AndrewM

Wife's been hounding me to buy a travel trailer. I keep telling her my truck isn't designed to tow heavy loads. Even with a small TT I'll likely be over my payload. I'm on the fence whether or not I want to knowingly go over my payload by some 300 lbs. Just the wife and I in the truck. So until I buy another truck in a few years, would you do it?

My truck:
2011 Harley Davidson
6.2 3.73
1148# payload

Travel Trailer in Question:
Keystone Premier 22RBPR

Shipping Weight 4827
Carrying Capacity 1673
Hitch 540
Length 26'-4"

http://www.keystonerv.com/premier/mo...r/model-mobile

Ricktwuhk

You may want to review some of the existing threads which go into the calculations. You are correct in flagging the issue - your trailer, once loaded, will required a WDH. If you truly have a 1,148 pound payload (wow, that's low), when you subtract you and your wife and the WDH, you will be over capacity on Payload. You can figure out if it's just a Payload issue, or if in fact you are exceeding axle ratings, etc., and by how much.

WestsydeGuy

I had a 2011 harley edition like yours.
Regularly towed a 10300 pound fuel trailer with it through the BC mountains.
Between myself and my employees we probably put 60k kms or about 40k miles towing that trailer and my employees weren't gentle on it nor was I.
Sold it with 170k kms on the odometer and did not break a thing, just regular maintenance and tires and brakes etc.

ncz

You have more than enough truck to pull this trailer.

Docboz

Wdh you'll be fine. Being 300lbs over weight isnt any more dangerous than driving 5 mph over the posted speed limit, something I think far more people do...

schmenke

Depends on how comfortable you are with the risks. As has been mentioned, others have towed far more with a similarly equipped truck with no issues.


If you want to be conservative and consider the payload limits, the trailer that you're looking at would probably gross in at over 6,000lbs, with a tongue weight of around 800lbs, which leaves only ~350lbs for passengers and cargo.

smokeywren

No. My F-150 has 1,566 payload capacity and my TT has GVWR of 5,600 with only 650 pounds of wet and loaded hitch weight when the TT grosses 4,870 on the road (13.35% tongue weight). Just me and DW, plus we haul a camper shell and a bed rug and a toolbox, but we're overloaded over the payload capacity of my F-150 by 100 pounds.


You have 418 pounds less payload capacity than I have, plus that 22RBPR has 900 pounds more GVWR than my trailer. So if you load your TT to the same 85% of GVWR that I do, and assuming 13% tongue weight and a minimum of 50 pounds of WD hitch you'll have gross trailer weight of 5,525, tongue weight of 718, and total hitch weight of 768 pounds.


1148 payload capacity less 768 hitch weight = 430 pounds remaining payload capacity for tools, jacks, driver, passenger(s), pets, and anything else you might decide has to be hauled in the pickup.


Prediction: You'll be a lot more overloaded than I am.


Solution: Buy a lighter trailer.


There's not much choice in regular TTs or even hybreds with GVWR much less than 6,500 pounds. So consider a pop-up. Well-equipped pop-ups are now available with all the aminities of a TT, including hot and cold running water, stove and refrigerator, AC and microwave oven, shower and toilet, but with GVWR less than 4,000 pounds. Some even have "hard" sides instead of canvas.

TMacFord

I would say you'll have no issues pulling that camper. That is a pretty lightweight camper. Set up your WDH and you'll have no issues whatsoever. You could pull that camper with a midsize SUV.

wojowojo16

your payload issue is probably your 22" tires (I'm guessing size btw, what size wheel/tire did the HD come with?)

Unfortunately putting on 18" tires won't change the door sticker.

smokeywren

Disagree. Exceeding the payload capacity or GVWR of your tow vehicle is an issue. That's called being overloaded. Overloaded is not a good.