Rate my setup / what are you guys towing?

[Carnious]

Hey guys, wondering what kinda loads you guys tow with your F150. I’ve got a 22ft camper trailer that I think is basically at the max of what I would want to tow, and I bought the most equipped F150 I could find to tow with as well. Wondering what your guys’ setups look like.


Trailer specs:
Trailer dry weight 4674lbs
Trailer max loaded 6834lbs
Dry hitch weight 694lbs
Loaded hitch weight 1020lbs

Truck specs:
Payload 1912lbs
Towing capacity 10400lbs
Max hitch weight 1040lbs

Way I see it, I’m well within the towing capacity, payload essentially becomes the issue.

I’ve got:
1020 Hitch weight
200 driver
180 passenger
50 child
50 dog
222 fuel (136L)
Total: 1722lbs payload (leaves 190ish for random)

What do you guys got??

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[CND Supercrew]

My trailer is 7500 +/- loaded, dry was 6920 rest is in my sig.

 

[Buyer2021]

222 fuel (136L)

FYI your 'sticker payload' (1912#) already accounts for a full OE fuel tank for your VIN (whatever size that is), so fuel weight should not be counted as load against your payload.

Advertised trailer specs are often notoriously optimistic (low-ball weights). If you really want to know how you stand, you'll take your fully-fueled-and-loaded-for-travel rig to a CAT Scale to get the actual per-axle weights - check your actual axle weights against the Payload and F&R GAWR on your door placards.

Are you using a WDH (Weight Distributing Hitch)?

 

[JumboJVT]

Silly question, but WHD? Don't see #100 of hitch accounted for. How did you determine hitch weight?

 

[JoeF]

WDH = weight distribution hitch. For what you have, you *need* one. Should also have sway control features.

Find a CAT scale; preferably one that is not busy. They have three sections; put your truck's front axle on the first, truck's rear axle on the second and trailer's axles on the third. You should have everything loaded in the truck and camper as what you would normally go with. Including passengers and pets. And games and toys and clothes, food, etc. Get the weigh ticket. This is your GCWR weight (must be less than the truck's GCWR).

Here is where you want things to be not busy. Back up and unhook the camper and have the axles and tongue jack on the last (long) segment and the truck as before.

Call your first weight 'A'. The sum of the truck's axles for weight A is your loaded weight. Call the second weight 'B'. The sum of the axles for B is your unloaded weight. Subtract B from A that is your tongue weight.

Axle weights must be less than what is on the stickers for your truck and your camper.

Ideally, you should strip your truck down to however it came from the dealer, so no people, pets, snacks, coolers, games, etc. Just the permanent stuff including bed covers, performance shocks/springs, wheels and tires (if you did that stuff). Get the weight of the truck in this base configuration. Subtract that weight from A and you have your cargo weight. This must be less than the sticker on your truck.

There are some other interesting numbers you can pull out of here. Including what you need a WDH to do for you. Figure on spending about $25 (or $30 if you get the base weight) for getting all these weights.

 

[JoeF]

And, since I did not answer the original question, I am towing a Grand Design Imagine XLS 21 foot camper. Its loaded weight is around 5,200 lbs. I use a Fastway E2 WDH (includes sway control). I do not really care what the advertised weights are; what the scales say is important.

 

[Carnious]

FYI your 'sticker payload' (1912#) already accounts for a full OE fuel tank for your VIN (whatever size that is), so fuel weight should not be counted as load against your payload.

Advertised trailer specs are often notoriously optimistic (low-ball weights). If you really want to know how you stand, you'll take your fully-fueled-and-loaded-for-travel rig to a CAT Scale to get the actual per-axle weights - check your actual axle weights against the Payload and F&R GAWR on your door placards.

Are you using a WDH (Weight Distributing Hitch)?

Yes I use a WDH. And no I didn’t know the gas doesn’t need to be added to payload. That’s nice!

 

[tshephard]

Unless I missed something, we're working in the dark here.

First , is the 2025 Ford Towing Guide 'good' in your country?

If, yes, then we need engine, wheelbase. rear axle ratio and drive. (there are about 8 different 10400 Max Trailer Weights, with about 6 different GCWRs.

Then, we work down from those numbers.
GCWR - MTW (or actual) = max truck weight when Combinated, but not over GVWR.

Down here, all that's UNLESS you Like lawyers - ignore at your risk!

 

[CND Supercrew]

Payload will always be your limiting factory, all other number are subjective!!

So you have xxxx payload based on the yellow door sticker, this is how your numbers work.
xxxx minus any cargo you add into the truck. This includes you, passengers, cargo, and hitch. Plus the tongue weight of the trailer.
Take your trailers GVWR, multiple that by 0.13 will give you your max tongue weight. This tongue weight has to be taken away from your payload of xxxx. If you run out of payload, you're unsafe to tow, bottom line...

 

[Carnious]

Payload will always be your limiting factory, all other number are subjective!!

So you have xxxx payload based on the yellow door sticker, this is how your numbers work.
xxxx minus any cargo you add into the truck. This includes you, passengers, cargo, and hitch. Plus the tongue weight of the trailer.
Take your trailers GVWR, multiple that by 0.13 will give you your max tongue weight. This tongue weight has to be taken away from your payload of xxxx. If you run out of payload, you're unsafe to tow, bottom line...

Mostly agree… but I’m not sure why you say to take the GVWR of the trailer and multiply it by 0.13 to get your hitch weight.
that does not seem right in my situation.
Trailer has a GVWR of 6834 which would be 888 hitch weight in your calculations.
But my trailer actually lists its hitch weight as being 1020lbs.

 

[CND Supercrew]

 

[CND Supercrew]

Mostly agree… but I’m not sure why you say to take the GVWR of the trailer and multiply it by 0.13 to get your hitch weight.
that does not seem right in my situation.
Trailer has a GVWR of 6834 which would be 888 hitch weight in your calculations.
But my trailer actually lists its hitch weight as being 1020lbs.

13% is a general rule of thumb for a properly fully loaded travel trailer, it can range from 10% to as high as 15% of trailer GVWR.
5ers typically have 25% pin weight.

 

[JumboJVT]

Mostly agree… but I’m not sure why you say to take the GVWR of the trailer and multiply it by 0.13 to get your hitch weight.
that does not seem right in my situation.
Trailer has a GVWR of 6834 which would be 888 hitch weight in your calculations.
But my trailer actually lists its hitch weight as being 1020lbs.

As I asked before, how do you know you actual hitch weight? There are only two ways a manuafcturer can publish hitch weigh, either as-delivered (as a worst-case with with tanks either full or empty depending on placement) or as a max. allowable for the unit loaded to the GVWR. Not coincidentially, I suspect, 1020 is 15% of 6834 which means its probably max. and has nothing to do with your actual hitch weight. Its kinda up to you to figure out what your actual weight is with the trailer as you've loaded it. Scales are your friend.

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