I have a 2002 F-150 supercrew heavy half 7700.

Wheelbase-138.5
Axle ratio-3.73
Engine-5.4

On the ford website it says my max towing is 9200 lbs.

http://www.fordvehicles.com/trucks/f...res/specs/#tow

The dealership tells me to keep my trailer weight between 5000 and 6000 lbs., probably because I have warranty through them. Should I not be able to tow up to the max? Yeah I know handling and braking diminishes, but a guy just has to take it easy. Don't travel full of waste and fresh water. Driving like a high school kid is not the plan.

Anyway, the wife and I want to buy a fifth wheel weighing in at 7500lbs dry, why should I not be able to pull this at 90 km/hr on flat land. Add a 1000lbs. of cargo and according to manufacturer, I am still under max towing weight.

Looking for reasoning!

 

Your're reading the wrong chart.

Check your owners manual.

 

Thanks Raoul, a goat herder eh! How many goats could I haul? hahaha

OK, I looked in my manual and it says 8200lbs., the dealership tells me 8600lbs.

So then I could go at 7000lbs. dry. I know it's a fine line but I'm not gonna be climbing mount everest.

 

1997-2003 frames are really weak above the rear axle....I don't recomend a bed mounted hitch in any of those years....so much so, we refuse to install them in those years.

EDIT:
Here is what my '03 manual states on pages 165-167:

SuperCrew 5.4, 3.73, 4x2 auto trans
Max GCVW 13,500lbs

SuperCrew 5.4, 3.73, 4x4 auto trans
Max GCVW 13,500lbs

That GCVW means total truck and trailer weight loaded. Keep in mind that by adding 25% of total trailer weight for a 5'er tongue you will probably exceed your trucks GVW. A 8k trailer means at least 1,600lbs (20%) of tongue weight. Not to mention at least another 100lbs of hitch. I wound try and keep it below 5k if I had to do it. 4 adults in the truck with gear is close to 1000lbs too.

 

Well, here is my view of the 'real world' and 'tow ratings'... This info is free, so take it for what it's worth!

The 'tow rating' is derived from taking the trucks 'curb weight' and subtracting it from the GCWR for the most part... Sure, you can get a pretty high number by doing it this way... But, it's the only way any manufacture can give any kind of number for this... That's why on the same page you see this you will have lots of footnotes that will cause you to subtract from that because you are in the 'real world'.

You can't have a fully loaded truck, load up the wife and kids and still expect to be able to tow a trailer that weighs as much as that 'tow rating' and still remain under all of your other trucks ratings... It just ain't gonna happen.... Basically, for every pound your truck is over it's 'curb weight', you will have to subtract a pound from that 'tow rating'.

Ok, so you have a #8200 or #8600 or whatever 'tow rating'. Take that #13500 GCWR and subtract #8600 from it and that leaves your truck weighing about #4900..... I'll bet your truck weighs a little bit more then that...

The thing for you to do is get your truck weighed. Preferably, with all passengers and stuff you would pack in the truck. Get that weight. Now, you can start shopping for trailers.... Whatever 'payload' you have left, is what your trailers tongue weight can be or your 5th wheels pin weight can be. You still have to be mindful of your trucks rear GAWR, but you should be ok if you don't go over your trucks GVWR first.

Your "7700" is setup for payload over the average F150. So you will probably have well over #1000 of payload left over, even after you pile the family in. That's good. Your problem is now going to be that GCWR.. It's only about #1000 more then my F150 is and I've got 3.55 gears! Yet, I've only got a wimpy #6250 GVWR.

My manual says I have a 'tow rating' of #7700! Guess what?? My fully loaded trailer comes in at only about #5000. Probably a #600 tongue weight, now that I've added more stuff and a second battery... Anyway, with a trailer that's #2700 under that wonderful 'tow rating', my truck is over it's GVWR by a couple hundred pounds!

My rig tows great, and I would have no problem taking it any place in the USA, but I do have to run in second on the grades and while I can easily maintain 55mph pulling some 3500 rpms, I would not want to be hauling over a ton more, that's for sure!

Anyway, GCWR is more of a 'performance' rating and the closer you get to it, the less performance you are going to have and even less 'wiggle' room if you need to perform an emergency maneuver while in transit.. An #8000 trailer WILL control a #7000 truck if the circumstances are right...

I've looked at a "7700" truck and compared it to mine and the frame dimensions were the same. Brakes were the same, dimensionally anyway. It had more leaf springs and a 10.25" semi float rear end (compared to my 9.75") and did have 3.73 gears compared to my 3.55's. It also had longer front torsion bars, for more GAWR and had 7 lug wheels and LT "D" rated tires. All nice for greater payload, but it had the same 5.4 engine and trans as I had (well, mine is technically an E4OD and it was, technically, a 4r100...)

What it all boils down to is that 'tow ratings' don't really mean a whole lot when you start talking about real weights and physics... Your truck will move #20,000 of trailer if you wanted to do so... Your truck will move a #8000 5th wheel too. How comfortable and how long it'll last towing that much is the question you have to decide is it worth it... Ford will just laugh at you and deny any 'warranty' you try to claim if they find that you have exceeded ANY of your trucks other weight ratings first.. So, that 'tow rating' won't hold any merit at all in a 'warranty' battle....

Mitch

 

THAT.... is a good post.

Mitch, thanks for the good info.

To the author...Raoul knows his stuff, based on some other posts I have seen him respond to, these two fellas, know what is going on.

If it helps you any....I tow a 5600#TT, that is 90% loaded for us...i have a 04 SC 5.4, 3.55 with 20's. With my mods, my gal tows great.

Agree, get your TV and TT weighed....its worth the money to know what you have. My GCWR was under 12K#'s with full fuel and passengers.

keep posting here, its your best source of info.

I would like to say that the RV.net site is good, but if you don't have a PSD, no reason to post there. They are anti gas.

Best of luck.

JP

 

I don't think Ford ever offered the 7700# package on the Supercrew. How many lugs are your wheels? How long is your bed?

Every RV dry weight rating is about 10-20% under it's delivery weight. Have that RV dealer put it on a scale.

Payload of F-150's are in the 1650lb range. Take away 350 for the hitch in the bed of the truck, 500 for passengers (two adults and two kids). that leaves 800 pounds availible for the hitch/tounge weight. 15% best case (15-20% recommended) of the 5th wheel means 5333 pounds of travel weight before you are over the F-150's GVWR. That's using minmun numbers and no other camping gear/cargo in the truck. This is why I don't recommend half ton trucks for fifth wheels trailers. They are not designed for even light ones.

If you have a supercab with the 7700 pound package, your payload is closer to 2500 pounds. I'm not sure that I'd want to pull that much frontal area with the 5.4L, but at least you'd be closer to your limits.

 

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Raoul.......that's good.......LMAO.......

Very realistic anology though....towing over any trailer over 6k with a 150 is like trying to spead peanut butter for a sandwich with a toothpick. Yeah it will work...but why? There is a knife for the sandwich and there is a Super Duty for a trailer. Additionally the toothpick will probably break, as will the 150, but the knife will work for a lifetime like the Super Duty.

 

Raoul, you have a PM from me

JP

 

Thanks for all the info guys. Would love a super duty, maybe I can make the wife agree, haaaa! Very funny Raoul

I guess I'll have to figure it out.

 

Maybe if you tell the story about the Husband & Wife truck driving teams. They take turns driving and stay on the road 24 hours. A couple was getting interviewed by a trucking company. The interviewer says "ok, your wife is sleeping and you'e coming down Ole Smoky, you're overloaded and the brakes have faded to nothing, no way to stop and your gaining speed. At the bottom of the Grade is a railroad crossing and a slow moving freight train is on the track. WHAT DO YOU DO?"

Husband says, "I'd wake up my wife."
Interviewer, "Why?"
Husband, "Cause she ain't never seen a wreck like this one."

 

The problems come from those people who want a type of RV between the two that Raoul posted. Most popups can be towed by minivans. I think 5-6k is the happy limit for F-150's, even the 2004+ ones with the ~9k tow ratings.

 

I want one too.....will you buy two so we can both have one?

 

Raoul, Kiss My A$$!