Quote:
Originally Posted by rlcpe
Wife and I decided to move down from a 40'DP to TT. We were looking very seriously at Airstreams and bought a tow vehicle accordingly. Its a 2016 F150 V8, Payload package and tow package.We then saw some of the ORV units and said Whoa!!!!
After looking through this forum, I note there are considerably less complaints about the ORV products than any other forum I've looked at. A most positive thing.
Now looking at a TR 25RDS Titanium. It really pushes the limits on the 150. My calculations give us a bout 95% allowable on the Trailer, 93% on the truck and the GCVW is near the trucks rating.
Are we asking for trouble?
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In a nutshell - yes you are looking at trouble. I am looking at the same TT only in the Mountain Package - and it is 7000 lbs before I add any gear, the Titanium Package also adds a few hundred lbs . I currently tow with a 2500 gasser and moving to a new 2500 Diesel next month (new one on order being built this week). I have towed with combinations that are in the 90% + of the CGVW and it is no fun. Technically I was within limits, but I did not feel in control of the TT. Hills were no fun screaming up them in 2od gear doing 35 MPH - and don't get me started on downhills - or winding roads. The combo was a white knuckle ride. For two seasons, I did not stray more than 100 mi from home. The 2500 made a world of difference - longer wheelbase, bigger engine, heavier frame. bigger payload. With this combination I felt in control and began to enjoy towing the TT. So much that we have taken trips all over the state and even ventured to Montana.
I suggest that you either look at a lighter TT or be prepared to get a heavier duty truck. Your F150 might be able t o handle the load on paper - but wait until reality bites you hard on the arse and you will be wishing for a better combination.
Most people have "rules of thumb" for sizing TTs and Trucks something like no more than 80% of the CGWR or 75% of the tow rating. We both know that we are dealing with liars and damn liars - both the truck industry and the trailer industry lie about things - not intentionally but in an effort to look better to the uninformed buying public. Trucks tow ratings were traditionally done at or near sea level on flat ground and with a stripped down truck - and probably on a day with a tail wind
. Thankfully the SAE has stepped in and developed some more real world tests for determining the tow rating for your vehicle - not all mfgs however use it - those that did have seen losses of several hundred lbs of tow capacity.
TT mfgs have a different agenda, they want to show that their products are lighter than they are - how do they do this? Often by omitting optional equipment from their listed "dry wt" they also don't include the LPG and batteries - which add directly to the tongue wt. The feds say that they have to list the CCC and also note how much weight a full tank of water will add to the unit - and also subtract from the rest of your cargo capacity. My Rule of Thumb for quickly determining if a TT and TV combo are going to work is to take the three numbers that are fixed - the Combined Gross Wt. Rating (CGWR) and the Gross Vehicle Wt. Ratings (GVWR) of the truck and trailer - if the two GVWRs added together are close to the CGWR of the truck then it is a good match to do final numbers on to insure that your not going to exceed the GVWR or the GAWR of the truck. This is when I also calculate the maximum tongue wt. by finding the % of the dry wt that is on the tongue and applying it to the GVWR ie a 7000 lb drywt and 700 lb tongue wt would mean that 10% of the trailer's wt is on the tongue. So if the GVWR of the TT is say 10,000 lbs you could estimate that 10% or 1000 lbs would be on the tongue. That tongue wt is also part of the truck's payload - even with a WD hitch the majority of that wt is carried on the truck.
I encourage you to run these numbers on your F150 and ORV 25RDS and see how they work out.
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