2010 F250 V10 towing capacity

[jaakkandy]

I have a 2010 V10 F250 with 4.10 gears. I would like to know if I am able to tow a 12750lb 5th wheel comfortably . The towing capacity charts can be very confusing. I currently tow a TT which weighs about 9250. Any help would be great.

[rskeans]

I towed a 14,000 lb 5ver with a '99 V10 and 4.3 gears. It did the job. There were times when I was lacking torque to climb up hills. There were a couple extreme times when I wasn't sure I would make it. Almost pulled over to put it in 4 low. But for right now you should be OK until you upgrade your truck to a Diesel. Also your V10 is stronger than my '99.

[Neverhome]

I have a 2010, F350 SRW with 4:10 rear end. My Montana's dry weight is around 11,400 lbs and the truck is rated to tow 12,500 with a hitch bumper. However, when pulling with a fifth wheel, towing capacity is increased to 14,500 lbs. As far as the engine and pulling power, it handles it with ease and I have had no problems with bogging down. I can't speak to the legal aspects of the towing weight, but as far as brute strength you should be just fine. Be sure to use the tow mode if you have an automatic tranny. It prevents unnecessary shifting and seems to add to braking on downgrades.

Neverhome

[cpaulsen]

Have a 01 F350 with the V-10 and 4:30 gears and tow my Montana at 13K with no problems.

[SmokeyWren]

Originally Posted by jaakkandy

I have a 2010 V10 F250 with 4.10 gears. I would like to know if I am able to tow a 12750lb 5th wheel comfortably.

GCWR = 21,000 pounds
Tow rating for a 4x4 = 14,100 only when the wet and loaded truck weighs 6,900 pounds or less.

But your wet and loaded F-250 will probably weigh closer to 8,250 pounds.

21,000 minus 8,250 = 12,750, which just happens to be the maximum actual tow rating you need.

So probably you'll barely have enough power and torque to climb an interstate mountain pass. No, I would not be "comfortable" when climbing that pass. But that truck if well-maintained can getter done, as far as power and torque are concerned.

If your truck grosses 8,250 when wet and loaded for the road, including all the people and stuff and 5er hitch and a full tank of gas, that leaves you only 1,750 pounds for max kingpin weight before you exceed the GVWR of your F-250. A 12,500 5er is probably going to have minimum pin weight of around 2,250 (18% of gross trailer weight), so you're probably going to be overloaded by at least 500 pounds, and maybe more.

If you haven't heard it before, you're hearing it now: you'll exceed the payload capacity of your F-250 long before you reach the tow rating.

Available payload capacity for pin weight = 10,000 GVWR minus the weight of the wet and loaded truck.

Max gross weight of the trailer (actual tow rating) your available pulling power can handle without burning up the drivetrain or being the slowpoke holding up traffic on hills and mountain passes = 21,000 GCWR minus the weight of the wet and loaded truck.

Conclusion: That F-250 is not enough truck for that trailer. You may barely have enough power and torque, but you'll probably overload the F-250's suspension with the hitch weight of that trailer.

Next step: Load the truck with everything and everybody that will be in it when towing, including the 5er hitch, and any pets, toys, campfire wood and tools you'll probably haul when towing. Go to a truckstop that has a CAT scale, fill up with gas, and weigh the wet and loaded pickup. If it weighs more than 7,750, then that trailer will overload your F-250 with hitch weight of 18%. (Average pin weight of a 12,750 pound 5er is 18 to 20 percent of gross trailer weight.)

Recommendation: Back off on the weight of the trailer to have wet and loaded trailer weight of around 10,000 pounds or less. They're out there.

[jaakkandy]

Thank you for the info. I wasn't too sure. I will keep what I have for now which is a 32ft Ultra V-lite which when loaded, weighs about 9000lbs. It pulls pretty good. I will eventually upgrade to a 1 ton. Would gas give me the power I need or should I go for the extra expense on a diesel F350?

[caissiel]

If it does the TT it will be better with the 5th

[SmokeyWren]

Originally Posted by jaakkandy

Would gas give me the power I need or should I go for the extra expense on a diesel F350?

Depending on the rear axle ratio, a gasoline engine can have enough power and torque to be adequate for dragging any trailer that does not exceed the GCWR of the truck. Of course, a diesel would probably have more torque, so it would be "better" when you drag a trailer that's heavy enough to get close to the GCWR of the truck.

For example, your truck with 4.10 axle has GCWR of 21,000 pounds, which is barely adequate for dragging a 12k 5er. Same truck but with a 4.30 axle gives you GCWR of 22,500, or more pulling capacity for a heavier trailer. And a 2010 diesel with 3.31 or 3.55 axle has GCWR of 23,500, or 2,500 pounds more pulling capacity. That extra 2,500 pounds of pulling capacity will feel much better when dragging that trailer up a steep grade.

So the V-10 with 4.30 axle would give you a nice cushion, and the diesel with 3.31 or 3.55 axle would give you even more of a cushion for towing a 12k 5er.

But it's still an F-250, so nothing changes to haul the hitch weight of more than around a 10k 5er without being overloaded. Notice use of the term "pulling capacity" and not hauling capacity. If you trade up to more truck with a gas engine, then get at least an F-350 SRW with the 4.30 axle, or better yet get an F-350 SRW diesel with the standard axle ratio.

That 4.30 axle is what gets the V-10 close to the diesel in pulling power. But it's going to drink lots of gas to do it.