It says that a 2007 F-150 5.4L 4X4 with a 163" WB has a Maximum Loaded Trailer Weight Rating of 9300 lbs. So, would you say this is true or BS? Would you tow that much with this truck? If not, what would you say is the max weight you would tow with this truck? (The RV we are looking at has a Max loaded weight of 8500 lbs.)

 

Ford wouldn't say it could tow it if it couldn't unless they were looking to replace TONS of stuff under warranty and try and get sued, a lot.

But obviously don't expect to set any land speed records.... speed will be the only real concern- the truck should handle it fine, but it will be slow.

 

You should look into a weight-distributing hitch setup. Also the brake setup for the travel trailer you're looking at, as well as a good electric brake controller.

 

With a half ton truck, it's best to stay under 6,000 lbs. Maybe 7,000lbs on a newer one. I've towed 6,000 lbs with my truck before, and it was interesting. But, that could be due to the fact that I had 3,000 lbs of tongue weight.

 

You will probably spend most of the trip stressed out, but yes it will make it

 

I tow this with NO issues what so ever:

1 open car trailer = 2000lbs
1 Cobra Mustang = 3600lbs
1 bed full of racing gear = 1000lbs
2 passengers = 350lbs

Almost 7000 lbs and my FX4 pulls like a champ. I don't even know I am towong something most of the time .... I routinely travel 5-6 hours with this set up ... longest distance has been 13 hours .....

 

Like all things, it depends:

Towing a car on an open trailer or other low profile load? Sure, 9300 won't be too bad as long as you have 10-15% of the trailer weight on the tongue and a WD hitch.

Towing a travel trailer? Not so much... You're probably going to struggle to keep up with traffic and the thing won't be very much fun in any kind of wind unless it was behind you. Passing semis (assuming it'll even do it) also won't be very fun even with anti-sway.

Either way, don't expect your truck to last long towing that much weight. Keep in mind that the GCWR and GVWR are your biggest limiting factors. IIRC, it's about 15,000 lbs, so if you combine the 5400lb curb weight (probably more, depending on options, 5500lbs+ for a Super Crew) with a 8,500lb trailer, you have 1,000-1,100lbs left over for passengers (including you) and whatever else will be in the actual truck. Your GVWR is 7,200lbs, so you have 1800lbs left over for tongue weight, passengers, etc. Considering you want about 10-15% of the weight of the trailer on the tongue, the best you're going to get away with is 850lbs of tongue weight. This will leave you 850-950lbs of passengers, gear, etc. Less if your truck weighs more (likely).

Keep in mind that my 2002 was listed as 4,400lbs stock, but actually weighs 4,700lbs with about 7/8ths of a tank of gas...

Your best bet would be to get your truck weighed first to find out exactly how much it weighs and go from there...

 

The other thing to realize is that the "tow rating" is derived simply by taking whatever GCWR they deem suitable for the truck and subtracting the "Curb Weight" of your truck from that.

The "Curb Weight" is the weight of a stripped down version of your truck... Think of those white "work trucks" and that's what the weight is based off of.

So, if you have any additional options on the truck, that's going to lower your actual 'tow rating', because your truck is going to physically weigh more then the original curb weight.

Now, load up the family, load up some stuff in the bed and you've reduced your 'tow rating' even more!

If you notice the foot note that's always listed for the "tow rating" figure, you will find that the manufacture also states that you can't go over your trucks listed GVWR and GAWR either.

So, don't expect to be able to have a fully optioned out truck, load up the family, load up the bed and still expect to be able to come anywhere close to that "tow rating".....

Good luck!

Mitch

 

What is your gear ratio? I tow that much on a regular basis and I don't have an issue. My TT is 33'-4" tip to tail and is a full profile unit. I tow with OD off and I usually tow at 63 MPH without issue. Yes, the truck does work in the hills but it tows great! Have logged several thousand miles with no problems. Us the Equal-i-zer hitch and a good brake control such as the Prodigy and have fun. You empty weight is probably somewhere around 5800. Loaded ready to go you are looking at about 7000. If you give me the specs I will look it up for you. If you have any other questions let me know! Oh, BTW... I am not over weight anywhere in the equasion. I am close, but not over!

 

You may want to visit www.rv.net/forum. There's tons of info over there related to towing RV's. But you'll also encounter the "weight police" who will say that you need at least a 1-ton to tow even the smallest of RV's. Don't let them scare you. But one common thread that you'll find is that most recommend staying within about 80% of your truck's weight ratings (GVWR, GAWR's, CGWR). With my truck & trailer combo, I'm right at 80% of my tow rating (truck's rating is 9500lbs, my trailer weighs 7500lbs loaded). The truck handles the load as good as can be expected. Power is sufficient, although I never expect to be the first to the top of the hill. That being said, I definately wouldn't want to go any heavier with a 1/2 truck.

The best recommendations I can offer are (1) get a GOOD weight-distribution system. I went with the Equal-I-Zer. It is both a WD system and anti-sway device in one. Works wonderfully. I strongly discourage the standard friction-type of anti-sway device. (2) Get some LT-rated tires. Get away from the passenger tires that come standard on most 1/2 trucks. (3) Get yourself some good towing mirrors. I previously had the **** slip-ons, and they were crap IMO. Way too much vibration. My current Schefenacker TTT mirrors (now a Ford factory option) work great. (4) Don't go too overboard with the length of your travel trailer. Mine is about 34' from hitch to bumper. IMO this is a little too long for the wheel base of my truck. (5) Take your time when traveling. I keep it at/under 65mph, and it does just fine. No white-knuckles (6) Last thing - get yourself a good brake controller. Prodigy, Jordon, Brakesmart are among the best (probably in that order, from worst of the best to best of the best).

 

i have towed 4 people-bed full of clothes and misc-29 foot travel trailer with 4 ice chests full of food and all the fixins. just a tad at 6800 lbs. it pulled great i thought. thats with 3.55 gears and 33's.

 

lmao, you guys crack me up.

 

I think that both of the above posters have the older F-150. If they had a new one thay would be singing a different tune. My buddy has an 03 Screw Lariat 4x4(old body). He tows a 29' Jayco Jay Flight TT with his. The trailer weight is right at 7000#. He has no problems at all with it. He uses the Equalizer hitch. I wonder if some of these people have ever towed anything LARGE with their trucks. They would quickly find out that these are very capable tow vehicles. They hear the engine drop down to 2nd gear on a hill and the RPMs jump to 3500. They freak out. What they fail to realize is that it is only for a short distance and these trucks make all their HP and torque in this range. All that has to be done is ease off the gas a bit and let the truck work. This is what it was built for. The truck will maintain speed on most hills and pull just fine. Alot of the stability problems people have with 1/2 tons is directly due to their hitch setup. If it is not set right then towing with any truck is going to be a white knuckle experience. Brakes are not an issue either. All TT's that I have ever seen have electric brakes that are more than capable of stopping the trailer. My TT brakes will stop the truck! It doesn't matter what truck your towing with, if you don't have brakes on the trailer, then even a 1 ton truck isn't going to stop 7000# pushing you down the road. Most truck/ trailer combos, if set correctly, will stop better when hooked up then when loaded. I know mine does. Visit a few campgrounds and look at the trailers and look to see what is towing them. You will be surprised. I have seen F-150's pulling large 5th wheels (30'). I do talk to them and find out if they have any issues. Most have been bone stock with maybe air bags in the rear. They are having no problems. You do have to watch weight, don't get me wrong, but they will pull a lot more than you think.

 

4by4freak, yes I do have the older style F-150. But, I'm not afraid to hear my motor rev, I have done many WOT 5,000 RPM shifts with the boat in tow. The brakes on the flatbed trailer I use occasionally can and will stop my truck. I've also had my boat and trailer (no brakes) push me through an intersection once (wet and going downhill). But like you said, there are many other factors. I'm sure the guys who tow the 30' 5th wheels with an F-150 don't do it on a weekly basis.

And Josiah, I've said it on here before, but the 6,000 - 7,000lb load was a dual axle car hauler trailer, with an 18' white oak tree on the trailer, including the roots and dirt, it was just knocked over and put on the trailer with a bull dozer. The roots were placed on the front of the trailer. It rode on the bumpstops.

 

Thats the funny thing.... most of those rigs do roll out on a weekly basis in spring summer and fall. Some even roll out in the middle of the winter. They are also towed many many miles. The person I saw with the 5th wheel was in Myrtle Beach SC. He was from northern Ohio. He was on a 3 week vacation. He was still heading south from Myrtle Beach. My trailer is 33'-4" tip to tail. I have towed it all over the states of NC and SC. Trans temp runs about 210 in 98deg heat with the air running and climbing a hill. The oil temp gets higher than that. Frontal area is 8'x10'. It is a large trailer and I have no problems. Proper setup is the key to towing. A tree stump full of dirt is going to put you way over GVW especially with no WD hitch. It would probably put most SD trucks over. I am talking about setups that you can actually drive and feel comfortable driving. On a side note.... why doesn't your boat have at least surge brakes. 3000# is a lot of weight to try to stop with no brakes.