Cougar X-Lite 26bhs and Ford F150

[JohnMaddox]

I am considering buying a Cougar XLite 26BHS but have some questions about my TV. According to Cougar's web site the trailer specs are:

Dry Weight: 5956
Capacity: 1844
Hitch:710

I have a Ford F150 Lariat SCREW 4x4 with off road suspension and 5.5 box. The off road package got me the 3.73 axle ratio. I could not get the max tow package (not offered) but I have all the components except the heavy duty bumper and the tow mirrors.

According to the door stickers my truck has these specs:

Front GAWR: 3750
Rear GAWR: 3850
GVWR: 7350
Max Payload: 1473

According to the Ford Tow Guide (using my truck specs) my truck can pull 9300 Max Trailer weight (with a GWCR of 15100). Some numbers don't add up but I did go to a CAT scale and weigh the truck after I filled up. So I had me and a full load of fuel that weighs 6055. I can anticipate putting an extra 350 lbs in passengers and maybe 300 lbs of cargo.

So it looks like the payload would be 7415 so I would have to move some cargo to the trailer. It looks like I have enough tow capacity for the trailer but I would like som other feedback. I will be using a Blue Ox WDH but not sure the hitch weight will really be 710 because if I use 15% of 6500 lbs (loaded trailer estimate weight) I get 975 which really puts me over on the payload. I know I really should fill my truck up with what I want to put in it but that is not doable right now. I can add my wife and one child but not the other two (long story).

Is there anyway that someone could look at this and give me some advice?

I know that I should get the tow mirrors (could not get them from the factory but I can order and dealer will install the factory mirrors. I also will need beefier tires as the factory 'P' tires are on there now.

[GaryWT]

You will here various ways but I tow with a F150, my payload is 1700 and max tow is 8600. My trailer is 6400 dry, 8000 loaded, I never tow with liquids so I probably tow at 7400 or so. I have not had any issues and all has been fine. I know I am tight on the specs but am far better off than many I see motoring on down the highway. I feel comfortable and safe when I tow.

[RGene7001]

Hi, John
I spent countless hours researching this issue and will cut to the chase. State laws are very simple and specific about towing and all they really care about is GVWR of TV, trailer and both. Towing capacity is not defined there and this is a very soft number. You can attach a bass boat to Toyota Camry, a vehicle with ZERO towing capacity and be perfectly legal as long as you are not over GVWR of the Toyota. You can burn transmission in the process but this is only between you and the manufacturer.
What it means for you is that you should not go for Cougar. You can have essentially same floor plan in Passport 2650 BH and hopefully be OK. Its hitch weight is only 540 lb and West Coast version is even better (450 lb)
I have 1201 lb of payload, in reality it is more due to very conservative rating of Mercedes Benz:
6173lb GVWR from the sticker - 4700lb Curb weight from the specs= 1473 lb.
I doubt that Ford will leave any cushion.
See my stickers and weight receipt with 2 adults, 1 child, 1/3 tank of fuel and 1/3 white tank of water.
I hope it will help

[JohnMaddox]

So I am really looking for a way to do this. I did some refiguring and came up with this
7350 GVWR
- 6055 weight of me and truck
- 350 extra passengers
- 710 hitch weight from web site
- 114 weight of blue ox WDH
--------
121 lbs left over

So what I did was leave out the cargo as I figured I would put most everything in the trailer. The big variable still is the actual hitch weight. It might be more than the 710 lbs but that is something I will never know until I actually buy the trailer and load it up. Also in a pinch I can have my DW and some kids drive in her car when we go camping.

RGene7001 was there any reason you only had a third tank of gas. I weighed with a full tank. I know that will make a difference. Not complaining but just wanting to know if there was a reason. As you can tell I am new to the large towing world. My current camper is a coleman popup and probably only weighs about 4000 pounds.

I also do like the passport as well but where we live we have a limited selection if we wanted to buy local.




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[Kettleby_Cruiser]

Hey John,

Looks like you've done some homework, I'm no expert but if your WD hitch is set up optimally and based on the hitch manufacturers specs it should distribute the hitch weight evenly across your truck and trailer axles (check with the dealer that set you up).

Sounds like your truck is more than capable for what you are looking at but again I'm no expert and I'm sure others on this site can provide a more qualified response.

Here is my recent experience:

I have a 2013 Cougar xLite 28RBS (8200 lbs GVW and 32' long) and tow with a 2010 F150 Lariat 5.4L SuperCrew 4x4 with the trailer tow package, 3.55 rear ratio, a GCWR of 15,500lbs, a tow capacity of 9,600lbs

The truck's GVW of 7,200lbs + tailer's GVW of 8,200lbs = 15,400lbs GCW

I'm set up with a 1,200/12,000lbs Eqalizer WD hitch sytem set up by my trailer dealer. The truck has a Hitch Receiver Weight Capacity of 1,130lbs with a WD hitch system.

I kept the truck bed empty with only the min. tools to hook up...all my other tools and cargo were packed in the trailer's rear compartment.

Always travelled with empty gray and black water tanks and had about 5 gal. of water in the front fresh water tank.

I estimated that we had about 1,000lbs of cargo in the trailer so pulling about 7,300lbs (dry trailer wieght is 6,300lbs).

This past July we (DW and 3 kids) just completed a 5 week, 10,800km (6,400 mile) cross country road trip from Kettleby Ontario to Tofino BC and back thru Yellowstone Park WY with no issues towing, up and down serveral mountain passes (6-13% grades), no issues with trailer sway (even on high wind travel days), and no problems maintaining the speed limits on the Trans Canada HWY 1 or the US I90 and I94 across the north and mid-western states...average speed on the flats around 60-65mi/hr (easily @2500rpm...@3000+rpms with a headwind or 1-2% uphill grade).

I upgraded the tires to Michelin M/S2 LT275/65R18 123 Load rating E on 18" rims, and upgraded to the front brakes with HD service rotors and HD pads.

I also purchased a pair of extendable tow mirrors on Amazon.com ($260 US) and swaped the stock chrome mirrors myself (the dealer wanted 2hrs labour)

The family had a very enjoyabe trip and would do it again.

Happy Camping cheers!

Chuck

[RGene7001]

I had 1/3 tank of fuel for absolutely no specific reason, was just driving for a while. Surely, my weight was lower and after adding 100 lb of gas my spare capacity would shrink to 453lb. But it is still a lot for a half ton vehicle.
I can't calculate my hitch weight with load precisely but will try. The weight of the TV WITH ADDED GAS and Passport on the hitch will be 5,720 lb. The weight of the people is 450 lb (my daughter is 6 years old). The curb weight is 4700 (not actual). The result is 570 lb. It is probably too good.
However, weight distribution was engaged and due to reinforced receiver it is extremely effective in my combination; it can send up to 15% of tongue weight back to the trailer axle. It definitely removed the weight of the hitch hardware and some of the tongue weight.
Your spare capacity may actually increase to 200-220 lb with weight distribution, based on your numbers. In addition, I put bulky, but light stuff upfront and attempted to leverage it with heavier items in the back storage. Only one of my propane cylinders was full at that time; it can remove another 10-15 lb.
Since that time I upgraded sleeping surfaces with memory foam and topper, added fishing gear, chairs, screen tent, carpet, all went to front storage. My DW wants more and more different things, more toys for the daughter and I am thinking about inflatable boat and electric motor (another 90-100 lb). If forth person wants to ride with us I am not going to turn him away. You need spare capacity, and more is better. How your tongue weight will react to loading is difficult to predict but I would not use any formulas. If the item goes to the front storage it is all hitch weight, food in the fridge will contribute next to zero.
I would be very uncomfortable with 200 lb of spare gross weight, especially if this weight is calculated, not actually measured. Upgrading tow vehicle will be costly if you are over GVWR. I believe in finding the lightest trailer possible, no compromises. The other models I considered are:
1. Surveyor by Forrest River - lower height due to torsion suspension, good for stability
2. Jay Feather UL/ Jay Flight Swift
3. Shadow Cruiser 260 BH
4. Slingshot by Crossroads

Good luck

[JohnMaddox]

Hey thanks for the info. Some of those trailers were not ones I knew about so I will take a look at them. I also appreciate the info on the WDH. Some of that I knew and some I did not. So much to learn. I did manager to convince the family to make the 150 mile trip to Cincy to look at the passport. My only concern was if my feet hit the wall where the tv is and I can only tell that if I visit it.

I agree about the 200 lbs being tight and also was more concerned after seeing a news story linked from another post in this forum.



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[EcoboostKev]

From what I've read over the years the average family adds around 1200lbs to the trailer when loaded. I personally added 1100lbs to mine when i had it weighed. So realistically your looking at the trailer weighing around 7200lbs when loaded. Now they say you should have 12% of the trailer weight on the tongue so 12% of 7200lbs is 860lbs.

What i suggest you do is load the truck up with the family, full tank of fuel and whatever gear you would bring on a camping trip. Now go hit your local Cat Scale and have it weighed. Take that weight and subtract it from your trucks GVWR(7350lbs).. Now see if you have enough leftover for that 860lbs of tongue weight.
Good luck,

Kevin