I know this is going to go over like a fart in church ... It's my opinion from experience.

Yes, I know the published recommendations of 10-15% of trailer weight, I could care less! They are a starting point for someone that knows nothing about it.

Try moving your load back on your trailer ... IMO 500# is to much tongue weight for 6k.

I personally would be shooting for ~250# (maybe 300) for a 6k tag trailer depending on the ride and handling ...

To light on tongue weight causes the trailer to whip, to heavy on tongue weight causes the tow vehicle to wander.

EDIT
BTW, It is safer to have the tow vehicle wander, than it is for the trailer to whip ... I suspect that is why the formula is high.

-Enjoy
fh : )_~

 

No offense Festus, but that is really, really bad advice. 250 pounds tongue weight is way too little for a 6,000 pound trailer. That's a recipe for disaster IMO. The trailer will want to sway all over the place like that. I've moved tiny 2000 pound lawnmower/utility trailers with more tongue weight than that. There's a reason why the new SAE (as in the society of automotive engineers, who generally know what they're talking about) tow rating system in place for most 2015+ Model Year trucks recommends 10% of total trailer weight as tongue weight.

To Evan_P, you're using a weight distribution hitch, right? Above 5,000 pounds trailer weight, you really should be using a weight distribution hitch, preferably one with some kind of trailer sway control as well.

 

That's a good point Festus. When I was towing a fiberglass speedboat regularly, full trailer weight was around 4500lbs most of the time, sometimes 5k. Tongue weight was 300lbs and it towed beautifully. When we first bought the boat, trailer was setup all wrong, had about 40 lbs tongue weight, made it tow awful! I guess it's a balance though. I played around until I found a tongue weight that I liked.

 

I'll have to check the GCVW when I get home tonight. I believe it's 11k but I don't remember of the top of my head.

The truck has the towing package option from Ford with sway bars front and rear. I work in the service department at a dealership so tires aren't too bad. I priced them out for E rated all terrains and I can get a set for $580.

 

Evan, FWIW I have been running 235/85 R 16's on my F150 for several years now. I didn't get them for weight though, I got them for the puncture protection while hunting/guiding. I run the pressure that's recommended on the door pillar unless I load the truck. Then I adjust the pressure until I get an even tread pattern on the pavement using driveway chalk. Most times I don't need to adjust at all. My tire wear is even. The only thing I do is rotate my tires every oil change.
If you can find some E rated tires in 15" then go for it. You won't have any issues.

 

I towed about a 6000 lb trailer once with about -300 lbs tongue weight (trailer CG behind the axle). It didn't sway at all. Until it did. Another time I towed about a 4500 lb trailer with about 100 lbs tongue weight. It didn't sway either. Until it did and darn near flipped the Explorer I was towing it with.

My point is that the 10% tongue weight guideline isn't always needed. You can tow with much less tongue weight at times. But when you do you are eating into your safety factor, and it could end up biting you badly. The 10% is a pretty good guideline.

Yes, too much tongue weight can cause problems too, but generally there are better ways to deal with those problems than by going below 10% tongue weight. Stuff like stiffer tires!

 

Were 16's available on 150's?

 

Not OBS trucks, but I believe, some of the later Econolines had 16s that were still our bolt pattern. So if you wanted some cheap 16s, that may be something to look in to.

 

This. Going light on the tongue is for when you're towing something so big that you can't comfortably put 10% on the truck. If you're towing 15k bumper pull you don't want 1.5k tongue on a half ton. However, if you're towing 15k bumper pull with a half ton you should be able to get away with well under 1.5k tongue because you shouldn't be going fast enough for it to matter with that load.

The way I see it you should have no problem cruising the highway if you follow the 10% rule. As you get farther under 10% you gotta slow it down. If you're towing a mobile home you shouldn't be going fast enough that you have to worry about sway anyway.

 

Pulling a trailer is about being smart ... And thinking ahead!

We are talking about Tag trailers here ... 5ths and Goosenecks are different, you get front end weight with them, you lose front end weight with a tag trailer.
This is where to much tongue weight plays it's ugly issues out ... It makes rear tires roll and the front end wander! (this is where the Long wheelbase, Heavy motor and Dual tires of a diesel crewcab dually plays it's part)
The teeter totter fulcrum is the rear axle ...

A trailer doesn't just start whipping out of the blue, nor does the tow vehicle just start wandering out of the blue (unless something broke/came loose) ... They build into it the faster you go.

Hypothetical numbers ...
Cruising along a flat and level road at 60 miles an hour, no wander, no whip ... It will NOT just start wandering or whipping!
Now if you speed up to 61 miles and hour, it may start to feel unstable, At that point you must be smart enough to slow down or stop and shift the load, if you do not, or are not, you deserve what you get!

The worst case scenario is light on the rear axle and NO trailer brakes (or improperly set/adjusted) and it plowing you into a corner and jack knifing ... If you let that happen you probably shouldn't be pulling a trailer in the first place because you are not being smart!
Be smart, think ahead ...

It is all about balance, EVERY truck and EVERY trailer is different and has to be loaded accordingly! (except possibly the exact same size/make/model)

Use your brains, not some spec made up by some really smart people that are thinking for the dumbest of people to protect the innocent!
Use the specs as a guideline to start with and adjust accordingly!

If your load don't ride right ... Fix it, you'll be happier with the education!
You'll learn to load right and not have to mess with it once on the road ...

And as always, always drive for your load ...
What I mean by that is pay attention to your load and adjust accordingly, whether it's speed, road position, tongue weight, load movement etc... etc...

I always tell newbies with trailers ... Watch where you've been, it'll teach you were to go!
What I mean by that is watch your trailer tracks, they will teach you where you need to place your truck to get the trailer exactly where you want it.

-Enjoy
fh : )_~

 

I don't believe 16's were available on the F150's. I got my rims from my brother and I have no idea how or where he got them from. Probably from a van, if I had to guess.