2010 F150 payload question

[woof]

I have a 2010 F150 5.4L with tow package, rated to tow 9600lbs
its a super crew short box, 145" wheel base with a 3.55 axel ratio
the max tongue weight is 1050lbs.

I will have 4 passengers and two large dogs inside weighing in at 750lbs.

I am looking at the 2013 25FB flying cloud which has a tongue weight of 837lbs and max gross weight of 7300lbs.

Does a hitch weight of 837 on the trailer mean you are putting 837lbs on your truck? I have read so many treads and everyone always says to "watch that payload". There is a sticker on the door of the truck that says "the total weight
of passengers and cargo should not exceed 1368lbs".

How does a weight distributing hitch effect the payload number?

I know the truck can pull it, I just need to know if the family can come too?

[Jaxon]

Originally Posted by woof

I have a 2010 F150 5.4L with tow package, rated to tow 9600lbs its a super crew short box, 145" wheel base with a 3.55 axel ratio the max tongue weight is 1050lbs.

Not sure that specs would say “max tongue weight”... maybe “max payload capacity”? That means, whatever you put into the vehicle, INCL. adding the tongue weight of the trailer, should not exceed 1050 (if that is your max. payload capacity). Is that what the hitch is rated at...?

Originally Posted by woof

I will have 4 passengers and two large dogs inside weighing in at 750lbs.

I am looking at the 2013 25FB flying cloud which has a tongue weight of 837lbs and max gross weight of 7300lbs.

Does a hitch weight of 837 on the trailer mean you are putting 837lbs on your truck?

Yup, sure does.

Originally Posted by woof

I have read so many treads and everyone always says to "watch that payload". There is a sticker on the door of the truck that says "the total weight of passengers and cargo should not exceed 1368lbs".

How does a weight distributing hitch effect the payload number?

I know the truck can pull it, I just need to know if the family can come too?

Well, with 750lbs. of people & dogs, you’ll also need to add the weight of a full tank of gas and anything elese you’re carrying in the truck. So, if payload capacity is 1368lbs., then 837 + 750 is 1587lbs.... and that’s without gas or anything else.

A weight distribution hitch helps to transfer some of the tongue weight from the rear of the TV to the front axle and to the axles of the trailer (kind of like a fulcrum lever). Helps to balance the load. The amount of weight can be from 10-20% depending upon how tight you adjust the torsion bars.

Another thing to think about are your truck tires and their weight rating.

[woof]

Jaxon,
Thanks for your reply, and yes I was mistaken in saying the max tongue weight is 1050lbs that actually is the max hitch rating.

Is this truck not sufficiently equipped to haul a 25fb and pax?

[TouringDan]

Originally Posted by woof

I know the truck can pull it, I just need to know if the family can come too?

Woof

Looks like you need a smaller trailer or leave the family home-neither a good option. Maybe just take a lot less stuff, but for starters go to a scale and see where you are at.

I think the max trailer weight is a worthless number. It is only valid if you are traveling by yourself, running on fumes and don't carry any stuff. People think that if they are considerably under this number that they are fine. It is just not so.

I also don't like the payload spec. number because I believe it is confusing.

Look at two numbers: Look at the truck max rear axle loading spec and the truck gross vehicle weight rating spec. The max rear axle loading spec for my 2008 Tundra is 4,100 lbs. The GVWR spec is 6,900 lbs. Both are printed on the drivers door frame (see the photo below).

We just went camping and went to a scale. It was an eye opener. We had full fuel, full water, my wife, me and dog, food, clothing and camping stuff. Here are the numbers:

Rear axle weight- 3,730 lbs, thats good because we are 370 lbs under the max rear axle weight rating of 4,100 lbs.

Front axle weight- 3,230 lbs. Add this to the rear axle weight gives a total vehicle weight of 6,960 lbs. That is not so good because we are 60 lbs over the GVWR for the truck of 6,900 lbs. Looks like we need to loose 60 lbs of truck weight. I won't loose any sleep over this. I need to add here that our trailer only weighs 4,700 lbs. The max trailer towing weight for the Tundra is over 10,000 lbs. That's why I say this spec is worthless.

Good luck.

Dan

[SteveH]

This is just my opinion, and I certainly would not advise anyone to exceed their tow vehicle manufacturer's maximums, but I would be a lot less concerned with exceeding the max weight on a 1/2 ton pickup than I would be about some of the tow vehicle setups I've seen come out of Canada.

Yes, I would much sooner exceed the maximum weight by a few percentage points on a pickup truck than I would to totally disregard all manufacturer's towing/weight specs on a minivan.

As allways, YMMV.

[xrvr]

YES!!! Jim

[AldeanFan]

Originally Posted by SteveH

This is just my opinion, and I certainly would not advise anyone to exceed their tow vehicle manufacturer's maximums, but I would be a lot less concerned with exceeding the max weight on a 1/2 ton pickup than I would be about some of the tow vehicle setups I've seen come out of Canada.

Yes, I would much sooner exceed the maximum weight by a few percentage points on a pickup truck than I would to totally disregard all manufacturer's towing/weight specs on a minivan.

As allways, YMMV.

What's Canada got to do with it?

if you mean combinations set up by Can-Am RV, you need to consider that these are often modified vehicles.

For example, my Mustang has a very low tow rating from Ford, but if I add sub-frame reinforcement, upgrade the suspension, tires and brakes, add a larger rad, oil cooler and transmission cooler, install a custom hitch and towing mirrors, you can't really rely on Ford's factory specs any more.

additionally, My Tundra is factory rated at 6800lbs. My Flex is rated at 5000lbs.
The Flex has 365HP, 4 wheel independent suspension, all wheel drive, stability control, and 4 wheel disk brakes.
The Tundra has 275HP, a solid rear axel, rear drum brakes, no stability control and a significantly higher centre of gravity.

Which is the better tow vehicle for a 3500lb trailer?

[SteveH]

Originally Posted by AldeanFan

What's Canada got to do with it?

if you mean combinations set up by Can-Am RV, you need to consider that these are often modified vehicles.

For example, my Mustang has a very low tow rating from Ford, but if I add sub-frame reinforcement, upgrade the suspension, tires and brakes, add a larger rad, oil cooler and transmission cooler, install a custom hitch and towing mirrors, you can't really rely on Ford's factory specs any more.

additionally, My Tundra is factory rated at 6800lbs. My Flex is rated at 5000lbs.
The Flex has 365HP, 4 wheel independent suspension, all wheel drive, stability control, and 4 wheel disk brakes.
The Tundra has 275HP, a solid rear axel, rear drum brakes, no stability control and a significantly higher centre of gravity.

Which is the better tow vehicle for a 3500lb trailer?

Obviously you have a different "opinion", but that does not change mine. I believe the automotive engineers that design vehicles know lots more about weights and capacities for their vehicles than Can-Am RV does.

Your Tundra must be one of the older, smaller versions because they all have disc brakes in the rear now.

There is a lot more to a tow vehicle than just horsepower, as torque is really more important. Other things must also be considered such as transmission strength, differential strength, total cooling system capacity, chasis strength, etc.

There is also a lot more to a tow vehicle's performance than just how well it does towing a trailer thru a slalom course on flat pavement.

[Moflash]

1368 is it.There is nothing confusing about that.The 837 tongue weight does not change with a weight distribution hitch.It does transfer some of the 837 to the front axles of the truck to distribute the tongue weight.But the tongue weight of 837 added to your estimate of 750 is your payload.Don't forget to add anything you put forward the trailer axles in the trailer as it will increase the tongue weight and anything you put in the box of the truck and also the weight of your wd hitch(equilizer,Reeese Hensley etc).Also the Airstream mfg stated tongue weight may differ.You don't know what it really is till you weigh it. I went thru this myself and ended up trading the F150 for a more suitable tow vehicle.Some will tell you different but if you do some research you will find that this is true.It is what it is

[Moflash]

You can pull up to 9600 lbls of dead weight.But you can only load or have 1368lbs of weight total added to the truck(payload) TOTAL.

[AldeanFan]

Originally Posted by SteveH

Obviously you have a different "opinion", but that does not change mine. I believe the automotive engineers that design vehicles know lots more about weights and capacities for their vehicles than Can-Am RV does.

Your Tundra must be one of the older, smaller versions because they all have disc brakes in the rear now.

There is a lot more to a tow vehicle than just horsepower, as torque is really more important. Other things must also be considered such as transmission strength, differential strength, total cooling system capacity, chasis strength, etc.

There is also a lot more to a tow vehicle's performance than just how well it does towing a trailer thru a slalom course on flat pavement.

My point is just because its a Pickup doesn't mean its the best tow vehicle, and just because its not a pickup doesn't mean its an inadequate tow vehicle. Of course you're entitled to your opinion, but, stating that a tow vehicle is inadequate when you know nothing about it is not productive and does not help airstreamers solve their towing problems.

[SteveH]

Actually, if the weight distribution hitch is setup and adjusted properly, about 1/3 of the tongue weight will be transferred back to the trailer axles, or in the case of the original poster, about 275 pounds.

[SteveH]

Originally Posted by AldeanFan

My point is just because its a Pickup doesn't mean its the best tow vehicle, and just because its not a pickup doesn't mean its an inadequate tow vehicle. Of course you're entitled to your opinion, but, stating that a tow vehicle is inadequate when you know nothing about it is not productive and does not help airstreamers solve their towing problems.

Never said that a pickup is the best tow vehicle. I said, "I would be a lot less concerned with exceeding the max weight on a 1/2 ton pickup than I would be about some of the tow vehicle setups I've seen come out of Canada."

I stand by that statement. I also stand by this statement: "I believe the automotive engineers that design vehicles know lots more about weights and capacities for their vehicles than Can-Am RV does."

[Moflash]

Also the maximum tow rating( in your case 9600 lbs) is the total weight.In other word from 9600lbs you subtract your trucks specific additional factory truck options(from a base unit "plain jane"),passengers cargo and hitch weight.If you weigh more than 150lbs that also needs to be calculated.So you can not load up the truck with people and cargo and expect to be able to pull 9600lbs that some people have come to believe.They publish a tow guide that explains all of this stop at your local Ford dealership and pick one up.Most of the salesmen(not all) have never read it which is surprising.So they have know idea what they are talking about when you ask a specific tow or payload question.

[Moflash]

A weight distribution system enables a tow vehicle to more effectively handle the tongue weight of a trailer by removing some of the load from the tow vehicle's rear axle and distributing it to the tow vehicle's front axle and the trailer's axle(s). Note - When the WD system is engaged the actual tongue weight does not change. Recommended tongue weight is from 10% to 15%.

[Bill M.]

Looks to me like you are going to be slightly overloaded. And probably do not want to buy a smaller trailer or a larger truck? Might look at the axle ratings and if the the wheels and tires are rated high enough or can be upgraded. Somewhere in there a hitch adds 100 or more lbs. In the US we see it done fairly often. At least I think most 1/2 tons pulling a small fifth wheel or carrying a slide in camper are well overloaded. As I understand it, you have the truck already and are getting the trailer? I think you need to put the hitch on, throw the bars in the back, and go weight the front and rear axles of the truck and figure from there. And Steve is right. The weight added from the trailer will be slightly less than the tongue weight when the WD hitch transfers some to the front axle and the trailer axle.

[Moflash]

Steve is right about some transfer but you still do not ( nor does Ford) remove that amount from tongue weight(or payload) calculations.

[Bill M.]

why not from the payload? If you went to the scale and weighed each truck axle and the trailer axle you would sure be counting any transfer.

[Moflash]

It is spelled out in towing guide and wd hitch manuals.If you read my above post...........Cant tell you why..... you would have to ask their engineers

[AldeanFan]

Originally Posted by SteveH

Never said that a pickup is the best tow vehicle. I said, "I would be a lot less concerned with exceeding the max weight on a 1/2 ton pickup than I would be about some of the tow vehicle setups I've seen come out of Canada."

I stand by that statement. I also stand by this statement: "I believe the automotive engineers that design vehicles know lots more about weights and capacities for their vehicles than Can-Am RV does."

So it's ok to overload a pickup but not a van?

How does being from Canada influence this?