Looking to buy a camper, can I do it?
06-26-2014, 11:01 AM
#21
Maybe i am misunderstanding something. If you have an 8000# trailer with an 800# tongue weightnyou arent carrying 8800# its still 8000# just 800# of it is on you payload capacity. So you can still tow that 8000# camper and have plenty of extra capacity. Am I wrong in this logic?
The "payload capacity" published on the tire pressure sticker on your door is a completely empty truck except for a full gas tank and other fluids - no people or anything else in the truck that it didn't come off the production line with
The "max trailer weight" rating includes a 150 lb driver
An 8000 lb trailer has a total weight of 8000 lbs. if it has a 12% tongue weight, then 12% of the trailer's 8000 lbs is 960 lbs on the tongue, and the other 7040 lbs is on the trailer's axles
The "max trailer weight" rating includes a 150 lb driver
An 8000 lb trailer has a total weight of 8000 lbs. if it has a 12% tongue weight, then 12% of the trailer's 8000 lbs is 960 lbs on the tongue, and the other 7040 lbs is on the trailer's axles
If your window sticker says you have a 7300# gvwr and your payload is 1300lbs your looking at a 6000# curb weight with a 150# driver and a full tank of gas. Subtract that from the 15,500# gcwr and you can tow upto 9500#
When you tow a fairly heavy trailer, you can figure that with people and stuff in the cab and bed, a 100 lb WDH, and the tongue weight of your trailer, your truck WILL be at its GVWR. So subtract 7300 from your GCWR of 15500, and the heaviest trailer you can pull is 8200 lbs.
If that 8200 lb trailer has a minimal 11% tongue weight, that's 900 lbs. Add the 100 lb weight of your WDH and you're at 1000 lbs pushing down on the hitch.
If you have that 1300 payload you mentioned, subtract the 1000 lbs of tongue weight and WDH, and you have 300 lbs to carry people and stuff in the cab and bed.
That's why if you have a wife and a couple kids, and want to carry a couple hundred lbs of stuff in the bed, and all the family and stuff weighs 700 lbs, if you've got a 1300 lb payload then you've got 600 left for a WDH and tongue weight.
Bottom line - unless you have the Max Tow and HD packages, these trucks are generally going to be maxed out pulling a 6000 lb trailer.
.
06-26-2014, 03:56 PM
#22
You're misunderstanding several things:
NO!!! You ARE NOT ABLE to tow 9500 lbs!
When you tow a fairly heavy trailer, you can figure that with people and stuff in the cab and bed, a 100 lb WDH, and the tongue weight of your trailer, your truck WILL be at its GVWR. So subtract 7300 from your GCWR of 15500, and the heaviest trailer you can pull is 8200 lbs.
If that 8200 lb trailer has a minimal 11% tongue weight, that's 900 lbs. Add the 100 lb weight of your WDH and you're at 1000 lbs pushing down on the hitch.
If you have that 1300 payload you mentioned, subtract the 1000 lbs of tongue weight and WDH, and you have 300 lbs to carry people and stuff in the cab and bed.
That's why if you have a wife and a couple kids, and want to carry a couple hundred lbs of stuff in the bed, and all the family and stuff weighs 700 lbs, if you've got a 1300 lb payload then you've got 600 left for a WDH and tongue weight.
Bottom line - unless you have the Max Tow and HD packages, these trucks are generally going to be maxed out pulling a 6000 lb trailer.
.
The "payload capacity" published on the tire pressure sticker on your door is a completely empty truck except for a full gas tank and other fluids - no people or anything else in the truck that it didn't come off the production line with
The "max trailer weight" rating includes a 150 lb driver
An 8000 lb trailer has a total weight of 8000 lbs. if it has a 12% tongue weight, then 12% of the trailer's 8000 lbs is 960 lbs on the tongue, and the other 7040 lbs is on the trailer's axles
The "max trailer weight" rating includes a 150 lb driver
An 8000 lb trailer has a total weight of 8000 lbs. if it has a 12% tongue weight, then 12% of the trailer's 8000 lbs is 960 lbs on the tongue, and the other 7040 lbs is on the trailer's axles
NO!!! You ARE NOT ABLE to tow 9500 lbs!
When you tow a fairly heavy trailer, you can figure that with people and stuff in the cab and bed, a 100 lb WDH, and the tongue weight of your trailer, your truck WILL be at its GVWR. So subtract 7300 from your GCWR of 15500, and the heaviest trailer you can pull is 8200 lbs.
If that 8200 lb trailer has a minimal 11% tongue weight, that's 900 lbs. Add the 100 lb weight of your WDH and you're at 1000 lbs pushing down on the hitch.
If you have that 1300 payload you mentioned, subtract the 1000 lbs of tongue weight and WDH, and you have 300 lbs to carry people and stuff in the cab and bed.
That's why if you have a wife and a couple kids, and want to carry a couple hundred lbs of stuff in the bed, and all the family and stuff weighs 700 lbs, if you've got a 1300 lb payload then you've got 600 left for a WDH and tongue weight.
Bottom line - unless you have the Max Tow and HD packages, these trucks are generally going to be maxed out pulling a 6000 lb trailer.
.
IE - 8000lb trailer - 900lb tongue weight
This is 7100lbs of trailer and 900lbs of payload .. of course, I don't count things as trailer vs payload.. It's really just 15,500 - 7100-900-curb weight - driver..
You don't subtract it from the payload and the GVWR at the same time.. You just make sure you don't exceed payload and GVWR at the same time.. Does that make sense? I'm having a hard time explaining my confusion on the issue and I'm probably making the issue more confused..
06-26-2014, 04:01 PM
#23
Ah..
I can explain it in my own way now.
If you max a 7700lb GVWR truck it leaves you with 7800lb of weight.
If you consider that 900lbs of that 7700 is actually the tongue weight of the trailer you're really towing a 8700lb trailer which puts you at your max.
If you have a 7700lbs GVWR and you only have a 200lb driver and a trailer that weighs 8000lbs and your trucks curb weight is 5900lbs you have 8000+6100=14,100 and you can slap another 1400lbs of stuff in either the trailer or the bed of the truck, which brings you to a 9400lb trailer weight.
It's all dependent on how you put the weight..At the end of the day as long as you're below the 15,500 (or is it 15,100?) you're safe.
I can explain it in my own way now.
If you max a 7700lb GVWR truck it leaves you with 7800lb of weight.
If you consider that 900lbs of that 7700 is actually the tongue weight of the trailer you're really towing a 8700lb trailer which puts you at your max.
If you have a 7700lbs GVWR and you only have a 200lb driver and a trailer that weighs 8000lbs and your trucks curb weight is 5900lbs you have 8000+6100=14,100 and you can slap another 1400lbs of stuff in either the trailer or the bed of the truck, which brings you to a 9400lb trailer weight.
It's all dependent on how you put the weight..At the end of the day as long as you're below the 15,500 (or is it 15,100?) you're safe.
06-26-2014, 09:30 PM
#25
Member
Thread Starter
A lot of numbers? I guess!yes you can pull, no you can pull.LOL
I thought if I put all my numbers up there someone would have did the adding and subtracting and everyone all says yup your good or nope have fun swerving all over the road. LOL
From what I get though, its do able depending on what I take and where I take it and how far, will really determine if I can. Like if I was to take it a few hours down the road to campsite by a nice lake or beach and leave it there I would be good to go. But If I plan on camping all over the place and going over the mountains or back east, I would be testing the limits
I thought if I put all my numbers up there someone would have did the adding and subtracting and everyone all says yup your good or nope have fun swerving all over the road. LOL
From what I get though, its do able depending on what I take and where I take it and how far, will really determine if I can. Like if I was to take it a few hours down the road to campsite by a nice lake or beach and leave it there I would be good to go. But If I plan on camping all over the place and going over the mountains or back east, I would be testing the limits
06-26-2014, 10:54 PM
#26
Senior Member
Some clarification:
Payload Capacity: The carrying capacity of the truck as it left the factory assuming a full tank of fuel (NO DRIVER).
GVWR: The total the truck can weigh with it's full carrying capacity.
GCVWR (GCWR): The total weight of the truck and anything it is towing (combination weight).
Tow rating: GCVWR - empty Curb Weight of a base model version of your truck (full tank of fuel) (this is not exact when you look at Ford's numbers, but it is very close).
You can see where the problems come into play. To be able to tow 9300 lbs, there can be no driver in the truck and no weight carried by the truck from the trailer! How do you drive and hitch up? BTW, every manufacturer is guilty of this.
So to get the real tow rating, take: GCWR - GVWR. So 15500-7350 = 8,150lbs real max trailer weight.
Now that you know that, you can start looking, but don't pay attention to published weights for travel trailers. Manufacturers published weights are for a stripped down trailer with no options. Understand, the furnace, stove, oven, AC unit, etc. are all options. So for example: My fifth wheel has a published weight of ~7900 lbs. The delivered weight (per the sticker on the side of the trailer) is ~9100 lbs; Big difference! Understand I have some heavy options (outside kitchen, dual AC units, power jacks all the way around, power awning, etc), but even on a typical trailer, you can expect the actual weight will be at least 750 lbs more than the published weight. So, the safest bet is to look at the GVWR of any travel trailer (Carrying capacity + published weight). Now, that is not 100% fool proof, and you can certainly find examples of trailers with huge carrying capacity that will not fit this method, but for 90% of the Travel Trailers out there, assuming the GVWR will be very close to the actual weight is a good bet.
Lastly, once you identify some trailer you like, you will have to consider tongue/hitch weight. On a travel trailer you can guesstimate the tongue weight (the amount carried by the truck) will be ~15% of the total GVWR (most fifth wheels will be closer to 20%). That figure will need to be subtracted from your payload number. The remaining will be what you have left for people, gear, hitches, accessories, etc...
All this to say, I think the trailer you are looking at will be close to the limit, but you should be good. That said, run the weights and see what you get.
Payload Capacity: The carrying capacity of the truck as it left the factory assuming a full tank of fuel (NO DRIVER).
GVWR: The total the truck can weigh with it's full carrying capacity.
GCVWR (GCWR): The total weight of the truck and anything it is towing (combination weight).
Tow rating: GCVWR - empty Curb Weight of a base model version of your truck (full tank of fuel) (this is not exact when you look at Ford's numbers, but it is very close).
You can see where the problems come into play. To be able to tow 9300 lbs, there can be no driver in the truck and no weight carried by the truck from the trailer! How do you drive and hitch up? BTW, every manufacturer is guilty of this.
So to get the real tow rating, take: GCWR - GVWR. So 15500-7350 = 8,150lbs real max trailer weight.
Now that you know that, you can start looking, but don't pay attention to published weights for travel trailers. Manufacturers published weights are for a stripped down trailer with no options. Understand, the furnace, stove, oven, AC unit, etc. are all options. So for example: My fifth wheel has a published weight of ~7900 lbs. The delivered weight (per the sticker on the side of the trailer) is ~9100 lbs; Big difference! Understand I have some heavy options (outside kitchen, dual AC units, power jacks all the way around, power awning, etc), but even on a typical trailer, you can expect the actual weight will be at least 750 lbs more than the published weight. So, the safest bet is to look at the GVWR of any travel trailer (Carrying capacity + published weight). Now, that is not 100% fool proof, and you can certainly find examples of trailers with huge carrying capacity that will not fit this method, but for 90% of the Travel Trailers out there, assuming the GVWR will be very close to the actual weight is a good bet.
Lastly, once you identify some trailer you like, you will have to consider tongue/hitch weight. On a travel trailer you can guesstimate the tongue weight (the amount carried by the truck) will be ~15% of the total GVWR (most fifth wheels will be closer to 20%). That figure will need to be subtracted from your payload number. The remaining will be what you have left for people, gear, hitches, accessories, etc...
All this to say, I think the trailer you are looking at will be close to the limit, but you should be good. That said, run the weights and see what you get.
06-27-2014, 10:08 AM
#27
Some clarification:
Payload Capacity: The carrying capacity of the truck as it left the factory assuming a full tank of fuel (NO DRIVER).
GVWR: The total the truck can weigh with it's full carrying capacity.
GCVWR (GCWR): The total weight of the truck and anything it is towing (combination weight).
Tow rating: GCVWR - empty Curb Weight of a base model version of your truck (full tank of fuel) (this is not exact when you look at Ford's numbers, but it is very close).
You can see where the problems come into play. To be able to tow 9300 lbs, there can be no driver in the truck and no weight carried by the truck from the trailer! H
Payload Capacity: The carrying capacity of the truck as it left the factory assuming a full tank of fuel (NO DRIVER).
GVWR: The total the truck can weigh with it's full carrying capacity.
GCVWR (GCWR): The total weight of the truck and anything it is towing (combination weight).
Tow rating: GCVWR - empty Curb Weight of a base model version of your truck (full tank of fuel) (this is not exact when you look at Ford's numbers, but it is very close).
You can see where the problems come into play. To be able to tow 9300 lbs, there can be no driver in the truck and no weight carried by the truck from the trailer! H
That puts you at 5730
15500-5730= 9670 .. Approximately 50lbs more than the actual max tow cap of 9600 for a supercrew 4x4 short bed.
If you have the max tow package that number goes up by about 2000lbs.
http://www.ford.com/resources/ford/g...rv&tt_f150.pdf
Base Curb Weight - 3.5L V6 EcoBoost (lbs) 5296 5615 (with full tank)
http://www.ford.com/trucks/f150/spec...ions/view-all/
06-27-2014, 11:57 AM
#28
Senior Member
The base curb weight of the F150 is something like 5400lbs.. A full tank of gas on a 36gal truck is about 230lbs a driver is about 200lbs
That puts you at 5730
15500-5730= 9670 .. Approximately 50lbs more than the actual max tow cap of 9600 for a supercrew 4x4 short bed.
If you have the max tow package that number goes up by about 2000lbs.
http://www.ford.com/resources/ford/g...rv&tt_f150.pdf
Base Curb Weight - 3.5L V6 EcoBoost (lbs) 5296 5615 (with full tank)
http://www.ford.com/trucks/f150/spec...ions/view-all/
That puts you at 5730
15500-5730= 9670 .. Approximately 50lbs more than the actual max tow cap of 9600 for a supercrew 4x4 short bed.
If you have the max tow package that number goes up by about 2000lbs.
http://www.ford.com/resources/ford/g...rv&tt_f150.pdf
Base Curb Weight - 3.5L V6 EcoBoost (lbs) 5296 5615 (with full tank)
http://www.ford.com/trucks/f150/spec...ions/view-all/
06-27-2014, 05:28 PM
#29
Member
Thread Starter
I got the numbers off the camper we were looking.
267bhs Jay Flight
from factory with full propane and full generator fuel if applicable is 5976lbs
full load of water is 365lbs
267bhs Jay Flight
from factory with full propane and full generator fuel if applicable is 5976lbs
full load of water is 365lbs
Last edited by Shootermurray; 06-27-2014 at 05:31 PM.
06-27-2014, 07:11 PM
#30
You will be fine with that trailer. I have a different trailer but similar weight. Older truck and it does just fine. Just be aware when loading etc. . And there is no reason why you can't go long distances.
Mounty up.
Mounty up.
