Forgive my bluntness, but disregard the 14,000 pound towing capacity. I have yet to find that's the limiting rating on a tow vehicle. Almost always--in fact I can't think of an exception, it's payload.

A loaded 297RSTS can have a heavy tongue weight. TucsonJim has a 297 and has reported well over 1,000lbs of tongue weight -- see https://gdrvowners.com/towing-and-hi...3774#post13774

What does the sticker on the door jamb of your F-150 state is the maximum available payload for your truck? I can't find it posted in this thread (I'm tired so may have missed it). Subtract the weight of all the occupants and "stuff" you'll put in the truck (and truck bed). What's left? I'm guessing it will be significantly less than the tongue weight Jim reports on his camper.

Unless you like to change your vehicles frequently buy something that will pull your next trailer. I went with the 1/2 ton and now need to get a larger truck as we've upgraded the trailer.

howson Marco

Howard: I don't think Marco has a truck yet . . . he is considering his options.

Marco: The hitch receiver frame will have another label on the underside of it defining "weight carrying limit" (usually 500 lbs) and tongue weight capacity with a weight distributing hitch. This number seems to be 10% of the max trailer weight which seems to be the difference between weight of the truck and maximum combined weight of truck and trailer which would consider braking, engine cooling, etc. Trailers tow better at tongue weights of more than 10% of the trailer weight, but this is considered to be the minimum for safe towing.

The attached picture is from the hitch receiver frame on my 2015 F150. At that time the limit with WDH was 1150 lb tongue weight. This is reportedly now up to 1400 lbs. The main reason that this number has grown from 1150 in 2015 to 1400 in 2021 is that my steel body F150 is considerably heavier than the newer aluminum body trucks, leaving less capacity for trailer weight. A crew cab 6.5 ft box Ecoboost F150 can have a payload of about 2500 lbs if the HDPP package is ordered. This will include LT (light truck) tires, heavier suspension, heavier rear axle, etc. The "max payload" number in the brochure (in the 3000 lb range) will be a zero option regular cab truck.

As I stated earlier, even if you get an HDPP F150 which will have sufficient payload, I think you will be pushing the limits of the Class IV hitch receiver. Trucks on the dealer's lot will likely have the "Max Tow" options. This is not the same as HDPP despite what the dealer will tell you. The quickest way to tell is to look at the door label or the tires. If the truck did not come with LT tires, it is not an HDPP.

Rob

Cate&Rob Marco

Don't overlook the statement on the label that says "Rating will vary depending upon vehicle equipment" "See owner's manual for specific rating". So even the 1150 lbs and 500 lbs ratings are not absolute.

Bob

Yup-that's exactly right. Still shopping for trucks. So far I think it's unamimous that people on here think a F150 isn't up to the task 🙁 though one gentleman reported pulling it succesfully with a Tundra which has en even lower tow rating by far than the 14,000 tow capacity of the F150. Keep the great comments coming. I'll continue the research too 👍🏻

Marco ,
Please check out the Reference Material section under this channel. The Payload Problems thread (link to Keep Your Daydream's video) and the ratings articles hopefully will help you choose the right combination the first time. (Unlike me!)

Howard

I go by the old adage; “Because you CAN, doesn’t mean you SHOULD”. Plan your work - work your plan”

I agree with Howson and subsequent comments made before I had a chance to answer this. Again, payload is what matters here. I am guessing 99 times out of 100 (am sure there are exceptions) if your payload can handle it, than the towing probably can. Assuming because the tow rating is good, the payload is also good is a mistake and does not happen often. Add passenger weight, stuff in the truck weight, stuff in the bed weight, weight of your hitch, and then weight of the trailer on the ball (hitch weight). This is what your payload is.

bellis Thanks for the good info. How do I determine the ball hitch weight? Sorry for such a basic question. Grand design says the hitch weight is like 895 pound or something like that. The F150 says it can tolerate a 500lb ball weight and 1,400 with the right hitch receiver. According to the brochure, the max payload is 3,250. Estimating high for the hitch weight (1,500 lbs), 200 pounds for me and a dog, that still gives me more than 1,000 lbs of junk I can carry by my math. Of course my math is terrible and I have no idea if my calculations are on or off, so welcome your feedback as always. Thanks man.

Figure 15% of the GVWR of the trailer for max hitch weight. For yours that is 1500 pounds. I would think with some careful loading you should be able to stay under the 1400 pound limit on the Ford receiver, but it is definitely something you will want to keep in mind. Disregard the payload listed in the brochure, thats a completely stripped down truck with a regular cab. What you should do is go to a dealership and look at a few trucks in the trim level you are interested (XLT, Lariot, etc) and look at the label on the door of the truck. That label will show what the actual payload of that truck with its options is. I would not be surprised if trucks on the lot are more in the 1800-2200 pound range for payload. Still do-able for the trailer you are interested in, but not a lot of room for "extras" in the truck.

Keep in mind you will need to deduct the weight of the hitch itself from the payload as well. I think (confirm in the Ford manual) that the stickered payload weight includes a 150 pound driver and a full tank of fuel, so no need to add those back in.

Edit: Here is a link to a forum where they post pictures of payload stickers on Lariot 150 trucks along with the window stickers. This will let you get an idea of the payload vs options on the trucks.

https://www.f150gen14.com/forum/thre...-stickers.804/

See ncitro's post below....

But, go to the dealership and look at the stickers in the doors for the trucks you are interested in. Ball/Hitch weight is the same thing. You can look at the GD spec; but sometimes the trailer produced will be slightly off....should be able to find on a sticker I think on the camper itself. But, that does not include wet or any of the stuff you have in it. To really know? You would have to pull it to a weigh station and weigh it. You could then either calculate 15% of that total trailer weight OR you could weigh the truck and the truck with the trailer attached (but trailer not weighed) later. Assuming everything is equal (gas, stuff)....you could subtract and that would give you the weight on your hitch from the camper. Maybe someone else has a simpler way to do so. You can estimate by trailer weight + weight of stuff in trailer x 0.15.

Hi guys,

OK, I was able to get a door sticker on a simiar vehicle. Problem is, I can't make heads or tails out of it. Looking at various math formulas now. Can anybody tell from the image below the max the vehicle can tow? Thanks so much!

Sorry thats not the right sticker, you need the tire loading sticker that is right above that. There are some samples in that forum post I linked. They should look like this:

Hi Marco,

The door label that will include payload is the other one. The yellow tire pressure label includes the weight that can be carried (ie. the payload). See samples in the link by Neil in post 25.

I can tell from the label that you posted that this truck is not HDPP . . . It is running passenger car tires at 35 psi. (Not an ideal trailer hauler)

Rob

Rob:

What tires do you recommend? My payload on an Ecoboost F150 is 1161. I am pushing this and probably need a bigger truck myself with our imagine 2400BH. I am currently running what was a little more aggressive tire. Would have to go look at it, but wanting to say Mastercraft AXT (not the new AXT2). It's a balance between all terrain and off road for a tire. It's on a 20" wheel. I think I usually run 36 psi in them approximately. Sorry to hijack, just found your comment interesting....and I probably need to replace them this year.