I'm studying up on gooseneck hitches, and have 9300lbs of capacity on my '07 F150HD. The rear 4.10 Sterling axle is rated for about 5000lbs. I'm going to put helper bags on, because I hate the look of the sagging rear end.

What I don't know what length of trailer I can get, without getting into trouble.

Intended use: Not Car hauling. The front portion will be living quarters, and the rear will be a garage/pit for my son's karting career (starts in 1.5 years). So, naturally, I want enough room to enjoy it.

The area above the gooseneck is a bed, naturally, and I'm aiming for at least 25 feet behind that, so somewhere around 32-35 feet (double 7,000 lb axle is what I'm thinking.

All thoughts, help appreciated,

 

A 32+ foot 5th wheel is way more than you should be towing with a 1/2 ton truck - HD or otherwise.

 

This is the Chassis Builder Sheet for my truck, sorry I could not copy the formatting:


F-150 SuperCab Fifth Wheel Towing
Engine
Axle
Ratios
GCWR Max.
(lbs.)
Maximum Loaded Trailer Weight (lbs.)
SuperCab(1)
(1) While the SuperCab 5-1/2’ box will accept a fifth-wheel hitch, current fifth-wheel trailer designs are not compatible with this
model. Any questions should be referred to the trailer dealer/manufacturer.
4x2 4x4
144.5″ Wb 163.0″ Wb 144.5″ Wb 163.0″ Wb
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
4.6L (281) SEFI V-8 3.55 11,700 6500 — 6200 —
3.73 12,200 7000 — 6700 —
5.4L (330) SEFI V-8 3V(2)
(2) Reduce GCWR/Maximum Trailer Weight by 500-lbs. on models with 18″ or 20″ wheels.
3.55 14,000 8600 — 8300 —
3.73 15,000 9500 — 9300 —

THIS APPLIES TO MY TRUCK:

4.10(3)
(3) Requires Heavy Duty Payload Package (Late Availability)
15,300 GCWR— 9500LBS TWO WHEEL DRIVE — 9300LBS FOUR WHEEL DRIVE

The truck is around 6,000 lbs, which leaves about 9000 lbs for cargo or load.

Is it impossible to think I can't get an Aluminum Enclosed Gooseneck to haul karts around with?




NOTE: Maximum loaded trailer weights shown (Refer to page 9 for definition and assumptions).The combined weight of the
towing vehicle (including hitch, passengers and cargo) and the loaded trailer must not exceed the Gross Combination Weight
Rating (GCWR).
NOTE: Trailer king pin weight should be 15-25% of total loaded trailer weight. Make sure vehicle payload (reduced by option
weight) will accommodate trailer king pin weight and weight of passengers and cargo added to the towing vehicle. Addition of
trailer king pin weight, and weight of passengers and cargo cannot cause vehicle weights to exceed the rear GAWR (Gross Axle
Weight Rating) or GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating). These ratings can be found on the vehicle Safety Compliance Certification

 

Not a 32 footer! You need a Super Duty to handle that.

 

To clarify a Featherlite classification:

Featherlite does not include the Gooseneck portion in their description of length. So when I say 32', I really mean 24' of flat cargo area, with an 8' elevated portion.

I'd probably break the 24' up into: Another 8' for living area, a bulkhead and door, a bench and tool box sitting over the front trailer axle ( 2'), and the remainder for a pit/work area.

That's a total of 8' gooseneck, and 10' of floorspace so far. That leaves 14' for work area.

If pinched, I could give up another two feet, but I wouldn't want to go below that.

Which brings me back to, how much does a 32' Featherlite weigh?

 

I don't have a clue, and their website doesn't list weights on ANYTHING.

 

You will want something that weights 7k MAX if you want to haul around water, carts, tools, gear, etc. I agree that a 32' is too big for a half ton.

 

You have a bit more payload than the typical F-150. What does the Tread Act Sticker (driver's door or jam) say you have for payload? My guess is in the 2500 pound range. Some of that will get eaten up by a 200 pound hitch, you, and your family. Since Featherlite offers no information on their trailers online, compare to Forest River's Worn and Play. 7k pound axles means the GVWR is near 14k and likely over 7k dry. RVers tend to add about 1000 pounds of stuff in order to live it in for short times as things like clothes, kitchen stuff, and general camping things, An then you want to add a kart, spare parts, and tools to work on it. It will be difficult for you to find something that will work.

Are you willing to sleep in the cargo area? They often have large queen sized beds that lower and rise, two of them bunk style. That would cut down on some length and weight. I think you'll likely find more options in the bumper pull vs. 5er as well.

Another option is maybe a light slide-in camper (in the bed) and an enclosed cargo trailer, say 8x16.

 

Are you referring to the Featherlite 4941 24'?

CWT should be between 2500-3000#'s

A common misconception is that Aluminum trailers are lighter than steel trailers. BUT, by the time you add enough metal to equal the strength of steel you have negated any weight savings... well for the most part. It is about 100#'s lighter than an equivalent steel frame trailer

If you convert the front in a LQ area, most all of that weight will directly become tongue weight as it is forward of the axles. Your 1/2 ton will have major troubles if you convert the nose to a LQ. A conversion will add 1000 plus pounds of tongue weight.

 

I made an inquiry to Featherlite, and got this response back:

Hi Robert,
Thanks for your interest in Featherlite Trailers.
Can you give me your address and I will send this to the Territory Manager or an Authorized Featherlite Dealer in your area that will be able to answer all your questions. The weight on a standard (no interior options) 4941-0024’(24” belly with a 8’ gooseneck) is approximately 4500#s.

Thanks,

Mar Ollendieck
Orders Manager
Featherlite Trailers
800-870-1231 ext 1082
563-547-6082

It appears I have 4500# to burn, but I know I won't come near that.

I am receptive to all of the comments, and especially all of the experience on the boards. I picked my truck a few years back to be the tow vehicle for this experiment, because I wanted to attempt to keep operating costs down (vs. Diesel). Looking at all of the trailers, cargo, whatever-the industry just seems to add components with no regard to weight, just assuming everyone will buy a $60,000 truck. I will purpose-build the interior of the trailer (all aluminum and aluminum foam-core) so I can just hook-up and race, probably for about 10 years, so this is a pretty good investment.

Thanks,

 

APT- To answer your question:

Front GAWR: 4050
Rear GAWR: 4800

GVWR: 8200

 

The thing to do now is get your truck weighed.. Find out what you weigh on your front and rear axles before loading anything and then you can go from there.

You will probably be pushing the limits of both your rear and vehicle GWR when it's all said and done.. I do with my F150 that says it has a 'tow rating' of #7700.. With a #5000 TT, I'm over both of those limits on my truck...

You stand a better chance of getting closer to your 'tow rating', but I'll bet you exceed one or more of your other trucks ratings before that..

The HD (heavy duty) F150's are very capable trucks and have the additional ratings to back it up... But, you did get a very basic truck.. They do sell the same basic trucks in the Super Duty line and with the V10, you would not have had to get a $60k truck.. Probably not much more then your F150??

Anyway, you have what you have, so just need to be a bit more conscience of it and deal accordingly..

You'll need to have at least #2000 of wiggle room on both your rear axle and gross weight ratings, so getting the thing weighed is your only true way of knowing if all of this is going to work or not...

Good luck!

Mitch

 

What about the TREAD act sticker listing "the weight of occupants and cargo should not exceed xxx pounds". type of verbiage? If your estimate of 6000 pounds empty is right, then you have about 2200 pounds to deal with. Weigh it to verify at any local landscape place or a CAT certified scale. 2000 pounds of pin weight is not much for a GN. At least it is not a fifth wheel hitch.

So you plan to custom build the living quarters? With the time and money invested in doing that by choosing the custom/lite materials, you could buy a manufactured toy hauler, sell your truck for a used 1 ton dualley with plenty of power and payload for said TH. You don't need a 60k truck to do that. There are plenty of $20k 1-ton trucks on the used market.

 

i may be right or may be wrong

me and my brother just pulled his firebird 1180 miles from houston to dayton ohio. we used a freind of mines feather light.

8 x 20 with 2 - 3500 pound axles.
trailer says capacity is 7000 and cargo capacity is 4300, so i am guessing the trailer is around 2700 # ?

 

BroDave, Yeah, you and Colo Osprey say the same thing, which seems to contradict what the Featherlite Rep is saying...

Lighter is better, I'm not complaining, but I'm going to do some more research.

I've had a few people say that Featherlite trailers aren't that much lighter than Steel, but a majority of Featherlite owners I know, are Horse people, and those trailers have alot of metal and hardware.