6k lbs rule of thumb - still relevant?

[DaHealey]

For many years the rule of thumb was to keep the loaded weight (GVWR) of an RV below 6k lbs for a 1/2 ton truck. I think I see this from people with 12th gen F-150’s all the way up to current. i’m reading and watching videos from people recommending that trailers beyond 6k GVWR get a 3/4 ton truck.

I’m wondering how true this really is. Do the 14th gen F150’s still fall into this rule or can it be extended a bit?

I’m still in waiting hell (3/15 build week for the win), but I used teh Ford VIN calculator when it was up. My truck GVWR is 7150 / 19k GCVWR and I have 1680lb payload according to the yellow sticker. Is this enough to pull a 28ft, 7600 GVWR airstream? I did the math and yes - even in a worse case tongue weight (1k lbs) - we’ll still have ~200 lbs for gear. The F150 GCVWR is well within spec.

My bigger question is - do I really want to do this? I really don’t want a F250. Those things are much too big for the rest of my life. Even if I did look at F250’s - sure, the payload is bigger, but nothing else is. I’d be getting a 2017 with the 6.2 gasser and it has way less power than the 3.5EB.

Am I being overly paranoid that this won’t work or am I trying to tell myself yes when general advice is no?

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[Vulnox]

It's a tough one, but I would say 6-7k lbs is still the safe rule for a TT. The reason, and why it won't likely change for 1/2 ton trucks anytime soon, is because a TT in that class so far outweighs the F-150 and its shape is basically like a sail, so in certain situations like cross winds, the trailer has a higher likelihood of "driving" the truck. It's a physics problem and not easily resolved by a new generation truck.

Then you run into secondary issues, most TTs in the 7000+ GVWR will put about 1000lbs on the hitch between trailer, tanks, and the weight distribution hitch. For a well-equipped F-150, Lariat or higher and depending on engine, they tend to have 1200-1800lbs of payload. If you have 1000 on the back of the truck and have a Platinum/Limited, you are most likely in the 1200-1600 range. So let's take best case 1600, after your trailer you have 600lbs of payload. Once you add a driver and passenger, you are easily down another 300-400. Then add luggage, maybe kids, even stuff like tonneau covers and that if they didn't come with the truck subtract from that sticker.

Since you can't do as much to adjust that tongue weight on a TT as you can on a flat trailer towing a race car (where you can shift the location of the car), generally 6-7k GVWR just end up being a lot. For the side wind issue, that tends to be a combination of weight and length. I wouldn't go over 30 feet of "wall" on the TT.

Anyway, you may be fine. Some of it is down to your own comfort. I can tell you I have two friends that got into TTs the past couple years. One had a 13th gen F-150 Lariat and was towing a 30 foot Grand Design (don't recall model). And he said it was so uncomfortable on some trips, especially in hilly or uneven pavement, as the rear end just felt so unsettled. He tried different methods of adjusting the trailer, the WDH, but he couldn't eliminate it, and on two lane roads if a semi went the other way he said it felt like a hurricane hit in terms of unsettling the truck. He now has a 14th gen Platinum, and it's a bit better, but he still says it's right on the edge, and even if he can control it fine, it's not "relaxing" to drive it.

The other friend got a 30 foot-ish Jayco and had a 1500 Silverado. Now this one I think is more evidence to the problem with TTs. They own horses and have a large horse trailer. He has taken that Silverado and horse trailer all over, and the truck has always gotten the job done no problem, and that horse trailer with horses is in a similar weight class as the Jayco he got. After two trips with the Jayco though, he went to the Chevy dealer and moved up to a 2500. He said it was not a good experience and he couldn't keep towing that Jayco with the 1500. All the same problems as the other friend with the F-150, truck was easily unsettled depending what was happening to the TT, and even when things were "fine", it always felt just on the edge of the capability of the truck.

That's what most that tell you to get a 3/4 ton are referring to. You can be within the Payload/Towing, it's the shape of the TT and length that usually gets you in trouble. They all say the same thing, you are on the very edge of the trucks weight class and capability, and at best it's just not an easy tow, and that can wear you out on a long trip, and at worst if you get the wrong side wind it can be an accident waiting to happen.

 

[Zyvin]

I think it would depend on how often and how far you’re traveling. I only pull a boat so my tongue weight is fairly light.

My neighbor however; pulls a camper that’s damn near 10k lbs with his 2019 F150 ecoboost. He uses a WD hitch and is meticulous about the condition of his tires/brakes etc. on the camper. He’s never had an issue and actually loves it compared to his old F250. He usually only travels 3-6 hrs away, once a month or so; so not long distance.

 

[bobstar]

For many years the rule of thumb was to keep the loaded weight (GVWR) of an RV below 6k lbs for a 1/2 ton truck. I think I see this from people with 12th gen F-150’s all the way up to current. i’m reading and watching videos from people recommending that trailers beyond 6k GVWR get a 3/4 ton truck.

I’m wondering how true this really is. Do the 14th gen F150’s still fall into this rule or can it be extended a bit?

I’m still in waiting hell (3/15 build week for the win), but I used teh Ford VIN calculator when it was up. My truck GVWR is 7150 / 19k GCVWR and I have 1680lb payload according to the yellow sticker. Is this enough to pull a 28ft, 7600 GVWR airstream? I did the math and yes - even in a worse case tongue weight (1k lbs) - we’ll still have ~200 lbs for gear. The F150 GCVWR is well within spec.

My bigger question is - do I really want to do this? I really don’t want a F250. Those things are much too big for the rest of my life. Even if I did look at F250’s - sure, the payload is bigger, but nothing else is. I’d be getting a 2017 with the 6.2 gasser and it has way less power than the 3.5EB.

Am I being overly paranoid that this won’t work or am I trying to tell myself yes when general advice is no?

Your truck will work fine for your set up, and I agree, I would not be pulling max on these trucks, unless your a flat lander

 

[bobstar]

Your truck will work fine for your set up, and I agree, I would not be pulling max on these trucks, unless your a flat lander

I am also waiting 3/15 build week

 

[DaHealey]

Your truck will work fine for your set up, and I agree, I would not be pulling max on these trucks, unless your a flat lander

Yeah, I’m not a flat lander. I’m located in Seattle so pretty much every camping trip involves going over a cascades mountain pass.

We’ve tow our current RV ~8k miles / year, all around Canda, WA, OR, CA, etc.

 

[DaHealey]

It's a tough one, but I would say 6-7k lbs is still the safe rule for a TT. The reason, and why it won't likely change for 1/2 ton trucks anytime soon, is because a TT in that class so far outweighs the F-150 and its shape is basically like a sail, so in certain situations like cross winds, the trailer has a higher likelihood of "driving" the truck. It's a physics problem and not easily resolved by a new generation truck.

Thinking about this a bit more, I wonder how much wheelbase affects the dynamics. I bet the difference between a 145 and 157 inch wheelbase is a big difference between what’s comfortable and what’s not.

 

[Coacher]

I was surprised that the bigger box increases, not decrease, towing limits. It’s not by much because of the weight of the box, but it’s there.

if you’re serious about towing there are a few options that make a difference. For example I don’t think anyone will argue against the 36 gallon fuel tank. Debate starts with axel ratios, engines, etc. I’ve switched from. 5.0 to the 3.5 and prefer the 3.5 especially pulling away from stops. I also went with the 3.55 axel but I’m not certain I’m noticing a difference. Finally moving to a longer wheelbase has created a more stable ride I can feel.

I would not have gone bigger with my previous truck and TT (Jayco 21QB at about 6,000 pounds wet). I would consider it with this truck. Without running the numbers for payload, I’m thinking something in the 8,000 pound range would be comfortable for me.

 

[Vulnox]

Thinking about this a bit more, I wonder how much wheelbase affects the dynamics. I bet the difference between a 145 and 157 inch wheelbase is a big difference between what’s comfortable and what’s not.

Wheelbase does improve towing comfort, 100%. It won't drastically improve payload, but it does improve stability. It's a decent sized part of why a 3/4 ton or higher is recommended, even though you can find 3/4 ton trucks with payload numbers not much higher than an F-150. (1800lb range).

 

[Jeremiah164]

I tow a 7,500lb (GVWR) 26' (overall) trailer with estimated max 750lb tongue weight. The trailer has wide spread axles that increases stability and reduces the tongue weight compared to a regular trailer.

Here in Southern Alberta we get crazy winds (often over 100km/h/60mph) and I'm actually impressed with how well the truck does. The other weekend had gusts of 80kmph/50mph and it was surprisingly alright. While I could feel the gusts, the truck seemed to somewhat compensate for them requiring less "fighting" than my old F250.

 

[Vulnox]

I tow a 7,500lb (GVWR) 26' (overall) trailer with estimated max 750lb tongue weight. The trailer has wide spread axles that increases stability and reduces the tongue weight compared to a regular trailer.

Here in Southern Alberta we get crazy winds (often over 100km/h/60mph) and I'm actually impressed with how well the truck does. The other weekend had gusts of 80kmph/50mph and it was surprisingly alright. While I could feel the gusts, the truck seemed to somewhat compensate for them requiring less "fighting" than my old F250.

Yeah I haven't seen a lot of detail on it, but this gen has electronic sway control that is supposedly really good. I guess they started using a similar system on the Super Duty either this year or last, and I did see them test that on Big Truck Big RV (YouTube channel), as Ford claims you can tow a huge trailer without a physical sway controller. He said it was incredibly stable, but at the time they didn't have huge cross winds.

I am happy for those kinds of enhancements, but it's still good to be cautious, especially with side winds. Even without sway, there are plenty of examples of even big rig trailers getting pushed over on their side from the wind and it's happened with TTs also. But that can happen Super Duty or not, just a good reason not to get too comfortable even with great electronic helpers in those heavy side winds.

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