded trailer just like they’d drive an empty pickup truck. Hauling *** in a 5000lb truck, and zipping in and out lanes ten miles over the speed limit in a trailer that’s wagging around behind them, is a recipe for disaster. But if that’s how someone wants to operate, then they should have it. They just need to remember the value of the lives in their backseat.

I’ve driven a couple million miles, spanning every state, and every province in Canada, over thirty years, in everything from a standard pickup with a flatbed trailer, to duallies with 40’ enclosed trailers, to conventional semis with 53’ triple-drop trailers. Never hauled commercial freight, only my own trucks and trailers, and hauling a variety of race vehicles. I’ve seen countless wrecks every year, involving the average citizen hauling campers, snowmobiles, boats, and other trailers.

I never said they were ALL inexperienced, but there is certainly no shortage of inexperienced people pulling recreational trailers. And it’s a damn shame to see bodies lying on the interstate, among the carnage of an accident that involved a family on vacation, when it was absolutely avoidable. Just because YOU haven't seen wrecks, doesn't mean that they don’t happen dozens of times, everyday. When you travel up and down the interstates enough, you’ll see plenty of them. And many would be avoided if people just kept their distance, didn't tailgate, knew how to handle the load they’re carrying, were properly equipped, and respected the weight and mass of the machines they were piloting. They don’t have to drive like pussies, but they need to respect their equipment and the situation. There’s nothing wrong with taking risks, and living on the edge, but the highway isn’t the place for it. There’s a big difference between being responsible and safe, and afraid to leave the house.

 

I did that a while ago.

7000 GVWR / 1907 lb Payload / 1157 Cargo
1050 lb Tongue Weight
102 lb WDH
1152 lb Total

That makes me comfortable with most 7,000 lb travel trailers. I actually think cargo weight rating (Payload minus 150 lb per available seating position) is a more useful figure when shopping travel trailers. I think I may make a post on that.

 

That's a strawman argument. The vast majority of crashes that occur do not have photos that make it to the internet at all, let alone one forum for one model of vehicle. There were 42,060 deaths on US highways last year, but you certainly wouldn't think so based on the number of crash photos that get posted.

Ever try to take a photo while traveling at 60mph? Most crashes that have vehicles and debris well clear of the roadway will not provide an opportunity to image the incident.

How many photos of crashes do we have that were taken at night? Not much beyond the occasional investigation photo leak, and those inner-city photos/videos of asshats doing donuts in intersections.

Even when it's day time and the passing speed is low, once responders arrive on scene, vehicles tend to block most passerby's from obtaining shots.

What we find on the internet is not a good representation of reality.


As much capability as these trucks have, towing a travel trailer that is nearly twice the length of these trucks is risky. Even with the best, most worked out setup, trailers like that have a lot of leverage to ignore sway control devices and push the truck around. Even if the trailer ensures there is 7000lb on the truck, that trailer has 11,000 or more sitting on centrally located axles around which it can easily rotate. For all the ability the truck has to keep a trailer like that in line, the trailer has almost twice as much ability to tell the truck to eff off.

 

You may have seen about this recent story. Fortunately for these folks, they made it out alive. But at the end of the day, the driver admitted it got away from him, and all too often, inexperienced drivers get themselves in these situations. While this is an extreme situation, towing accidents happen dozens of times, everyday on our highways. Perfect example of quickly getting in over your head...

 

Some people know about proper loading and tongue weight, others dont.