What s1njin has said basically sums up the entire debate on trailer length for half-ton trucks. If you go off the common rule-of-thumb then depending on your wheelbase then the max trailer length advisable would be between 29' and 31'. For context I upgraded to a 30'8" TT recently and took it out on its first run. This is a trailer I tow on several trips over the summer and then to storage for the winter. I will say that you do feel a bit of tug and pull from a trailer that long even with a 2 point WDH. Nothing crazy, but I do plan on upgrading the hitch to a Equilizer 4 point for a little extra peace of mind. I don't know if I would go to an almost 33' trailer. When I was shopping 31' was the absolute max for me. I think it depends on where you plan on towing. If it's just short length to-and-from storage keeping off highways/highway speeds you can probably get away with it. If you're towing down the highway several times a year, I don't know if I'd be comfortable with that. The weights shown look fine, the trailer I tow is around the same (Grey Wolf 25RRT).

 

To me, a 1/2 truck and a 3/4 ton truck is rated to do the work its rated to do. I don't buy for a minute anybody that says a 1/2 ton truck should only be used for spot towing duty; anything else get a full sized truck. The problem comes from asking the 1/2 ton truck to do too much. A 26' 7k pound trailer should be able to be pulled by most F150 5.0s and 3.5s all day long. The trailer is within the ratings of the truck. 30' + heavy trailer? I really don't think that's 1/2 ton truck territory even though some pull those.

It'd be like saying a 3/4 ton truck isn't the right tool to pull a 32' 10k-12k pound trailer if you're pulling that all day long. It certainly IS, even though it might be bumping up on the truck's capabilities. Both the 1/2 ton at 26' 7k and the 3/4 ton at 32' 10k -12k might be up on their maximum capabilities; makes no difference. They're rated to do that appropriately sized work.

The right tool for the job folks. If you're pulling long and heavy w/ a 1/2 ton you might be looking for confirmation bias here on the forums.

 

Then you must not comprehend the durability difference between a F150, and a Superduty.

F150's can be rated for 14k towing now. You go tow that and tell me its a good rating for a 1/2 ton truck.

 

I'm talking about a travel trailer, not the mythological flat sled towing 14k pounds or whatever the tow ratings are calling out. I wouldn't tow anything at the top end of any truck, but that's just me.

On the flipside, a ford E450 cutaway is rated for 14,500 pounds. You'll see a boatload of Class C motorhomes weighing at that or over after clueless owners stuff the cabinets and bays w/o looking at the weight sticker. And forget about the rear axle weights on those. Many hundreds of pounds over routinely. On those forums you'll find people saying nothing but a Super C or Class A will do, but those C's soldier on heavily burdened.

 

In the end what I'm getting it is if you're looking at your tow vehicle with a reasonable eye, you should expect it to perform reasonably. That 7k pound 26' travel trailer is a reasonable ask of a 3.5 or 5.0 1/2 ton, and I wouldn't blink about towing that across the country (as many in this configuration have on the RV forums). Truthfully if I can find a 22-24' trailer at 6500 pounds loaded that would be even better. I would not go much higher, regardless of what the tow chart says. Same w/ the 3/4 ton. I'd up my trailer length and weight and wouldn't blink. But if I'm flirting w/ 1 ton territory, I wouldn't do it even though on paper it might be able to.

 

I tow a 31', 7,700lb dry camper with no problem after adding RAS. A good WDH helps, as well as proper loading and common sense. I made 1 final adjustment after this pic, lowered the ball 1 hole and added 1 washer, tows great now.

 

It's true that the HDPP trucks are difficult to find - and Ford is making it more difficult to order them by limiting the option to fewer trim levels (I got my XLT HDPP truck last year, but this year only XLs can get the package). However, Max Tow package trucks are easier to find and also have GVWRs over 7,000. I think even the lesser tow package brings the truck up to 7,000. At least that's been my observations based on what people have posted on here. Configure a truck on Ford's website and they won't tell you what you payload or GVWR are going to be. Sure, you can find the nuclear codes behind Biden's Vette or in Trump's pool house, but F-150 weight ratings are sensitive information.

 

Unfortunately, you're in the minority. Many people don't load properly and make adjustments. And many lack common sense. You can see this all over.

One reason Ford added scales is to try to inform the uninformed. On a Lightning discussion, a member put about 2,500 pounds in their bed and hooked up a trailer with lots more. Easily 3,000 pound impact on payload. They complained that their scale only went up to 1,765 (or similar), which is in fact their payload. Ford needs a banner to come up that says "HEY YOU, STUPID! You're 1,300 pounds over capacity".

 

these are apples and oranges, but the other day on rt 80 in pa i saw a 20ft trailer being towoed by a jeep truck allmost loose it. scary when its right in front of yoy.