i have a 2005 F150 4X4 SuperCrew. im in the process of negotiating with a dealership for a new camper. the camper weighs 7300lbs dry and will come with dual camber weight distribution hitch with sway bars.

the rv dealership is telling me it will do it with no problem. however, i thought before i go any further with the negotiations i should try and verify that my truck can do this....

thanks for the help

 

Hi.

Poke around in the Towing forum before you decide / sign

Here's a relevant one - very similar to your situation: ==> https://www.f150online.com/forums/to...14-will-i.html

The RV dealer is the last place I'd believe for towing capability related to your truck, IMHO - they sell campers, remember? :lol

 

Yes it "will" tow it but won't be good on your truck. It will drag it way down and sooner or later create problems.

 

i was thinking it would do this fairly easy. i have a show car that i have towed many times. the car and trailer is about 6800lbs. now of course, that is much less wind drag and resistance on a car and trailer than on a camper.

now im second guessing my decision. oh boy.....

 

When you get that trailer loaded up with water,food and all the other goodies that you drag along on a trip you are going to be flirting with 9000lbs of trailer plus you and your family with what ever else you cram in the bed. It adds up quick.

 

Wind resistence is a killer!! I once had to drive into a 30 or so mph head wind towing my #5000 fully loaded travel trailer and I had a very hard time keeping my speed over 50 mph!! and in 3rd gear.... If I pressed the gas pedal more, it would actually downshift into 2nd! This was on flat ground too!

Under normal conditions, I don't have any problem maintaing speed or even running in OD when the conditions are right!

I also only got about 6 mpg during the head wind tow!

Of course your truck 'can' tow that trailer.... It'll move just about anything you wish to hitch up to it.... But, the question is how well will it tow it? Everyone will have different towing performance expectations, but the bottom line is you need to look at more then just the 'tow rating' for what size trailer you can haul.. You also have to be mindfull of your trucks other weight ratings, like it's GVWR and front and rear GAWR.. Once you go over any one of those, it don't matter what your 'tow rating' is.... You are technically 'overweight' right there...

I'm over my trucks GVWR when I hitch up my #5000 TT, yet my 'tow rating' is #7700.... So, technically, I'm over loaded! i don't fret much over it, as I do have over 200,000 miles on the truck, so it ain't 'killing' it by any means!

But, a trailer that is 'dry' and weighs #7800...... Well, like was said above, it'll end up being will into the 8 grand area when you load it up...

Of course the RV guy is going to say you can tow it.... You'll be able to tow it right off his lot and then he won't care any little bit as long as your check has cleared!

Ask to see if you can do a 'test tow'... Can't hurt, and you'll get a feel for how heavy it really is going to feel..

Good luck!

Mitch

 

that is one good thing about this dealership. they do all the hitch work, and we do multiple test tows on the highway and on local country roads.

the trailer actually weighs 6995lbs dry. so, im probably looking at 7500 loaded ???

dont get the wrong idea here fellas, i beleive you 100%. but as verification, im going to call my dealership today and get their recommendation. i'll report back with what they say.

also, i own a peice of land on a lake which is 2hrs from my home. this will be where im towing. most of the time, the camper will remain there. i would say i would probably be towing it maybe 4 times per year, 2hrs each way.....

 

You can figer on adding any where between 1500 to 2000 pounds to the dry weight of a trailer when you are loaded with water, propane, and everything else you take with you. I would check out the web site of the camper manufacurer and see what the loaded weight is compared to the dry weight also look at the hitch weight.

 

The weight distribution bars will make the ride better but even at almost 7,000lbs dry weight thats quite a bit. I would say dont do it because what happens if you want to take a cross country trip or plan on taking a vacation? I would go for it if it was like an hour or less away but 2 hours is quite a bit away. This is just what I feel but good look on your purchase. Have any pics of the travel trailer by chance ?

 

just got off the phone with my local dealership. now im even more confused.... i spoke with a lady whom was flipping thru a book and asking me what options my truck has. afterwards she told me that my truck is only rated to tow 7200lbs max. this seemed very low to me.

i then looked online again for a spec sheet and found a spec sheet specific to my year, rear end ratio and engine size. they have it listed at 9200lbs max. this is what 2 rv dealerships quoted me also.

so, what exactly is it.....

here is the link i found:
http://www.fordf150.net/specs/05f150.php

 

What options does your truck have? Because I was looking at the chart you posted and with out knowing that you are guessing but if that lady was actually looking up what you had in the book I would believe that your truck has a 7200lbs towing capacity.

Wheel size
Engine
Cab
Bed length
4x4 or 4x2
Alxe Ratio

 

The 7200 is probably closer to correct, as you also have a GCWR of 15000lbs. As your GVW is probably 7200lbs, there is no way to tow 9200lbs and still be within your GCWR, and probably your GAWR. All of which you shoul be within, not just your "max towing ability". Also you should be looking at the GVWR of the trailer, not the dry weight as it will never be that low of a weight when you are towing.

 

wow, back to confusion again....lol

here are the options on the truck:
Wheel size - 18"
Engine - 5.4L
Cab - SuperCrew
Bed length - 5.5
4x4 or 4x2 - 4x4
Alxe Ratio - 3:73

i have no clue what GCWR, GVW, GVWR mean. but, here are specs on the camper:

GVWR - 8600lbs
Dry Weight - 6995lbs
Hitch Weight - 708lbs

i just called a second ford dealership in my area. they claim to have put me on the phone with someone who sets up thier tow rigs in the service dept. (they also sell tow trucks and larger vehicles) and after reading them the above specs on the trailer, he flipped thru some book and put me on hold for about 5 minutes, they claim i will be well within the limits.

i dont know fellas. there is so much conflicting information. where do i turn ?? most would tend to go with what the dealership would say, but ive gotten different stories from both.

 

Using the specs you linked earlier, go a little farther down the page beyond to limit. You will see a listed for GCWR. Gross combined weight rating. It is 15000lbs. That rating is the weight of the tow vehicle with trailer attached, meaning with passengers, luggage, fuel, and tongue weight, plus the eight of the trailer with everything in it. GVWR is the weight of the vehicle with everything in it, passengers, and tongue weight if towing. That is 7200lbs. 15000 minus 7200 (and with that trailer you will be over 7200lbs) leaves 7,800 max towing capacity. With that trailer, your tongue weight should be about 860lbs if at the trailers GVW. Forget the 708 lbs tongue weight, that is unloaded weight. With 860lb tongue weight, plus all other item in the truck, more than likely you will be over 7200lb total.
That is why I am sating you REAL tow capacity is closer to 7200lb than the 9200lb in the book.

PS, just rechecked that link you posted. The 15000lb GCWR is with 17" wheels, not 18. Yours would probably be 500lb less.

 

Kingfish beat me to it.