Pickup truck towing capacity - how to know for certain?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I’m looking to buy a Ford F-150. Its purpose will be to pull a medium-sized camper-trailer, in the 17-20 foot range. I’ve calculated that the truck I buy needs to be able to tow at least 7500 lbs.

Unfortunately, I can’t just Google something like “how much can a 2019 F-150 tow?” and be done with it. There are other factors that go into how much a particular truck can tow. There’s so much information out there that my head is spinning. I may, via Carmax or Enterprise, pay to have a truck transferred from somewhere else. But before I put my money down, I want to be 100% certain that the truck will be able to tow that 7500 lbs or more.

So, as an example, I found a 2017 F-150 at Carmax, with a 2.7 liter engine. I consulted Ford’s 2017 towing guide (warning: PDF). On the third page there is a table, which states that the maximum towing capacity for this truck is 8500 lbs. Is that it? Am I good to go, then, or is there more I need to look at, or take into consideration, or whatever?

2

There’s a lot to take into consideration beyond truck and its theoretical towing capacity. Here’ a starter intro to the various terms you’ll need to understand. The answer to your question, like many questions is “it depends.” Let’s say your truck can nominally tow 8500 lbs. That’s nice, but if you ALSO have 1500 lbs of cargo in the truck and the tongue weight of the trailer puts it over the axle rating you’re gonna have a bad time. Another thing to consider is how exactly does the trailer attach to the truck–because using a load levelling hitch rig will help a lot with vehicle stability so you might be able to tow a heavier trailer with a load levelling hitch while not being able to tow a lighter trailer with a regular bumper hitch. Sorry to be a bummer and that but load and trailering is not a simple equation! You’re gonna have to do some homework, I’m afraid.

I used to work for GM in the Marketing Support group and trust me, trailering questions were ALWAYS the worst!

3

It’s even more complicated than that…
Even the Truck itself matters… My 2000 F150 has slightly less towing capacity than some other models that year - because I have the full-sized bed. But it has more capacity than a lot of other models, because I have the standard cab version. The extended cab and Crew cab versions weigh a lot more, and have lower towing capacity. The engine and transmission make a difference, too.

4

Also things like does it have a towing package with a transmission cooler and extra battery for the trailer make a big difference in the overall equation as well.

5

A big question is where you plan to use it: in particular if you plan to use it in the mountains.

6

Thanks, all, but oy… my head is still spinning. :slight_smile:

Yes, I’m in Portland, OR, so there will be mountain driving.

One of the articles I read advised that I should take the weight of my trailer, add 1500 lbs, then that sum should be no more than 80% of the towing capacity, in order to take mountain driving into account. So that’s the formula I used to come up with my 7500 lb minimum.

I haven’t bought the trailer yet, the truck comes first. My wife and I have a list of trailers we’re eyeing, and the heaviest one on the list is 4400 lbs.

7

Don’t forget to take into account that your trailer is unloaded when you buy it, but then you add provisions, clothes, etc. and that drives up the weight of what you’re towing as well. Let’s suppose your trailer is like my camper, so it carries about 37 gal of fresh water…that’s about 300 lbs. Then you got your black water and full propane tanks, recreational gear and whatnot. It adds up quickly.

As far as the OP question goes, I’d get the towing capacity in writing. Then I wouldn’t cut it too close. And I’ve read that in some states, even though the weigh stations are “closed” the state po-po will leave scales on for people to use. You’re supposed to balance your load, from what I’ve read—don’t be greatly heavier on one side than the other. Also if you’re new to it, join a Facebook group or whatever to get tips and tricks.

8

With the weights you quoted and the mention of mountains, I’d suggest the F-250 instead. Make sure it has the tow package, Includes brake controller, transmission cooler and tow-haul mode. It’s much better to have more truck than you may need, than less truck than necessary. BTDT

9

Keep in mind that the actual pulling of the load is the easy part and the least of your worries. What you want is a vehicle that can STOP that load quickly, and can handle emergency swerves and horribly cambered/rutted roads safely.

That means you may need a weight distribution hitch, a beefed up suspension, definitely a long wheelbase. As said above, a tow package is important.

10

Our camper is self-contained—we don’t tow anything. But when driving, I had to get used to slower acceleration for merging and longer distances for braking. Put blind spot mirrors on your side mirrors and anticipate that people want to sit right there (fresnel lenses are another option). We scrutinize any back roads that look sketchy. Gravel/dirt? Forget it. What might be fine in the family car could be bad if it has low bridges, no place to turn around, narrow lanes, lower weight capacity, etc. GPS is a nice thing but check the atlas and google maps as well to verify.

And if you’re going to be on mountain roads, don’t ride your brakes.

11

I don’t know about this being complicated - it seems to me you’re just overthinking it. I went though the same thing last year as I was looking at a truck. It was pretty simple:

First: look at the exact model of truck including the extra features like a tow package. You should then be able get the towing capacity of the vehicle from the manufacturers website.

Important: This towing capacity is the GROSS towing capacity, it is the entire total load your vehicle can handle. It’s NOT just not just your physical trailer and towing item (boat etc). The gross capacity includes all passengers and gear and fuel etc.

Next - Calculate what your gross weight will be and compare that to the vehicle capacity. If the vehicle rating is above your number, you’re good to go. If it’s less, you need more towing capacity.

This is the only part that’s “complicated”, but you need to sort this out yourself. What is the realistic total weight of everything you will add to the truck at once: passengers, trailer, tow item (boat & motor etc), cargo (food, water, fishing/hunting gear, portable generator), fuel, etc.

Other factors to consider:
As others have noted you should also consider how frequently you’ll be towing and where you will be towing.

If you’re towing loads frequently or in places like the mountains (as you are) then you want more of a gap between the gross capacity and you actual load.

As @GESancMan says - 80% of the gross capacity is fine place to be, but I really don’t think that anyone can possibly give you a definitive answer.

Towing close to capacity or even above capacity is not normally an immediate safety issue (except maybe braking in the mountains), but over time it will wear your brakes and engine and transmission and you’ll have lots of repair costs.

I’ve been at 130% of my capacity on a one time flat trip of 200km (120 miles) with few problems (worn brakes being the main one). I definitely couldn’t do that every weekend, especially on hills or mountains. (A friend’s car broke down on the way back from our fishing trip, so I ended up with 5 big guys, all their gear plus boat, motor trailer etc).

My neighbour bought a boat and frequently towed it with his Nissan Pathfinder, it was maybe 70% of his capacity and after 2 years of towing it 15 weekends through minor hills it blew out his transmission. Towing a trailer or boat once twice a year is different than towing it every weekend.

Only you can answer that.

12

I used to sell RVs and trailers at one point in my life. The best thing you can do is go to an RV dealer, explain what you’re wanting to do, and ask them what weight trailer your truck can handle, or what size truck you need to tow your trailer. They have books that tell them that information. We always took it into consideration whenever someone was buying a towed RV, since our shop refused to install a trailer hitch on an undersized vehicle because of the liability. Whatever you buy, get the largest engine available and with an automatic tranny.

13

There’s a lot of good information in this thread, thank you all!

However, I don’t think I articulated my question very clearly. Suppose I’ve already done all of my homework, and now I’m ready to buy a truck. Going back to my example in the OP:

There are larger tables further down in the PDF that break it down by cab size, bed size, and so on. Can I trust that the particular truck I found does, indeed, have the maximum towing capacity as listed in the towing guide? And can I trust the other numbers as well (tongue weight, etc.)?

My issue here is that I don’t want to spend $300-$900 to have a truck transferred here, then to go to the lot, look at the sticker inside the door, and find that the truck doesn’t actually meet my needs.

14

Ask them to send you a picture of that label from the specific truck you’re looking at.

15

I once put a tow hitch onto an old Ford Escort hatchback. I had a small aluminum fishing boat with a 9.9 on it, and the Escort managed it nicely! When I traded the car in, the salesman walked around the car, then asked, “what is the towing capacity of a Ford Escort?”

16

So you’re basically asking “How can I be sure the truck I’m buying really has the towing options etc the seller says it has?”

In addition to @Pork_Rind comment, I’d suggest you contact a local Ford dealer explain the situation and ask them if there is any other documentation available on the vehicle itself that you can have seller photograph and send you to confirm?

I’m not that familiar with Ford’s, but maybe they can run the VIN though their system to check? In my experience dealers are usually nice guys and will give you advice or assistance. Try the service department, since they won’t be trying to sell you a used truck if you’re concerned about that.

Even a non-Ford local mechanic may have an insight.

17

This article seems to address your questions.

https://www.natda.org/news/know-your-pickups-weight-carrying-limits/

Interesting:

18

Let me provide a real world example of this. I have a Chevy Bolt, an electric car that dealers, and particularly places like Carmax, know little about. There is a critical option that when equipped, allows for fast DC charging. To the uninitiated, everything about a car with or without that option appears identical. Many dealers aren’t even aware that the fast charging is an option and assume it’s standard on all models.

So the support forums have a number of cases where someone only finds out at delivery that they didn’t get fast charging. So the practice now is to have someone at the dealer take a picture of the charge port and email that. It takes the subjectivity out of the process, and I’ve never heard of a salesman being willing to lose a sale by not sending a photo along.

19

Note my username – I do this a lot.

[Part 1 of 2]

You need to know several numbers, or at least good approximations.

  1. GVWR of your tow vehicle (more on this in a second).
  2. GCWR of your tow vehicle (ditto).
  3. Empty weight of your tow vehicle.
  4. Loaded weight of your camper.
  5. Tongue weight of your camper.

Of all the above, you’ll most likely be limited by GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating). This is the max number that Ford recommends your truck weigh, with everything. Modern pickups outfitted with 4 doors, rear cabs and all the options are surprisingly close to this number. As an example, I had a 2011 Ram 1500 Quad Cab Short bed, with bench seat, 5.7L V8 and tow package. It weighed (CAT scales) 5800 lbs. The published GVWR of that truck was 6700 lbs. That meant it had a legal load capacity of 900 lbs. – 50 lbs less than my wife’s Camry. So I had a pickup with a 10,500 advertised tow capacity, that literally couldn’t carry the tongue weight of a camper with me, wife, and 2 chihuahuas. At least not legally/warrantied.

The second limitation is GCWR (Gross Combined Weight Rating). This is the max amount the Ford (in your case) believes the vehicle is capable of handling, controlling and stopping, with appropriate brakes.

You will find a maximum tow rating for most vehicles, but you’re highly unlikely to reach that number as the others will limit you first. In many cases, this number is for the lightest version of the truck you’re considering, and really just advertising bragging rights.

The only way to find out the empty weight of your tow vehicle is on a scale. Here’s a website to find CAT scales that can tell you this number. It costs around $12-15 to weigh. Since you don’t have the truck in advance, you’ll need to try finding examples online in trailering forums, or find someone with a similarly equipped vehicle. See my above example as a starting point. Your proposed camper will have around 600-800 lbs of tongue weight.

Continued…

20

[Part 2 of 2]

My current camper has a 6900 lb empty weight, and weighs 8200 on the scales. This is a fairly good approximation of what to expect from the camper you consider. It’s not unusual to have 1000 to 1500 pounds extra in the camper when tanks, propane and personal effects are considered. Tongue weight is 1200 lbs.

Now for the real question. Will a 1/2 ton truck with a 7500 lb tow rating pull the 20 foot camper you’re considering? Almost certainly, if it’s equipped with the tow package and proper rear axle ratio for that weight. Can you stop it? You should have no trouble, considering the trailer will have its own brakes, and its onboard battery to help actuate them.

Although I’m not sure about the engine combo on the vehicle you mentioned, I don’t see how a F150 could have much trouble with a 17-20 foot trailer. You just need to be aware of the GVWR limitation and whether you could run afoul of your insurance policy somehow.

I second the recommendation above to get a weight distributing hitch. This will make a world of difference on bumpy, hilly, and windy roads. If you still find the tail is “wagging the dog”, there are a variety of sway controllers which can dampen this. Try it out a little on the flatlands to see if it fells stable before heading out to the hills. Sway controllers are not expensive and will give a little extra confidence.

Final recommendation. If the truck you consider is close to needing new tires, replace them with Load Range “E” to get more sidewall stability. You can tell the difference if the truck was originally equipped with “C” range tires. Second, Here is a website showing how to find the actual age of a tire. If your camper’s tires are more than 3 years old, it’s a good idea to replace them, no matter how they look. Camper tires get more sun damage then road wear (usually).

Best of luck, hope you enjoy camping! Feel free to ask any other questions – we’ve been trailer camping since 1982 and are on our 6th camper now.