Husqvarna

I see this question has been asked a million times. But, I am new to trucks, new to campers, & I need some help/info.



I have a brand new 2016 Ford F-150 XLT 4x4 SuperCrew 5.5 bed, 145" wheelbase V8 5.0liter motor. GVWR as listed on the door says 7,000lbs. RGAWR says 3,800lbs. FGAWR says 3,450lbs. And, on the yellow tire sticker on door, it says load limit is no more than 1,940lbs. (275/65/18 tires)

My truck does have the tow package with a class IV hitch, transmission cooler, etc.

We are buying a camper. It's an Coachmen Apex UltraLite 28LE. Hitch weight is 570lbs. GVWR is 7,000lbs. Dry camper weight is 5,010lbs. It's 31' end to end.

Given all of the numbers I have provided, can someone help me? Can my new truck tow this camper? I am having a sway/WD hitch installed. Any info would be great. Thanks!

jcb206

Sounds like you did some good research. The trailer is a long one but the weights should be good to go. Check your hitch. I believe yours will say 1050 lbs with WDH, which should work out fine. You should be between 920-1010 on the hitch when fully loaded.

What's your rear end ratio? 3.31, 3.55, or 3.73?

Enjoy. YMMV.

Husqvarna

I forgot the rear axle. It is a 3.31 rear axle.

truck also has the integrated brake controller, backup assist, etc.

I'm hoping the weights are ok. It's a light camper, for the length.

techrep

iTrader: (1)

Humm.. A brake controller and no tow package.

Husqvarna

????

I said it DOES HAVE the trailer tow package.

smokeywren

Wrong question. You should be asking "Can my new truck tow this camper without exceeding any of Ford's weight limits?"


And the answer is: It depends. Nobody knows the weight you will haul in the truck other than your skinny hiney, and nobody knows the weight you will haul in the trailer, or whether you will use your head and properly distribute the weight inside the trailer.



So assuming your receiver hitch is rated at least 1,000 pounds, then your next likely limiter is GVWR of the tow vehicle.


Assume your camper could gross up to 7,000 pounds. And a tandem-axle trailer that weighs 7,000 pounds will have tongue weight averaging 13% of gross trailer weight, or 910 pounds plus another 90 pounds for the weight of a good weight-distribution hitch. Or a grand total of 1,000 pounds hitch weight.


With your 1,940 pounds of payload capacity, that leaves about 940 pounds for the weight of you, your family, and any pets, tools, jack and jackbase, campfire wood, plus the weight of any aftermarket options you add, such as grill guard, tonneau cover or camper shell.


In other words, the answer is you might can tow that trailer with your F-150 without exceeding any of Ford's weight limits if you don't haul much weight in the F-150 other than a small family, minimum tools, only one jack and jack base in case of flat on the trailer, and absolutely no campfire wood.


After you have the rig and are in the middle of your third camping trip, stop at a truckstop that has a CAT scale, fill up with gas, and weigh the wet and loaded rig. Compare the combined weights on the front and rear axles of the F-150 to the GVWR of the F-150. Then you will know how much available payload capacity you have for hauling more weight, such as campfire wood or fresh water.


Compare the combined weight on the trailer axles to the combined GAWRs of the camper. Compare the gross weight of the rig to the GCWR of the F-150.

SixShooter14

From the info given, I'd say you should be ok. If you pack smartly and don't overdo it.

And I agree with the above, once you get the truck and trailer loaded with what you want. Visit a CAT scale and double check all the ratings.

Husqvarna

Yeah sticker says truck will tow up to 9,100lbs.

It is a tandem travel trailer. I won't have any firewood at all. I will just purchase some when we go to where we are headed. A lot of places I have called anyway, say no outside firewood anyway.

A few local places to me in New England were OK with it, but they would still rather you buy it from them. So that weight won't be an issue.

It is just my wife, our 2 young girls (8 & 6), and myself. No pets or anything going. So just the 4 of us, with gear and camper. That's pretty much it.

I'm a truck driver, so I know of a few scales where I dump that will let me use the scales there for free. Not sure if CAT scales are free? If I use those, are they OK with me weighing multiple times, with & without trailer?

Also, my GCWR isn't listed on sticker on truck. Where do I find that??

So it sounds like I should be OK, as long as I don't go full retard and overload everything.

SixShooter14

GCWR is in the Ford towing brochure.

And also in your Owners manual.
It's charted out by the Cab/WB, Engine, and Axle ratio.

marshallr

By the numbers you look to be OK. But if you research a few threads here there are 2-3 guys with that exact combo of 5.0/3.31 gears that are reporting trouble towing much less weight. I'd hitch my truck to something in that weight class and take it for a test drive before buying anything that heavy.

https://www.f150forum.com/f82/not-ha...bility-350961/