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I have never been Rv'ing and haven't towed anything since my Navy days almost 30 years ago. I plan on going to the Ozarks so will be driving on narrow, winding roads with elevation.
I have a F150 V6 Ecoboost and Ford specs say I can tow 12k lbs. Realistically, what is the max weight trailer I should buy? Should I focus more on length? I was thinking a minimum 24', but they seem so small, but figure smaller is easier to tow. Dumb question, but can I load the bed of the truck and do I include this weight in my tow capability? All in all, how difficult is it to tow? I am incredibly nervous about it, and not so much about interstate, but navigating to gas stations, around towns etc.
I've read through some of the threads and see that length can be an issue when parking in state or national parks. I don't think I'll be doing much rv'ing, it's mostly to move my pets and if I need to stay in it a month or two. I haven't done any serious shopping, kinda waiting for the year to roll over and maybe shave the price down a bit. One poster mentioned to not buy tires over 7 y/o. How much for a set of tires, give or take?
Any other tips for when I shop in person? I know to ask about roof leaking and check the seals, I want a self-contained unit, and then the tires.
Anybody reading this live in Brevard county and would like to teach me how to drive it? I would be willing to pay you for your time. Any ideas about how to learn, other than just practicing in the Walmart parking lot? I thought about calling a tow truck or shipping company and see if a driver would be interested? Yes, no?
You would probably be best off by keeping your trailer to below 6000lbs loaded. Don't go by the spec sheets, how your individual truck is optioned out will determine how much weight you can pull safely. And don't go by the dry weight of the trailer, no one tows an empty trailer.
That 12k based on a single cab 2x4 pickup with the max towing package with basic options (probably an XL trim option). If you have a double cab, 4x4 with high end options, you'll find that your capacity will be greatly reduced.
You need to check out the yellow tag on the driver's door sill. It will list your max payload capacity. That is a number you cannot exceed for loading your truck. Your ccc (cargo carrying capacity) will also be determined by the options on your truck. The CCC includes all your passengers except the driver, any gear in the back of the truck, the tongue weight of your trailer and weight of the hitch. For instance say your ccc is 1700lbs. So if you have a family of four (average 150 lbs per person) a golden retriever (80 lbs), a 2000 watt portable generator (50 lbs), and a big ice chest (30 lbs), you will have a total of 610lbs. That leaves 1090 for the trailer and hitch (80 lbs average). A 6000lb trailer will have a tongue weight of about 700-900 lbs, leaving you with 100-300 of your ccc left over.. So your within your ccc!
Now if you go with an 8000lb trailer (still within the total weight supposedly able to tow), you'll have a tongue weight of 800-1200 lbs. That 1200 lbs will put you over. I do have a friend who has a max tow package on his 150 and his ccc is 2200lbs, so he could tow it if need be.
Now as to length, generally speaking, you don't need to worry about length as long as you are smart about it. For instance, the difference in towing a 22' and a 26' trailer is negligible. However, a 150 truck is not a very heavy truck and as you get into the longer trailers, sidewinds will make a situation of the tail wagging the dog, your long trailer is a giant sail behind your truck and can cause large amounts of sway with light trucks.
If you want my opinion, stick with something below 6500lbs and shorter than 26'
One last thing, rv salesmen are there to sell units, not to see if you can tow safely, so they will tell you that your truck can tow anything on their lot. DON'T BELIEVE THEM.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Quote:
Originally Posted by johninvegas
You would probably be best off by keeping your trailer to below 6000lbs loaded. Don't go by the spec sheets, how your individual truck is optioned out will determine how much weight you can pull safely. And don't go by the dry weight of the trailer, no one tows an empty trailer.
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If you want my opinion, stick with something below 6500lbs and shorter than 26'
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agree ^^^
An F-150 is a pretty light truck, so be nice to it... never overload / expect too much from it, keep it COOL and well maintained. (I prefer 4x4 with a low range transfer case for parking / manuevering)
Have excellent brakes and a load leveling / stabilizer hitch if bumper pull (if not 5r)
Consider taking an Escapees 'RV Boot Camp' , they are very thorough and excellent for training (much better than a commercial driver will provide, and more applicable to your rig). https://www.escapees.com/knowledge/discussion-forum
I have a 93 Nissan pickup - 4 cylinder rear wheel drive. Tiny thing. I towed a small U-haul trailer and loaded the back of the truck when I moved in May.
It handles so much better than I ever anticipated. I'm not sure if trailers have improved or what, but my memory of hauling trailers way back in the 1970s was awful, whereas hauling the trailer mentioned above this last May was a breeze.
I suggest getting your hitch and electrical hookups sorted out, and then go rent a trailer and try it out. Try a couple different sizes, even.
But, I was amazed at how well a trailer just follows behind me, including turns, etc., even with my tiny pickup. So, it might not be as daunting as you might think.
I made sure I never had to do any backing up, but I honestly forgot the trailer was back there, it followed the truck, including turning, that nicely.
John,
Thank you so much for breaking it down for me! That is exactly what I needed. It was hard to parse what I could do when everyone has a different truck and trailer combo. FWIW, it is a crew cab, 5.5' bed, platinum trim. I just went a took a pic for you
Rabbit,
I saw you mention the boot camp on a recent thread (after I made my post) and will be looking into that, thank you.
NMSFM,
I wish I could just do a U-haul type! A friend also mentioned making the salesman come with me on test drives. Thank you for chiming in.
John,
Thank you so much for breaking it down for me! That is exactly what I needed. It was hard to parse what I could do when everyone has a different truck and trailer combo. FWIW, it is a crew cab, 5.5' bed, platinum trim. I just went a took a pic for you
Wow! That's really a low weight available. I've heard the platinum trim package really eats up the weight. With that, you'll probably be limited to a small trailer--22 or 24 foot. You might want to look at the Riverside retros or the R-Pods. They are pretty light. If you have kids, it's going to be tough to find a trailer that will be comfortable with all of you in it for any length of time. Of course, if you just spend your sleeping time inside, it could work well.
Ok, I'm embarrassed that I never really looked at that sticker, and what I found online (12k) vs 7200 is an eye-opener, for sure. And it really limits what I have sort of intended it for (maybe living in it for a few months). No kids, just me and the fur babies. And my espresso machine. Everything else can go into storage
If you are so inclined, will you comment on the following?
It does not state length, but (smirk) says "1/2 ton towable". Says GVWR of 7600 but dry weight 5400. So, does this mean that the trailer weighs 5400 lbs without my stuff in it? TIA for response.
Thank you so much! I used to live near the crossroads of I-77 and I-81 (WV and VA) and it was very common to see totally demolished travel trailers in the medians where folks coming down the mountain wiped out. I am in fear of doing this to my beloved pets.
Some trailers are much lighter than others. You don't need to go long go with slide outs. They make a trailer feel much larger. We have a 25 with slides and it's cramped with 4 but fine with 2 and big with just me.
Weight distribution hitch and keep your speeds down. Practive backing into a parking spot.
Big enough is in the eye of the beholder. You don't say how big your critters are. The chihuahua that we used to have weighed all of 4#. We had a 17' Casita that served us well traveling over many of the western states plus a visit to the east coast. We then moved back east and stayed in it while shopping for a condo to buy.
Manufacturers all have web sites with data like weight, length, height, etc. Dry weight means no propane, water, pots and pans, clothes, food or waste water.
Fiberglass trailer do not have the rubber roof problem. I suggest a look at the Escape line.
A transmission cooler is very much cheaper than a transmission rebuild. A topper on your pickup will give you secure storage. You can cover the contents with a bed sheet to shield it from prying eyes.
There are parking lots in IHB where you can practice maneuvers.
So, the big problem you have to deal with is your minimal weight for payload. A trailer's tongue weight is approximately 10-15% of the total weight. So, here's your problem. You have a payload of only 1127 lbs. Fortunately, you don't have a big family, and your weight has already been factored into the payload weight (assuming you don't weigh more than 150lbs).
If your animals are small and you don't carry a lot in the bed of your truck, it frees up a good bit of weight for you to play with. Let's say after figuring all your stuff, you've still got a good 900lbs for payload, now knock another 50-80 lbs off for the hitch. You've got 800lbs to use for the tongue weight.
I would say the 7600 lb trailer is way over what I would be comfortable towing in your rig.
As a new rv'er you should always err on safety side, which means you should only consider a trailer weight of no more than 6000lbs but should really look at something with less weight than that. We have a Hideout 177lhs which has a dry weight of 3350lbs and a loaded weight of 4500lbs. It fits our needs and we are a couple with two small dogs (bichon frise).
Slide outs are very nice, but each slide adds an average of 600-900 lbs to a trailer. Tandem axles are also nice, but also add weight.
Another poster mentioned the Casita, it's a great trailer, but they tend to hold their value very well and aren't cheap. Another maker in the same mode is Scamp.
Bottom line, I would look for a trailer that has only one axle or a lightweight tandem axle trailer. You should really go to some rv lots or an rv show and look at a whole range of trailers, remembering that the salesmen will tell you anything to make a sale.
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(I prefer 4x4 with a low range transfer case for parking / manuevering)
