Brand new to the world of RV'ing

[Road Dog]

Hello, everyone! I have been checking in with the forums for a couple of weeks now because my wife and I are looking to purchase a new Rockwood 2715VS. We do not have any experience with camping but I have lots of experience on sailboats. I also have experience with driving straight trucks and long trailers so I am confident that I can learn the nuances of pulling a TT. [fingers crossed]

We are very interested in getting out there along with our dog to spend some quality time together but before we actually commit to buying it, I wanted to ask the brain-trust of this forum about our set-up. We have a 2015 Ford Expedition Limited with the 3.5L EcoBoost V6, 6-speed automatic 4x2 with the heavy duty tow package and 3.15 axle, with a max. trailer weight of 9,200#. The TT manufacturer's "published" dry weight is 6,504#. The dealer we have been speaking with sold a similar unit to what we are looking at and the actual weight ticket for that one was 6,361#. So I feel fairly confident that the actual weight will be close to published one.

So the two questions I have for you are; do you think my vehicle will handle this TT okay? And if so, what weight distributing hitch would you buy?

Thanking you in advance for any assistance you are able to pass on.

[aceinspp]

Welcome to the forum. Lots of knowledgeable folks here to help with your questions. Later RJD

[Bobbyj]

Go to Equalizerhitch.com and buy the equal-i-zer hitch. 10,000# min larger if you don't mind the extra $. Follow the specs on their website. Do not rely on the dealer to tell you what you need. Go to a truck service garage to get the proper torque on the ball, the dealer may not even have a 400 ft. lb. torque wrench or even a 250# needed for the bolts. Just ask them. Do it yourself, except for the final torquing of the ball and bolts. Good luck. P.S. My TT was the same weight as yours. You will be fine with this set-up.

[geeman53]

Welcome from SW Ohio , good luck in in your search !

[Ford Idaho]

Good morning and welcome to the forums from SW Idaho.

[Wiscampsin]

Welcome from Wisconsin.

[Steeljag]

Welcome!

Do you know what the CCC of the Ford is? It will be located on a sticker on the drivers door frame. Having / knowing that weight will help with total numbers.

Good luck!

[acadianbob]

I think you are focusing on the wrong specification. You will likely be more limited by your payload capacity than the overall trailer weight. Out of your payload comes: You, your significant other, the dog, cargo in the back of the expedition, kids?, trailer tongue weight. Dry tongue weight is just the starting point on the trailer. It does not include propane, batteries, what you load in the trailer. Do you put fresh water in thank before leaving home? That kind of stuff.

Your Expy should have a yellow sticker on the door jam listing your payload capacity. Your trailer should have a similar sticker with its weight as it left the factory.

Do some calculations and see where you end up.

[Road Dog]

Looking at the "Tire and Loading Information" sticker on the door that has some yellow on it (attached), the combined weight of occupants, and cargo is a maximum of 1407#. The TT has not come in yet so I don't have the specific dry weight for it yet but as stated above, for now, I am using the published weights.

Published dry hitch weight is 858# and I figure my passenger weight, (wife, dog, misc. and me) will be 475# so a total of 1,333# (858+475=1333). So does this mean I only have 74# available for other things like batteries and propane, etc.? If so, this is too close to the max for me.

What about the weight distributing hitch, doesn't that increase my hitch weight capacity?

The Ford spec sheet reads that the GCWR with HD Trailer Tow Package is 9,200#. Sticker reads that the Rear GAWR is 4,250# and GVWR is 7,260#.

Thanks.

[Teamfour]

TT dry weight is 6504? Add 1000 to that when loaded. Now calculate the tongue weight which ideally is 12.5 percent of the TT weight. 7504 TT weight yields a TW of 937. So 937 plus 475 PLUS the weight of the hitch or about 100 lbs is 1512, or 105 lbs over your payload. A good WDH will move some TW weight back to the TT, but it is still to close for my comfort.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by Road Dog

Published dry hitch weight is 858# and I figure my passenger weight, (wife, dog, misc. and me) will be 475# so a total of 1,333# (858+475=1333). So does this mean I only have 74# available for other things like batteries and propane, etc.? If so, this is too close to the max for me.

You didn't factor the 100lbs for the WDH, which goes against your payload amount.
So that means you are already over before you even start adding battery, water and cargo.

[Road Dog]

Thank you ALL very much for the help. Now do I get a new truck or a smaller TT...

[bikendan]

I would first see if you can find another TT that will work for you.

[Kentuckian]

Welcome from Savannah Ga. My wife and I just purchased a Rockwood 2715VS love it. I pull it with a F150 5.0 with a tow package. I get 9.5 to 10.5 mpg at 65 mph.

[Kentuckian]

GVWR 7100
GAWR FRONT 3450
GAWR REAR 3850
CGVWR Cargo and passengers 1588

[BamaBob]

Welcome to the Forums from Huntsville, AL!

[Teamfour]

Originally Posted by Road Dog

Thank you ALL very much for the help. Now do I get a new truck or a smaller TT...

More truck. I'm all about more Teddy Brosevelt.

[Road Dog]

Thanks for the info Kentuckian! But now I am still confused. I have higher weight levels with my Expedition than you do except for the cargo level, which is about 181 pounds lighter than yours. Are you able to pull it okay with the F150?