The age old "How much can I tow question".

[LIseverewx]

So would consensus be that a 25' or shorter trailer under 7,000 GVWR be a pretty safe bet? 6,500 lbs or less likely better with the specs below?

F150 3.5L V6 ecoboost with 3.55 electronic lock rear axle
7,000# gvwr package
Max trailer tow package
145" wheel base


The Jayco X213 is GVWR is 5,500lbs. So searching for RV's in the 25' or less length and 6,500lbs or less GVWR.

[tuffr2]

The 3.5 litre eco-boost is a powerful engine but the weight and wheelbase of the truck is what controls the trailer. If the Jayco 213X works for you I would agree, that would be a comfortable tow.

I towed a 2008 Gulfstream Streamlite 22SLB with a 2011 F-150 5.0 litre with a 1,550lb payload. It did have a tow package and had the big 36 gallon gas tank. If you look at the specs you will see the dry weight of the Streamlite 22 SLB was under 4,000lbs but it had a cargo capacity of over 3,000lbs. I had it loaded to what I guessed was 5,500lbs. This was a very comfortable set-up with a Drawtite WD Hitch. I towed it from Columbus Ohio 950 miles to Crystal River Florida to spend winter. It was a very easy trip.

I do not want you to short change yourself on the trailer. I would have towed more with my F-150 but don't really know how big or how heavy before it would start to get squirrley.

Maybe go to YouTube to watch towing with a F-150 with the 3.5 Eco-Boost.

Good luck.

[LIseverewx]

Thanks again for replies everyone. After doing a little more research and some numbers think I will try and stay under 6,000lbs. Also, looked into my truck a bit more. It has an integrated trailer brake and I believe may even has a front sway bar that is part of max trailer tow package. When I bought my F150 I knew I wanted to get an RV eventually. Thankfully I got it with some tow capabilities because at the time I thought any F150 could pull any size trailer. Ford Trailer guide says any tow weight over 5,000lbs needs to have a WDH. So now I am looking more into WDH options.

[runamuck]

you should be ok with a trailer under 30' and 7000#..ours is 28' and even tho it is listed as 4700# empty and max 7000# per the specs, it never weighs that much when towing..always just under 6000#. I am able to set cruise for 68-69 on most trips and get 8.5-10 mpg. my trailer is 28' and it seems plenty long enough when towing..I tow it with a '19 ram 1500 laramie ccsb 4x4 5.7 hemi 3.92 gears and 8 spd trans. I switched out the rear sway bar for a Helwig and I run more air in the tires when towing for a little more stiffness. our usual trips are 100-200 miles. but have towed as much as 570 each way several times..( Big Bend ). I use the Husky centerline hitch with the 800# bars.

[LIseverewx]

What would you guys think about my situation and towing an Imagine XLS17MKE

Grand Design website shows GVWR of 6395lbs with hitch weight of 480lbs. The trailer is a little less than 22' in length.

I love the Imagine XLS 22MLE but that has GVWR of 6995lbs but that is probably pushing too much weight?

My other question with trailer GVWR is do you figure on 100% of that weight or more like 80-90% of it?

Does heavier trailer GVWR but shorter length trailer make any difference as far as what you can comfortably/safely tow?

[tpaul]

They haven't published a GVWR yet but you might also take a look at a Rockwood Geo Pro G20FBS. Holding tanks are smaller but may have a more solid construction. Not as much cargo capacity probably due to the single axle.

[Billett Bee]

I go by the specs for the vehicle and then give myself 500lbs leniency , probably in gvwr because pl was you much.
Gvwr 14k
Gcwr 43k
Fawr 6k
Rawr 9750
Some say you shouldn't haul that much with a 3500, i say thats what it was built to do , going forward, backward, up, down, taking off, and stopping are all rated to handle 43k by manufacturers standards. I'll be around 40k with my new fiver and probably 14,500 on the truck because of Lund tool box, but raw will be 500lbs under. Drive safe and try to stay within your set parameters.

[tuffr2]

I think you would be ok with the XLS 22 MLE. Again the 3.5 Eco-Boost will pull it fine and a shorter trailer will not catch as much wind.

Especially if you only load it to 6,500 lbs.

Enjoy.

[Dave Pelletier]

Originally Posted by LIseverewx

What would you guys think about my situation and towing an Imagine XLS17MKE

Grand Design website shows GVWR of 6395lbs with hitch weight of 480lbs. The trailer is a little less than 22' in length.

I love the Imagine XLS 22MLE but that has GVWR of 6995lbs but that is probably pushing too much weight?

My other question with trailer GVWR is do you figure on 100% of that weight or more like 80-90% of it?

Does heavier trailer GVWR but shorter length trailer make any difference as far as what you can comfortably/safely tow?

I'd tow the 1st trailer with your truck, no problem.....the second one is getting close to the max I'd be comfortable with but you'll get conflicting opinions.

It's always best to use the GVWR as the weight rather than an arbitrary portion of it.

Yes, both weight and length matter, particularly on the highway and at speed. Again, I prefer to keep half tons at or around 6,000 lbs GVWR and 25' max but depending on the actual truck and setup you can likely push those numbers a bit. If I was considering pushing the TT to the max, I'd seriously consider a Hensley or ProPride hitch.

2 cents,
Dave

[ardvark16]

No. A heavier trailer at a shorter length does not mean you can tow more. Weight is the primary number you need to look at, whereas length can be much more subjective to what you’re comfortable with. Your truck will be fine with both of those trailers as far as your capacity goes. The only issue you might run into is with how many people you are bringing with you. There is no rule of thumb for your truck needing to outweigh your trailer. Ignore that advice. That actually makes zero sense. Filter some of the advice on this forum as many people are great but some post just to post something. I have an imagine 21BHE that I towed with a Ram 1500 and switched to a 2500. Careful with the x213. I was told directly by a person who works for a company that rhymes with Jayco that they are prone to leaks and issues with the slide having such a far extension.

[Dave Pelletier]

Originally Posted by ardvark16

No. A heavier trailer at a shorter length does not mean you can tow more. Weight is the primary number you need to look at, whereas length can be much more subjective to what you’re comfortable with.

not sure if the "no" was in response to my comment or not but everything you've said is correct and a short length won't allow you to go over weight. Despite this, both weight and length have an effect on windage and towing so you might have two trailers with identical weights; one at 25' OA length and the other at 30'......all other things being equal, the 25' would be an easier tow.

Dave

[ardvark16]

Ha yeah I should have quoted what I was replying to. I meant that “no” was for the weight question. No you can’t tow more weight with a shorter trailer. Weight is weight. Length certainly makes for a different towing experience, since a camper is a giant sail. I didn’t want to add confusion by also saying that heavier is better with length. I guess that needs to be stated. The longer the trailer you are towing, the heavier you kinda want it to be to a certain degree. Physics is a pain in the butt. You are going to get pushed around with more surface area and the weights can all contribute to better/worse handling depending on how it all fits together. There is a fundamental truth that these forums kinda brings to the surface. Towing an RV is actually quite complicated and they are generally really one of the harder things out there to tow. We tow very long trailers and heave trailers for my job. None of them are the pain on the butt that a 38’ travel trailer presents. Especially going through a toll plaza.

[LIseverewx]

Thanks again guys. Amazing info, insight and advice!

[Kurtsara]

Originally Posted by move on

A good rule of thumb is that your tow vehicle should weigh more than your trailer for maximum safety and stability.

So this can't be done?