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Trailer axle weight with WDH hooked up was 4460. TT unhooked from the truck was 5240 so the tongue weight is 780 (5240-4460). The WDH is still another 100lb so it would be 880 against the payload of the truck.
Yeah, depends on how you disconnect the trailer from the truck. On my TT I remove the shank, head (ball mount), and spring bars from the receiver and leave them with the trailer. But that's a ProPride. I can see where most folks with lesser hitches would leave the head and shank in the receiver, so most of the weight of the hitch would stay with the truck.
Yeah, 1408 is not enough. I wouldn't even bother with what everyone else was saying, thats just not enough payload for travel trailer towing. Did it with a 1470# payload truck and was over weight with a light weight trailer. Minimum payload would be over 1500#.
The procedure that I think most use is to make three passes across the scale.
1. Weigh the whole rig with WDH bars connected. Steer axle, drive axle, trailer axle(s) on three different scale platforms.
2. Weigh the whole rig with WDH bars disconnected. Steer axle, drive axle, trailer axle(s) on three different scale platforms. (I put the bars in the back of the truck.)
3. Weigh the truck only. Steer axle and drive axle on separate scale platforms. I leave the hitch head installed and the bars in the back of the truck.
The truck stop scales around here are usually too busy to allow time to disconnect and reconnect the camper while sitting on the scales. I disconnect and leave it in the parking lot while I weigh the truck alone.
This gives enough information to tell whether the truck and the camper are within their weight ratings, AND how much weight the WDH is transferring from the rear truck axle to the front truck axle and to the camper axles.
My toy hauler camper came off the manufacturing line at 5025 lbs. with a published tongue weight of 765 lbs. Ready for camping with one motorcycle, 36 gallons of water, 14 gallons of propane and two batteries in it, it weighs 6640 lbs. with a tongue weight of 900 lbs.
When I weighed mine, I was the only person in the truck. It also has an aftermarket spray-in bed liner and tonneau cover (367 lbs. above as built weight).
It can also be determined if the WDH is adjusted properly. My camper removed 360 lbs. from the steer axle, and the WDH restored 260 lbs. back, 72%. The front axle is only 100 lbs. lighter than without the camper. The WDH transferred 380 lbs. off the rear axle, 260 to the front axle and 120 lbs. to the trailer axles. I was satisfied with that so I left it there.
As many here have already learned, with an F150, the GCWR or "tow rating" is usually not the limiting factor. My truck is at 94% of GVWR with one person on board, but it is only at 82% of the GCWR. It started out with 1607 lbs. payload from the factory. Some accessories, the hitch and I used up 357 lbs. The trailer used up 780 lbs. It has 460 lbs. of load capacity remaining in the truck, 230 lbs. on the rear axle. Two of my healthy friends would easily consume the remaining payload. I made a special effort to only leave the bare minimum of emergency tools and comfort items in the truck.
Last edited by atwowheelguy; 03-28-2017 at 12:25 AM.
Yeah, 1408 is not enough. I wouldn't even bother with what everyone else was saying, thats just not enough payload for travel trailer towing. Did it with a 1470# payload truck and was over weight with a light weight trailer. Minimum payload would be over 1500#.
My 2010 F150 Lariat only has 1450 payload. I pull a fiberglass trailer, a 19 foot Escape. Its a lot smaller than the trailers you see others towing on this forum.
Tongue weight is 425 pounds, trailer weight is 3200 pounds. Note trailer weighs less than half of the one above.
Figure the hitch weighs about 75 pounds, camper top weighs 190 pounds, passenger, driver, dog and stuff makes up the rest.
So yes, you can tow a camping trailer with an F150 with low payload, but it is going to be a small one.
Still under the 1450 mark. Why Ford made a truck with a 9800 pound tow rating but just 1450 pound payload is beyond me....
When you start out tent camping, a trailer like the Escape is HUGE.
Thats true, but most people with pickups like ours would more than likely be pulling large trailers because its rated to tow(according to marketing) 10,000# or more, and do so without educating themselves on the variables of these trucks.
You know what I mean, Hey I have a truck, look the hitch says I can tow 10000#, and then go out and buy a heavy trailer, only to find their truck is way over loaded and blame the truck for poor handling.
Luckily, just before I told the salesman to start the paperwork, I thought, "Oh, better check the payload". 1408lbs...1408?...Jeez...what can I get rid of? Take out the back seat...step bars... change from 18" tires to 17"...wait a minute...this thing ought'a pull the Queen Mary! Cannot do it. Resist the temptation. I did. Sad.
Kudos to you. Too many people buy a truck, trailer, or both and THEN start asking questions. Horse is out of the barn and galloping a mile down the road by then.
03-21-2017, 11:05 AM
