PerryB

This is probably going to come across as ranting, but why do people decide to do their homework only AFTER buying a new truck, new trailer or both. I generally enjoy the towing forums, as I like helping people with wiring issues, hitching questions,etc. but this payload/GCWR thing just about has me pulling my hair out. I'm not militant about slightly violating a parameter here or there but I'm constantly reading questions from people who have a middle-of-the-road F150 and want to know why it's completely overwhelmed by the new 9500 lb. TT they just bought, and how to fix it. Short of replacing the truck or trailer, of course. Unfortunately the RV dealers (as a whole) seem to be more than willing accomplices. "Sure you can tow this trailer with your truck. Just buy this $1000 hitch and a set of airbags and you'll be fine". So far they seem to be getting away with it, with no obvious repercussions. In general, I think people get too emotionally wrapped up in the whole atmosphere surrounding an RV lot. The salespeople convince them that another couple was also looking at the same unit, or the price quoted is a one-time-only offer. Hogwash. The industry is polluted with new/unsold trailers. Do your homework and due diligence.
O.K. -- Rant over

mountaintruck

You are certainly correct with what some RV dealers will say/do to try and make the sale. For the past few months I have been in the market for a travel trailer, knowing full well what my truck can handle and more importantly what I am comfortable with it handling. I wanted to be well below the limits of the truck.

On a visit to a local RV dealer I got into a 'discussion' on what my truck can tow. He was trying to convince me my 2016 5.0 cold tow 11K. Initially I gave him the benefit of the doubt and said, you may be thinking of what Ford markets the eco boost to tow (not that an eco should be towing a 11k TT).

He scaled down a bit and was still trying to convince me that I can comfortably tow a 9k travel trailer. Never once asking what gearing I had, what type of truck it is (Crew, SCrew...), or what the payload or GCWR is etc..

There is no way this guy was ignorant to what trucks can handle. He was the owner of the business. To be offering this type of advice was, in my opinion, dangerous.

Needless to say I left that lot in a hurry. If he feels comfortable lying about safety, what else will he be comfortable lying about?

Last week I finally found a used trailer that me and my truck is comfortable with. 4300# dry and a max GVWR of 6050#.

My advice to those looking is to really educate yourself first. There are all kind of TT out there that the F150 is capable of towing. As the OP said, take the emotion out of it. When I was looking for a TT the first thing I would do is look up the trailers numbers.

thrifty biil

Talented sales people know they prosper when they tell people what they WANT TO HEAR.

Five minutes of research and most would know what their truck could safely do.

And for some reason, there seems to be "safety" in copying what someone else is doing, even if they are wrong.

wolfpack219

Yup it's true. I often have conversations with arrogant Superduty owners all the time who think that a truck should be weight invincible. Hell some of these idiots even overload their Superduty's. It's just simple math, and people should know what they need. If I wanted a 5th wheel I'd buy a powerstroke but that would be overkill for me. My truck has 1800 lbs of payload, max tow, 3.5 Eco, and after loading up the family, 250 lbs gear, hitch weight, bed cover weight, two kids, me, and the wife, I'm looking at 7800 lb trailer at 13% hitch weight. That's plenty for a 28-30' TT with luxurious amenities. Can the truck handle a 9000k trailer, sure but it's not safe nor did I plan for that. If I knew i wanted a massive trailer like that, I would have ordered the appropriate truck for that.

Ricktwuhk

Most people are clueless about towing. Some are simply not intelligent enough to understand. Some don't care, are apathetic.

No different than any other major decision people make, unfortunately, including voting. Sad commentary about our world, but that's the way it is. People want to have things figured out by others, and put too much trust in salespeople to know the answers. Some salespeople are ignorant, some lack sufficient knowledge, some are unscrupulous.

Same reason most don't bother to read existing threads with similar questions and answers before asking again...

acdii

And there are those who are so clueless that they tow a travel trailer without a Weight Distribution Hitch and have the front end sticking in the air and doing 70 MPH!

Maybe if there were more weigh stations like those in Nebraska who look for RV towing rigs that are clearly overloaded, then maybe this wont be so prevalent.

I know what my trucks payload is(or was) and searched for a trailer that it could safely tow and be legal. Most people wouldn't even know where to begin to accompliash this as they have no idea what Payload is.

SkiSmuggs

Auto dealers are the same. Many salesmen don't know about Max Tow or HD Payload packages and just want to sell you what they have. They have no clue how it will tow a 9000 lb trailer or if it can handle a fifth wheel. Salesmen are there to make a commission, not to learn the product or educate the buyers.

acdii

Very true. It is up to the buyer to know what he/she needs and what to look for when buying and not rely on a sleazy synthetic smile salesman.

larry2c

I don't disagree with what I've seen posted here but I would say that not all people are not intelligent enough to make the right choices. I would counter they are uninformed, mislead by OEM advertising and by trailer dealers. When I was looking at what I wanted for my "retirement truck" I thought I did my home work and I bought a '11 F150 with the 3.73 rear end and the 5.0 motor. the ford brochure very clearly states the towing capacity.

However, you have to either have previous experience with light duty trucks and towing or read a bunch of "how much can I tow" threads to realize that the towing capacity isn't the limiting factor. I should qualify the previous experience part - if you're an old fart like me and had ancient Ford 1/2 ton trucks the payload wasn't something anyone talked about - it was simply how much it could pull. A nicely appointed Ford XLT didn't weigh 6000 lbs so there was plenty of head room in the cargo capacity area - it was motor and gearing that mattered.

Not that way any more! My 600 way seats, moon roof, kitchen sink equipped Screw has more bloat than my cheese curd eating friends back home! And to add to the problem are the truck dealers/sales people and the RV sales people (no problem, you can tow this thing all day & night!)

Bottom line is, I thought I did my homework but I still got a surprise (low cargo capacity). Fortunately, we haven't upgraded from our current TT so I know what my limits are for that retirement trailer. Not everyone gets that break...

Bottom line, please keep sharing the info and hopefully some of the folks will learn what they need to know before they buy their dream truck or TT!

acdii

And hopefully ignore those posts of those who clearly overload their vehicles and think it's OK.