<TABLE><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top width="100%">I have had my 2001 KR for 6 months now, and want to tow a travel trailer with it. The trailer I want shows a dry weight of 6786#. My truck has the 5.4 & automatic, but not the factory towing package.

Is this going to work OK? Or is it just too much?
What would be the best hitch set up?
I've had a motorhome in the past, so I'm new to this towing thing.
Any help will be appreciated.

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IF your going to tow, get a hitch that will support the weight, i think its a class III?

Hopefully the trailer has electric brakes, if so you should get a brake controller installed. Other then that it would be alot to pull, but you could do it. Truck might not like it is it a f150? If so might want to get air bags for th rear.

 

You need to find out what your tow limits are. Post more details on your truck or read the manual.

You as a minimum need to find out the

GCWR Gross Combined Wieight Rating, the weight limit for truck trailer and any extras you have in them.

GVWR Gross Vehicle Weight Rating, the max rating for the truck.

Other things are axle ratings and one or two I forget, but the GCWR and GVWR are the first pass GO/NO GO.

The door sticker will tell you one or both of the GCWR and GVWR. The manual should haver everything else. The door sticker will also have codes for the axle type and ratio etc. The manual will tell you what that means.

Good Luck,

Jim Henderson

 

I'm facing a similar issue, but with an explorer. And I think we're after the same type of info.

The 05 Explorer (4.0) with no tow package (small hitch, 3.55 gears) has a max trailer weight of ~3200 lbs.
The 05 Explorer (4.0) with tow package (two inch hitch, 3.73 gears) has a max trailer weight of ~5300 lbs.

If you add the two inch hitch to the 05 Explorer, does that give you the max trailer weight of ~5300 lbs? Or are the gears going to have that much of an impact?

The trailer has a dry weight of 2700 lbs and will only be used for short, flat trips.

 

that explorer should be fine, but yes you will want to step up the hitch to give you the weight distribution ability. Also make sure the truck has a tranny cooler, and of course equipped with a trailer brake controller.

The old pushrod 4.0 had 3.55 with the tow package in a ranger. Your torque is a bit higher in the powerband, so it will want to rev up more to be comfy, so absolutely no Overdrive while towing. Then, have at it. Take it easy on the hills. She will treat you good with that weight. You will probably be 32-3500lbs loaded.

 

The brake controller and the tranny cooler are on the to do list (before we tow the trailer). And we already have the WD Hitch.

 

here's a handy link, it'll help everyone except slicvickie, the list starts at 2002.

www.fleet.ford.com/showroom/rv_trailer_towing/2002/2002_default.asp

 

Follow Jim advice and look up your figures for the GCWR and GVWR. Once you have those you will have a better idea of were you stand.

Class III or IV hitch is a must. Also remember that your trunnion bars for the WD hitch have different ratings. Your 6780 dry weight tells me your trailer is rated for around 8000-10,000 total weight. GO with the highest figure because we all meet that number after all the goods have been added.

Try this site rvtowingtips (dot) com. Good source of Information

 

You're probably looking at about 7200-7500 dry weight actual. After you get done loading all your gear you'll be looking at 8500-9000. Can you pull it.... yes. Is the truck going to like it..... nope! As long as you are not pulling any grades you will be slow but OK. I tow a similar weight trailer with my 04 (new body style). I have an Edge Evo programmer and dual exhaust. I have no problems on flat land... 60-70 MPH all day long. In the hills I have to anticipate and make sure I get my momentum built up. I typically lose about 5 MPH on the hills. I tow with OD locked out and the truck will shift to 2nd gear on a long climb. I don't mind it and the truck pulls great. The 01's have the 2v motor... about 260 HP VS 300HP on the 3V. Your GVWR is also alot lower. You will most likely be over on your truck. This will cause rear axle problems down the road. At minimum, if your do decide to pull it anyway I would suggest a few things:
1. make sure your hitch is up to the task
2. Make sure you get a good WD setup. I would recommend Equal-i-zer brand or Reese Dual Cam
3. Make sure you get a good brake controller. I would suggest the Prodigy.
4. I would highly suggest that you upgrade your truck tires to some LT tires. The "p" rated tires will not be up to the task.
You will not set any speed records by any means. My bubby tows a Jayco TT with his 03 Screw. His Trailer weighs in at 6000# with about 800# tounge weight. His GVWR on the trailer is 8500# He tows his with no problems. Be ready for about 8-10 MPG when towing. Make sure you have 3.73 gearsor higher. If it's got 3.55's it will make it that much harder. When shopping for a WD hitch look for a 10,000# hitch with 1000# bars. Good Luck

 

http://www.trailerlife.com/output.cfm?id=42175

Here is a listing of trailer towing capacities from Trailer Life Mag. back to 1999 enjoy.

 

I checked the label inside the passenger door, and I have a GVWR of 6750, and 3.55 gears, the 5.4 & automatic, but NOT the factory towing package. I couldn't find a GCWR rating. My next choice of travel trailers exact dry weight is 4820lb and the hitch weight is 650lb. Does this sound more realistic? The dealer says...and I quote..." I truly assure you that these will be far under what your f-150 can handle safely and you can count on the fact that the weight distribution hitch will greatly reduce the tongue weight. " Can I believe that statement? Or is it just a salesman wanting the sale? Also, they gave me a price of $655 for the brake control and the weight distribution hitch. Does this sound about right?

 

Never believe a salesmans opinion of towability, no need to be rude to them but do your own research. $655 sounds like a fair price if the hitch and controller are name brand items, especially if that includes the controller installation and tow vehicle wiring. I don't have enough experience to have an opinion on your vehicles capacity for towing so I'll let others give more advice on that. I will add though that towing at or above a vehicles capacity makes for long, white knuckle, uncomfortable drives. Where do you plan to go with the trailer? Shorter trips over flat ground are a lot different than several hours of going over mountain passes.

 

You are still on the upper end of your rating. I tow in the upper end of my ratings but I also have different gears and a bigger powerplant. You will definately be in a better situation towing this trailer. You will need to add a trans cooler and wiring for the brake controller and lights. $655 for the hitch and brake controller is high unless he's going to wire the entire truck. You can go to rvwholesalers and get an Equal-i-zer brand hitch for $399. It is one of the best hitches on the market and I highly recommend it. While you're there order yourself a Prodigy controller. It's about $100. It is also one of the best controlers to be found. Do you have a hitch on your truck? You will need one of those also. Reese, Putnam, Hidden hitch are just a few available. They are relatively easy to install and most require no drilling. They mount to the existing holes in your frame.
To find out what you can tow you need to know the weight of the truck. Take it to a scale with a full tank of gas and as many people that you are going to be traveling with along with whatever you are going to put in the bed of the truck while camping. Once you get this weight, subtract it from the GVWR on the tag in the door. This will give you your left over capacity. This is where your tounge weight and hitch weight will come in. A WD hitch does not lighten tounge weight. Weight is weight period. A WD hitch simply distributes the weight of the tounge evenly throughout the frame of the truck and the trailer. The weight is still there just moved around a bit. If you go with the Equal-i-zer, it has built in sway control. You will not need to purchase anything else. Your CGVWR is located in your owners manual. It should be around 12000-14000. You should be OK on your combined weight but you may be over on your truck weight, depending on how many people and how much stuff you load in the truck. What ever you do, this is very IMPORTANT, DO NOT LISTEN TO ANYTHING A DEALER tells you! He is right about the trailer you listed above. You will be able to tow it. You will have a pretty comfortable drive if everything is set up correctly. How do you know that the exact weight is 4820 dry? And the TW is 680? Is it from the little sticker on the cabinet door? If so, then it is probably wrong. They don't figure in options like AC, or awnings on most units. They don't figure in batteries or propane. You are probably looking at closer to 800-850 Tounge weight. What is the GVWR of the camper. Never go off dry weight. Once you add water, and gear you will most likely be well over 6500# You should be close but the 3:55's are going to be your weak point. In the hills you won't win any races but it will get you there. Let it go to 2nd gear and rev. It will pull . If you need any more help please feel free to ask.

 

Is there any way you could post the year make model of the camper you're looking at? This was my response in another similar post, it holds true in this one as well.......




A few points.....

1-Most new dry weights are with minimum options. I am guessing that a TT of that size and price comes with the fridge, a/c, microwave, and furnace, stereo, and awning standard. In that case the dry weight would include all those items. For examples look at NADA.com. and find the newest year you can of the brand and model trailer you are looking at, it often says what is included in dry weight.

2-How many people carry anything in their water tanks? fresh or waste? I am willing to guess he is using the trailer at parks with freshwater available, and a dump station available, and thus would never be hauling with more than the few gallons of water in the water heater and lines.

3-even including the water tanks, someone really thinks he is gonna have 2200lbs of gear? thats a lot of gear. and a lot of food.

 

Here's the trailer info off the website. http://www.keystone-passport.com

Passport Ultralite model 285RL
Shipping Weight 4820
Carrying Capacity 1430
Hitch 650
Length 30' 7
Width 8'
Height 10' 2
Fresh Water 30
Waste Water 30
Gray Water 30
LPG 40
Tire Size 205/75D14C
People weight is around 570 for all of us.

I have had enough experience with dealers that I pretty much don't believe them.
That's why I'm here asking questions.
I just want to pull something that is nice to camp in, but without trashing my truck.
Most trips will be within 200-300 miles of the Twin Cities. Certainly not mountains, but there are some hills in the Bluff Country areas. Camping will usually be at places with hook-ups and dump stations so I won't be hauling all that water weight. Except for beer, of course.