MitchF150

Now thats a man with his head on straight!

Good number crunching. Why the 90% of 6450#? So you know you are always under your max or to allow for luggage, propane, water etc? I did notice that you were conservative on all your numbers.

I just noticed something. The GCWR of a F-150 4x4 sup cab short box w/ a 5.4L is #12,700 according to your statement. Can you verify this plz? This would be the total combined weight of trailer, passengers, etc that the vehicle is rated to carry, correct?

I'm thinking here...

 

Spaceman12321,

Thanks man. I kept it conservative because I just didn’t want to be towing at my trucks max capacity. I’ve towed many things with different sized rigs and just know that each one has it’s own ‘comfort’ level.

The GVWR includes all the ‘stuff’ that’s loaded in, or on that particular vehicle. So even if I take the trailer all the way to it’s max (#5000, which is water, propane, food, etc.) and the trucks max (#6250, which includes the tongue weight of the trailer BTW), I’m still under the trucks GCWR by a pretty decent margin. The truck seems to agree with it too. Towing that beast is actually a joy. I don’t worry. I don’t sway. I’m not beating up my truck. I’m on vacation when towing it, so those are the last things I want to do!! And I know I can stop the thing, even if the trailer brakes fail for some reason……

The GCWR is the total weight of ‘everything’ as you roll down the road. I got the #12700 figure straight from the owners manual. Now, that same manual says I can tow a max trailer weight of #7700!! Sure, if I keep the trucks max weight at #5000…… That’s how much it weighs empty! Add the #500 tongue weight, firewood, gas, wife, tools, etc, and I’m probably pretty darn close to the GVWR of the truck right there……

Anyway, that’s my reasoning. For those out there that say they tow their 30’, #8000 trailer with a ½ ton truck with “no problems” and “I don’t even know it’s there”, that’s great, for you. Just don’t expect me to agree. Besides, my F150 as 92k miles on it and it’s just starting it’s towing career! I expect it to last to 200k without batting an eye, but it won’t do that towing at or over it’s max.

JMO and not meant to say you ‘can’t’ tow more. Just that I choose not to.

Have fun and be safe. That’s what it’s all about anyway.

 

Back to the question at hand,



From LA to Sacramento on I-5.

No problems at all going over the grapevine.

BOB

 

Spaceman,
I totally disagree with boneheads that overload there vehicles!!!
The race car trailer that I towed was very large but the trailer its self was very light. Trust me I wouldnt tow a trailer from MT to CA if it werent safe. As for the household goods that I moved, You have to realize that I had only been married for a year(my wife hadnt gone crazy buying furniture and things for the house yet) so it was basicly still like moving a bachlor pad.

 

I have to agreee with those that think overloading a trailer and truck is dangerous. Thats the main reason we dont pull our big loads on the highways. The large loads I mentioned ealier are done on the farm or between farms. We don't pull that much weight on the highways just rural blacktops and gravel roads between farms. If at all possible we have a spotter vehicle behind us with warning lights.

I have seen some trailer accidents while on the road and all but 1 was the guy with the trailers fault. The problem with getting an oversized truck so the trailer 'cant be felt at all' is that you cant feel it. You got to have a little bit of feed back to know whats going on. If you can just hook up, go and forget then that can be just as bad as an overloaded trailer. I have met some people with F350 v10 or desiels 4x4's pulling 2 horse trailers that can't be over 5000lb. When I ask them if they pull bigger stuff they state NO, they need that size of truck because they could feel the trailer behind them with the smaller trucks. ??? it's 2.5 tons, you should feel it, not like a plow in the dirt but you should feel something back there.

it seems most of the people posting this time are reasonable with their trucks. they arent overloading and they aren't oversizing the truck to compensate for a lack of eduacation in towing.

 

I have pulled my jeep that has a 304 v-8 with a F-150 V-6 also F-350 diesel and a F-150 5.4L Out of all of those trucks the Diesel had the hardest time at the higher speeds of 60-70mph. I felt the jeep on the bumper with all three vehicles. I had a close call once on the toll road I got cut off. I slammed on my breaks and everything functioned as needed. The hydraulic tounge breaks keep me from clearing out a few lanes. That would have to be the heaviest I have pulled with a 150 and probably will never pull anything any heavier. I had a single axle trailer towing a boat at about 3500 lbs that walked the f-150 V-6 and cannot use that truck to tow the boat.

 

My mother in law !

 

ok... here's my trailer story.

I have a '97 f-150 4.6 2WD with 3.55

anyways... I have an old monte carlo that I turned into a dirt car.

race car+trailer+equipment = about 6200 lbs

Anyways... I was probably going about 60-70 when i noticed that whenver I'd tap my brakes, the trailer would wag a little (i have trailer brakes). I thought that maybe one of my brakes went out. then some guy in an explorer flagged me over.

I got out of my truck and noticed that one of the wheels from my trailer was missing... gone. I hadn't even noticed it. It was the rear wheel with the elec brake on it...

Anyways... I towed it back to my house (about 15 miles) keeping it slow on the frontage road.


Here's where the story gets interesting.... going back i was looking for the wheel and couldn't find it. Then I came upon a huge wreck on the other side of the road... like 3 cars. I got a sick feeling in my stomache and went back to face up to it. Luckilly, it had nothing to do with my wheel... some kid fell asleep at the wheel and caused it.

Happy Towing!!!

 

I have a friend who had and older f-350 and was towing a load uhaul trailer, well below the trucks rating, when he pulled into a rest stop, he lost control of the truck, flipped over the trailer came of the truck and landed of some parked cars. this person is an expricaned tower, he does landscapeing and tow's trailers almost everyday during the summer