Looking to purchase an Aspen Trail 2811BHS. Trailer weighs about 6500lbs. I have an Equalizer E2 (rated for 8,000) from my pop up camper. Think this WDH hitch is still enough or should I bump up to a 10k. system? I'd say with the wife/kids and gear I'd have less than 1k lbs gear total.

I have an 2016 XLT, max tow package, 157" wheelbase, 3.5 Ecoboost, 3.55 axle and 6ft bed.

 

Whats the GVWR and tongue weight of the new trailer? Spring bar rating should exceed the tongue weight that includes the hitch weight itself.

 

You're trying too hard to justify too much trailer for your F-150.

New 2810BHS has GVWR of 9,680. "Normal" wet and loaded weight for a family camping trip will be about 7,500 to 8,000. So I would plan on a minimum of 8,000.

8,000 gross trailer weight with average tongue weight of 13% = 1040, plus another 100 pounds for a good WD hitch = 1,140 hitch weight.

How much payload capacity do you have available for hitch weight? GVWR minus the wet and loaded weight of your F-150 without the trailer. Don't guess or estimate - weigh it on a CAT scale. "Wet and loaded" means full tank of gas, plus all the people, pets, tools, toys, campfire wood, and any other weight you might have in the F-150 when towing. If you don't have at least 1,140 pounds of payload capacity available for hitch weight, then that's probably too much trailer for your F-150.

With the max tow pkg you have all the power and torque you need to PULL that trailer. But you'll probably exceed the payload capacity of the F-150 if you load the trailer and F-150 for a normal family camping trip.

The WD hitch is rated for tongue weight as well as gross trailer weight. Ignore the gross trailer weight rating and concentrate on the tongue weight (TW) rating. Your minimum hitch weight will probably be about 1,140 or more. So a 1k TW is not strong enough for your wet and loaded trailer. If you like the Equal-I-Zer brand, they make a WD hitch rated for 1,200 pounds TW. That's the one you need for that trailer.
https://www.etrailer.com/Weight-Dist...EQ37120ET.html = Equal-I-Zer 1200

 

Ok that's worse case scenario. Would never travel with water in the tanks or firewood. The dry weight of the trailer was the max I would be comfortable with. We always travel light.

Even at 6500 lbs and 1500lbs cargo and wdh hitch I'm still within my 8k lbs (80% of towing capacity).

 

 

Towing capacity is not your limiter as to how much trailer you can tow without being overloaded. Tow rating is overstated because it assumes absolutely no options on the tow vehicle not required to achieve that tow rating, and absolutely no weight in the tow vehicle except a full tank of gas and skinny driver. It's based on GCWR and ignores GVWR. Payload capacity available for hitch weight is almost always your limiter. Payload capacity available for hitch weight is GVWR minus the wet and loaded weight of the tow vehicle. "Wet and loaded" means a full tank of gas plus everyone and everything that will be in the tow vehicle when towing.