My husband and I have a 2003 Ford Expedition (Eddie Bauer)4 X 4, 5.4 liter engine with air suspension (?) in the back with a tow package added. Written on the underside of the tow hitch states maximum weight is 8,900 lbs, and maximum tongue weight is 890 lbs. We need help with how to determine the safe weight and length when purchasing a new travel trailer. Thanks!
Depends on many factors. First off you can't necessarily go by the number on the hitch. That's the hitch rating, not necessarily the tow vehicle rating. Check your manual to make sure it matches. You will need to get some #s from the vehicle, estimate some weights and then go from there. You should also go to a local scale and get the vehicle weighed.
Look on the door jamb of the vehicle for a sticker that will tell you the GVWR and Payload. These are usually your limiting factors. The payload is usually calculated with a 150lbs driver and full fuel(?). Subtract the weight of everything else in the vehicle (people, gear, driver over 150 etc) from the payload. What is left is the max for tongue weight of trailer. The average tongue weight should be approx 13% of trailers loaded weight.
Example
payload = 1600lbs
people/gear = 800lbs
75lbs for WD hitch
leaves 725lbs for tongue weight.
13% of 5600lbs= 728lbs of tongue weight
In this case you should be looking at a trailer no more than 5600lbs LOADED
You also need to make sure the numbers are within the GVWR, tow rating and rear axle rating (RAWR), hitch reciever rating etc..
Some people use the rule of thumb to look for a trailer with a GVWR of no more than 80% of the tow vehicles max tow rating. I'm sure others will chime in but there are also lots of threads on here covering the same question.
'07 Toyota Tundra Crewmax Limited
'06 Forest River Flagstaff 26BH(sold)
'13 Keystone Bullet Premier 31BHPR
Hitched by Hensley, Viewed by McKesh
May I just say....remember....heat under the hood is a big enemy.
Make sure your engine/transmission cooling system is 100% functioning!
I say this because I do not think your TV offered a factory fitted uprated coolant system, I might be wrong?
Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LTZ 2007 (new shape)
4x4 Crew Cab VORTEC MAX (L76) 6.0L V8 4L70E 4.10 axle
factory NHT Max Trailering Package.
2010 Coachmen Freedom Express 280 RLS
"...a Waldorf Salad?, sorry we are fresh out of Waldorfs!".......BASIL FAWLTY.
Found mine in owners manual, i have tow pkg, and removed air suspension as it was giving probs and got worried it would lay down with the trailer on. Yours should be similar to this. Gvw 7300, hitch max 850, combined 14500, tow max 8600. When the weight/length police arrive they will give you more info. One thing to remember if you are planning to tow a lot...the wheelbase is relatively short on these trucks, that will determine length of trailer to safely tow. Good luck!
One more thing, mine weighs 6000 lbs with half tank, no driver. 7300-6000 leaves only 1300 for tongue weight, passengers, etc. Gets eaten up quickly . So much to think about, i need another coffee
sandnsurf wrote: My husband and I have a 2003 Ford Expedition (Eddie Bauer)4 X 4, 5.4 liter engine with air suspension (?) in the back with a tow package added. Written on the underside of the tow hitch states maximum weight is 8,900 lbs, and maximum tongue weight is 890 lbs. We need help with how to determine the safe weight and length when purchasing a new travel trailer. Thanks!
With that TV personally I would keep it in the 26' or so range and with an EW of not more than around 6000 and dry hitch wt. of 600-700lbs.
My current trailer has a max tow of 10K and GCWR of 20K and I tow a 31' almost 8K trailer and that is all I think I would want to do for a comfortable and enjoyable towing experience. Sure you can go higher, but the "ENJOYABLE" can quickly turn into a "WIPED OUT" experience if you tow more than a couple of hours in a day. I think many folks here over rate their combo because a 30 to 60 min tow to your local CG is totally different than getting on the Interstate and towing for 6, 7 or 8 hours.
I towed with a Expy 4x4 5.4 with 3.73 gears. IMO if you exceed loaded weight of 5500lbs or 26 ft. I think you will be disapointed in the performance. As stated in prev posts a good WD hitch with sway control is a must.
To get accurate numbers it’s best to load the TV up with the weight you’d carry on a trip, all the people and gear. Then take it to the local truck stop and get a weight of the front and rear axles on a split scale. Subtract that from your GVW and you’ll have good numbers to work with rather than a guess.
That will allow you to establish maximum weights, but not mentioned is the issue of performance. If you’re pulling near max and climb any significant grades you’ll be traveling relatively slowly at high rpm’s. Whether that bothers you is an individual thing and there’s no way to quantify it. But it’s best to be aware of it so you’re not disappointed by the performance after an expensive commitment.
Most people pull much heavier rigs than I do and are satisfied, I spend a lot of time in the mountains and a constantly roaring engine is intolerable to me. With most peoples’ loads I’d be an obvious diesel candidate. Or maybe an EB.
The numbers under your receiver hitch are the ratings of the hitch itself and usually have nothing to do with the ratings for the tow vehicle. Safety numbers you need to know about are required by law to be placed on your door post. GVWR is the amount of weight your truck can EVER weigh so this number includes ALL people, cargo and equipment in the truck plus anything attached to the truck that adds weight (like your trailer tongue weight). Keep in mind that tongue weight is NOT what the brochure says it is because you will no doubt add a log of personal gear to the trailer and ALL of it effects tongue wieght. Need to know the fully LOADED tongue weight and one way to do this without a scales is to simply use 15% of the trailers GVWR. That is the maximum the travel trailer tongue should ever weigh. It MAY be as little as 10% and usually somewhere in between but to determine safety use the higher number.
The other safety related number is the axle rating of the trucks rear axle. Usually you will reach the GVWR before reaching the axle rating but it's good to know what it is.
ALL other numbers like GCVWR (gross combined vehicle weight rating) or 'maximum trailer weight rating" are really only used to determine when the warranty will be covered in case of breakdown. Exceed these ratings and the manufacturer may refuse warranty repair on weight related issues. They ARE a good resource to determine what the builder of the truck believes the truck will handle without excessive break downs so it's a good resource to piggy back onto when deciding what to tow but it is NOT a safety related issue. The only OTHER safety related issue is your own driving skill and safe driving practices.
Good luck / Skip
2011 F-150 HD Ecoboost 3.5 V6. 2550 payload, 17,100 GCVWR - 2004 F-150 HD (Traded after 80,000 towing miles) 2007 Rockwood 8314SS 34' travel trailer
US Govt survey shows three out of four people make up 75% of the total population
I'm pretty much at capacity with my 2003, 400 lbs under 7400 GVWR and 850 tongue weight. My trailer is 6000 lbs loaded 5100 dry. Don't go more than "29" in the trailer's model number or 5500 lbs dry. Use a really good weight distribution hitch with built in sway control like the Equal-i-zer, Hensley, Reese Dual Cam, Blue Ox.
Idealy, from experience. 28 footer and 5500 lbs loaded is a good goal.
My previous trailer was a 26 footer and 4200 lbs loaded, truck barely worked with that one. Current trailer makes the truck grunt a bit.
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