General Towing Question.

[jlhog]

Trailer: Weighs under 3000lbs. Tongue weight maybe 400 lbs. 13' in length

Truck: 2013 Ford F-150 Latiat with tow package and auto sway control

Question: Would any type of weight distribution or sway control be needed to haul the trailer comfortably?
I am looking to upgrade my tow vehicle and would really like to dump the weight distribution hitch I currently have. That darn thing is just heavy to pick up and a lot of extra steps to attach that are hard for me to remember.

 

[Ray-IN]

I think a 3/4T pickup would safely tow that trailer without WDH.

 

[Tulecreeper]

An F-150 will pull a 3000# trailer all day long without a WDH and you should never know it's back there.

 

[edjunior]

You may be able to forego the WDH, especially with a 3/4 ton, but you may still need sway control. I always had a WDH with my old TT, even though with my truck, I really didn't need it. But it towed great, and I never saw a need to get rid of it. Yeah, it's heavy, but not that big a deal. Now may be different, but that's a different story.

 

[Martian]

Your only downside is how short the trailer is. If loaded right it will have no issues but too little, and to a degree too much, tongue weight and it can be more of a beast than any longer trailer could ever be.
The only time I ever messed up with a trailer was a ten foot utility trailer. Backing up and it came around faster than I expected and opened the rear fender like a can opener. I really like the handling of a 53' box but they do not work at campgrounds.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

The OP doesn't have a 3/4 ton truck (it's an F150) so that's irrelevant, but even the lightest duty F150 ought to be able to tow a 13 foot, 3000 lb trailer with ease and without any sort of WD. A 300-400 lb tongue weight should b easily within the capability of that truck, and as long as the tongue weight is 10-13% of the gross trailer weight there should be no need for any add-on sway control.

 

[Tulecreeper]

I think a 3/4T pickup would safely tow that trailer without WDH.

For certain, and depending on the type of trailer the 1/2T F-150 should be able to do so too. It's less than 3000#, and his Lariat has the tow package and auto sway control.

 

[jlhog]

Thank you all for the replies.

 

[Ex-Calif]

You should be able to tow a 3k# trailer with just about anything that will accomodate a trailer hitch.

 

[Kirk]

Thank you all for the replies.

While others will probably disagree, having towed a 4000 lb., 20' travel trailer with an aluminum frame whose warranty forbade the use of a weight distributing hitch, I would suggest that you use one of the anti-sway devices as you will need it if caught in a high crosswind.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

I would suggest that you use one of the anti-sway devices as you will need it if caught in a high crosswind.

And learn (i.e. experiment) to adjust it properly. Few owners have a clue as to how much friction is enough to dampen sway without being too stiff for normal turns. It's mostly guesswork and "seat of the pants" feel anyway. Most just drive it the way the dealer set it initially, and dealer techs typically aren't any better at it than anyone else. Besides, the friction adjustment needs to be re-tuned after the initial use and again annually because wear and road dirt alter the friction characteristics.

Here's a previous thread that discusses friction anti-sway devices and adjusting them.

 

[Compadre]

Just sold my Casita TT, probably around 3,000 lbs loaded up. Towed it with my 2013 F150 and didn't know it was back there. Could do highway speeds on all but the steepest hills. Did not have a wdh, did have a sway bar but did not use it much, only used it on longer trips when we'd be traveling on interstates with lots of tractor trailers.

 

[SuwanneeDave]

Trailer: Weighs under 3000lbs. Tongue weight maybe 400 lbs. 13' in length

Truck: 2013 Ford F-150 Latiat with tow package and auto sway control

Question: Would any type of weight distribution or sway control be needed to haul the trailer comfortably?
I am looking to upgrade my tow vehicle and would really like to dump the weight distribution hitch I currently have. That darn thing is just heavy to pick up and a lot of extra steps to attach that are hard for me to remember.

When I picked up my 20' cargo trailer (3200lbs) I did not have a WD hitch. I have an F-150 with the 2.7L engine. No problems towing.

 

[Tulecreeper]

Just sold my Casita TT, probably around 3,000 lbs loaded up. Towed it with my 2013 F150 and didn't know it was back there. Could do highway speeds on all but the steepest hills. Did not have a wdh, did have a sway bar but did not use it much, only used it on longer trips when we'd be traveling on interstates with lots of tractor trailers.

When I picked up my 20' cargo trailer (3200lbs) I did not have a WD hitch. I have an F-150 with the 2.7L engine. No problems towing.

An F-150 should be able to tow 3000# all day long and not even know it's back there. Now, once you get into the 5000# range, that's when things change.