Hello from NM New Member

[ttank595]

Hello everyone. New here from Albuquerque, NM. Have a 2014 Ford F150 STX 5.0L V8 SuperCrew with tow package. Our family is still looking for the best Travel Trailer that fits us and for the best price. That is hard to find right now with the low inventory and the rise in prices. Our family is brand new to the RV life. Looking forward to learning everything we can through this forum and really appreciate any help and advice given.

[chuckster57]

Welcome to the forum

Since you don’t have a trailer yet, let’s talk about how big/heavy of a trailer you can safely tow. Since you will most likely exceed the GVWR of the truck before you exceed the “tow rating”, look at the federal sticker in the drivers door.

Go to a scale with everything you’ll have in the truck including people, fuel and gear. Take that weight and subtract it from the GVWR listed. That will give us a good starting point.

“Tow ratings”, and trailer “shipping weights” are marketing ploys, don’t listen to the sales people, they have one goal- a sale and money in their pocket.

[markcee]

Originally Posted by ttank595

Hello everyone. New here from Albuquerque, NM. Have a 2014 Ford F150 STX 5.0L V8 SuperCrew with tow package. Our family is still looking for the best Travel Trailer that fits us and for the best price. That is hard to find right now with the low inventory and the rise in prices. Our family is brand new to the RV life. Looking forward to learning everything we can through this forum and really appreciate any help and advice given.

Welcome to the forum!

If you have not already done so, I suggest spending some time searching for and reading the many 'how much can I tow' threads, to get a handle on the limitations of your particular tow vehicle.

Many of us here (myself included) have purchased much more trailer than our truck could safely handle by not doing our due diligence and basing our decision on the RV salesman's assurance that you have 'plenty of truck'. It's an expensive (and potentially dangerous) mistake to realize after the fact that your truck can't handle the trailer you bought.

Again, welcome and feel free to ask questions. This is a very helpful and knowledgeable group!

[ttank595]

Thanks for the reply and the info. The numbers I am working with for my tow vehicle are a GVWR of 7,350 lbs. and a payload of 1,610 lbs.. Did some research on the towing capabilities. Max Trailer weight for my tow vehicle is 9,300 lbs. and GCWR 15,100 lbs. This is all off of looking at paperwork. I do need to take my tow vehicle to the scales with my family of 5 in it and see what we weigh. I have been researching the weight and payload for a while just need to get some definite numbers. Any places you guys would recommend getting weighed at?

[chuckster57]

Any CAT scale will do. Truck stops have them. As I stated before the max tow rating is about useless, remember the Toyota commercial towing the space shuttle?

[ttank595]

Originally Posted by chuckster57

Any CAT scale will do. Truck stops have them. As I stated before the max tow rating is about useless, remember the Toyota commercial towing the space shuttle?

Ha yeah I remember that commercial. Its all advertising. I have done some research and what I hear a lot is that you want to max at about 80% of your max tow rating which would be a little less that 7,500 lbs. for my tow vehicle. But like you said that max tow rating is useless. I need to get it weighed and go from there.

[flybouy]

Couple of things, that 1610 payload was as it came off the assembly line. It does NOT INCLUDE anything placed into or on the truck afterwards either by you or the dealer. Example, if you added a bedliner, a toolbox & tools, weather type floormats, mud flaps, cell phone charger, or the weight distributing hitch you will need (about 100-120 lbs. It also does not include people, pets,or anything you put in the bed like an icechest, firewood, kids carseats, toys, etc.

I suggest you load up the truck as if you were going camping at weigh it at a Cat scale, catscale.com will have all the info you need. Take the gvw of the truck, subtract the scale weight and subtract 120 lbs for the wdh. Whatever is left is your remaining payload.I suspect the available payload won't end up over 600 or 700 lbs.

As for a trailer IMHO don't bother looking at anything over 25'. If your truck doesn’t have LT tires then 25' would require a very good WDH set up properly to have a manageable rig that won't push the truck around. For a TT use 13% of the trailer gvw as an estimated tongue weight. With 3 children you will be packed to or near gross trailer weight. If you consider a 5,000 lb MAX weight then the tongue weight would be around 650 lbs.

Start with your truck scale weight first and see what you have. Don't let the salesman fook you into thinking you can tow a 30' camper. It will not be a good experience and you have the safety of that precious cargo to consider. Hope this helps.

[ttank595]

Originally Posted by flybouy

Couple of things, that 1610 payload was as it came off the assembly line. It does NOT INCLUDE anything placed into or on the truck afterwards either by you or the dealer. Example, if you added a bedliner, a toolbox & tools, weather type floormats, mud flaps, cell phone charger, or the weight distributing hitch you will need (about 100-120 lbs. It also does not include people, pets,or anything you put in the bed like an icechest, firewood, kids carseats, toys, etc.

I suggest you load up the truck as if you were going camping at weigh it at a Cat scale, catscale.com will have all the info you need. Take the gvw of the truck, subtract the scale weight and subtract 120 lbs for the wdh. Whatever is left is your remaining payload.I suspect the available payload won't end up over 600 or 700 lbs.

As for a trailer IMHO don't bother looking at anything over 25'. If your truck doesn’t have LT tires then 25' would require a very good WDH set up properly to have a manageable rig that won't push the truck around. For a TT use 13% of the trailer gvw as an estimated tongue weight. With 3 children you will be packed to or near gross trailer weight. If you consider a 5,000 lb MAX weight then the tongue weight would be around 650 lbs.

Start with your truck scale weight first and see what you have. Don't let the salesman fook you into thinking you can tow a 30' camper. It will not be a good experience and you have the safety of that precious cargo to consider. Hope this helps.

Thanks for the reply and info.

That is my wife and I's most important thought is safety. I have seen too many videos of TT swaying and rolling over on the Interstate. I have been prepping my tow vehicle with as much as I can before we pick the TT. Had to put an OEM Trailer Brake Control on myself. Talked to the Ford dealership and they wanted to charge me $447.69 for parts and labor. I bought the TBC off of amazon for $180 and a OBD II wire for 18$ and did it myself. Next is tires which I am budgeting about $1,000 for some good LT tires.

I will also be getting a WDH just trying to figure out the best one. I talk to RV Dealers all the time and they tell me to not buy the WDH yet because when we buy our TT through them they will add it on and set it up for us. Don't know if I like that or not. Quotes were around $475-$535.

You really don't realize how much goes into RVing until you start getting into it and trying to do it the right way. I am definitely a Newb and it has been a huge learning experience.

[flybouy]

Find out what that dealer provided hitch is before signing anything. My guess would be some cheap 2 pt sway control that they are marking up $100 or more. I'm guessing if you provide a good 4 point sway control hitch you can negotiate for them to install and set up for free.

[travelin texans]

First off, CONGRATULATIONS for asking 1st, most don't & then are PO'd when informed that they've bitten off more than they had truck for, good for you.
Secondly, don't use any numbers found in brochures or other literature, most of those numbers are extremely light in the real rv world. And absolutely DO NOT believe any numbers your rv dealer spews out, as mentioned already they have 1 goal.....sell you something.
There are 2 sets of real numbers to use, the numbers from those tags you've already posted from YOUR truck & the GVWR from the manufacturers tag on the drivers side front corner of the chosen rv.
Using that rv GVWR x .13 (13%) will give you an real world average tongue weight, subtract that from the payload posted on YOUR truck along with 100+/- lbs for the WDH & the weight of everyone/everything in/on that truck that wasn't added at the factory.
As also mentioned the max tow weight of a truck & the dry weight of RVs are 2 of the most absolutely useless numbers in the rv towing world, pay no attention to either of those & if the rv salesman mentions either of them he knows absolutely nothing about RV towing, just selling.
With your current truck & a family of 5 in that truck & rv you have a very taunting task of finding a rv that will be comfortable for all inside, be able to haul all the necessities for that many folks & still be under the limits of a 1/2 ton truck. Not sure it's possible, maybe a pop-up or small hybrid?
Good luck & keep us posted!

[sourdough]

Good points made by all above....and real world stuff, not words from a truck or RV salesman.

As far as wdh you want one with built in FOUR POINT sway control. Typically they will "throw in" some cheaper 2 point unit that doesn't do weight distribution very well and is more or less cosmetic when it comes to sway control - and with a 1/2 ton truck sway control is paramount as I and many others can attest. I used an Equalizer 4 point which is a very good 4 point hitch and very well liked - highly recommend.

When weighing the truck try to be realistic in what you put in it. Being new that will be hard since you've not done it before but with 3 kids they will want to be occupied so keep that in mind. The cargo capacity and layout (storage/storage compartment) of the RV will provide some relief there but with that many you will also be taking a lot of "stuff" just to equip for the family. You will also need to take some tools. There are some lists on the forum that some have put together so you might search. You want to be prepared for some of the more common issues, ie; flat tire etc. Some of us carry lots of tools, mtce. items etc. but you need to get your feet wet before you delve into that.

The size of your truck will necessitate a smaller trailer so do your homework and look at lots of them or at floorplans online to find something that looks like it will work. I only have 2 kids but we got by just fine in tents, pop ups, slide in campers and a 25' non slide trailer many years ago so I'm sure you can find something that will work.

Get the truck weighed and post back along with any potential trailer specs etc. and let us help you navigate the numbers and find something that will keep you and the family as safe as possible.

[ttank595]

Thanks for the messages and the help.

So I did got to the CAT scale with the family in the truck. I really didnt know what else to put in the truck to see what I would be taking so I just went with what I had in it. A tool set jumper cables pump jack just regular truck stuff.

It came back as my steer axle being 3460 lbs. and my drive axle being 2740 lbs. For a total of 6200 lbs. As I said before and attached the picture that show my truck has a GVWR of 7350. That leaves me 1150lbs. until I max out my GVWR. We as a family of 5 weigh about 520 lbs. so that would show my curb weight at 5680 lbs. right? 6200-520=5680.

Is there a reason some people use 10% for the tongue weight instead of 13%? I have also seen people use 15%. To go with that question how much weight would a four point sway control wdh take off the drive axle if set up correctly?

Thanks again for all the help.

[wiredgeorge]

Originally Posted by ttank595

Thanks for the messages and the help.

So I did got to the CAT scale with the family in the truck. I really didnt know what else to put in the truck to see what I would be taking so I just went with what I had in it. A tool set jumper cables pump jack just regular truck stuff.

It came back as my steer axle being 3460 lbs. and my drive axle being 2740 lbs. For a total of 6200 lbs. As I said before and attached the picture that show my truck has a GVWR of 7350. That leaves me 1150lbs. until I max out my GVWR. We as a family of 5 weigh about 520 lbs. so that would show my curb weight at 5680 lbs. right? 6200-520=5680.

Is there a reason some people use 10% for the tongue weight instead of 13%? I have also seen people use 15%. To go with that question how much weight would a four point sway control wdh take off the drive axle if set up correctly?

Thanks again for all the help.

13 Percent is kind of a rough tongue weight for bumper pulls and can be affected by load a point or two either way. Usually use the gross weight of the trailer as a starting point because with five folks it is likely to load close to that with a smaller trailer. Even with a 5000 lb (gross) camper you are close to maxing your payload capacity. Not a great time to buy a vehicle but you might keep an eye out so that you aren't as tightly constrained by payload capability. I bought a 2006 F350 for $7K a couple years ago; put some money into it to make it reliable and can tow most anything I want within reason as I have a 4000 lb payload. At one time I had a 2013 F150 with the V6 and car tires and it wasn't happy towing a motorcycle trailer with a 500 bike on back. At least the 5.0 is a bit more serious motor! Good luck. Heck, ain't we good at spending other folks money?

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by ttank595

Thanks for the messages and the help.

So I did got to the CAT scale with the family in the truck. I really didnt know what else to put in the truck to see what I would be taking so I just went with what I had in it. A tool set jumper cables pump jack just regular truck stuff.

It came back as my steer axle being 3460 lbs. and my drive axle being 2740 lbs. For a total of 6200 lbs. As I said before and attached the picture that show my truck has a GVWR of 7350. That leaves me 1150lbs. until I max out my GVWR. We as a family of 5 weigh about 520 lbs. so that would show my curb weight at 5680 lbs. right? 6200-520=5680.

Is there a reason some people use 10% for the tongue weight instead of 13%? I have also seen people use 15%. To go with that question how much weight would a four point sway control wdh take off the drive axle if set up correctly?

Thanks again for all the help.

Good for hitting the scale. Don't worry about "curb" weight as it won't mean anything when you are trying to travel and tow a trailer. That 1150 means a lot....and mostly not good depending on what you are trying to get - and from that weight I can tell the little ones are LITTLE ones and they will only grow and weigh more.

Differences in tongue weight comes from different trailer layouts, loading etc. 10% would be the bare minimum you need to keep your trailer from becoming squirrely due to too little tongue weight. Most trailer designs will keep you above that so 13% is a good number when trying to approximate safely.

The items you listed as in your truck will grow...I figure quite a bit with little ones BUT depending on your type of camping, expectations, your and the kids "needs", you can sort of minimize that. When my son was young if I gave him a shovel to help dig a firepit he was happy. Tools are something you will want to mull through as you figure out how/where you will want to camp.

A "good" wdh/sway will add at least 100lbs, figure 120, and come straight off the available payload left. It hurts but with a 1/2 ton is absolutely required IMO.

[spicercars]

Welcome from northern MN.

[DaveDasher]

Welcome! From Tampa, FL.

[ttank595]

Thanks for all the info. I appreciate all the help. Look forward to learning more and hope to see you guys out at the camp site in the near future.

[Bill-2020]

Originally Posted by ttank595

Thanks for all the info. I appreciate all the help. Look forward to learning more and hope to see you guys out at the camp site in the near future.

Hello fellow Albuquerquean! I’m in Florida now, but ABQ is home, always will be. Good information here. Enjoy reading up.

Bill

[dalamarjj78]

My family has a 2014 F150 LTX 5L V8 with short bed and we're one of the ones that unfortunately found out our truck isn't enough to tow our TT adequately. Our truck has a payload of 1745lbs, 3.31 rear axle ratio, and a wheelbase of 145".

We also updated the tires to Michelin Total Performance Defender LTX M/S tires. They've turned out to be really solid (but expensive) tires.

Our dealer threw in a cheap 2 point sway control WDH that required you to manually adjust the sway control. It was a piece of crap. It didn't help that they didn't set it up correctly, either.

We ended up upgrading our hitch to an Equalizer 4 point sway control hitch and it's MUCH better. But it still didn't completely solve our sway issues any time we're on a four lane highway above about 45mph.

Granted, it did much better with our first trailer that was 24 feet but once we upgraded to our current 32 ft trailer, despite our weights being good, it got much worse. Anything over about 45mph and the trailer starts wagging the back of the truck from side to side; it's pretty scary, especially when it's windy.

After asking lots of questions in this forum I finally made the decision that we need to upgrade our truck. So I recently placed an order on a 2022 F350 which should leave us plenty of room in the future to upgrade to a 5th wheel if we want.

That being said, if you stick with a smaller trailer it may pull it just fine. We didn't do the proper amount of research before buying our truck and it's now turned into a very expensive mistake.

Good luck!

[Dave fromRockcliffeTheSea]

Welcome new member. If you are doing a lot of trailering you want the heaviest truck you can get rather than just meeting the limits. If you are only tripping occasionally and use the truck everyday in between then keeping the 1/2 ton is certainly the way to go both economically and comfort wise. You just have to live with the smaller trailer and slower speeds. I got my first 5th wheel last year and love the way they tow compared to a tag along. I will never go back. I have a 6.5' box and can do 90 degree turns which is handy getting into sites or tucking it away at home. Plus the mileage and comfort levels are a lot better than a one ton dually as I use it every day as the DW gets the Subaru and the Beatle.