I have a 2011 F150 Lariat, 145" W.B., 3.55 Ratio.

First question, is there a Lariat and a Lariat Limited or are they one in the same?

What is my GCWR, and what is the capacity of the trailer I can haul? In the owners manual it says Max Trailer weight #7700, (Not under Lariat Limited which says #7200). Then the GCWR says 13,500? This makes no sense to me. Does this mean the truck and passengers, etc can't exceed 5800lbs? Am I understanding this wrong? Then when I ran my vin it stated this:

Dead Weight Hitch - Max Trailer Wt.5000 lbs (5000.0 min/5000.0max)Dead Weight Hitch - Max Tongue Wt.500 lbs (500.0 min/500.0max)Wt Distributing Hitch - Max Trailer Wt.8200, 9700, 9300, 7700, 11100 lbs (7500.0 min/11300.0max)Wt Distributing Hitch - Max Tongue Wt.1230, 1455, 1395, 1155, 1665 lbs (1125.0 min/1695.0max)

Which weight is mine? Is this also telling me that if I use a weight distribution hitch I gain some GCWR? Please help me understand. I just want to know the max i can haul safely. I have a trailer that loaded is #7900 pounds. With a family of 6 in the truck, a few bikes etc where do I stand? Can somebody simpifily this for me please?

thanks in advance,
Devin

 

Load up your truck the way you would to take the trip - passengers, cargo, etc. and go fill the gas tank. Go to a truck scale and get it weighed. Subtract the weight from the GVWR listed on the door jamb sticker. The result is the maximum tongue weight the trailer can have. A properly loaded 7900# trailer will have a tongue weight somewhere in the 950# range (12%). I'm betting with a family of 6 and a few bikes, your max tow will be WAY lower than you may think. The max tow rating is usually based on a truck with 1/4 tank of gas and a 150# driver ONLY. Truck GVWR will almost always be the first limit you will exceed.

With your trailer, whether it's over limits or not, you must use a weight distribution hitch. This is required when the tongue weight is over 5000# and/or the trailer gross is over 5000#.

People exceed max all the time, only you can decide if you are willing to risk it. I *WILL* say that the majority of travel trailers I see out on the Interstates are being pulled by 3/4 and 1 ton trucks.

 

I would do what glc said. Get your truck weighed with everything loaded in it and see where you stand. What size is your trailer? What motor do you have? With either the 3.55 gears or the 5.0 motor I'm pretty sure the max tow rating is 9700lbs. Your biggest concern is going to be your payload. Look on the inside of your drivers door and there will be a sticker with the trucks GVWR. Lariats have every possible option which adds to your payload and with a family of 6 and a 7900lb trailer it's unfortunately going to put you over your trucks GVWR. I only say that because my truck has the Max tow pkg with a 7700lb GVWR and 11,200lb tow capacity. My trailer weighs 7500lbs loaded. When i hit the scale with my family of 4, bikes and fishing gear in the bed, full tank of fuel and the trailer hooked up my truck weighed 7520lbs. I have very little wiggle room left and im not anywhere near my max tow rating of 11,200lbs. You can guesstimate all day long on what everything might be. I would just hook up and hit the scale and see what you have.. Good luck, Kevin


P.S.- Most travel trailers are pulled by half tons. And i will bet that 75% are F150's. The only travel trailers i *EVER* see being pulled by 3/4 or 1 ton trucks are fifth wheels....

 

Forget 'tow ratings'... It means nothing when you have this going in the truck..

Tow ratings are great for comparing TRUCKS to TRUCKS... Not "what can I tow?"

Your truck has a GVWR and front and rear GAWR that's listed on your door sticker. You should also have a "Payload" sticker too.

How much does your truck weigh when you load up the "family of 6 in the truck, a few bikes etc.. " ??

Subtract that from your trucks GVWR and that's the PAYLOAD you have left for the TONGUE WEIGHT of any trailer you are interested in..

But, since you say your already have a #7900 loaded trailer, a WAG on your TW is around #1000.. After you load up your family of 6 and the bikes and such, do you have #1000 of PAYLOAD left?

In other words, if you load your truck to it's GVWR, you actually have ZERO tow rating..

I've probably made the matter worse for you, but what I state above is "real world" experience and not "brochure" weights...

Good luck!

Mitch

 

In the old days - about 30 years ago to be exact, I knew a lady who pulled a 35' travel trailer from Florida to Illinois with a 1970's Chevy 1500 and she just used a ball on the bumper- and no trailer brakes, either. I couldn't believe she made it through the mountains of Tennessee without trailer brakes. I pulled a similar weight 32' trailer back then with a 460 powered F-250 van and I had zero towing problems. Today's engines and transmissions are much better than I had back then. My 4.2l V6 puts out as much power as my old 1979 GMC 350 powered pickup did.
Mark