Hi, updog. and
and to our campfire.
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Originally Posted by updog
2006 Ford F-250 6.0 Diesel
GVWR 9600
Our questions are:
What advertised pin weight should we be looking at that we can realistically pull?
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You're looking for a magic number that's easy to find and easily understood. Sorry, Updog, but there's no such number. You can determine the answer, but it requires some work.
I don't agree with Old-Biscuit that the rear axle rating of your F-250 is your limiter. The GVWR of your F-250 is determined by Professional Engineers (PEs), and it is a real limiter. For your F-250, the GVWR of the F-250 is probably your limiter as to the max weight of any fifth wheel (5er) RV trailer you can tow without being overloaded.
Recognize that when full-timers move from one location to another, they must haul everything they own in/on either the tow vehicle or the 5er. So both your tow vehicle and your trailer will be loaded to the gills. So assume the weight of the 5er will be the combined GAWR of the 5er, plus 20% of the combined GVWR of the 5er as pin weight.
With that preliminary understanding, now back to your question. Ignore advertised pin weight. Assume the pin weight will be 20% of the combined GAWR of the 5er, which is average for small to medium-size 5ers. So what is that maximum pin weight? The answer requires you to do some work.
Load the F-250 with everybody and everything that will be in it when towing on a full-timer move. Don't cheat! Load everything. Most full-timers will have a carpet and furniture for a "patio" in the front yard. And probably a Bar-B-Que grill. Maybe a cast iron Dutch oven. Tool box and jacks and jack stands. Portable generator and fuel for the generator. If it will be in the bed of the pickup and not in the trailer, then load it up.
Drive to a truck stop that has a truck scale. Fill up with fuel then weigh the wet and loaded F-250. If the 5er hitch bedrails are not installed, then add the shipping weigh of the 5er hitch install kit. If the 5er hitch is not installed, then add the shipping weight of the 5er hitch.
Subtract the weight of the wet and loaded F-250 from the GVWR of the F-250, including the 5er hitch. The answer is the payload capacity available for pin weight.
Divide the payload capacity available for pin weight by 20% and the answer is the max weight of any small to medium-size 5er you can tow without being overloaded
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Is there a fifth wheel with a washer/dryer that falls into this weight limit?
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Probably not, but I haven't done much research into that question. So maybe there is.
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Are there specific brands that are better for more of a full-time situation than others?
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Depends on how you plan to live. If you don't want to be stuck on the Gulf coast or the border of Mexico during the winter months, then you want a "four-seasons" RV. The best known of the four-seasons RV trailer is the Artic Fox. But 4-seasons RVs are heavy, and your tow vehicle won't handle a very heavy trailer without being overloaded. For example here is a 29-foot Artic Fox 5er with optional washer/dryer, but it grosses 16k.
Northwood | Arctic Fox 29-5K
Too heavy a trailer for your F-250. But they make smaller 5ers that might do the job. For example, here's a 27-footer without washer/dryer that grosses 13,400.
Northwood | Arctic Fox 27-5L
If you have payload capacity available for 2,700 pounds pin weight, then that one might be your answer.
If you want an Artic Fox you can tow with your F-250, you'll probably need to choose a travel trailer (TT) instead of a 5er. TTs average 13% tongue weight, so you can tow a heavier TT than 5er without exceeding the GVWR of your F-250.
Example. 25' TT with GVWR of 10k, or tongue weight of 1,300 pounds.
Northwood | Arctic Fox 25W
Your 2006 F-250 has GVWR of 9,600. My 1999.5 had GVWR of 8,800, and it was overloaded with my 25' 5er that grossed 9,000 pounds. If you intend to be a full-timer and tow a four-seasons 5er with washer/dryer, then when you upgrade your tow vehicle, go for at least the F-350 SRW. It looks and feels almost exactly the same as the F-250, but it has almost 1,500 pounds more payload capacity available for pin weight.