How much can I tow?

[Xusteve]

I purchased a 2014 Ford F-150 XLT 4 door, Super Crew, 5.0L V8 2WD for the sole purpose of towing an RV/travel trailer with my wife. I understand the rule of 75 and don't feel like pushing the limit but I need to figure out what I'm actually dealing with in terms of what I am capable of towing.

I've taken a picture of the driver door, which doesn't tell me much and I'm not sure how to post it... Under the towing area on the back underside of the truck there is a sticker that reads:
Weight distributing, Max Gross Trlr Wt (LB) 10,500
Weight distributing, Max Tongue Wt (LB) 1,050
Weight Carrying, Max Gross Trlr Wt (LB) 5,000
Weight Carrying, Max Tongue Wt (LB) 500

Does this mean anything to anyone and is it enough to tell me what I'm dealing with?

Thank you in advance for all your help!

Steve

[Gavenger]

Weight Distributing indicates using a weight-distributing hitch. Weight carrying is without the weight-distributing hitch. Tongue weight is the amount of weight directly on hitch of the truck (Tongue being the cup on the trailer that goes over the ball on the truck hitch).

The actual weight measurements should be pretty explanatory after that. But if you need more info, just ask


Gavenger

[Xusteve]

So I can tow up to 10,500 lbs, does that include the weight of my truck? Or is that number deceiving somehow? I don't even have a ball mount for that cap you mentioned, I have a square at the back of the truck where I believe I would hook up the travel trailer?

[Gavenger]

That square hole is called the receiver hitch. You will need to purchase a ball and insert that gets pinned into it for the tongue of the trailer.

as for weight, this is where it gets confusing and horrific. That sticker you copied showed max trailer weights. But you truck also has another sticker that has a GCWR. This is the Gross Combined Weight Rating. That rating shows you what the max weight allowed for you vehicle and comprises of EVERYTHING involved:

Truck
Fuel
Passengers
Passenger gear
Trailer
Trailer cargo

This is why the 75% rule exists. You will find that even staying below the maximum trailer weight (10.5k with WD Hitch) you can EASILY overload your GCWR.

[Gordon Dewald]

The number is valid if you do not exceed the GCWR, GVWR of the truck or the GAWR of the axles.

GCWR - max loaded weight of truck and trailer combined.

GVWR - max loaded weight of truck with trailer attached.

GAWR (front and rear) - max loaded weight of front and rear axles.

[Parrott_head]

I've tried to punch in the numbers for your truck on this site. It will give you technical information that may be of help. Make sure I guess your wheelbase correctly. You can punch in your VIN to make certain data is correct.

https://www.driverside.com/specs/for...yle_id=4226725


We just went through what your are doing. I used to drive tractor trailers years ago and have owned trailered boats for years. Have also driven a lot of large utility trailers and such.

I put a dry weight limit of 6000 for any trailer we were to consider. I actually rented a TT for a weekend that was just above this weight to make certain the wife, truck and I were all comfortable doing this.

There is a lot of geometry and math involved in towing safely. If your trailer is tongue light it can be very unstable on the road.

We were looking for a "Couple Coach"....this means queen sized beds with no bunk beds. This gives us a larger living room and bath. There are a ton of different floor plans out there so look around.

If you truck does not have the electric brake controller you will need to install one. Cost for an OEM unit is about 180 bucks on Amazon and having the dealer flash your trucks's computer to talk to it will run about 100 bucks.

If you have the brake controller already installed that's great, if not you will need to get it done. There should be a package in your glove compartment that has a fuse and a plug in relay that will need to be installed when you install the controller.

Once you get your truck set up you might do what we did and rent a TT at a weight the appeals to you. It does not have to have a floor plan you like, just needs to be the weight and length that you feel is your maximum comfort, for us it was 6K dry, as I've mentioned.

Good luck....keep us posted...

[Mich F]

Those numbers you listed in your first post, are just the rating for your hitch I believe, which can be totally different from what your truck is rated to tow.
If you know your wheel base and rear axle ratio you will be able to get the actual tow rating for your truck from the trailer towing selector chart in this link. You've already told us you have the 5.0L 4dr super crew 2WD - just add your axle ratio and wheel base and you'll get your tow rating.
http://www.eddieyaklinford.com/Media...4_f150_tow.pdf
It looks like it's somewhere between 7,900# and 9,500#

[Xusteve]

I can not even begin to tell you all how happy I am to receive your help. The link Parrott Head provided allowed me to enter in my VIN and get all of my results. Crazy. Looks like my max trailering capacity is 7900 lb. Also, looks like my axle ratio is 3.31

So after applying the rule of 75, it looks like I'm aiming for a max weight of 5925. So if I aim for 5500, I think everything should work itself out...right?

[Parrott_head]

Your tow capacity sounds correct. My truck is 4WD and as a result has a lower tow capacity.

When I towed the rental trailer it was listed at 6300 pounds. To this we added groceries and clothing and not much else. I towed from Sherman, Texas to Mena, Arkansas and back. Got involved is some really bad weather on the trip back.

The rental place installed and showed me how to us a weight distribution hitch, an absolute necessity.

The reason we chose our route was to have both some flat land with high cross winds, (Texas and Oklahoma) and some hilly, twisty terrain (Arkansas).

My truck did just fine. I set the electric brakes up with a gain setting of 6.0 and practised the driving skills I had learned while working in the oil field when I was just out of high school. I never rushed the corners or the stops, swung wide on turns and kept my hands on the wheel and my head in the game. Wife did the navigating and if we missed a turn we just kept on going.

We did tank up on some 93 octane non-alcohol fuel and my mileage and performance increased dramatically.

Once again, a rental place could really help you out. Take a unit about the weight you think you want out for a weekend. The rental place will show you how to hook up the WDH and check your brakes out. Buy the OEM brake controller, it works like a champ and talks to you via the dashboard.

Good luck...

[tuffr2]

I towed a 5,500lb trailer with a 2011 5.0litre F-150. The truck knew it was back there. The gasoline engine MPG dropped from about 20 highway to 10.2 highway.

I would say about 6,000lbs. (Maybe 6,500lbs.) would be my max that I would tow with any 1/2 ton truck.

[SmokeyWren]

Originally Posted by Xusteve

Weight distributing, Max Tongue Wt (LB) 1,050
... 2011 5.0litre F-150

Your truck has several weight limits, and that's only one of them. But I can guarantee that if you have an actual wet and loaded tongue weight of 1,050 pounds, you'll be overloaded over the payload capacity of your F-150.

More than likely your limiter is the payload capacity of your truck. Not the payload capacity on the sticker on the door jamb, because that's with an empty truck. Actual payload capacity available for hitch weight is GVWR minus the actual wet and loaded weight of your truck, including driver and all passengers and pets and tools and anything else that will be in the truck when towing, including the head of your weight-distributing hitch and a full tank of gasoline.

Your GVWR is probably 7,100 pounds, and your wet and loaded F-150 ready to tow will probably weigh about 6,300 pounds. That leaves payload capacity available for hitch weight of 800 pounds. The average tongue weight of a wet and loaded travel trailer (TT) ready to tow is about 13% of gross trailer weight. So divide 800 by 0.13 and the answer is 6,154 pounds max trailer weight. So call it 6,000 pounds, which means you don't want to even look at any TTs with GVWR more than 6,000 pounds.

And that's only if my assumptions on truck weight and GVWR are accurate. To be sure, you must weigh the wet and loaded truck, then do the math to determine the max trailer weight you can tow without exceeding the payload capacity of your F-150.

[fvstringpicker]

Advanced Technical Data-2014 F150 XLT


Gross Axle Wt Rating - Front (lbs):
3450
Gross Axle Wt Rating - Rear (lbs):
3800

Curb Weight - Front (lbs):
2884
Curb Weight - Rear (lbs):
2159

Gross Vehicle Weight Rating Cap (lbs):
6700
Fuel Economy Est-Combined (MPG):
19 (Est)

Gross Combined Wt Rating (lbs):
11700
Dead Weight Hitch - Max Trailer Wt. (lbs):
6400

Dead Weight Hitch - Max Tongue Wt. (lbs):
640
Wt Distributing Hitch - Max Trailer Wt. (lbs):
6400

Wt Distributing Hitch - Max Tongue Wt. (lbs):
960
Fifth Wheel Hitch - Max Trailer Wt. (lbs):
6400

Maximum Trailering Capacity (lbs):
6400
Engine Order Code:
99M

[SmokeyWren]

Originally Posted by fvstringpicker

Advanced Technical Data-2014 F150 XLT

Gross Vehicle Weight Rating Cap (lbs):
6700

Misleading, as that GVWR applies only to a SuperCab shorty 4x2 with the base V6 engine.

More common SuperCrew with 5.0L or EcoBoost engine has 7,100 GVWR for a 4x2 and 7,200 for a 4x4.

[archer75]

If you're going to buy a truck specifically for towing then don't get a half ton. Step up to a 3/4 ton. You'll be so much happier.


As far as brake controllers I have a tekonsha prodigy p3 I got new for $130. Any truck that comes with a tow package will have a port up under the dash for aftermarket brake controllers. You just buy the prodigy cable for your ford and plug it in. That's it. Done. It fully integrates into the trucks braking system. But has an additional boost feature not found on OEM systems that I really liked. After that you configure it exactly as you would a stock system.
I sold that truck I used it in and my new truck has one stock but I still think the prodigy was better.