Few towing questions with my 05SD-Ps have a look see!

[richy rich]

So I have an 05SD[Harley Ed]Crew cab short box,fact 20" wheels.
Truck is now[I took the programmer out]stock with a cold air,& full turbo back exhaust.Auto.
What is the max trailer weight I can pull using the fact hitch?
Im now towing a 21ft travel trailer[newer model no slides]Im gussing my trailer weights roughly 4000lbs.Im thinking of upgrading to a 24-26ft with slides.If my new trailer weights say 7000lbs,Am I Gonna notice the greater weight That Much,or would it be just slightly noticable??Ya I understand its double the weight,but the drag,& the wind aerodynamics has already been more felt with the smaller trailer.So is the extra 3000lbs a huge difference??
Some may feel this as a silly question,but Im thinking the first few thousand pounds is the greatest burden.Doubling the trailer weight doesnt really mean it tows twice as hard..Am I correct to think this way??
Ive had lots of problems with my SD,but its very happy right now,& my programer is not used when towing anymore.
I just got back from a camping trip[pulling my trailer] & truck never went above 210 on hills,& lots of "jam"in it-Id like to go to a bigger trailer but w/o having to worry about it..
So any of you "towers" that have stepped up in what you are towing-Id really like to hear from ya..
Thanks!

[fordsforever73]

I would say you will notice a little difference with the extra weight/length, especially in a cross wind situation. You'll still be "safe" though. Take your trucks GVW and subtract weight of truck with all gear/people/fuel/junk. What ever is left over, is how much you can put for "tongue weight". Every trailer is different. I had a 25' TT that had the axles set back a little farther than I would have liked, giving the trailer more tongue weight than some others. Keeping the sway bars tight helped though. Air bags would be an option too, if needed.

[gmoore]

The factory hitch will handle the new trailer with the proper equalizing hitch.

Years ago, I went from a 24' (5500#) to a 30' (8600#). I noticed a difference on take off and during long 6-7% climbs. The 30' pulled/handled better. Then I upgraded to a 34' fifthwheel (14k 2650# pin), BIG difference. Mileage went hell, 94 F250 7.3 4x4 was maxed on Rear Axle & tire ratings. Up graded to '05 F350. Everything is fine now.

[richy rich]

ya 14K is Huge!!!Man what I wanna do is nothing!!!!

[SmokeyWren]

Am I Gonna notice the greater weight That Much,or would it be just slightly noticable??

Slightly noticeable , except on long, steep grades such as mountain passes.

Your Ford receiver is probably rated for 12,500 max trailer weight with a weight-distributing hitch. So a 7,000 pound or 8,000 pound tag trailer will be no problem and not overload any of Fords weigh limits - provided you have a decent weight-distributing hitch properly ssized, installed and hooked up.

Use the GVWR of the trailer to size the hitch. Figure on 12 percent of the trailer GVWR as hitch weight. So a trailer with 7,000 pounds GVWR will have a hitch weight of about 840 pounds. So your hitch should handle 1,000 pounds of hitch weight or 10,000 pounds of trailer weight, whichever is less.

Looking at the specs for a 1999 Keystone Sprinter, the smallest tag trailer they had with a slide was the model 260RBSL, which was about 26 feet long not counting the hitch. It had a GVWR of 8,000 pounds. So count on hitch weight of almost 1,000 pounds. So that trailer requires a weight-distributing hitch for a 1,000/10,000 pound trailer.

You're right that most of the towing resistance at highway speeds is the frontal area of the trailer - not the weight of the trailer. But when climbing hills and mountain passes, then the weight will be felt.

[CAMPINGTOM]

I have pulled a 30' boat weighing about 10k with the factory hitch on my 05 F-250 with no problems. However, a boat is not the same aerodynamically as a travel trailer.

[Al Mighty]

my 24' pace American pursuit is a wind catching bastard frontal area wise. it is 7' tall on the inside and to be honest with you I can't tell a difference if I have 5k inside it or if I have10k inside of it. it's just as slow with both in the wind and will still move at 70 on the cruise over rolling hills without downshifing with both. where I notice the biggest difference honestly is take off.....it all depends on how I load it though, ihave had 15k lbs of trailer behind me tow smoother/better than 9k lbs.

[richy rich]

I agree with the "Take Off" comment!
But I feel once the bulk of the weight is moving,a few thousand pounds isnt very noticable!

[burnetma]

Rich,

You have gotten some great advice from the others here. I will echo the need for weight distribution and additional sway control. With the proper hitch, your truck will handle that trailer with ease and you will enjoy towing.

You have a multitude of options for weight distribution hitches and sway control. Some options include: Equailzer, Blue-ox, Reese w/sway bar, Reese with cams, Reese Pro SC, Hensley, etc... The 1000/10000 weight combination is common in all brands and will serve your application well.

Make sure that whatever hitch you get, that the interface between the hitch components and the trailer tongue will work. The Equalizer hitch, for example has a bracket that bolts on to the trailer tongue. The tongue of my trailer was much bigger than the bracket. I needed a bigger hitch anyway.

Story time:
I ended up with the Reese Titan with Dual Cam sway control. I towed my JD tractor ~ 200 miles yesterday through the hills of Pennsylvania. The trailer & tractor (minus the front end loader) weighed in at ~13,550 lbs making my gross combined vehicle weight just a shade under 24,000 lbs. Towing my trailer without sway control was a nightmare, but with the new hitch set-up, my ride was very enjoyable and safe, including the detour across a narrow hill top road when the main road was blocked with an accident.