I would appreciate your advise. My bride and I are thinking of buying a 21' travel trailer, gross weight around 9k. My '99 Scab, 4.6L with auto, has 141K but has been pretty well taken care of by me and 1 other owner.

My plan is to install a good quality trans cooler, have the fluid drained and replaced with synthetic trans fluid; install a class III hitch with weight distribution system; install a brake control and 7-pin connector. Is there anything else I should think about? I have considered a rear sway bar, heavy duty shocks, and Class D rear tires. I would appreciate your opinions.

Thanks,
Curt

 

Either scrap this plan or add a 8" sculpture of The Virgin Mary for the dash to your accessories.

 

Since when do 21' travel trailers weigh 9000 pounds? Are you sure that isn't you guess on the combined weight of the truck and trailer?

No one will recommend towing 9k pounds (if that is what it really weighs) with a half ton truck.

Your plan sounds pretty good if the trailer weighs more like 4000 pounds.

 

The old ones had cement floors, 2x6 studding and cast iron bath tubs.

Maybe if the Make and Model were posted we could narrow down the weight.

I thought it could have been a typo but, the '9' is between the '8' and the '0'.

 

It "might" be a Toyhauler..... Those things have pretty high GVWR, as they usually have 100 gallon fresh water tanks and even carry 30 + gallons of gasoline as well!! The reason for so much water it to offset all the weight that gets put in the back......

Dunno, but that's gonna be my guess.....

If that is the case, then you'll most likely want something with a little more grunt to it.... What gears do you have??? No factory tow package?? No amount of mods is gonna help.

Check out the post at the very top of this forum and it has the max trailer weight ratings listed..... Now, this is a best case scenario, and does not mean you can load up your truck to the max and still expect to haul that much weight, but even so, at BEST, your truck would be able to go as high as #7200..... According to the chart anyway..... In the real world, expect that number to be around the 4-5k mark for the most part.....

I haul around a #4500 WET weight TT and it's already maxed out the trucks GVWR (#6250) I'm #2000 under the trucks GCWR too!

Tows great and no issues, and I've now got over 130k on the truck now.....

Will your truck tow it?? Sure...... How long it'll last and how comfortable of a tow it will be is the question.... IMO, not very well on both........ If that trailer does indeed have a 9k GVWR.....

Good luck!

Mitch

 

Sorry for the confusion; when I said "9k gross wt.", the gross wt. would be the truck and the trailer added together, max. Make and model would be in the original post; I didn't feel the need to say "Ford truck" since I wouldn't expect Dodge and GM drivers to post threads on the F150 forum.

Additional info:

The truck is automatic trans., came with 6,050# option and 3.55 gears.

I would appreciate any serious advice.

 

Well, that makes a difference.........

You will need to do all that you have already mentioned. You don't need Load Range D tires however. Load Range C will be more then enough. Some good shocks would be fine as well. A rear sway bar really won't help all that much for towing, but might be nice for everyday driving?

You'll want to get a Weight Distribution hitch setup however. Something like this would be fine.



This is basically the same setup I run with and my "gross wt" is just a tad over #10k

The last thing to do is HAVE FUN!! We are able to get out about once a month during the summer for a long weekend and it's great......

Mitch

 

Thank you, Mitch. I appreciate your taking the time to get the pic into the post; we're looking forward to seeing the states.

Curt

 

I think Raoul ment make/model of te trailer. Anyway, 9k total is fine. You'll be sticking to the slow lane on large hills and mountains, but your truck should have no problems after you install a "good quality trans cooler, have the fluid drained and replaced with synthetic trans fluid; install a class III hitch with weight distribution system; install a brake control and 7-pin connector".

 

Thank you all for the input. I did purchase a sculpture today; thank you for the advice.

Regards,
Curt