Tow Vehicle Sizing

[Als]

Everyone told us our 2007 4x4 F150 with tow package would handle the 24RLS. On paper the truck can handle the weight. We tow a trailer for work pert near every day which sometimes includes a bobcat, pallets of ceement or drywall stacked several high. The demo trailer holds 9000 pounds but we have often exceeded that limit and never gave it a thought. We've been working construction for 36 years using the truck as the work veehickle.

UNTIL

Until there was a slight head wind when towing the TT. The little Ford that could struggled to maintain 55 mph on a flat road with transmission temps that reached 247ºF . That was the moment I decided to buy a new truck.

Granted the newer trucks are more stout and can handle more towing, but the lesson shouldn't be lost. At least keep an eye on the transmission temps.

We elected to buy the new truck to be able to tow the next trailer. Its already 5th wheel equipped. We set the cruise control on 70 mph and the truck doesn't know the trailer is back there. We've always owned 4x4 and the added weight helps control the trailer aside from the times we've camped in muddy or wet situations.

You tow with cruise? Really

[Milepost56]

We tow our 24rls with a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit with the Hemi and it has the trailer tow package. You hardly know it is there!

[secal48]

We tow our 24rls with a Dodge Durango with the V8 HEMI engine and factory tow package. It's rated for 7200 lbs and so far has handled the trailer with no troubles. Gotta love a hemi.

[Houston Remodeler]

Everyone told us our 2007 4x4 F150 with tow package would handle the 24RLS. On paper the truck can handle the weight. We tow a trailer for work pert near every day which sometimes includes a bobcat, pallets of ceement or drywall stacked several high. The demo trailer holds 9000 pounds but we have often exceeded that limit and never gave it a thought. We've been working construction for 36 years using the truck as the work veehickle.

UNTIL

Until there was a slight head wind when towing the TT. The little Ford that could struggled to maintain 55 mph on a flat road with transmission temps that reached 247ºF . That was the moment I decided to buy a new truck.

Granted the newer trucks are more stout and can handle more towing, but the lesson shouldn't be lost. At least keep an eye on the transmission temps.

We elected to buy the new truck to be able to tow the next trailer. Its already 5th wheel equipped. We set the cruise control on 70 mph and the truck doesn't know the trailer is back there. We've always owned 4x4 and the added weight helps control the trailer aside from the times we've camped in muddy or wet situations.

[gagypsy]

Found this article recently which makes sense to me. The exception, for me is I use 40% as safety margin and that has worked well.

How to Calculate your REAL Towing Capacity

This is probably the most common question we get...."How heavy of a camper can I pull with my vehicle?" Most dealers want you to think that you can pull anything on their yard, even if it is not safe for you to do so. They are only interested in making a sale, they do not care if towing too heavy of a trailer will cause damage to your vehicle or be a safety hazard to you and your family, not to mention other people on the road.

If you are pulling a camper that is too heavy for your vehicle you are slowly causing damage to your tow vehicle. But, more importantly, you are running the risk of getting into a towing situation where you are simply unable to control your camper because your vehicle is not rated for the load it is pulling. Most towing accidents could be avoided by simply pulling within your SAFE towing capacity.

So, if someone tries to tell you that the weight of the camper is "close enough" to your towing capacity...think again. The MAXIMUM Tow Capacity is NOT the same as the Maximum Allowable Trailer Weight...that must be determined using the formula below.

Below is a guide to calculating your true towing capacity.

STEP 1 -- Determine the TOWING CAPACITY of your vehicle...this is usually stated in your owner's manual.

STEP 2 -- Subtract 10-20% as a safety margin. Most vehicle tow ratings have been embellished and were also calculated without passengers, fuel and cargo....Edmunds.com recommends subtracting 10% from the maximum tow rating to compensate for this.

STEP 3 -- Subtract any gear or camping equipment that you plan to take with you..this includes any water, food, chairs, etc. This also includes your weight distribution hitch if you have one.
(Example: 80 pounds Weight Distribution hitch + 60 pounds Propane + 250 pounds Fresh Water + 500 pounds Average weight of food & gear for weekend camp trip for family of four = 890 pounds)

STEP 4 -- The number that you are left with is the MAXIMUM trailer weight that is recommended for your vehicle to safely tow. (Example: 7800-780-890= 6130 pounds)

So, in this example...a 2009 Ford F-150 Supercab with a Maximum Tow Rating of 7800 pounds has a Maximum Allowable Trailer Weight of 6130 pounds (trailer DRY weight or UVW).

Remember...bigger isn't always better, especially when it comes to towing. Staying within your Maximum Allowable Trailer Weight is the only SAFE way to tow.

[Blackburd]

I tow a 27BHS with a 2014 F150 Supercab Ecoboost. I use a 1000lb equalizer hitch and I have it cranked up tight on the sixth link on the chains. Everything is level. I have plenty of power for sure. I feel that I am well within the limits of the truck. Do I know the trailer is back there? Absolutely. I'm comfortable with it though. With the hitch drawn up tight the whole rig drives like one giant bus. You know that feeling you get when you ride on a city bus, where the back affects the front with some delay? That's pretty much it.

Last month I drove through some 30 to 50 mph wind gusts in thunderstorms in Arkansas and I feel that without the sway bars I might have had to change my pants at best, or crashed at worst. As it stood the hitch did it's job and we stayed in one lane.

I do wish my truck was 4 wheel drive for the security of knowing that I can get my rig out of possibly a tight or slippery spot, but that's on my wishlist for my nex rig (Used 2016 F150 Supercrew Ecoboost).

While I would love to have an F- 250/350 while towing, I would be paying for it while I'm not towing in terms of truck payment, higher fuel costs, and more expensive repairs down the road. Diesels are great at what they do, but they do cost more all around. We use our tow vehicle as a primary family vehicle as well, so perhaps taking the kids to school in an F350 all year long is not very economical. On long trips on the highway I can get up to 20mpg in the F150 unloaded. I do not fret about gas mileage when towing. As it stands the F150 Ecoboost is as good of a compromise as I think there is availible for my situation.

I have driven my rig without the sway bars and I can say that feels unsafe and I would not recommend it. My RV dealer claims he has driven without them all his life, but he also drives a dually and he's an old white guy. You can't tell those guys anything.

I think that tow capacities on trucks are mostly marketing hype and I don't fret about how close I am or how much over within reason. They are a good guideline or starting point but how the truck drives and tire temperatures is a much better indicator. That being said my Aluminum 27BHS loaded is all my F150 can handle, I would never think I could add more weight or a bigger trailer and get away with it.

Don't let your wife load your camper unsupervised... Mine tried to take cases of canned food and water on our first outing, probably added 500 lbs total.

[3611HW]

We just traded in our 2012 Jayco 24T Jay Feather Ultra Light. Specs similar to yours I think. At the time of purchase we had a 2011 F150 Crew Cab 5.0 and to be honest it was a handful at times to control. Like the tail wagging the dog. Crosswinds just killed me. Traded the F150 on a 2012 F250 6.7 diesel crew cab and honestly would forget the trailer was even back there. Is it over kill to get a F250? Maybe. But you will enjoy towing the camper.

[scottenj]

Ok, so the TV GVWR - dry weight gives you 1,585 pounds of max payload.

The trailer GVWR is 6,250 so if you load the trailer to capacity for safe towing the tongue weight will be 688 to 750 pounds (11% to 12%). The 540 pound tongue weight is with the trailer empty (12%). That leaves you with 835 to 898 pounds of payload capacity in the TV. Never put more people and cargo weight than that in the TV. If the trailer is empty and just at dry weight then you would have more cargo capacity left (1,045 pounds).

The point in all this is although your TV sounds fine if you max out the trailer, put 4 large adults in your TV and some cargo you could exceed the TV cargo capacity so keep this in mind. Otherwise I think your TV is well sized for your trailer.

[phi408]

Starcraft 24RLS Specs:

Unloaded Weight - 4880 lbs
Dry Hitch Weight - 540 lbs
GVWR - 6250 lbs
Cargo Capacity - 1370 lbs

2014 Ford F150 SuperCrew, 4X4, 145" WB, 3:55 Rear End Specs:

Curb Weight - 5615 lbs
GCWR - 15,500 lbs
GVWR - 7200 lbs
Tow Capacity - 9600 lbs
Using Husky WD Hitch

[scottenj]

I will try to answer your question but I need more information first.

I can't find the 24RLS on the Strarcraft web site. What is the tongue weight, the GVWR and the actual dry weight from the sticker on the side of yours.

For the TV the maximum payload depends on the wheelbase, drive type and engine so I will need those also.

My biggest concern would be that the actual tongue weight, plus people, plus cargo not exceed the maximum payload of the TV.