Another TV weight question.

[Goldenbear]

It's called resurgence before you drop 28k on a jay flight 28RLS.....TT dry wt 6,405.....cargo wt 2,345.....gross 8,750....dry tounge wt 700
Ford F150 4x4 2015 is rated to tow 9,100 lbs
This is what I'm thinking. 1,600 or less (less) of cargo in TT will leave me at least 1000 lbs under 9,100 for safety towing.
Is this a start?
I'm doing WDH and break control.
New member first post and first at TT towing coming out of a class A, I was always stranded when camping in motor home.
THANKS, IS IT A GO?

[qstott]

I have a 2016 28rls, and a 2015 F150 4X4 3.5 eco boost. The gvwr for my truck is 7050 lbs. I have a lot of options, plus a camper shell. A trip across the cat scales showed I had 7160 lbs on the two truck axles. I was over my gvwr. My gcwr was 13,720 lbs if I remember correctly. I've been wanting a new super duty and that was my excuse to order one.

[oldmanAZ]

Welcome to the forum.

The F150 is a very popular truck on this site. If you use the 'search' feature with the 'F150' keyword, you'll find LOTS of posts related to towing with it.

To start things off, there is a sticker on your truck's door frame that shows its PAYLOAD. The payload is all the stuff in the truck cab, truck bed, and the tongue weight of the TT.

For the trailer's tongue weight, use the trailer's gross 8,750lbs * .15 = 1,312lbs. Then, subtract the 1,300lbs tongue weight figure from your payload for your truck's capacity.

There are also many posts on WDH and sway control. Grab your favorite beverage, dig in, and start searching! If you get overwhelmed, just post a question.

[wags999]

Originally Posted by Goldenbear

It's called resurgence before you drop 28k on a jay flight 28RLS.....TT dry wt 6,405.....cargo wt 2,345.....gross 8,750....dry tounge wt 700
Ford F150 4x4 2015 is rated to tow 9,100 lbs
This is what I'm thinking. 1,600 or less (less) of cargo in TT will leave me at least 1000 lbs under 9,100 for safety towing.
Is this a start?
I'm doing WDH and break control.
New member first post and first at TT towing coming out of a class A, I was always stranded when camping in motor home.
THANKS, IS IT A GO?

You need to look at your cargo capacity. There should be a yellow sticker on the drivers door post. This number is how much weight you can put on your truck. Your tongue weight is typically about 12% of TT weight, add to that your hitch, cargo in your truck, including driver and any passengers. Towing capacity is only one, and in my opinion, not the major number in what size trailer you can tow. If your TT weighs, (your numbers) about 8000 lbs loaded(including propane, battery etc) then the tongue weight would be about 960 lbs. Deduct that from your cargo capacity to see how much more you can carry in your truck. I think you will be very close to overloaded.

Good Luck.

[bansai]

Originally Posted by Goldenbear

It's called resurgence before you drop 28k on a jay flight 28RLS.....TT dry wt 6,405.....cargo wt 2,345.....gross 8,750....dry tounge wt 700
Ford F150 4x4 2015 is rated to tow 9,100 lbs
This is what I'm thinking. 1,600 or less (less) of cargo in TT will leave me at least 1000 lbs under 9,100 for safety towing.
Is this a start?
I'm doing WDH and break control.
New member first post and first at TT towing coming out of a class A, I was always stranded when camping in motor home.
THANKS, IS IT A GO?

It's very close.
My camper has a 'dry hitch weight' of 620 pounds, so I'm a 'smidge' lighter than what you are talking about doing. As you may know - that dry weight doesn't even include the weight of your propane. My F150 has a max payload of 1806 pounds, stickered. If your number is less than that, I'd say you are probably going to be overloaded because honestly, even when I pack light, in a lighter weight camper than you are looking at, I'm *very close* to my limits and we have nowhere near 1600 pounds of stuff in the trailer... more like 200 lbs, and we travel with empty tanks. We are so close in fact, that I cannot take along more than my wife and daughter on any of our trips.

My truck tows my 27BHS fine all over the mountains here. However, I find the brakes in the 150 are lacking for something this heavy. If you plan on having anything close to 1600 pounds of additional weight in the camper, that's a no go for that truck in my honest opinion. Your truck is a little newer than mine, and I'm not sure what your payload number is, but it can't be much more than mine unless you have one of those Max Tow + HD (rare) packages. I have max tow on mine and I believe my tow rating might be a little higher than what you quoted, 11,000 lbs actually... so I'm guessing your payload number might be lower as well, but definitely confirm for yourself what that is.

If you are comfortable with the reality that you are most likely, like I did, going to immediately realize you need a bigger truck after your first few trips - go for it, that's what I did and as expected, I'm shopping for a 250/350 right now. You might as well ignore the 'rated to tow 9,100 pounds' part of the equation. As others have wisely pointed out, you are going to run out of payload before you hit that tow rating.

Would only add that their are some F150's out there that CAN tow what you are talking about, but based on your tow rating, it doesn't appear that you have the proper gear ratio in your back end, (otherwise your tow rating would be higher than mine).. anyway Payload is key here.

ETA - Another factor you have to consider is the kind of camping you plan on doing, over what distance and terrain. It sounds like you are used to towing heavy stuff so you'll probably know pretty quickly if you're getting in over your head.

[Goldenbear]

Door sticker on door reads 7000 GVWR. By no means was I loading 1600 lbs that was my limit to stop so I could stay 1000 off that 9,100 tow rating for safety towing. DW I hope doesn't have that much make up. Salesmen's tell you can pull Stone Mt. to get a sale. Tent or pop up looking better NOT like my new truck not going to limit it out. Enjoy reading from folks that know .

[bansai]

The GVWR number isn't your payload number.

Give me a sec, I'll upload a pic of what you are looking for.

[bansai]

You're looking for the number I circled. That's the number you start subtracting from, loaded pin / tongue weight, everyone in the truck, all the gear in the bed or cab, your 100 pound weight distributing hitch, etc..

These half tons are awesome trucks but the payload is what will get you (and me).

[Goldenbear]

OK found it.....1952 pay load (that was a good year)

[bansai]

So the next part is more art than science without a scale.

Immediately subtract from that number what the passengers in the Truck weigh. You don't have to subtract the Drivers weight... that's a freebie. They account for a 175 pound driver I believe. Subtract the weight of any options you've added to the truck after it left the factory... bed liner, or a topper for example. Basically just estimate as best you can everything that you will typically have in your truck while camping.

Next, Figure 10 to 15% of the entire loaded weight of your camper will be on the hitch. Play around with those numbers a bit. I'd guess 1000 pounds would be a fair starting point for your loaded hitch weight. Obviously I can't know what it really will be. So that leaves you with 950 pounds for everything in my first paragraph.

Sounds to me like you probably could do it. As long as you don't fill up the camper to capacity, and bring too much stuff in your truck.

What we do to maximize our 'efficiency' is to pack as much stuff as we reasonably can in the camper, instead of in the truck. I'd much rather tow 15% of 300 lbs of gear that's hitting my hitch than have 100% of it going against my payload.

Anyway, I hope some of this helped. It sounds like you'll end up with a very similar towing experience that I have. It works out ok, it's just not ideal out here.

Last but not least, welcome to the forum 'back in the day' I went to highschool within a stones throw of Marietta.

[qstott]

My payload is 1665 lbs, plus the camper shell, tools, bed rug, etc. That doesn't leave much for wife, dogs, chairs, ice chest, and other goodies plus tongue weight. Your payload is better, but does not leave much cushion.

Btw, I bought a 2016 28RLS and paid about 5000.00 less delivered. It was after the 2017's came out.

[Rustic Eagle]

Goldenbear,

Here are a couple JOF links referencing a 28RLS and a 1/2 ton TV that may provide a little insight:

http://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/f2...o-39917-2.html (note the "as-shipped" UVW of this particular 28RLS is 7,087lbs)

http://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/f7...ght-39259.html

To minimize the TV weight guess work prior to any TT purchase...., take your F-150 under loaded conditions (full fuel, passengers, etc.) and weigh it at a CAT scale (takes 15 seconds and about $9). Subtract the CAT scale results from your F-150's GVWR...., what remains is your "available" payload capacity for a 50lb WDH, a TT's "loaded" tongue weight, and any other TV weight (fire wood, generator, etc.) not accounted for at the CAT scale.

Bob

[01tundra]

Originally Posted by bansai

You don't have to subtract the Drivers weight... that's a freebie. They account for a 175 pound driver I believe.

I haven't been able to confirm that the manufactures include any allowance for driver weight in the maximum published payload, have you been able to find a source for this information?

I really hope this is the case, but I want to be 100% sure before I start doing my happy dance

[bansai]

Originally Posted by 01tundra

I haven't been able to confirm that the manufactures include any allowance for driver weight in the maximum published payload, have you been able to find a source for this information?

I really hope this is the case, but I want to be 100% sure before I start doing my happy dance

Ford has switched to the SAE J2807 standard for computing their capacities. If you google around for 'Is ford using SAE J2807 ' you'll get a bunch of hits that seem to confirm they have been for a while. Digging into the SAE J2807 standard is a bit more difficult because SAE wants money for you to read it

I hadn't searched for this in a while, it looks like the J2807 standard applies to the tow rating - not the payload capacity.

If that is the case, your trucks Tow Rating actually includes *2* passengers. I'm still trying to get confirmation from Ford directly on the payload sticker.. There are thousands of posts on it online, but none of them are from a confirmed source so I'll keep digging.

Some titbits for that standard are:

- SAE J2807 assumes that the tow vehicle includes any options with higher than 33 percent penetration;
- It assumes there is both a driver and passenger in the vehicle, each weighing 150 pounds; <- note this is differenet than what I thought!
- It assumes that tow vehicles also include up to 70 pounds of aftermarket hitch equipment (where applicable); and
For conventional trailer towing, SAE J2807 assumes that 10 percent of the trailer weight is on the tongue.

The above, is obviously for determining the tow rating, not the payload number. To be on the safe side, I'd delay the happy dance based on the driver not counting against the *payload* number. It's frequently quoted online that this is the case, but if you are that close to your limits, I'd want to hear it directly from the manufacturer.

Another issue is it doesn't look like every brand is using the same standard yet. I'll post back if I can find some actual data from Ford directly.

[bansai]

Yeah, it looks like you also need to subtract the weight of the driver when you start calculating your actual payload remaining.

I dug this up. - https://www.fleet.ford.com/truckbbas...load_SB_v5.pdf

I think the confusion is that the Tow Rating is being calculated with a driver and a passenger (among other things) included, but payload is not.

Clear as mud?

[01tundra]

Originally Posted by bansai

Yeah, it looks like you also need to subtract the weight of the driver when you start calculating your actual payload remaining.

I dug this up. - https://www.fleet.ford.com/truckbbas...load_SB_v5.pdf

I think the confusion is that the Tow Rating is being calculated with a driver and a passenger (among other things) included, but payload is not.

Clear as mud?

That's what I'm coming up with as well......no dancing today

[hboy]

Originally Posted by Goldenbear

THANKS, IS IT A GO?

It's probably a go. A lot of folks with this camper have a few hundred pounds less available payload that you do (half ton tow vehicles that is). I would expect the loaded hitch weight to be at least 1,000lbs. That leaves you about 900lbs for fuel, passengers, firewood, etc.

here's my 2 cents. I've towed with a half ton and similar weight trailer. Depending on how you load the truck and trailer, I could see the payload and trailer weight numbers fitting your truck.

Beyond that, this is just a big trailer (tall and long) and will be a load for any half ton truck at highway speeds. LT tires would be a good modification to consider for the truck.

[Goldenbear]

Had trucked weight today 5,400. By reading all the information supplied I'm thinking and coming up with being close to max. (Close only in horse shoes and hanger grenade )
What is a good % to start with on tounge weight? I mean from 10 - 15% is a substantial spread.
I watched weight with RV, now with TV I can see me removing rubber mat in bed that sucker is heavy.

[hboy]

So if the truck weight is 5,400lb (is that full gas tank, any passengers, other cargo), then you have 1,600lbs available cargo left (7,000lb GVWR right?). Any passengers, fuel, fire wood in the truck bed will lower that available cargo number.

If your trailer gross weight is 8,750 lbs, then 10%-15% tongue weight will put you 900lb - 1300lb range depending on how you load it, right. A good % of trailer tongue weight to shoot for could be many numbers. I would say the closer to 13% - 15% tongue weight the better towing experience you will have. The lighter the tongue, the scarier it can get...

If you have the axle weights you can analyze those to see how the trailer hitch weight would impact each axle. For example, loaded the rear axle will add about 1,000 - 1,300 (ish). Will this weight put the rear axle over weight? What about tire weight ratings (consider LT tire upgrade for the truck next time ur due for tires). Once you get the weight distribution hitch set up, some of this weight will be distributed to the front axle, and back to the trailer (ideally).

If 5,400lbs is with fuel and you in the truck (if not you would want to account for passengers and fuel), you should be able to tow within the truck weight limits.

All that said, that trailer will still be a LOAD for any half ton truck. You will notice it most at highway speed, and when being passed by large profile trucks or high wind, etc.

Back to the question, "is it a go"? If you are within the weight ratings of the truck, it's hard to say you could not make this a go. (p.s. it's still never going to be as solid towing as a 3/4 ton truck). While that unit could be within the truck weight ratings, these trailers are just big heavy sails hanging on to a ball sticking out behind the truck bumper.

[LeonB]

I had a similar setup. A 2015 F150 Ecoboost with 1840 payload and a 28BHBE Elite with similar weights to yours. The truck pulled it fine. I took it from Dallas to Yellowstone and back for 3 weeks last year. The gas mileage was not great at 8.2 mpg over the trip at max 65 when towing. The problem I had is when the wind blew from the side the truck felt to light. You could really feel the wind pushing you. If there is no side wind it was great. Also with the turbo engine you have no real engine breaking and it is heavy on the brakes on a long descent or steep descent. For these reasons I bought a F250.