Tongue/hitch weight

[kipkohl]

My wife and I are starting to look at TT's and I have a question about tongue weight ratings. We're looking at the Lance 1685:
Dry weight 4620
GVWR. 6300
Dry hitch. 540
My question is; does the tongue weight increase in a linear fashion as trailer weight increases? It looks like the dry tongue weight is about 12% of the dry trailer weight. I know tongue weight in part depends on how the trailer is loaded, but in general is the tongue weight going to be 12% of the loaded trailer weight? At GVWR tongue weight would be 756lbs.

We have a '21 super crew xlt fx4 with a 1434 payload. I see a lot of people pulling similar TT's with the Ranger, but this seems like it doesn't leave much of a safety margin as far as weight limits, or am I being too conservative? We're totally new to trailer towing.

Thanks for any wisdom you can throw my way.

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[raytwntrvlr]

You said " it doesn't leave much of a safety margin as far as weight limits" True.
As for tongue weight. It all depends on where the added weight is relative to the axles.
Your choice of this TT is getting close to the upper limit of the Rangers capability. Could be a challenge to someone new to towing a TT.
Just my 2 cents worth.

 

[EJH]

I see a lot of people pulling similar TT's with the Ranger, but this seems like it doesn't leave much of a safety margin as far as weight limits, or am I being too conservative? We're totally new to trailer towing.

You are correct. Some people do tow at this extreme edge of our truck's limit. Most of them are seasoned at towing. You are also correct that you are leaving no safety margin. I would not recommend this setup for first time trailer towing.

Most likely you will exceed the Ranger's tongue weight when fully loaded with gear, propane, water and batteries. IMHO, get a F-150 or pick another trailer.

FWIW, I tow a 5,000 lb GVWR TT with my Ranger. It was my first serious introduction to towing. Even a year later, with 4,000 towing miles, I would not want a heavier trailer.

 

[Grumpaw]

Any weight that is added forward of the front axle will add to the tongue weight, and the closer it's added to the front of the trailer, the faster the tongue weight will increase.
Also, be aware that when manufacturers post their "dry and tongue weights" they almost always DO NOT include the weight of the battery/batteries of the one or two (usually 2) filled propane tanks. Those are placed at the very front of the trailer's frame, thus, the 40-50 lbs for a battery and the 50-100 lbs for 2 filled propane tanks (either 20 or 30 lb tanks) must be added to the "dry" tongue weight. Then add any "stuff" weight and you can see how quickly the weight of the rig adds up, especially the tongue weight.
I would guess that the "dry weight" with battery and propane will be much closer to 5000 lbs with a tongue weight of nearer 650 lbs, before you even add your personal items.

 

[THLONE]

To find the weights of your fully loaded truck and trailer you will have to actually hook it all up and take it to a scale. That will give you axle weights. You can use a tongue scale to adjust the load inside of the trailer. Allrv.com Is a web site you might want to check out. You can also search this web site as that subject has been argued ad nauseum.

 

[kipkohl]

Wow, thanks for the replies. All of them are pretty much in line with what I was thinking. Our second choice is the 1575, GVWR of 4600 and a tongue weight between 350-690 by my calculation.

 

[Big Blue]

All good advice, especially about getting it weighed. Just a few things I will add. Get a good weight distribution hitch and set it up correctly. The tongue weight needs to be between 10 and 15 percent of loaded trailer weight, so 12% is a good target. One thing to look at when getting your setup weighed is the Gross Combined Vehicle Weight. This is the total weight of the truck trailer and all people, pets and cargo. For your truck it is 12,500 lbs. Also look at the axle weight ratings. These are on the sticker on the drivers door sill. The axle weight ratings can help you get the hitch set up properly. Just be sure to stay within ALL the weight ratings.

All this being said the Ranger will do just fine pulling that camper. You need to take it slow until you get some experience.

 

[Big Blue]

Wow, thanks for the replies. All of them are pretty much in line with what I was thinking. Our second choice is the 1575, GVWR of 4600 and a tongue weight between 350-690 by my calculation.

This sounds like a better starting point for an inexperienced tower. All the advice still applies.

 

[kipkohl]

Thanks Big Blue, good advice. I'm finding there's a lot more to TT's than hooking 'em up and going!

 

[Peragrin]

All good advice, especially about getting it weighed. Just a few things I will add. Get a good weight distribution hitch and set it up correctly. The tongue weight needs to be between 10 and 15 percent of loaded trailer weight, so 12% is a good target. One thing to look at when getting your setup weighed is the Gross Combined Vehicle Weight. This is the total weight of the truck trailer and all people, pets and cargo. For your truck it is 12,500 lbs. Also look at the axle weight ratings. These are on the sticker on the drivers door sill. The axle weight ratings can help you get the hitch set up properly. Just be sure to stay within ALL the weight ratings.

All this being said the Ranger will do just fine pulling that camper. You need to take it slow until you get some experience.

The GCVWR changes based on truck options. etc. The better numbers to look at are your door jam numbers. That should give you a total payload weight. with my factory black appearnce package it is only 1480 lbs. subtract hitch weight. (I just subtract the whole 750 to be safe) and that is the total weight of people and gear that can be in your truck. so I get 730 ish pounds for me, my wife, two kids, two car seats, and misc stuff in the bed.

for us we load everything else into our travel trailer, clothes, food etc. and then try to balance it so that it is slightly nose heavy. and I have towed our forest river rockwood roo 233s all of NH. this past summer.

So pretty much a duplicate if not slightly longer setup than what you are looking at, with out issues. I just am very careful not to put stuff in the truck just because.

The ranger had no issues pulling that. up and down mountains, I would recomment if you have budget for a new trailer get clear view replacement side mirrors. the clip on ones work, but don't last long.

 

[fslec]

Everyone who tows a trailer should watch this about towing. Even seasoned people will find it interesting. I've been towing trailers for 40 years and still found it informative.

 

[ControlNode]

Also don't forget, since most trailers have electric brakes, you'll need an electric trailer brake controller. While you may have the Ford tow package this needed part is not included. Since I knew I planned on towing with my truck I had the cost of that accessory and its installation added into the cost when purchasing the truck. The trailer weight limit without brakes is only 1650lb.

I think everything else has been covered. I know I rent TTs close to where I'm going right now, I get good MPGs for +90% of my drive and when I hook up the TT I just move everything from the truck into it as to not exceed the truck's ratings.

 

[Big Blue]

The GCVWR changes based on truck options. etc. The better numbers to look at are your door jam numbers. That should give you a total payload weight. with my factory black appearnce package it is only 1480 lbs. subtract hitch weight. (I just subtract the whole 750 to be safe) and that is the total weight of people and gear that can be in your truck. so I get 730 ish pounds for me, my wife, two kids, two car seats, and misc stuff in the bed.

for us we load everything else into our travel trailer, clothes, food etc. and then try to balance it so that it is slightly nose heavy. and I have towed our forest river rockwood roo 233s all of NH. this past summer.

So pretty much a duplicate if not slightly longer setup than what you are looking at, with out issues. I just am very careful not to put stuff in the truck just because.

The ranger had no issues pulling that. up and down mountains, I would recomment if you have budget for a new trailer get clear view replacement side mirrors. the clip on ones work, but don't last long.

You are wrong the GCVWR does not change based on options. It does vary based on whether the truck is 2WD or 4WD and whether the truck is a SupeRCab or a SuperCrew. The Max is 12,500 lbs for a 4WD superCrew. Both 2WD and SuperCab reduce it some. The payload number is what varies with options and trim. The payload number on the sticker is as the truck comes from the factory, and is different for every truck. You also need to remember ANY mod you do that adds weight counts towards that payload number. The numbers that really mean the most are the GCVWR, the axle weight ratings and the tongue weigh. As well as the GVWR of both the truck and trailer. The max tow rating is just that a maximum number under ideal conditions. I consider it more of an advertising number.

Know your numbers and weigh your rig. Travel safe.

 

[Frenchy]

As long as you are being smart with where you put the extra weight in the trailer you should be fine. I would not worry about it.

 

[Bsthroop]

My suggestion is to try to rent a trailer similar to what you are considering to ensure it both meets your needs for living space and how it tows. Much easier to find out it isn't what you want before you buy. From experience it's very expensive to adjust to your needs later.

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