Max TT GVWR for my truck.. am I right?

[Steve-o]

I'm trying to figure out just how large a TT I can tow with my F150 with maxing out or jeopardizing safety.


- F150 max weight of cargo and occupants from door sticker = 1899#
- Estimate (very conservative) of occupants and gear = 800#
- Leaves #1000 for hitch weight
- Estimate hitch weight a 13% of the TT GVWR

That should result in max TT weight to be 7300 or less.

Am I right?

Thanks in advance.

Edit: will be using a WDH of course. Weight of the actual hitch is about 30#
.

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

...

Edit: will be using a WDH of course. Weight of the actual hitch is about 30#
.

You're looking at "maximum size trailer for your truck" and you say the "actual hitch is about 30 pounds"....

When going to a bigger trailer with a half ton truck (actually with any truck) one of the first considerations is sway control. I don't know of any "30 pound hitch capable of towing 7500 pounds that incorporates adequate sway control for a "bigger and longer rig".... What hitch are you considering?

[Canonman]

Our first TT was a 27' Wildcat. Max weight was around 7K. Our F150 puled it OK, but in our mountains it sometimes seemed to be working pretty hard. The newer 1/2 tons will tow a 7K trailer but will be stressed on hills.
Hopefully your truck is equipped with the factory towing package. Most are equipped this way. If not then there could be problems.
Your actual hitch weight could be as high as 700 to 800 pounds depending on how you load the trailer. Our WD hitch with anti sway weighed about 80# so the payload weight should be ok but doesn't leave much headroom.

[RollaMo]

Originally Posted by JRTJH

I don't know of any "30 pound hitch capable of towing 7500 pounds that incorporates adequate sway control for a "bigger and longer rig".... What hitch are you considering?

Yes, this is a question to answer.
Just a regular good quality strong ball and shank will weigh close to 30 LBS

The Equalizer WDH hitch I was using when I had my bumper pull was close to 100 LBS.

[NH_Bulldog]

Here are a few real-world numbers from my current trailer when we towed with our F150 Crew Cab 4x4 with Max Tow package, 3.5L EcoBoost, and 2,350 cargo capacity.

The GVWR of our trailer is 7,000 lbs. and is 28’ 6” in total length and 10’ 6” tall. The scale-verified tongue weight is 920 lbs. which is a tad over 13% of the GVWR. Our Eaz-Lift Trekker hitch with 1,000 lb. bars which is both weight distribution and sway control weighs 150 lbs. So far, that is 1,070 lbs. before I add people, child, pets and bikes, plus weight of aftermarket accessories, suspension kit and E-Rated tires. My calculations brought me up to just under a total of 2,000 lbs.

Weights were within a good margin of safety. Power was never an issue, that thing was a towing beast. Instead it was the handing and the tail wagging the dog. We had Timbrens, a Hellwig sway bar and Bilstein shocks. The slightest cross wind would move us all over the place. It was white knuckle driving almost all of the time. Trips were not fun.

[JRTJH]

The comments Rob posted in post #5 are my reason for asking about that "30 pound hitch"... That, coupled with questions about "how can I max out with the heaviest trailer for my half ton with a payload of 1899 pounds" have far too often led a member "down that primrose path" but ended in a "detour to disaster"...

Any rig is only as strong, as stable, as towable without white knuckles" as the weakest link in the rig. A "half ton loaded to the max" becomes a liability quicker than one with a "margin of safety". A lightweight hitch can become a liability when it can't provide the sway control required for a lightweight truck hitched to a "enormous sail behind the hitch". A trailer with the maximum weight and just below the truck payload may well become the reason for instability with slight crosswinds and the uncontrollability in heavy crosswind gusts....

The entire rig has to work together, not just the "payload math with a 30 pound hitch" in order for the rig to be a pleasure to drive without the stress of the "weakest link causing things to go south".....

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by JRTJH

You're looking at "maximum size trailer for your truck" and you say the "actual hitch is about 30 pounds"....

When going to a bigger trailer with a half ton truck (actually with any truck) one of the first considerations is sway control. I don't know of any "30 pound hitch capable of towing 7500 pounds that incorporates adequate sway control for a "bigger and longer rig".... What hitch are you considering?

Yeah, I should have been more clear. I don't know what WDH I'd be using yet, as I haven't actually purchased anything new yet. The 30# figure is what the ball hitch currently weighs. Just a ballpark. I probably shouldn't have even listed it because our current 19FBPR will be sold with the WDH and sway bar. I'm just speculating how big I can go with the current TV, which does have a 3.5 EcoBoost and tow package.

[TXiceman]

The F150 3.5L EB is very capable of towing. The problem is it is a 1/2-ton truck and limited in payload capacity to carry the passengers, cargo, hitch, and tongue weight. The problem is once you hit about 7500# trailer weigh and 28 ft length, yuo really would do better with a 3/4-ton truck. You physically need more truck to handle the trailer.

Ken

[wiredgeorge]

It is great that payload is being looked at but once you have a half ton pulling a bumper pull over a certain length, the trailer tends to be squirrely. Passing semis will cause the trailer to move around in the lane. A person's toleration for this type handling will vary but I wouldn't get a 30' bumper pull with a 1/2 ton. There are some folks who have come up with some sort of formula. I have never pulled a bumper pull with a 1/2 ton so I am not much of an expert but someone will chime in about length irrespective of the tongue weight.