bncn92

As we are researching TT We are undecided with purchasing from larger dealership vs smaller family owned .  We live in the Chicagoland area so options there range from Camping World, General RV to Ricks RV. Any advice is appreciated . Thanks 

12 hours ago, keith_h said:

You didn't mention what you are planning to tow with but most people do not realize that the published towing capacity for their truck is a lot less in reality. Most tow vehicles run out of payload capacity before they exceed the other weights but any one being exceeded means the trailer is too heavy for the TV. Keep in mind that more options means less payload. More than one person has ended up with a TT heavier than their TV can handle safely and had to look for something bigger to pull with. That gets expensive.  Also dry weights are not useful for determining if your tow vehicle can handle the trailer. It is not uncommon for a TT to carry 1000 lbs or more of stuff once every thing is loaded and installed

To determine the payload capacity available to carry the trailer tongue you need to find the payload sticker on the driver side door pillar. It will usually say something to the effect of "The maximum weight of all passengers and cargo cannot exceed nnnn lbs". From this weight subtract the weight of all passengers, luggage/cargo, owner addons and 100 lbs for the weight distributing hitch.  The result is the payload capacity you have available to carry the tongue weight of the trailer.  Take this number and divide by .13 (13%) and it will give you an estimate of the maximum loaded trailer weight your TV can pull. Tongue weights will run between 10% and 15% of trailer weight with the most common range being 12% - 14%. This is why I use 13% as a rule of thumb. I also run 15% when looking for a worst case scenario. You can manage tongue weight to some degree by how you load the trailer but is is a pain and requires weighing every time you shift stuff around. It can also cause stability problems if you get too much in the back of the trailer.  This is for a bumper pull TT. A 5th wheel will use a pin weight that is typically 20% - 25% of the loaded trailer weight. Most 5th wheels are too heavy for a 1/2 ton truck in both payload and axle capacity.

After the payload you need to verify you are not over the Gross Combined Weight Rating. The GCWR is the combined weight of the trailer and TV. It is the  combined weight of the loaded vehicle and loaded trailer. You also need to verify that you are not exceeding the weight rating of the hitch receiver. There should be a sticker on the receiver listing its maximum weights. Lastly is the Gross Axle Weight Rating. This includes all of the weight on top of and behind the axle. The only really good way to get these numbers is to weigh the fully loaded TT and TV at a truck scale with the WDH hooked up. You also want to use the scale to weigh the fully loaded TV with no trailer and with the trailer but WDH disconnected. These will let you determine solid numbers for available payload and see that your WDH is set up correctly in addition to verifying other weight capacities aren't exceeded.

All off this should be in your owners manual as well. Also keep in mind that most RV sales people will tell you that you can tow whatever it is you are looking at whether it is safe to do so or not. Good luck.

This is very helpful ! Towing with F150 eco boost 

 Looking for input on   travel trailers. We have stayed at  the FW many  times and have always rented but now are considering  to purchase one of our own.  Weight under 9000# and prefer larger living area vs bunk house. Thanks!