Szymanfj35

I have a 3.55 rear end on a 2018 F150 súper crew cab with a factory towing package. I added Firestone air bags. I purchased a 35 ft travel trailer dry weight 6700. Max allowable wt 8300 lbs. I’ve only pulled it 20 miles to my home to prepare it for a short trip. What is your opinion on towing with this combination. Anticipate any issues. Any advice would be appreciated. Feeling slightly intimidated.

Ricktwuhk

Read the PAYLOAD sticker on your door jamb (yellow) and post that number. Depending on your payload, with a weigh distribution hitch properly adjusted, you can tow a decent trailer. However, I think most would say that a 35 foot trailer is too long for a 1/2 ton truck.

Many of the posts in this section go through the calculations for determining what you can tow safely. Weighing the truck and trailer, both loaded with stuff and people and a full tank of gas, as well as a weight distribution hitch, is also important. Also important is to find your actual tongue weight.

Airbags have zero impact on your ability to tow by the way.

Easycamper

Run-n-gun

I just went through a F150 and travel trailer setup myself. My RV is shorter but weighs the same.
You'll need to pack as much heavy stuff in the TT as possible and put light items in the truck.
Set up your weight distributing hitch (use a truck scale) with 5 lbs in the airbags and the trailer loaded. Trailer must be level or slightly nose down. Get the front axle back to nearly 100% unloaded weight. Add air to about 20 lbs. Dealers usually do a marginal job and don't get to test the driving experience with your setup and a loaded TT.
Check the tire pressure and lug nuts on the TT every trip. Use a torque wrench so you don't break wheel studs.
Air up the truck tires to 40-45 lbs. They should be at 35 for daily driving.
Set up your brake controller in a empty parking lot. Applying trailer brakes only at 10-15 mph should barely/almost lock up. Adjust gain to get that result.
Always lock out overdrive gears while towing. Keep the RPMs up when climbing hills to keep the engine cooler.
Get on the truck and trailer forums and read. You don't know what you don't know.

HangDiver

Thats a looooooong trailer for a half ton truck. Tail will wag the dog on a windy day...

Ryan_2020

Run-n-gun has some great advice for setting it up / driving.

Ricktwuhk is pointing to the fact that you may be at or over your payload, which may or may not be legal depending on where you live. I agree based on that trailer weight you could be close to your payload (hard to say as we don't know the specs of your vehicle). My truck has a 1842 payload and based on what I carry/my family I could only have a loaded trailer of about 7700 lbs before I would max my payload out.

HangDiver is also right in the fact that 'in my opinion' you have a very long trailer for an F150 and may never get it set up to eliminate sway.


You have lots of engine power, the question is can you/the truck control it.

Cpoic

My truck is rated by Ford charts, as equipped, to pull 10.5k. I've got the Curt 10k WDH with integrated sway bars and Tekonsha Prodigy II Brake Controller.
I pull the Heartland Pioneer dual axel, RL250 TT, 29.5 ft total, 6175 dry wt. Two adults in truck, very conservative load in TT, no water, and a conservative amount of typical
camping gear in bed of truck. The TT pulls with no difficulties whatsoever.

Ricktwuhk

Don't read the charts. You can't tow 10,500. You could PULL a 2 axle hay wagon, with no tongue weight, that weighs 10,500 pounds.

Read the many, many threads that explain how PAYLOAD is most often the limiter.+

BlackBoost

On the bolded above; trailer brake power is proportionate to your speed. The brake testing should be done at 20-25 MPH to get a good lockup. Once there, dial back until they don't lock up anymore at all. Trailer brakes should never lock up, not even a little. That can result in jackknifing if you slam the brakes hard as your trailer might slide sideways and try to swing around your truck, especially if the roads are wet or sand covered. Much larger heavier trailers, especially dual-axles, may not lockup at all. In that case, leave the gain at 10.

Cpoic

My mistake, the Ford towing chart shows 10,100 for my vehicle as equipped with 3.55, etc, etc. I'm thinking that Ford
calls their Towing Capabilities charts Towing Capabilities charts because it explains different towing capabilities for different vehicles under
a variety of combinations of how a particular vehicle is equipped, which explains why the charts look a little complicated
for some people. Maybe "don't read the charts" is good advice. Maybe the folks that create these charts don't know what
they are talking about. Maybe forum contributors know more about this topic than the folks that work at Ford. "Maybe".........
I tow (call it "pull" if you like that word better) my rig, as described, far below 10,100 under many different situations and circumstances,
with no difficulties at all. There is no "maybe" to that fact. For some people, their most favorite mentality is "look, my
mind is made up, so don't confuse me with the facts". I think I'll pass on calling Ford to tell them that their charts are not accurate.