Whats my real world towing limits
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09-21-2005, 09:36 PM
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Whats my real world towing limits
Hi, Im looking into getting a new bumper pull camper, and im wondering what my limits should be on the weight and length of the camper. What should i look at for the weight of the camper. Is it the dry weight or the gvwr. I think my truck is rated to pull 7700 lbs. Iv got the tranny cooler and tow hitch
and it says something like 8800 lbs towing and 870 lb toughn weight, with weight distribution. Whats the max weight i can tow.
2000 F150
Shortbox Step Side
5.4L
3.55
6300gvwr
and it says something like 8800 lbs towing and 870 lb toughn weight, with weight distribution. Whats the max weight i can tow.
2000 F150
Shortbox Step Side
5.4L
3.55
6300gvwr
#2
09-22-2005, 10:48 AM
#3
09-22-2005, 11:07 AM
(darn it, APT beat me to it again!!)
Depends..... Which other "limit" are you willing to exceed in order to get that trailer of your dreams?? Everyone likes to look at the "tow rating" and then compare that to the "dry" weights of trailers...... Well, the RV sales people do at any rate.... You'll hear all kinds of dribble like, "sure, your truck will have no problem with this one...." as you are looking at that nice 30' unit with a super slide and a 'dry' weight of #7000....
If you take my truck for example. It's pretty much the same as yours, if you have the SuperCab? You do have the PI engine, so that's about 30 extra ponies and 20 or so extra 'nutz' compared to mine...
I have a "tow rating" of #7700..... My hitch is actually rated for #1000 tongue weight and #10,000 with a weight distribution setup, but that does not mean anything because it's the lowest weight rating the TRUCK has that determines your limits.
Now, here comes the interesting part (finally). My little 22' trailer only weighs #4500 soaking wet (it's GVWR is #5000). That includes a tongue weight of around #550. When I hitch it up to the truck and load the truck with some more stuff, I'm exceeding the GVWR of the truck (#6250) and right at the trucks rear GAWR (a whimpy #3200)..... Humm.... I'm well under the "tow rating" mark and well under the trucks GCWR (#12500). Why can't I tow a #7700 trailer???
When I started looking for TT, I knew that I only had a 1/2 ton truck and I knew what it weighed (I had been to the dump quite a few times, so I had my weight tickets...) It weighs right around #5500 with me, the wife and some gas and what crap I haul around in it daily. Add the tongue weight of a trailer and the other necessary stuff to go camping and I knew my problem was going to be the trucks whimpy GVWR and rear GAWR....
I ended up taking the trucks GVWR and subtracting that from it's GCWR and decided I'd only shop for TT's with a GVWR of around #5500. Maybe #6000 if the price was right... Well, I wanted a queen bed, rear bath, no bunks trailer. A couch would be nice, but not mandatory. I found that many of the units had slides in order to accomodate the couch and that put most trailer GVWR's at #6000 or more and cost several thousand dollars more for that 'couch'.....
Anyway, I was shown a lot of nice trailers, but the GVWR of them exceeded what I wanted to tow, but the guy kept saying "your truck will have no problem with this one...." He kept going to the door, I went to the other side of the trailer and looked at it's weight rating sticker and kept saying "it's too heavy..."
If you have stuck with me so far (I know it's a long post). What all of this boils down to is what do "YOU" want in a trailer and what are "YOU" willing to sacrifice to tow it?
Find out what your truck weighs now. Compare that to your trucks GVWR and go from there.... If you exceed that rating, then basically, you are done. You can't go any heavier on the trailer. Well, you can, but that takes you back to my first paragraph....
IMO, you should only look for trailers with a GVWR of no more then #6000 and around 26' in length for a 1/2 ton truck. That will give your truck some wiggle room in the GCWR department. It's not too long to make a "tail wagging the dog" situation and should make for a nice, comfortable tow....
Good luck!
Mitch
Depends..... Which other "limit" are you willing to exceed in order to get that trailer of your dreams?? Everyone likes to look at the "tow rating" and then compare that to the "dry" weights of trailers...... Well, the RV sales people do at any rate.... You'll hear all kinds of dribble like, "sure, your truck will have no problem with this one...." as you are looking at that nice 30' unit with a super slide and a 'dry' weight of #7000....
If you take my truck for example. It's pretty much the same as yours, if you have the SuperCab? You do have the PI engine, so that's about 30 extra ponies and 20 or so extra 'nutz' compared to mine...
I have a "tow rating" of #7700..... My hitch is actually rated for #1000 tongue weight and #10,000 with a weight distribution setup, but that does not mean anything because it's the lowest weight rating the TRUCK has that determines your limits.
Now, here comes the interesting part (finally). My little 22' trailer only weighs #4500 soaking wet (it's GVWR is #5000). That includes a tongue weight of around #550. When I hitch it up to the truck and load the truck with some more stuff, I'm exceeding the GVWR of the truck (#6250) and right at the trucks rear GAWR (a whimpy #3200)..... Humm.... I'm well under the "tow rating" mark and well under the trucks GCWR (#12500). Why can't I tow a #7700 trailer???
When I started looking for TT, I knew that I only had a 1/2 ton truck and I knew what it weighed (I had been to the dump quite a few times, so I had my weight tickets...) It weighs right around #5500 with me, the wife and some gas and what crap I haul around in it daily. Add the tongue weight of a trailer and the other necessary stuff to go camping and I knew my problem was going to be the trucks whimpy GVWR and rear GAWR....
I ended up taking the trucks GVWR and subtracting that from it's GCWR and decided I'd only shop for TT's with a GVWR of around #5500. Maybe #6000 if the price was right... Well, I wanted a queen bed, rear bath, no bunks trailer. A couch would be nice, but not mandatory. I found that many of the units had slides in order to accomodate the couch and that put most trailer GVWR's at #6000 or more and cost several thousand dollars more for that 'couch'.....
Anyway, I was shown a lot of nice trailers, but the GVWR of them exceeded what I wanted to tow, but the guy kept saying "your truck will have no problem with this one...." He kept going to the door, I went to the other side of the trailer and looked at it's weight rating sticker and kept saying "it's too heavy..."
If you have stuck with me so far (I know it's a long post). What all of this boils down to is what do "YOU" want in a trailer and what are "YOU" willing to sacrifice to tow it?
Find out what your truck weighs now. Compare that to your trucks GVWR and go from there.... If you exceed that rating, then basically, you are done. You can't go any heavier on the trailer. Well, you can, but that takes you back to my first paragraph....
IMO, you should only look for trailers with a GVWR of no more then #6000 and around 26' in length for a 1/2 ton truck. That will give your truck some wiggle room in the GCWR department. It's not too long to make a "tail wagging the dog" situation and should make for a nice, comfortable tow....
Good luck!
Mitch
Last edited by MitchF150; 09-22-2005 at 11:12 AM.
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09-22-2005, 01:45 PM
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10-13-2005, 08:38 PM
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