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I also must be that small percentage. My payload is 1940 and my towing weight it 9000 lbs. Although if you figure 15% tongue weight and a couple people in the truck the two numbers would be about the same.
If you were figuring 15% tongue (which is high but not that unusual) that would be 1350lbs plus the WDH. That would put you over the hitch rating. If you used 13% plus 80 lbs for your WDH, that would be 1250lbs and most hitches are rated for 1220 or below with a WDH.
No statement will will ever be true 100% of the time. But in most instances the Payload and hitch rating will be exceeded before tow rating is reached on travel trailers. Especially for loaded trucks.
My hitch rating is 1050 (reg tow package), so my max trailer weight is 7400-7500 lbs even though my tow rating is 10,200? Or so.
Here's a graph I made a while back showing payload used vs remaining tow capacity for my truck. It has a GCWR of 16100 lbs, a GVWR of 7050 lbs, a maximum payload of 1801 lbs, and is rated for a trailer up to 10600 lbs by the Ford Towing Guide. For any given payload used, the towing capacity is limited by the lowest line. The red GVWR line is assuming 13% of the trailer weight is on the hitch. A higher % would make the left end of the line go lower. The other two lines aren't affected by the % hitch weight.
This shows I can tow the max tow rating as long as there is less than about 250 lbs of weight in the truck, including driver weight. From 250 to about 440 lbs the GCWR is the limit. After 440 lbs the GVWR is the limit.
So if a person installs a Equalizer 1400/14000 WDH does that bring his tongue rating to 1400?
No, the physical hitch on the truck is only rated for XXXX. My HDPP max tow hitch is rated for 1320lb. Regardless of what WDH hitch i use, this does not change.
My HDPP is even limited: 2333lb payload. Max hitch 1320lb - 100lb WDH = 1230lb available for trailer hitch weight.
1230 / .15 = 8200 GVWR TRAILER (conservative)
1230 / .10 = 12300 GVWR TRAILER (max)
My tow rating is 12500lb and GCVWR is 17500. I’m real close with 10% tongue weight. I’d have to scale my truck to see how much of my GVWR is actually used, so let’s say I’m at 7500lb of abailable 7800lb.
17500 GCWRV - 7500 tow vehicle = 10000 trailer. Close but no cigar.
So if a person installs a Equalizer 1400/14000 WDH does that bring his tongue rating to 1400?
No.
Tour tow vehicle has several weight ratings, and you should never exceed any of them. That 1,400 tongue weight rating applies only to the Equal-I-Zer WD hitch, not to the receiver hitch, or the GVWR or GCWR or rear GAWR of the tow vehicle.
GVWR is used to compute payload capacity, so if you don't exceed the GVWR of your tow vehicle, then you won't exceed the payload capacity. GCWR is used to compute tow rating (max trailer weight), so if you don't exceed the GCWR of your tow vehicle, then you won't exceed the tow rating. On some tow vehicles, the GAWR of the rear axle (rGAWR) is the limiter.
Your limiter as to how heavy a trailer you can tow without being overloaded is whichever of those various weight ratings result in the lightest-weight trailer. Assuming you tow with your Equal-I-Zer hitch in the OEM receiver hitch that was part of the trailer towing package, then your limiter is probably the GVWR of the tow vehicle.
How does that apply to this thead? As BlackBoost mentioned in the topic starter post, tongue weight is probably the limiter as to how heavy a trailer you can tow without being overloaded. Because Tongue weight requires payload capacity to handle it, and payload capacity is determined by the GVWR of the tow vehicle, GVWR of the tow vehicle is usually the limiter as to how heavy a trailer you can tow without being overloaded.
Sorry, but there is no magic number you can pull out of the air that tells you the max weight of any trailer you an tow without being overloaded. Some try to use the tow rating, but then when they weigh the wet and loaded rig on a CAT scale they find out they are severely overloaded. Some try to use payload capacity of the tow vehicle, but that means they have to guess at the weight of options , people, pets, tools and other stuff that will be in the tow vehicle when towing.The closest magic number for most tow vehicles is the payload capacity available for hitch weight. Payload capacity available for hitch weight is GVWR of the tow vehicle minus the wet and loaded weight of the tow vehicle. Wet and loaded means full of gas and with everybody and everything in it that will be in it when towing. But that means you have to weigh the wet and loaded tow vehicle - you probably cannot get close to the actual weight without loading it up, filling it up with gas, then weighing the tow vehicle on a truck scale. So the "magic" number requires you to do some work to figure out what it is.
After you know the payload capacity available for hitch weight, then with junior-high math you can compute the max weight of any trailer you can tow without being overloaded. Subtract 100 pounds from the payload capacity available for hitch weight and the answer is the payload capacity available for tongue weight. Divide the payload capacity available for tongue weight by 13% and the answer is the maximum weight of a cargo or travel trailer with average tongue weight you can tow without being overloaded. For a fifth-wheel or gooseneck trailer, divide by 20% instead of 13%.
Last edited by smokeywren; 08-05-2018 at 11:17 AM.
Hello, this was probably asked and answered and I missed due to newness in your forum.
I have a 2017 F150 XLT 4x4 Screw 3.5 Ecoboost with max tow. Dealer tells me it has a payload if about 2600. RV dealer sold me a Grand Design 28Bh with dry weight of 8895, pin of 1560. Until I started joining forums I did not think to look at the sticker which says that:
GVWR is 7250
Payload is 1753
Although after 800 miles and gone through hills and up to 10% decent where the truck performed fine, the power seems to be there, pulling and stopping. However, I am concerned that I am overweight. The pin and hitch alone is over that payload.
Questions:
- did I read this correctly and I am way overweight?
- if so, will a Heavy duty payload package help and if so how
much?
- if not, what is a good solution?
If I am overweight, it would seem like my Ford and RV dealer misled me.
Yeah, most likely way overloaded. The solution is to buy either a 3/4 ton or 1 ton truck or get a different trailer. Keep in mine you pin weight doesn't exceed you trucks capacity but once you start adding driver and passengers and anything else in the truck, you are probably overloaded.
08-03-2018, 09:50 AM
