How heavy are ur trailers?
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Joined: Jun 2012
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How heavy are ur trailers?
I have a 2008 f150, 3.73, tow package, rated to tow 8800 lbs. I tow a 4100 lb travel trailer with it. My question is roughly what percentage of your max tow weight do you tow? I take the over drive off but am slightly dissapointed with the performance on hills. I was wanting to upgrade to a bigger heavier trailer but not sure if that is a good idea. I know some people will say tow 8000lbs but I don't feel comfortable doing that. Most of our trips are 2hrs or less one way but lots of hills. I fill the trailer with water for alot of our trips so I'm guessing its 5200 loaded with all our gear. This is our first trailer so maybe it's normal but i was just expecting more. One trailer we like is 5500 lbs so loaded around 6500 which is sbout 75% of the max weight. I know there are other things to consider just trying to get a rough idea how close guys are up their max.
Thankyou.
Thankyou.
Last edited by Voges; Jun 26, 2013 at 03:50 PM.
The dry weight of my 30' TT is 5500, Id guess close to the 7000 mark fully loaded on the high side so Im on the high end of my capacity. Only a couple of times have I felt the engine wasnt up to the task but that was with a very stiff headwind up a long grade. I was however still able to hold speed but I worked it a bit that tow. One thing many people dont consider other than actual weight is the trailers frontal area, that needs to also be factored into weight calculations. There is a section in the owners manual that explains it. TT's and 5th wheels have a huge frontal area typically so even the lightest of them will still pull like a much heavier trailer in heavy headwinds, throw in a few hills on top of that and your truck is in for a workout. Overall though Ive been very pleased with how well my truck handles my TT.
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Joined: Mar 2012
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I have a 2008 f150, 3.73, tow package, rated to tow 8800 lbs. I tow a 4100 lb travel trailer with it. My question is roughly what percentage of your max tow weight do you tow? I take the over drive off but am slightly dissapointed with the performance on hills. I was wanting to upgrade to a bigger heavier trailer but not sure if that is a good idea. I know some people will say tow 8000lbs but I don't feel comfortable doing that. Most of our trips are 2hrs or less one way but lots of hills. I fill the trailer with water for alot of our trips so I'm guessing its 5200 loaded with all our gear. This is our first trailer so maybe it's normal but i was just expecting more. One trailer we like is 5500 lbs so loaded around 6500 which is sbout 75% of the max weight. I know there are other things to consider just trying to get a rough idea how close guys are up their max.
Thankyou.
Thankyou.
I have a 2012 EB with 3.55 gears. My trailer is around 7200# loaded. Tows like a champ.
Are you running a small V8?
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 675
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From: Connecticut
I think you truck would be fine with the heavier 6500lb trailer. My trailer is 33' and between 7500 and 8000lbs when loaded. The weight changes a little bit depending on how long the trip will be.
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 675
Likes: 128
From: Connecticut
The dry weight of my 30' TT is 5500, Id guess close to the 7000 mark fully loaded on the high side so Im on the high end of my capacity. Only a couple of times have I felt the engine wasnt up to the task but that was with a very stiff headwind up a long grade. I was however still able to hold speed but I worked it a bit that tow. One thing many people dont consider other than actual weight is the trailers frontal area, that needs to also be factored into weight calculations. There is a section in the owners manual that explains it. TT's and 5th wheels have a huge frontal area typically so even the lightest of them will still pull like a much heavier trailer in heavy headwinds, throw in a few hills on top of that and your truck is in for a workout. Overall though Ive been very pleased with how well my truck handles my TT.
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Joined: Dec 2012
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I too have a 5th wheel. It's 7450# dry weight, 9500# max. Typically runs around 8600# when loaded for a trip but no water in fresh water tank. Towed it for the first time several weeks ago and averaged 9 mpg, but was running 70 mph most of the way. These trucks have plenty of power but the wind will push a little bit.
