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Bill Davey · 09-16-2013, 05:07 PM

Previous TV was a 2005 F350 SRW diesel that did an adequate job towing previous TH (40' Titanium that weighed 14,600 loaded with the Harley). Pin weight was only 2200# so the SRW could cope with it. New TV is a 12 Ram 3500 DRW diesel towing a 43' KZ Stoneridge TH that weighs 16,000 pounds with about 2600 pin weight. I would not even think about towing the larger trailer with the SRW Ford. DRW stability plus the long box makes for a very stable combination.

My opinion - do as others have suggested and pay somebody to move your trailer 2X per year. One of the worst things you can do to a heavy-duty diesel PU is to use it as a "grocery getter". Ford service manager told me that most of the problems I had with the F350 (I had a lot) were because I used the truck too gently! Service manger for the new Ram 3500 told me to "drive it like you stole it". My new Ram is used almost exclusively to tow the trailer

NFlcamper · 09-16-2013, 07:26 PM

Figure $100 to $150 per hour to get a RV mover to tow it for you. Shop a few and get a deal. Look at RV dealers and campground bullitin boards for movers. If you are NOT towing it back and forth, but leaving it set up for the season, have it towed. Monthly payment on a decent 1 ton SWR will pay for tow each way. Save 10 payments a year and have it towed.

caissiel · 09-16-2013, 07:37 PM

I use my truck everyday for my work. My 2005 F250 is rated for 23500 lbs combined weight and load fully with our 5er in tow. It really tows the 15500 gross weight trailer fine. Towed across the Blue Ridge Mountains well while finding out later that not only my fresh water tank was full but my black water tank was also loaded and plugged at the previous CG.
You will find that gross weight has a trailer capacity advantage with a lighter truck.
I did add more spring plies in order to smooth out the loaded ride because the overloads were loaded as most trucks are designed that way in order to ride like cars to make the sale. Stability has never been my concern while towing a well loaded trailer. Been towing the unit for 5 years with no problems.

Trent McCain · 09-16-2013, 08:54 PM

Why not find a nice older dually to pull with and keep the Frontier for a driver? No more than your pulling it'd last a long time. Then you wouldn't have the headache or poor mileage of using a "truck" for a daily driver. I'm kinda the opposite, our 09 F350 SRW diesel gets about 5k a year on it and sits in the garage the rest of the time. I wouldn't want a diesel 1 ton for a daily driver. Short trips are hard on them and "in town" fuel mileage at least on a Ford is poor. Plus I can't see wearing out a nice diesel truck as a commuter. I save a cherry '95 F150 for that. As mentioned above, if you had a friend that could pull it, that'd be cheaper. But you'll probably want to travel more eventually.

Trent

wandering1 · 09-18-2013, 07:24 AM

Look at the truck specs. Dealers and manufacturers have the specs. Get the facts, not personal opinions.

2014 Ford Super Duty | View Full Specification Library | Ford.com

RustyJC · 09-18-2013, 07:34 AM

Getting the specs is fine, but one had better UNDERSTAND the specs as well. For instance, the "manufacturer's trailer tow rating" (calculated as GCWR minus manufacturer's curb weight) is based on the curb weight of a base model truck of the variant listed with no options or accessories, no hitch, etc. and only a 150 lb driver. Every pound of curb weight above this configuration must be deducted from the "manufacturer's trailer tow rating".

Also note that the "manufacturer's trailer tow rating" totally ignores the weight the truck must CARRY as hitch or pin weight. That's where the SRW trucks will run into trouble. Only down in the footnotes of the ratings forms will the manufacturer give a warning that "GCWR, GVWR and GAWRs must not be exceeded when towing" or something similar, depending on manufacturer. In the real world, this means that many trucks (especially SRW trucks) will reach their towing limit based on GVWR or, in more rare cases, rear axle GAWR long before they ever reach their GCWR or the magical "manufacturer's trailer tow rating."

My point? Don't just grab one number - the "manufacturer's trailer tow rating" - and stop. There's much more to sizing a tow vehicle to a trailer (5th wheel or TT) than that one number!

Rusty

Trent McCain · 09-18-2013, 11:27 AM

Something to also consider is the empty weight of the truck. My late model Ford F350 SRW is heavy, 8,700 lbs with a full tank of fuel and hitch installed. It's got a GVW of 11,400 and GCVW of 23,500. Front axle is rated for 6,000 and the rear is rated for 7,000. Actual weights are 5,220 front and 3,480 rear. So what I'm saying is, the truck with the highest advertised payload capacity, might not carry more weigh than a "lessor" capacity truck because it weighs more to begin with. I think Fords generally are heavier than GM and Dodge if equipped the same.

Trent

elkhornsun · 09-24-2013, 03:07 PM

Limitation with the trucks is the load capacity of the tires. Easy with 4 tires to provide support for a 3,000 lb. pickup at the rear and another 4,000 lbs. of load in the bed as that works out to only 1750 lb. per tire. With SRW the tires in the 17-18 inch wheel sizes the rims and tires tend to top out at 3750 lb for a total for a pair of 7500 minus the weight of the truck at the rear axle.

With 19.5 rims and tires the per wheel load capacity can be as high as 4800 lbs. and worth doing when dealing with a heavy trailer or other load.

Many people pulling very heavy 5th-wheel trailers with SRW trucks have seen a big difference in control and comfort with a shock dampening kingpin setup like the ones from TrailAir.