First post! Any input is appreciated.

I've got a 2003 FX4 120" (shortest) wheelbase, 4.6L, auto, 3.55 gears, standard 17" wheels, factory towing package (with aux trans cooler). The towing capacity is 6,300lb, according to Ford.

I'm looking to tow an 8.5' x 18' enclosed cargo trailer, total weight of about 5,500 lbs. I plan to use a proportional brake controller and a weight transfer + anti sway (cam style) hitch. Assuming a properly loaded trailer, good tires, proper inflation, good brakes, am I asking for trouble?

The trailer is both bigger and heavier than the truck! That makes me wonder a little. I'll do a lot of long distance highway towing. I realize a bigger truck would be better but I'm trying to get by with what I've got.

Thoughts?

Thanks!

 

Having a heavier trailer than truck is not a problem, provided you adjust your driving habits to ensure safe handling.

All of the semi trucks have trailers that weigh more than the tractors, and if it helps I tow 13k behind my 1990 F250HD at times with zero problems.

More time to manuever, more distance behind the next vehicle (and take a deep breath as it seems every one cuts into YOUR saftey zone/space) and more attention to short whipping cuts such as passing, sharp turns, etc.


Now, as far as Fords trailering specs - please keep in mind that it is more important to follow Fords Axle ratings and GCWR than what you are rated to tow. REMEMBER that you CANNOT tow 6300 lbs if your truck is loaded as you will excede the GCWR. The tow rating is marked as "tow up to" extended cabs, 4x4, accesories even the hitch type adds to the truck weight can and most likely will reduce your towing capacity to stay within Fords (and legaly) GCWR.

First, weigh YOUR truck, with all of your static stuff such as fire ext, factory accesories, full tire, jack and full fuel tanks. This is your "tare" weight. Also refered to "curb weight" But please note, no people or cargo are included in the Tare weight!

Secondly, add up what your cargo weighs and how much the persons that you will have weigh, along with all of there personal gear. This is your loaded weight, and neither the front or rear axles should be over there individually rated capacity (referred as GAWR)

Thirdly, take your loaded weight and subtract that from your rated Gross Combined Vehicle Weight (or GCWR) and what figure you have left is what you can LEGALY tow. It may be suprising to see that it is no where close to what Ford rates a truck to tow "up to" Add 1000lbs of people and gear and you find that you only have 5300 lbs of towing left! If you have a heavy extended cab or 4x4 you have even LESS towing capacity.

Forth, recheck your rear axle GAWR AFTER you hook up your trailer to make sure that the added tongue weight of the trailer does not over load your rear axle.

Fifth - yes fifth - Stand back and take a look at your combined rig. If you have added a "leveling kit" and removed the normal and safe rake that was built into a load hauling truck and your trucks nose is way up in the air, you will need to remove the leveling kit.

Now you are ready to tow safely across the country or around the world!!!

Good luck, David

 

GCVWR from ford is not a legal number

legal GCVWR = GVWR(towing) + GVWR(towed)

 

GCWR is the legal number according to federal highway standards. You cannot legaly exceed what Ford states. You also cannot legaly exceed GAWR and GVWR ratings as well. They are ll numbers that a insurance compny CAN USE to deny you insurance coverage if you cause a collision. They are all numbers that the police will can use to determine if you just made a mistake or willfully went out of your way to hurt someone.

Sorry, as a CDL driver, I do know what I am talking about here.

If you have a regular cab that has a GCWR of 18500 lbs there the truck has a tare weight of 5300lbs, add a driver at 200 lbs, the MAXIMUM that you can tow is 13,000 lbs legaly in ANY of the 50 states.

If you have a extended cab 4wd that has a tare of 6300 lbs, add a driver at 200 lbs then the total trailer weight that you can tow is 12,000 lbs.

That is why Ford, Chevrolet and Dodge uses the term "can tow up to"

The only way around this is to buy a incomplete chassis from Ford, then the finishing (complete) manufacturer can rate the chassis at whatever they feel is appropiate, and this was a common cause many years ago of the overloaded motorhome chassis. Now however, Ford and the rest of the chassis manufactures have figured this out and will deny coverage for broken parts caused by exceeding there incomplete ratings.

Thank you, David

 

That is wrong.

You, as a CDL driver, have a GCVWR posted on your door... Ford does not put a GCVWR on the weight tag inside the door, only GVWR, and xAWR. In this case, the legal definition of GCVWR is the sum of the two GVWRs.

For instance, if I have a Reg cab with a GVWR of 8,800#, and a trailer with a GVWR of 17,200#, I have a setup with a GCVWR of 26,000#. The limit to this, however, is that there must be a safe amount of weight on the tongue... So lets say you have a curb weight of 5,900# with a full tank on that same pickup. After a 200# driver, that leaves room for 2,700# of tongue weight... if we say we want 15% tongue weight on the trailer, that gives us a 18,000# trailer allowance...which means that 17,200# trailer would work with proper tongue weight. So would an 18,000# trailer, but then it'd be in Class A territory.

This might not be true for all examples, but the above example does not bust either axle rating on my pickup. Ford recommends 18,000# GCVWR, but it is every bit capable to pull at least 24,000 from my experience.

 

Yes, you are correct that Ford does not put the GCWR on the door jam. However, it is listed in print in the owners manual. This is what you can legaly have as a combined weight. But then again, neither does Ford put on the door jam what the maximum towing weight is. You will find that in the owners manual as well. So I am not sure why you mention the door jam, as that only lits GVWR and axle ratings?

Good example on the tounge weight - which is why I mentioned that the owner of the F150 reweigh his truck after hooking up the trailer to make sure he was not over the Rear Axle capacity. 10-15% is the accepted norm, BUT most hitches (not fifth wheel ) are limited to 1000 lbs max tounge weight, so getting the ideal 15% is hard with the heavier trailers.

Sorry to say that you cannot take a F150, relicense it for 26k and then tow a 20k trailer because you are over the listed (in print, and readily available to any DMV, laywer or insurance company) GCWR as listed by the vehicle manufacture, in this case, Ford.

One point that I will give you is that, yes, the FSMC does list GCVWR as the acronim for the combined weight rating, not GCWR. Howerver, as I did not want to confuse anyone, I used the acronim that the owner will find in the owners manual, and Ford uses GCWR in this case.

Not only am I a CDL driver, but I also teach classes and am head of a maint shop that has the resposibility to keep a small fleet of commecial trucks that range from F150's to a million mile Pete. Trust me, I know what the law says in this case. It is not my opinion, just the facts.

But at the end of day, you have to do what you have to do, and I have to do what I have to do. The information that the first poster has been given, per law and that is all any of us can hope for, as he has to make his own descision on what to do with it.

David

 

Wrong once again.

No information in the manual has any legal bearing on weights as there is no requirement to keep the manual inside the vehicle. The B-pillar is the only place on non-commercial vehicles that the legal weight regulations are permanently printed. GCWR and GCVWR are interchangeable with no difference.

Also, when talking about private, non-commercial vehicles, they are not licensed for any specific combination weight. The only limit is the 26,000# cutoff before a Class A license is required.

Your fleet of commercial vehicles falls under a completely different set of laws and regulations, such as DOT numbers, GCVWR registration, fire extinguishers, and first aid kits.

The GCVWR printed in the manual is simply a CYA number that ford has come up with. Keep an eye out and you'll find some F350's that are commercially licensed for quite a bit more than Ford is willing to take responsibility for.


To the OP, you'll be just fine with that setup.

 

Warranty issues are the biggest factor in the difference in GCVWR from Ford. That is why two identical trucks with different engines have different recommended GCVWRs.

The engine doesn't increase the weight carrying capacity of the pickup, nor the stopping ability. It only increases torque available to get the rig moving... which doesn't apply equally to all locations. Here in the plains, a 5.4L gasoline engine can do anything that a 6.4L diesel can do... just not quite as quickly. Move to the mountains, and you might find some hills that the 5.4L can't climb without bottoming out the speed limit.

 

Two issues here. Legality and civil liability. Often mutually exclusive.

Steve