Another towing question

[Hurle yuh 081182]

First let me say I thought I did my homework but I am not sure I did it correctly. I just bought a 2019 larego 250bh. My truck is a 19 f150 eco 4x4 crewcab with tow package. I havent had anything officially weighted but I think I am just under for towing.

I believe my trucks payload is 2150. Trailer website says hitch is 740 + 1000(2 adults, 1 kid, 1 dog, and 500lbs of gear). Everything else is in camper.

Some other numbers. Gvwr is 8800, dry weight is 6235lbs. I was told my truck can pull 13.2k lbs but i also see places list 12.5k lbs. Trucks gvwr is 7k.

I know its too late now to fix anything without taking a bath. Love the camper and truck. Truck hauls this camper up huge hills with now issues.

Last thing, the rv dealer gave me a hitch rated for 800lbs. Is that too small and should I have gotten 1k rated hitch?

They should just make a website that says what your vehicle can tow (weight wise) by VIN number. If they have one let me please.

[chuckster57]

Welcome to the forum!!

To start, I think your dealer shorted you on the hitch. I would ask for the 1000 pound and it shouldn’t cost any more.

As to the tow vehicle ratings, the ability to drag it is just one part of the equation. The ability to stop it and maintain control in adverse conditions are equally important. What tires do you have? Are they light truck or passenger?

There will be others adding to the conversation so I’ll let those that use the same vehicle you do explain in more detail why I think your maybe pushing it.

[Fishsizzle]

First let me say I thought I did my homework but I am not sure I did it correctly. I just bought a 2019 larego 250bh. My truck is a 19 f150 eco 4x4 crewcab with tow package. I havent had anything officially weighted but I think I am just under for towing.

I believe my trucks payload is 2150. Trailer website says hitch is 740 + 1000(2 adults, 1 kid, 1 dog, and 500lbs of gear). Everything else is in camper.

Some other numbers. Gvwr is 8800, dry weight is 6235lbs. I was told my truck can pull 13.2k lbs but i also see places list 12.5k lbs. Trucks gvwr is 7k.

I know its too late now to fix anything without taking a bath. Love the camper and truck. Truck hauls this camper up huge hills with now issues

Last thing, the rv dealer gave me a hitch rated for 800lbs. Is that too small and should I have gotten 1k rated hitch?

They should just make a website that says what your vehicle can tow (weight wise) by VIN number. If they have one let me please.

You can know your payload for sure by looking at yellow sticker on drivers door jamb. It’s a starting point for when you start weighing axles. You’ll figure it out as you listen and read what others say.

This is coming from someone who is running to small a truck and is learning about weights every time I visit.

[MarkEHansen]

The "dry weights" provided by the RV manufacturer should really be ignored.

When considering the weights of the trailer, you really should use the GVWR of the trailer. In your trailer's case, that's 8800 lbs. The tongue weight should be 10-15% of that. 8800 x 12% (as an estimate) would be 1056.

The only way to know for sure is to have everything weighed - when all are configured for camping, including all gear, people, consumables, etc.

[NH_Bulldog]

We have a similar setup, but with a 1,000 lb WD hitch, better to be oversized than undersized. You find the tow specs here: https://www.fleet.ford.com/resources/ford/general/pdf/towingguides/2019%20Ford_RVandTrailerTowingGuide_r5_Mar12.pdf

[Hurle yuh 081182]

Thanks everyone for the comments. I will ask Tomorrow about the hitch at the dealer. Tires are nice hancock dynapros at2's. Honestly not bad for oem tires atleast they seem to be nice.

[Hurle yuh 081182]

We have a similar setup, but with a 1,000 lb WD hitch, better to be oversized than undersized. You find the tow specs here: https://www.fleet.ford.com/resources/ford/general/pdf/towingguides/2019%20Ford_RVandTrailerTowingGuide_r5_Mar12.pdf

Mind if I ask what you tow with?

[NH_Bulldog]

2015 Ford F150 3.5L Ecoboost SCrew 4x4 w/Max Tow Pkg, pulling a 2019 Passport 240BH.

[sourdough]

The first thing I would do is to forget (in your mind) the terminology "ecoboost" and "towing capacity"; neither mean anything in the towing world.

Look at the yellow/white stickers inside your driver door - you will find payload, gawr f/r, tire size, recommended inflation etc. I suspect you will find you have P rated tires (passenger); not adequate for towing IMO, especially an 8800 lb. trailer. And another observation I would make...IMO, is that Hankook tires are 2nd rate. Bought my first set thinking they would be OK...took them off and gave them away. 2nd set came on a new 2017 Explorer; extremely poor tires and one of the reasons I got rid of it at about 9k.

Beyond that - at 8800 lbs. look at a tongue weight of 1056 as was posted. That said, whoever gave you the 800lb rated hitch missed the mark. At 1056 hitch weight you need to go for the 1200lb hitch. With that size of trailer a 1/2 ton will struggle (forget the engine) physically due to its construction which is more "grocery getter" - and I say that having owned 1/2 tons since 1959. I love(d) them but, and I say it with total conviction, they cannot start to compare to a HD truck when towing anything over about 7k.

I know you said it's too late without taking a "bath"...I have done it and so have many others. In your case, with the trailer gvw at 8800, you may have some options that leave you on the edge but OK....

Dump the P tires if that's what you have - go to adequate LTs. Get rid of the 800lb hitch and upgrade. Look at your receiver...what is it rated for? I would add air bags just for the additional stability. Load the trailer as light as you can. Do the same with the truck. Scale the rig when you have it like you think you want it then adjust.

Although it is after the fact it's good you asked and we all want you to be safe and have fun. Good luck to you and fire away with questions/concerns.

[Hurle yuh 081182]

The first thing I would do is to forget (in your mind) the terminology "ecoboost" and "towing capacity"; neither mean anything in the towing world.

Look at the yellow/white stickers inside your driver door - you will find payload, gawr f/r, tire size, recommended inflation etc. I suspect you will find you have P rated tires (passenger); not adequate for towing IMO, especially an 8800 lb. trailer. And another observation I would make...IMO, is that Hankook tires are 2nd rate. Bought my first set thinking they would be OK...took them off and gave them away. 2nd set came on a new 2017 Explorer; extremely poor tires and one of the reasons I got rid of it at about 9k.

Beyond that - at 8800 lbs. look at a tongue weight of 1056 as was posted. That said, whoever gave you the 800lb rated hitch missed the mark. At 1056 hitch weight you need to go for the 1200lb hitch. With that size of trailer a 1/2 ton will struggle (forget the engine) physically due to its construction which is more "grocery getter" - and I say that having owned 1/2 tons since 1959. I love(d) them but, and I say it with total conviction, they cannot start to compare to a HD truck when towing anything over about 7k.

I know you said it's too late without taking a "bath"...I have done it and so have many others. In your case, with the trailer gvw at 8800, you may have some options that leave you on the edge but OK....

Dump the P tires if that's what you have - go to adequate LTs. Get rid of the 800lb hitch and upgrade. Look at your receiver...what is it rated for? I would add air bags just for the additional stability. Load the trailer as light as you can. Do the same with the truck. Scale the rig when you have it like you think you want it then adjust.

Although it is after the fact it's good you asked and we all want you to be safe and have fun. Good luck to you and fire away with questions/concerns.

Not what I want to hear but thanks for being honest. I am looking at just upgrading to a bigger truck route. Rather lose $$$ than something worse happening.

If I stay with the current truck what are good towing tires?

[NH_Bulldog]

Look for an LT (light truck) tire with a load range E rating. They might ride a bit harsh without a load, but they are great for towing. I have had both Firestone Destination A/T (about $225/ea) and Yokohama Geolandar A/T (about $205/ea) and I liked the ride and handling of the Firestones (despite my 1999 Ford Explorer Firestone tire recall fiasco...but that's another story). You can also look into upgrading the stabilizer bars which will help with some of the roll.

[sourdough]

Not what I want to hear but thanks for being honest. I am looking at just upgrading to a bigger truck route. Rather lose $$$ than something worse happening.

If I stay with the current truck what are good towing tires?


I know new folks to towing think that the forum is always saying "you need a bigger truck". That is usually because you do to be safe in your particular situation - that's why everyone asks about all the particulars.

In your case, going to a HD truck would be optimum. You said that wasn't really in the cards as I recall. As I mentioned, countless folks have taken the hit and went with the HD truck due to their situations; me included. It's just a matter of safety and peace of mind.

If you kept the current truck what tires to use? For sure do the items I mentioned then go to LT tires. Good towing tires are a matter of personal preference for folks. I've bought/owned most every brand seems like. Many were bought with things other than towing in mind. If looking at towing and any other aspect (off road) you will have to compromise; a good off road tire is not a good towing tire and vice versa. I've gone thru my period of needing to go "off road" and go into the wilderness with a TV. I now prefer the "all weather/all season" tires with the snow rating. Much nicer than the more aggressive treads and they actually perform admirably.

I have switched to Michelin exclusively. A little more dollars but a LOT more tire compared to the competitors IMO. I run Michelin Defenders on the TV and Michelin Premiers on the SUV. I will say that I had wonderful luck with the Firestone Transforce AT tires that came on my truck as OEM. I had horrific experiences with Firestone around the early 90s and never had another one until they came on this truck - huge, pleasant surprise. Do your reasearch on the tires and the things that are important to you. Look at the load range of the tire; too much carrying capacity is a good thing. Going to a heavier rated tire can give a rough ride, but, you can always air it down to smooth out the ride.

Good luck on the choices you have to make; new TV that can "carry" the trailer without issues (best choice); or, upgrade what you have and think you can "get by" without endangering your family although you may have to "pick and choose" what you load/carry vs just "throwing it all in" (again, been there, done that). Whatever path you choose I wish you the best.

[Fishsizzle]

This is good advise ^^^^^^

I was partial to Maxxis tires. They had decent prices on EBay for an “E” rated trailer tire.

I’m a big Toyo fan. I run them on all my rigs.

[LFord]

First let me say I thought I did my homework but I am not sure I did it correctly. I just bought a 2019 larego 250bh. My truck is a 19 f150 eco 4x4 crewcab with tow package. I havent had anything officially weighted but I think I am just under for towing.
...

They should just make a website that says what your vehicle can tow (weight wise) by VIN number. If they have one let me please.

Well, it's not a website, but goes one better as you can actually call-in, talk to a live, customer support person, give the person the VIN in question, and they can answer all sorts of questions about what was on that truck when it left the factory, INCLUDING the actual manufacturer recommended towing limits! It's called FORD MOTOR CUSTOMER SERVICE, and if you just bought a 2019 Ford F-150, you should have that number.

[Jbrobson1958]

Your truck should be fine for that camper. I towed a 36' passport 3180re trailer all over east of the Rockies with a Silverado 1500 with a 1750 payload and 9600 tow rating. Never had an issue other than once in highwinds. I blame the Reese hitch and cheap sway bar more than the truck. A good hitch makes a big difference. If you use gvwr you should always be good, but keep in mind, some trailers can carry 1200# and others 3000#. Are you really going to add 2000 more pounds just because you can?