Community Forums

Franka548 · 05-09-2015, 04:51 PM

I agree with Gordon, most trailers are close to their GVWR. If not, just wait a year and you will be. My unit packed for a long weekend for two, with about 40 gallons of fresh water and empty holding tanks, with 60# of propane, weighed slightly over 15,500# with 12,500# on the axles and slightly over 3000# on the pin. This is with a 16,400# GVWR and a 13,100# UVW on the door sticker. If I filled the fresh water tank ( it totals 110 gal) that's another 580#, and I'm real close to the GVWR of the trailer. These are real scaled numbers.
Frank

Rolfsted · 05-09-2015, 06:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 450Donn

20% of nearly 16000 pounds is way closer 3200 pounds. There is no 2500 series that can handle that much and remain under GVWR. Can you do it by doing a lot of mods? Yea, but at the end of the day you will not be a happy camper. BT,DT. Pulled my 13,500 fiver with a 2500 series truck. Was always 1800 pounds over the trucks GVWR. It was always uncomfortable. Swapped to a dually pulling the same trailer. The difference is night and day.

I did the same thing. An F350 dually is a whole 'nother animal towing my 32' 13,300 5er.

redhooker · 05-11-2015, 11:42 PM

I agree with most of what has been stated here, with a couple exceptions. The statement(s) made about brakes, trannys, diffs, ect burning up on mountains are posted out of ignorance. There is no power train difference in the diesel powered trucks from a 3/4 srw to a 1-ton dually. for the most part, the only physical upgrade is a single leaf and 2 more tires. I fully agree that a stock drw feels much more planted than a stock srw, especially with strong crosswinds. But run a srw that has 20x10 wheels with 295/55 e-range 3750 lb rated rubber at all 4 corners of the TV and you will be shocked at the difference. Having pulled the same trailer with both I feel much more in control with the srw, and I actually have more square inches of rubber on pavement. My 4 wheel disk brakes are the same, my allison is the same, my axles rated the same, and my motor is the same. Now if I had a drw running 6 of those same 12.5 inch wide tires that would be something else. But since I run 30k miles a year with no trailer and 600-1000 miles a year with one I would never justify driving a drw truck.

The comment about guys running srw must not have internet made me smile. For years (almost decades) we shot/hunted with .223 caliber ARs running 556 ammo, now the internet says we can't do it-we'll destroy our rifles unless we upgrade to rifles stamped 556.

Gordon Dewald · 05-12-2015, 02:23 PM

Something to consider by the folks who figure all you need to do is add power and put on bigger tires to increase capacity. The frame is still the same.

This Ford vs Chevy Has an Ending You’ll Love – Outdoor Grind

marcham · 05-12-2015, 08:00 PM

The 3/4 ton diesel crew cabs are almost useless for towing tongue heavy RVs. Might be fine for towing a 12000lb boat trailer as they are light on the tongue but many travel trailer and certainly most 5th wheels will exceed their payload capacity. Consider the f250 cc diesel has a payload sticker between 1900 and 2000 lbs, add the weight of the hitch, one passenger and you're already down to 1600 lbs (ish). The same truck with a gas engine will have a payload rating 800-1000 lbs higher (weight diff of the gas vs oil engine ). Similar trucks from other manufacturers art rated with even lower payload (some ram 3500 mega cab diesels have less payload than f250 cc gas).

The Ford towing guide limit is for a 5th wheel hitched trailer, but not necessarily a 5th wheel RV... If you use a 5th wheel hitch or gooseneck car trailer , you can tow a lot of weight on the trailer and still have a reasonably light load in the bed as they are better balanced than RVs.

Are the 250s you see crew cab, Platinum, diesel and 4x4? That's pretty much the worst combination for useful payload.

Bamaman · 05-12-2015, 09:40 PM

I purchased a 2003 F250 2wd crewcab 7.3 diesel new, and it has the trailer towing package. It's low mileage, and has never been used for towing anything heavier than a pontoon boat. I tow with a 60 hp tow tune, have an auxiliary tranny cooler and a rear air bags.

When we were looking for a fifth wheel last year, we read about the weight carrying limitations of our truck and it was obvious that I would never be able to tow a "full size" fifth wheel trailer with a 14,000 lb. dry weight and a 3,000 lb. kingpin weight.

I settled on a "mid size" fifth wheel that weights 11K lbs. dry and has a 2K lbs. pin weight. It's 37' with 4 slides, so we're not suffering any. We'd like to have a washer/dryer, but that's about all we're sacrificing. Such fifth wheels are out there on the retail market for those that don't choose to deal with dual rear wheels.

Roosters 67 · 05-12-2015, 10:18 PM

And by the way, water is 8.43 LBS per gallon, so 110 gallons of water is 927.3LBS. good luck in your research.

fvstringpicker · 05-12-2015, 10:26 PM

Showing my ignorance I but why would someone want to tow with more than 10or so gals of water?

Roosters 67 · 05-12-2015, 10:34 PM

if your going "Boondocking" you will have no hookups, therefore will need to bring everything you will need. hence you gonna need a lot of water.

wandering1 · 05-13-2015, 08:22 AM

Dont install airbags, or other rear suspension modifications to tow a heavier trailer or more weight. The components that determine the towing ability of your tow vehicle are engine, transmission, rear end ratio, suspension system, and brakes. You cant change the towing capability by adding a crutch. If you need to haul more weight then do it right and look at the towing specs for the tow vehicle and pick a configuration that will handle the load.

fvstringpicker · 05-13-2015, 09:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wandering1

Dont install airbags, or other rear suspension modifications to tow a heavier trailer or more weight. The components that determine the towing ability of your tow vehicle are engine, transmission, rear end ratio, suspension system, and brakes.

Another stupid question. If the only difference between a 3/4 ton and a 1 ton is truly the rear springs, why wouldn't it work to compensate for this difference? I've had a retired plant manager at the GMC Flint plant tell me the only two differences between an 2007 Chevy 3/4 ton and a 1 ton is the rear springs and them standing on one foot when they install it. When you hear comments like this, its a little hard to take the door label as the absolute gospel.

Cumminsfan · 05-13-2015, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fvstringpicker

Showing my ignorance I but why would someone want to tow with more than 10or so gals of water?

You should always tow with some water in the fresh tank. It's nice if you stop at a rest area or anywhere like that for a quick bite while traveling. You can use the toilet or wash your hands if needed. Plus like the last time we went camping the CG didn't have the water turned on to the whole CG because it was early in the season. We had to use our fresh water tank for the weekend.

Gordon Dewald · 05-13-2015, 11:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fvstringpicker

Another stupid question. If the only difference between a 3/4 ton and a 1 ton is truly the rear springs, why wouldn't it work to compensate for this difference? I've had a retired plant manager at the GMC Flint plant tell me the only two differences between an 2007 Chevy 3/4 ton and a 1 ton is the rear springs and them standing on one foot when they install it. When you hear comments like this, its a little hard to take the door label as the absolute gospel.

My first guess would be that he has been away from the assembly line for a few years and has not kept up with changes in the industry.

The second guess would be that he may be overstating the case to impress you with insider knowledge or worse than that not know what was actually going on.

justafordguy · 05-13-2015, 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fvstringpicker

Another stupid question. If the only difference between a 3/4 ton and a 1 ton is truly the rear springs, why wouldn't it work to compensate for this difference? I've had a retired plant manager at the GMC Flint plant tell me the only two differences between an 2007 Chevy 3/4 ton and a 1 ton is the rear springs and them standing on one foot when they install it. When you hear comments like this, its a little hard to take the door label as the absolute gospel.

You are 100% correct, by adding the same overload spring the 1 ton has or air bags to level the truck, the 3/4 ton is just as safe towing the same load as the 1 ton.