Tongue weight concerns

[Mark S]

I am in the very early stages of thinking of an upgrade of my Work and Play 18 EC toy hauler, which my F150 Supercab Ecoboost handles with ease, to something like a Hyperlite 27.

The trailer weights are very close and not a concern. My concern is the tongue weights. The Work and Play tongue weight (dry) is 912 and the Hyperlite is 992. The F150 (NON max tow package) maximum hitch weight is 1,130. I know the real weight will be higher. With a good WDH, how close can I safely come the the maximum?

The other concern is the extra length. The overall length will be about 6 feet longer. Will this make a noticeable difference in towing and the amount of sway?

I am happy with my the way my current truck and camper handle after about 18,000 tow miles through all kinds of conditions and terrain. Do you think I can comfortably tow this longer and tongue heavier trailer or should I go back to just being happy with what I have for right now?

As always, thanks for the guidance.

[avolnek]

You're going to get answers all across the board here! From what I see the specs (correct me if I am wrong) the tongue weight from the factory is 876 LBS with a dry weight of 5,578 lbs. Notice the tongue weight is significantly over that common 10% tongue weight, this is so when you load the garage up you don't get so light on the tongue that it pulls like crap... All of this said once loaded you will be every bit of that 1,130 payload you referred to originally.

Will it pull it safely? Yes I'm sure it would with some extra equipment IE air bags, wdh and 10 ply tires on the truck I would have to think you would be fine.

Is it right? No not really... If you have you're entire payload in just the tongue weight of the camper that leaves no extra space from gear in the truck and or passengers.

I also am not a fan of having a 30' camper behind a half ton truck. The weight of the camper is pretty minimal when it comes to that kind of length as a gust of wind from mother nature or the passing 18 wheeler is going to play havoc.

To give you an idea of what trucks weigh, my buddies ecoboost scaled at 5200 lbs while my 2006 cummins scaled at 7200 lbs. Both were dry (full of fuel no tools or passengers)

The extra weight of the truck with a camper of that length is to help command the trailer rather than the trailer command the truck in the time of need... just my opinion.

[DDC]

Look into 'P 3' ProPride or a Hensley hitch.

[avolnek]

Originally Posted by DDC

Look into 'P 3' ProPride or a Hensley hitch.

Although this would potentially help with the towing/handling of the trailer it doesn't help with his tongue weight and payload issue at all... I don't feel that towing/handling would necessarily be an issue.

I still stand by my statement of wanting the added weight of a heavier truck in front of a trailer being that long as the trailer is GOING to catch a lot of wind... If you have a stiff cross wind regardless of the hensley or typical wdh the camper WILL push the truck around...

To be quite honest I see value in the P3 and the Hensley but I don't see the $2500 value... A good weight distribution hitch set up properly and a properly equipped truck will create just as stable of a rig as either of these hitches will/do provide...

[Geofish]

Mark

Be very careful, the tongue weights in the literature are not always correct.
The weight will changed if you are empty or loaded, see the Equal-I-zer hitch manual available on line for a great explanation of the things effecting tongue weight on a toy hauler.

This is my experience that I posted on this site under general toy hauler topics.

I have owned several TT & a FW and I wanted to share some information.
I Just purchased a Work and Play 275ULSBS.
The Work and Play brochure says Ultra ½ Ton Towable.

I have a F150 with a tow capacity of 11,300 LBS. with a maximum hitch weight of 1150 LBS.

I checked the specs and the brochure lists a base weight for the 275 of 7843 LBS. and a hitch weight of 1129 LBS.
Since I ordered some options, I knew this would change these specs. I have an on board generator mounted in the front of the camper. I also order an on board fuel station located behind the axels. I also ordered the queen bed in the cargo area. I thought these weights would balance out some and keep my hitch weight done close to the 1150 I needed.
If not I thought I could add a little weight in the cargo area to balance the load. The sticker on my 275 lists an unloaded weight real close to the 7843. I was surprised by that since the generator adds 180 LBS and the other options must add some weight. Any way we adjusted the hitch at the dealers lot and I pulled the TH home.

When I got home I weighed the tongue weight at the electric jack foot using a Sherline scale, the weight was 1450LBS!
I know the 1129 listed hitch weight is dry and I have two 30 LB. propane tanks up front. I also have two batteries up front and this will increase the tongue weight.
But I didn’t expect 1450 LBS.
So I pulled my ATV into the TH, added 650 LBS. to the back and my tongue weight dropped to 1300 LBS.
So I added 240 LBS of water in the back cargo area and the weight dropped to 1250 LBS.
So I added an additional 160 LBS to the back and the weight dropped to 1150 LBS.
I know the weight at the jack foot will be a little higher than at the ball, but this is easier to measure and close enough for my purposes.
Now when I add weight to the front storage area this TW will go back up.
My point to all of this is the Sherline scale at about $140.00 is a must have item for anyone with a TT or TH.
(I do not work for Sherline and I am not in the RV industry, I am a long time RV owner.)
My other point is someone could get into trouble believing the manufactures claimed hitch weight.

I do not want to always have 1050 LBS in the back of my TH and I like having more truck than I need, so I will be buying a F350.

GeoFish
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[Chuckinca]

Originally Posted by Geofish

Mark



I have a F150 with a tow capacity of 11,300 LBS. with a maximum hitch weight of 1150 LBS.

It must be fun pulling 11,300 lb TT with a 5,000 Lb pickup!


.

[Geofish]

No, since my TH exceeds my max TW, I am going to have to buy a 1 ton truck.

[Mark S]

Thanks for all the input. As a result of all your informed comments, I've decided that I am, once again, happy with my current camper setup, for now at least. With all the money you saved me, I will be happy to buy you the beverage of your choice when we pass each other on the camping road.