I'm submitting to the weight police!

[CWSWine]

Originally Posted by asquared

The ecoboosts you see are HD with max tow and rated much higher than your truck. Many of them are still running over payload but owners have chosen to do so.

As shown above you are overweight. It is up to you if you want yo upgrade and be within weight or not. We can only answer based on the data provided. Personally, I have towed overweight and based on the experience I had in the mountains of NC and,VA, I will never tow overweight again. I am the wife and I drive our rig 98% of the time. I would not let my DH drive with the weights you show but again, that is me not you.

X2!

[aggieroadracer]

Originally Posted by CWSWine

X2!

I see folks trailer RV's and racecar trailers with the ecoboosts all the time with 10000# on the back and go on and on how they do "ok" when in reality the trailer is nearly twice the weight of the truck and that is a recipe for disaster both in control and longevity of the drivetrain nor can they maintain any sort of speed on even the slightest hill.

I have towed trailers large and small with trucks ranging from V8 Dakotas to 1 tons with diesels and I can tell you without a doubt, go bigger whenever possible. Just because the numbers say it can be done, doesn't mean it should. Driver fatigue, emergency stops or maneuvers, drive train wear, engine and trans temps, tire and wheel bearing temps ALL figure into pushing a bad situation for trying to save a few bucks or "just get by". Headaches just aren't worth it.

Throw an F250 in front of that thing and you never needed to type this question. If the bigger truck is available or the financial means are there, upgrade and move on without a doubt and enjoy the trip without worry.

[B and B]

From a Former Ecoboost owner

If you get the HD version with 8 ft Box, extra lug axle and larger tires it can to out at 2400 lbs CCC.
These trucks are scarce and only available in prior 2015 years. They are not selling them yet in the new body style.

I towed a Trailer Travler 1000 pin weight 9000 VWR with EcoBoost with HD Tow and CCC package. The yellow CCC was 1900 lbs.
We upgraded to a Fifth Wheel whose pin weight was 1900 lbs loaded ready to go. You do the math, I was over significantly. In non mountain towing It goes quite well and if you run the trailer brakes at high effort and higher than normal setting stops just fine. i was able to upgrade to real TV with minimal cost $7500 to be exact due to the surge of people wanting tricked out F 150's and a mis ordered super duty sitting on a dealers lot for 9 months.

It will move and will it stop your trailer, is it safe (totally your call). I believe by the information many have provided you can make a informed decision that meets your needs.
Adding in a inexperienced driver I would think this would factor into this.

[GSlone]

I bought a Wolfpac 28WP with a dry weight of 7,700 lbs and I have almost the same truck as you and I can tell you it is not enough truck. I bought this toy hauler to take my bike with me and there is no way I could put a big Harley in the back and feel safe. My last several trips out if I encounter any steep grades the transmission is slipping trying to get up the hill. Bigger is always better.

[thebrakeman]

Not enough info in the OP, and I'm feeling too lazy to see it came in a later post. But if the F150 is going to be used, the WDH is not set up correctly.
Front "Steer" weight:
Truck only = 3500
With trailer, no WDH = 3060
With trailer, with WDH = 3320

That 3320 should be as close to 3500 as possible (back to stock front loading). You need to transfer a LOT more weight, which will also help remove some weight from the rear axle, helping with some cushion to the rear GAWR.

[walk_the_walk]

My next door neighbor's sister and his brother-in-law both perished trying to use a smaller truck to pull a larger travel trailer, one that exceeded the ratings of the truck. If I recall the story correctly, they were going down a large hill on a paved road and the trailer started swaying back and forth and this caused them to lose control and crash. Both of them died. This is a 100% true story.

If you were to ask him about it, he would definitely urge you to go with a bigger truck, and have a margin of safety.

[kellymc58]

The gvw only apply to the truck so with tongue weight and all the stuff in the truck including people can not exceed the gvw. I have towed a 6500 lb trailer with a f150 for years and have have no problems at the weight scales

[kc5mhb]

Personally I'd opt for the bigger truck. It's a much safer vehicle to tow with as most come with 10 ply truck tires designed for towing and not those weak sidewall street tires. Another thing is the axle(s) and brakes are larger and can handle more heat and stress. My F250 has an oil and transmission cooler which most F150 vehicles need to have a towing package of some sort added to be comparable. You can never go wrong having too much truck.

[kellymc58]

My bad my f150 did have tow package and 10ply tires I now have an f250 which does tow better

[Steveboe]

It's not hard to see the advantage of a heavier truck for safety and durability. The 150 must be newer?

[Hclarkx]

sgt, you asked about a 5er. There are a lot of pros and cons but having the hitch over the axle adds hugely to handling, especially if you are talking over 20-24'. Height and therefore wind-load is maybe the biggest downside, especially if your are 6' plus and want to stand upright in the bedroom. I.e., you will lose mpg with most 5ers. Mostly I wanted to mention that there are quite a few "ulta-light" 5ers available now. Mine is 32' (outside) and 7700 lbs dry and max 9000 lbs loaded. My particular one is "designed to be towed by a 150/1500 truck" but after looking for a 150/1500 to do so I found only maxed-out ones would do it and without much margin. Instead I went with a non-maxed-out 250/2500 and always have 500# or more of margin in the payload department. And I'm 4000# below my tow rating (this is a gas 250/2500). My Ultra-light has just 1200# on the hitch dry and maybe #1300 loaded (I pushed mine up closer to #1400 by moving stuff forward, spare tire from the back bumper to under the bed, etc because only 15% of the weight on the hitch is less than generally recommended for a 5er). Most ultralights are #1300 or #1400.

If you go this route, check hitch height vs 5er hitch adjustment range. Mine sat way to high at the front due to the higher bed of the 250/2500 truck so I had to add 3" spacers where the axles mount to get the trailer more-or-less level.

Didn't mean to high jack the thread; the OP asked about a 5er in his future. My bottom line is maybe but you will still want a 250/2500 truck unless the 5er is 20-24 feet or less and not a heavy one.

The OP also asked about a generator. The very expensive Honda 2000 is worth its price (twice that of similar cheaper ones) but is only 1600 VA (less than 1600W if the load includes motors) continuous and won't run some A/C units. Quiet, easy starting, easy to maintain, and at 46# about as light is you are going to find at that power rating. You can buy a "companion" that interconnects and doubles the power handling. Also has a battery charger built-in (unregulated).

[Blackrock]

Originally Posted by walk_the_walk

My next door neighbor's sister and his brother-in-law both perished trying to use a smaller truck to pull a larger travel trailer, one that exceeded the ratings of the truck. If I recall the story correctly, they were going down a large hill on a paved road and the trailer started swaying back and forth and this caused them to lose control and crash. Both of them died. This is a 100% true story.

If you were to ask him about it, he would definitely urge you to go with a bigger truck, and have a margin of safety.

I have two friends, one had a Nissan Xterra and the other a smaller Toyota truck who had fairly large trailers who walked away with their lives when their trailers whipped and flipped.

[nrkmann]

You are close and that is OK.

Truck
7200 lbs total...
3750 lbs front axle... 3320/3060 lbs
3850 lbs rear axle... 3640/4000 lbs... the 4000 is over

Trailer
10500 lbs max wt... 6140 lbs
1050 lbs hitch weight

Tires are rated at 2535lbs each so you have some safety margin built into them.

Now the question is what are the weights with the four passengers + gear and where is that weight distributed? I suspect the truck will be overloaded but not by much. What can you put in the trailer over the axels to bring the truck weight down? You have lots of margin on the trailer but don't put more weight in the basement, try for near the axles.

p.s. Why are you hooked up to tow with the TV antenna up? That should be part of your pre-tow checklist. Before we move an inch we have two to four walk arounds and interior checks. My wife and I always see things that the other missed. It just make you safer, the trip easier, and cheaper.

[Hclarkx]

Originally Posted by nrkmann

p.s. Why are you hooked up to tow with the TV antenna up? That should be part of your pre-tow checklist. Before we move an inch we have two to four walk arounds and interior checks. My wife and I always see things that the other missed. It just make you safer, the trip easier, and cheaper.

I can't agree more on the walk-arounds. Wife is more likely to catch something missed (by me) so she does the last extra walk around. But, she won't kick the tires ... I have to do that ... and do so at every stop as well.

[Hclarkx]

Originally Posted by nrkmann

..............Now the question is what are the weights with the four passengers + gear and where is that weight distributed? I suspect the truck will be overloaded but not by much. What can you put in the trailer over the axels to bring the truck weight down? You have lots of margin on the trailer but don't put more weight in the basement, try for near the axles..............

I can't argue with your assessment, but I have to wonder how manufacturer's set their truck's limits. By testing to failure? By driving in windy conditions? We've all seen trailers moving around more than we would want to experience. I don't think the prudent RV'er can have too much margin. My inclination is to suggest 25% ... i.e., stay below 75% of any and all ratings.

[nrkmann]

The manufacturers ratings are such that they will not be sued. I would guess that the test to failure rate is 200% to 300% of published capacity. I have done many short hauls at 150-175% of rated hauling capacity. But I have overload springs and shocks with 3X stock piston size to hold the load and stability.

My TT loaded and truck loaded is right at the max published ratings and I have not problems. With 50K on the clock, 15K towing, it just hums along. TT tires are only rated to 50mph so I am not going fast either.

[mas10r]

I have a 2013 F150,V6 eco boost and the same integrated trailer brake and the same rear end-3:55. This rear end will tow 9300 lbs as equipped and your trailer is 7200 dry? My 5th wheel is 6800 dry and I don't have any problem pulling it. I have added air bags to the truck and works great. Water weighs 8 lbs per gallon, so ease up on filling it up. Clothes and other stuff shouldn't put you anywhere near overweight.

[crookedread]

All of this assumes that the numbers were accurate. I found that the weight of the trailer was heavier than stated. Accessories were not added and even accounting for them the trailer was heavier. Items people take usually add up to more than they think. I suggest that you load everything including water and gas and proceed to the nearest scale. Weigh front axle, rear axle, trailer axles and then weight one side of the trailer axles. This will give you accurate loads. The last weight is to make sure you are not over loading one side of the trailer. And I suggest a very good hitch with bars and an anti sway device. Drives awesome at maximum weights. Tundra pulling 2312 Stealth with 2 four wheel drive quads inside. If I take two people in the truck, Truck is overweight so I am very close to max.

[kc5mhb]

Originally Posted by Hclarkx

My inclination is to suggest 25% ... i.e., stay below 75% of any and all ratings.

My thoughts exactly. You never want to be at 100%. As a rule of thumb, I use 70% as my maximum, that way you have wiggle room and you are not pushing your truck to the limit or beyond. My trailer weighs 6230 dry with a max of 7868 pounds. At best I might add 300 pounds with food, clothing and propane to the 6230 which brings me to about 6500. My tow rating is 10,000 pounds with a GCWR of 20,000. Even with my golf cart in the bed of my truck, I'll never get close to the GCWR fully loaded with 6 occupants and a full tank of gas.

[jughrad]

Originally Posted by thebrakeman

Not enough info in the OP, and I'm feeling too lazy to see it came in a later post. But if the F150 is going to be used, the WDH is not set up correctly.
Front "Steer" weight:
Truck only = 3500
With trailer, no WDH = 3060
With trailer, with WDH = 3320

That 3320 should be as close to 3500 as possible (back to stock front loading). You need to transfer a LOT more weight, which will also help remove some weight from the rear axle, helping with some cushion to the rear GAWR.

I agree. Shift another 250lbs back to the trailer. If it is an EAZ Lift it could be as easy as one more chain link. You might need to tilt the ball forward/down to keep the bars even. I think it would be a reasonable tow for periodic travel.

Since my vehicle is a daily driver and I only use it as a TV getting to and from CG, I prefer a 1/2 ton with gas 6.2L. It is a softer ride for daily commute and maintenance is much less than diesel. TT averages 6700 with 10 gallons fresh water, wood and gear and I don't sag more than a half inch. With the 6.2L I don't break 3500 RPM at 8% and tranny stays below 180F. My point here is that a half ton with big engine or high gear ratio is capable for periodic tows for a 7000lb/30ft trailer but it won't last long if you intend to tow cross country.