Capable towing truck?

[mychiandme]

My campers max weight is 7k. Been looking for an affordable tow vehicle for a long time. I have finally come across a decent mileage/price f150. I always search the VIN to check the tow capacity, and this is displayed differently than I've seen before:

[font=Verdana, geneva, lucida,]Wt Distributing Hitch - Max Trailer Wt.7400, 7900, 6000  lbs  6000.0 min 9300.0 max[/font]

[font=Verdana, geneva, lucida,]Wt Distributing Hitch - Max Tongue Wt.740, 790, 600  lbs  600.0 min 930.0 max[/font]

[font=Verdana, geneva, lucida,]I'm assuming this truck can handle up to 9300, so would be within specs to tow my 7000lbs. Am I reading this properly? I don't understand what all the other weights are for, so I'm paying attention to the max.[/font]

[font=Verdana, geneva, lucida,]Thanks a bunch,[/font]
[font=Verdana, geneva, lucida,]MyChiandMe[/font]

 

[bullfrog]

What have you been towing your camper with? Have you loaded it up, filled up the tanks and checked it at your local truck scales? Tongue weight can be checked simply with a board with a piece of pipe to pivot on one end and a set of regular bathroom scales on the other end, there are several instructionals on how to be found on the internet.

 

[mychiandme]

I haven't been towing it. I need a truck first.

 

[bullfrog]

Year, length, make and model of your camper as well as if it is a single axle or dual axle. There should be a plate by the tongue or door that gives the weight and cargo capacity. Will you be full timing? Will you be taking a generator, tools, extra water any extra heavy items? Will you be traveling cross country in the mountains or locally? Does the truck you are considering have a factory towing package listed on the specs?

 

[mychiandme]

99 Arctic Fox 22H dual axle weighs 4850 dry, 2150lbs cargo capacity
Yes I will be fulltiming with a small 800watt generator I can lift myself and will likely keep in the vehicle not the camper. I will be mostly local to the Verde Valley, AZ area but will go to the Mogollon Rim area and Flagstaff, so I will have to deal with some grades.

 

[bullfrog]

I get criticised a lot for recommending a larger truck but I have towed an older 19' camper trailer loaded for full time living with a beefed up 1/2 ton as in new springs, new larger brakes and more powerful engine with a larger radiator. I pulled it from Bullfrog Utah down the Moqui Dugway to Page Arizona. It did okay on the flat but I was concerned enough going down the Moqui Dugway I rented a dual wheel UHaul truck to tow it back and I didn't know it was there. A night and day difference for me. I now have a 24' trailer that loaded will be pulled with a 3/4 ton Suburban that I have made many improvements to. The Suburban I feel will be a good match but really as it is a 5.7 gas engine will be slightly underpowered and a little slow on the hills. If I had your trailer I would want a 3/4 ton truck simply for the suspension and braking, I can live with slow going up hills but not being able to control and stop a loaded trailer going down hills is a problem. I believe jimindenver uses an Excursion to pull a trailer similar to yours and he may have some insights. You will be at the limit of what a 1/2 ton truck was designed to do so maintenance and keeping it in like new condition will be required but as long as you follow manufacture's recommendations and don't overload the trailer and truck you should be able to do what you want to do as long as your willing to go slower and do a little more maintenance as lighter built trucks tend to wear out quicker. All this to say I like 3/4 ton Suburbans and Excursions with factory towing packages as they have more enclosed storage space and a little more weight over the rear wheels and I have found they are usually a little better maintained and cheaper than pickup trucks in general when buying used.

 

[highdesertranger]

Tow capacity is different that gross vehicle weight rating(GVWR).

IMO a f-150 is only good for towing smaller trailers that 7000 pound trailer is going to be pushing that F150 to the limit. They are crazy with that 9300lb rating. Pushing the limit is never a good idea.

There are many factors here. You need to add the tongue weight to the weight of the truck fully loaded and this number can not exceed the GVWR.

The weight of the trailer and truck both fully loaded can not exceed the Gross Combined Weight Rating(GCWR)

Remember all the major manufactures got in trouble for grossly inflating their tow ratings.

All things being equal a higher capacity truck will handle any given trailer better.

Highdesertranger

 

[mychiandme]

Thank you both for your responses. I have been looking at 3/4 ton and up mostly and was surprised to see an f150 with this tow capacity. I was not aware about manf. overstating these numbers - thank you for that info. I will continue looking for a heavier duty vehicle. I figured it was too good to be true!

 

[MGfromBC]

I've been thinking about replacing my Kia Sportage with something that I could eventually use to haul a trailer. I started to notice that the high end SUVs lost financial value rather fast while some continued to hang on to their real value. I also found that in England there are a series of awards given each year for Best Tow Vehicles. The Land Rover Discovery seems to always be the best for heavy pulling and often comes in best overall.

Here's the awards page.
https://www.thetowcarawards.com/

Since then, I've spent a few hours looking at these creatures on-line, especially with the help of this https://www.thetowcarawards.com/

MG

 

[brollins]

Thank you both for your responses. I have been looking at 3/4 ton and up mostly and was surprised to see an f150 with this tow capacity. I was not aware about manf. overstating these numbers - thank you for that info. I will continue looking for a heavier duty vehicle. I figured it was too good to be true!

I use my F150 3.5 Ecoboost to tow a 7500 lb trailer. No issues though I would not pull anything heavier than that. Aside from the all-terrain nitto tires, rear sway bar and WDH, my truck has no other mods.

 

[Scorpion Regent]

When in doubt go big or stay home.  I encountered a situation with a f150 fully loaded with a trailer, going down a steep grade and the brakes couldn't stop it.  Luckily nothing got in the way.  A half ton truck might work, but a three quarter ton would be the better truck for the job.  They are  designed to handle bigger loads so the brakes, transmission and engine are made for it.  If you have a choice get one with a diesel engine, they pull better.  It might seem like it's a lot more money, but in the long run it will be money well spent.

 

[JDelete]

I would be skeered to be towing that big of a load with an F150. On level ground, short jaunts, and driving very careful and conservative then it might be okay. But to go the long haul, up and down grades—oh my. My uneducated rule of thumb is to assume the real world towing capacity is about half of what is claimed if you want to have a relatively safe journey with few mechanical issues.