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03-16-2017, 10:31 PM
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#1
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Member
Outdoors RV Owners Club
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 30
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2016 Ford F150 3.5 Ecoboost SuperCrew Front Axle Rating and Measured Weight
Hello,
Let me apologize in advance if this topic has been covered in other threads but doing a search I couldn't readily find anything. I give a lot of detail that people may not be interested in so please just skip to the questions section if you don't want to read everything.
Thanks in advance.
I have a 2016 Ford F150 XLT SuperCrew 4X4 with 3.5 Ecoboost with Max Towing Package. I purchased this pickup to tow a 17' Casita and it towed fine, but my wife and I found the Casita was too small for "us".
The F150 has a Front GAWR of 3450 lbs and Rear GAWR of 3800 lbs, GVWR of 7,000 lbs, Payload of 1835 lbs, GCWR of 16,900 lbs, Towing Capacity 11,500 lbs, 6 speed automatic, 35 gallon fuel tank.
We purchased a 2017 Creekside 20FQ which is 24', GVWR =6200 lbs, Hitch weight=~700 lbs, I also use a Equalizer WDH but don't have any hitch measurements with the WDH engaged.
I was trying to crunch some numbers on whether the Tow Vehicle and the Trailer were matched within safety limits and the spec calculations seemed to support that I should be within safe limits.
My next step was to actually go out to some scales and get some real weight measurements. So I took just my F150, filled it with fuel, and went out to a public DOT scale without the trailer to get my Tow Vehicle weights.
With my front wheels on the scale the reading was: 3100 lbs which included myself at about 150 lbs and about 100 lbs worth of cargo in the second row seat area.
With both sets of wheels on the scale the reading was: 5600 lbs for the total vehicle.
Questions: If the reading with just the front wheels on the scale gives me my Front Gross Axle Weight (GAW) of 3100 lbs and the Front GAWR is 3450 lbs it seems like I am already at the limit before I get my wife and dog in the pickup.
Is it normal to have a Ford F150 weigh in so much on the Front Gross Axle Weight with just a full tank of fuel, the driver, and about 100 lbs of cargo in the cab??
Would one expect the addition of the trailer (last measured at around 5000 lbs when going out for a few days with a hitch weight of 650 lbs), and Equalizer Weight Distribution Hitch (~100 lbs) to add or subtract weight to the front axle??
__________________
2017 Creekside 20FQ
2016 F150 SuperCrew 4X4, 3.5 EcoBoost,
Hillsboro, OR
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03-16-2017, 11:23 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 1,846
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The short answer is that 1/2 tons are easy to overload. The carrying capacity for the rear axle is low and the combination of tongue weight and cargo pushes many over the rating.
You will find many posts by Smokey about the towing limits and recommendations for various trucks.
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03-16-2017, 11:28 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Oregon
Posts: 6,596
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It will subtract from the front axle. But per Fords manual you need to transfer weight back to the front axle. Use the fender well for measurement.
If empty and say it measures 40" from the fender well to the ground and after placing the coupler on the ball WITHOUT ATTACHING THE SPRING BARS it measures 42". Then per Fords manual after hooking up the spring bars you want the front fender to be 41" or less but not less than the 40" unloaded measurement.
I can't tell you how much weight will be removed but my guess is it's not much. You don't want hardly any removed as that will make the steering light and will cause handling problems.
Your TT is a great match for the truck. I wouldn't worry about the front weight as long as you dial in the front fender well number.
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03-18-2017, 11:20 AM
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#4
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: HillBilly country, Smokey Mtns
Posts: 4,171
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Quote:
Originally Posted by OregonPerson
If the reading with just the front wheels on the scale gives me my Front Gross Axle Weight (GAW) of 3100 lbs and the Front GAWR is 3450 lbs it seems like I am already at the limit before I get my wife and dog in the pickup.
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Nah, you're probably in good shape. When you load people and stuff in the cab and bed, you'll add very little weight to the front axle. The tongue weight of a trailer will actually reduce the weight on the front axle until you hook up the spring bars of the weight-distributing (WD) hitch. The WD hitch when properly adjusted will add less than 200 pounds to the weight on the front axle.
Quote:
Is it normal to have a Ford F150 weigh in so much on the Front Gross Axle Weight with just a full tank of fuel, the driver, and about 100 lbs of cargo in the cab??
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For a 4x4, yes.
Quote:
Would one expect the addition of the trailer (last measured at around 5000 lbs when going out for a few days with a hitch weight of 650 lbs), and Equalizer Weight Distribution Hitch (~100 lbs) to add or subtract weight to the front axle??
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You won't know the final answer until after you have the wet and loaded truck with the wet and loaded trailer tied on weighed on a CAT scale. But I suspect you'll be fine for the front axle weight. You'll probably be close to the max rGAWR, GVWR, and payload capacity of your F-150, but I suspect you'll be fine with a properly loaded TT that weighs not more than 6,200 pounds.
Here are my axle weights with my older F-150 4x2 when dragging my 7x14 tandem-axle cargo trailer that grossed about 6,210 with 925 pounds tongue weight. Just me and DW and 50 pounds worth of dogs, 100 pounds toolbox, and a 200-pound camper shell.
Front...GAWR
2,740 ..3,100
Rear...GAWR
3740...3,660
----------------
GVW 6,480 compared to 6,600 GVWR
Trailer ... Combined GAWR
5,400... 6,000
So no problem with GVWR, front GAWR or trailer GAWRs. Slightly overloaded over the rGAWR. Probably needed to tighten up the sprig bars a bit to distribute more weight to the front axle.
Your 4x4 will have more weight on the front axle because of the 4x4 drivetrain, but I doubt that front GAWR will be your problem.
__________________
Grumpy ole man with over 60 years towing experience. Now my heaviest trailer is a 7'x16' 5,000-pound flatbed utility trailer, my tow vehicle is a 2019 F-150 Lariat 3.5L EcoBoost SuperCab with Max Tow (1,904 pounds payload capacity).
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03-19-2017, 08:18 AM
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#5
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Member
Outdoors RV Owners Club
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 30
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Thanks everybody, now a follow up question:
Based on the weights and recommendations of the pickup and travel trailer do you think it will be safe enough in terms of towing control with the matched pair?? I'm primarily thinking in terms of controlled stops or braking if someone pulls out in front of me or I blow a tire. I don't ever tow over 60 mph.
I live in the Pacific Northwest so I will have some 6% grades to go up and down, some in the neighborhood of 4-6 miles. I don't plan on towing in snow and ice conditions, but living in the Northwest they may be wet at times.
__________________
2017 Creekside 20FQ
2016 F150 SuperCrew 4X4, 3.5 EcoBoost,
Hillsboro, OR
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03-19-2017, 09:21 AM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Oregon
Posts: 6,596
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Don't over think it. You have an exc combo as far as weight and size go. Just make sure you setup you weight distribution hitch properly and you shouldn't have any issues. Get the trailers brakes dialed in correctly too. As far as having an emergency stop or a blowout goes, there's only so much you can do. You can't make your truck or TT do anymore than it's designed to do. If you have it setup properly then thats all you can do.
Like I mentioned earlier you will have a great comb.
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