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Oops. This is absolutely a situation of purchasing the wrong trailer (or truck) for intended purposes.
The drive train is going to be fine and you'll be racing people up hills without a doubt. But good luck not wearing out the rear suspension in no time, and keep an eye on the mirrors for sway!
I can't believe I have a higher payload than somebody. I feel so adequate now with a whole 1600 payload.
For the record, if I attempted to tow what Ford max trailer guides say I can (without the fine print), I'd be overloaded the moment I stepped in before I put any cargo in the truck or bed and I weight about 150lbs.
Good thing I don't have a family because they would have to follow behind me in the 2nd family vehicle. LOL
This is a classic case of many mistakes made. First was not researching tow vehicles and trailer weights. Second mistake was having a dealer set up the hitch.
A travel trailer should be set up to have ~13% tongue weight when loaded, any less and it will start to sway. A 10,500 GVWR RV is 1365 pounds of tongue weight. That does not include the hitch. That exceeds the hitch ratings on any 1/2 ton. The maximum RV weight that a Max Tow equipped truck, regardless of payload, yes even the HDPP, at 13% tongue weight is 9,384 pounds. That is 1,220 pounds of tongue weight, leaving 100 for the hitch. You can go lighter on the TW, but you won't like it. A toy hauler is one of the worst trailers to set up properly because of the garage in the rear. If you set it up empty, and get it just right, it will be completely wrong when you load something in it. The best way to set up a TH is with it fully loaded, otherwise you will be chasing it.
Never use airbags to mask an overloaded suspension. You are asking for trouble down the road as they put undo stress on the rear axle. They are meant for weight directly on top of the axle, not weight off the bumper. If you do have airbags, only apply minimum required air pressure to them, never raise the vehicle with them when hitched up.
Never trust that a dealer set up the hitch properly unless they use a certified scale and have actual axle weights before and after and verified proper weight distribution.
Frankly, you are asking for trouble with that trailer, but too late now since you are stuck with it, best thing you can do is keep the weight down to under 8K tops for the truck you have. Exceed that and your truck is overloaded beyond safe values, anyone tells you otherwise is a fool.
2017 F150 ecoboost 3.5l with the max towing package with 1400 payload. I find that a bit on the light side. I mean my 2020 3.5 F150 Lariat has a 1760 payload. And even at that, I would not pull your trailer with it. There is a yellow sticker in your drivers door, what does it say your payload is?
That said, I think your trailer might do better once you put the bike in the back. It is really front heavy, empty, and it is designed and balanced with the intent to be loaded in the rear. That will take weight off the *** end of the truck and make your towing experience much better. Most will agree, the answer is NOT throwing air bags on it.
This is a classic case of many mistakes made. First was not researching tow vehicles and trailer weights. Second mistake was having a dealer set up the hitch.
A travel trailer should be set up to have ~13% tongue weight when loaded, any less and it will start to sway. A 10,500 GVWR RV is 1365 pounds of tongue weight. That does not include the hitch. That exceeds the hitch ratings on any 1/2 ton. The maximum RV weight that a Max Tow equipped truck, regardless of payload, yes even the HDPP, at 13% tongue weight is 9,384 pounds. That is 1,220 pounds of tongue weight, leaving 100 for the hitch. You can go lighter on the TW, but you won't like it. A toy hauler is one of the worst trailers to set up properly because of the garage in the rear. If you set it up empty, and get it just right, it will be completely wrong when you load something in it. The best way to set up a TH is with it fully loaded, otherwise you will be chasing it.
Never use airbags to mask an overloaded suspension. You are asking for trouble down the road as they put undo stress on the rear axle. They are meant for weight directly on top of the axle, not weight off the bumper. If you do have airbags, only apply minimum required air pressure to them, never raise the vehicle with them when hitched up.
Never trust that a dealer set up the hitch properly unless they use a certified scale and have actual axle weights before and after and verified proper weight distribution.
Frankly, you are asking for trouble with that trailer, but too late now since you are stuck with it, best thing you can do is keep the weight down to under 8K tops for the truck you have. Exceed that and your truck is overloaded beyond safe values, anyone tells you otherwise is a fool.
Absolutely concur. I built a spreadsheet that calculates payload, towing, GCVW, GVW, and TW margins (based off your truck's info) and my numbers all came out about the same. I have a whopping 1,860 payload capacity, but I figured 800 of that is taken up with the family of 4 plus our crap being carried in the truck. A lot depends on your vehicle's specific GVWR (on your door sticker), and GCWR (found in the towing guide online).
Not knowing your trailer did a search on toy haulers..most have the axles far back to carry the toys increasing your/the tongue weight... this distance from axle to tongue is long...and I can see it porpusing..
Along with the airbags I would recommend a tongue weight scale to help adjust your load in trailer and know what you’re dealing with for setting up the rig
all airbags will do will give the truck a better look wile towing and give it a better feeling ride carrying the weight. it won't legally increase anything
Yeah air bags just make a pivot point and don’t let your rear suspension really work. I put the 1000 lb sumosprings on my truck, they are a lot less hardware and I don’t notice any difference around town unloaded
I can't believe I have a higher payload than somebody. I feel so adequate now with a whole 1600 payload.
my 2013 has a 1201lb payload.. it SUCKS!!!
I ALMOST got myself in the same situation about 2-3 weeks ago when i almost got a new toyhauler. Glad i stepped back, did some number crunching, and even did some researching and posting on here.
having a dealership setup your hitch is a good "starting point" on the WDH setup. If you can, find yourself a good level surface at home, or work, and take some time adjusting it WITH your toy in it. By the sounds of it, you are already over payload on your truck sadly.
04-15-2020, 01:02 PM
