bowlergt

Hi all new old member here. Had a 2011 F150 I bought new and had for two years then went to a car for awhile. Im now back with a 2019 Crew cab, 5.0 4x4 with tow package, 3.55 gears. Anyways wife and I are looking at a TT for the family. Are not planning at going more then a couple hours away from home at a time but seeing this would be our first Im trying to understand how big of a trailer we can get. Ive read quite a few posts already and know the GVWR on my sticker is 7000 lbs, the yellow sticker says max cargo is 1869lbs. Weight of the family is about 500 lbs and only add on to the truck is a drop in bed liner. What would be a max trailer weight I could pull? I dont want to be at the max but Ive been looking at 5000-6000 lb gross weight campers and about 24-26' in length. Am I in the ball park or can I safely go larger? One other question the max 1869 cargo on the sticker would that account for anything that came on the truck on the sticker? Thanks for the help!

Ricktwuhk

If you've been reading the posts in this section, you should see multiple examples of the math. Your payload is everything that came on the truck, yes. If the dealer added the drop in liner, it's not included. Floor mats they or you added, etc.

1,869 pound payload minus 500 pound family minus 50 pounds drop in liner = 1,319 pounds remaining payload. That's more than your hitch can take, lay down and read the label on the receiver. It's something like 1,050 or 1,150.

Take that number, subtract 100 pounds for a weight distribution hitch, and then divide the remainder by 13%, for 13% average tongue weight.

Example - 1,050 - 100 = 950 / .13 = 7,308 max LOADED trailer.

Keep in mind that if the family dog comes, or you put a 50 pound cooler in the cab, or some stuff in the bed of the truck, all that comes off payload before the dividing by .13.

In short, 100 pounds in the truck costs you 769 pounds from the trailer. 100 pounds in the trailer loses you 13 pounds of payload.

bowlergt

Appreciate it thank you, sometimes math isnt my strong point lol. Ill check my hitch at lunch but looking at your numbers for me I have a little room to spare in the truck before sacrificing trailer weight. So gross on the trailer is the better number to use correct I know to completely ignore dry weight as it is no where close when all said and done. Again appreciate it!

Sweetlou

Good on you for acknowledging payload factors, such as your family’s weight, into your camper selection. You are already ahead of 95% of camper owners!

Most RV dealers never ask “how much can you tow” first. They always ask “How much can you afford?”

Good luck.

acdii

Here is a good example of a trailer your truck, based on what you said, can handle.

http://www.forestriverinc.com/rvs/tr...f/26DBH-L/4038

Not a bad trailer either.

bowlergt

Thanks looking at something similar but want a separate bunk room for the kids

Nicklaus

I really like this relationship between the weight on tow vehicule and trailer. I get that 100 pounds in trailer costs you 13 pounds of payload on tow vehicule (13% of tongue weight carried by tow vehicule), but I dont get how 100 pounds on the truck costs you 769 pounds on the trailer !? Could you elaborate? I would rather say that 769 pounds on the trailer costs you 100 pounds of payload (still from the 13% tongue weight), but I don't think it works the other way around, since the payload in tow vehicule does not impact the load on the trailer (except considering Gross Combined Weight Rating).

Am I missing something ?

Ricktwuhk

For every 100 pounds of weight you add to the truck, you lower what you can tow by 769 pounds.

Nicklaus

Well, I do not agree with that quote. The reverse can be true, that 769 pounds in the trailer lower by 100 pounds what you can haul in the tow vehicule, but it does work the other way around.

- Some weight of the trailer is supported by the truck.
- No weight of the truck is supported by the trailer.

So adding weight to the truck does not impact the weight of the trailer, hence does not lower what you can tow in the trailer.

I'm open to be challenged

Ricktwuhk

It's simple math. Your truck has a payload of X. That payload, with an average tongue weight of 13%, leads to the max loaded trailer you can tow. X/.13 = max loaded trailer weight.

Now, you add 100 pounds to the truck, putting something in the bed. You now have X-100 / .13 = max trailer loaded weight. Therefore, that 100 pounds divided by .13 = 769 pounds of weight you can no longer tow.

Of course a WDH distributes weight. So a person should take their loaded truck, full of gas and people and everything going on a trip, plus their loaded trailer, to a CAT scale and get proper weights (methodology is described in numerous posts) AND weigh the tongue with an accurate scale, to see EXACTLY how things line up.