The wife and I are looking at travel trailers / 5th wheels and are leaning toward a 5th wheel. I've done my research on towing specs and I think I'm satisfied but I'd like the OB's opinion on towing this 5th wheel with as F-250 diesel.

5th Wheel dry weight is 9470 lbs and GVWR is 11,800 lbs. I figure the trailer will be at most 11,500 lbs loaded.

The truck can tow 14,000 lbs and the cargo capacity is 3400 lbs. I'll have at most 820 lbs worth of people in the truck for the next few months and then after that I'll have 700 lbs. It seems like I'm approaching the truck's cargo limit but I'll should be under the 3400 lbs cargo limit.

Anybody see any issues with towing this 5th wheel with an F-250?

TIA

Back in the 90's dad towed our 5th wheel with a 3/4 ton GMC 350ci with automatic transmission. It did great everywhere but on a trip to Leadville, CO. It struggled up there.


ETA: I would think a 3/4 ton Diesel would handle it well as long as weight is within capacities

As I understand 14,000 is hitch tow capacity so I dont see how you would be worried about towing 11,000 with a 5th wheel. maybe im missing something, Im not overly experienced in the towing game.

As far as cargo capacity Ive always understood that as loading stuff in the bed as in a load of sand, gravel etc not tied to towing capacity of a trailer at all

You should be fine. My folks pull a 42' Solitude with a 2018 Silverado 2500 with no issues. The truck sags and my dad is going to get airbags before they go on any big trips. The truck has plenty of power and stopping power.

I think it's well within the capability of the pickup. Air bags are a great addition. I have the type that automatically level the truck,

https://www.airliftcompany.com/products/air-springs/loadlifter-5000-ultimate/

https://www.airliftcompany.com/products/compressor-systems/smartair/

I pulled ours with Chevy 3/4 ton diesels for years. Never a problem

I pull one with almost the exact same specs on a regular basis with my F250 diesel.

You'll be perfectly fine as long as you don't overload the front end with a ton of tongue weight.

Air bags will definitely improve the ride.

If you are concerned go f350 SRW. That's what I run for my farm pickup. I have a heavy utility flatbed loaded with all manner of tools and pull a 20' gooseneck cattle trailer all of the time. I don't notice the difference in ride between my F350 and my Father in laws F250.

Thanks for all the replies! Y'all have been a big help

Hate to be that guy, but the answer is no.

Towing capacity is rather useless info. Your payload is what really matters. The yellow sticker on your door.

With a 5th wheel weight of 11500, using the 20% rule you have a pinweight of 2300 lbs. Add the 820 lbs in the truck of people and gear you are looking at the bare minimum need for a payload of 3120 lbs.

Making the assumption you are using a crewcab Lariat f250 SRW, id bet anything you are overweight. The f350 is when you approach payloads in the low 3000 in a SRW.

Towing with a dodge or chevy/gmc 3/4 ton you could be fine but it would be close. Ford has awful payload numbers, and the diesel engine doesn't help that.

The Ford F-250 payload, per your GVWR is 2700 lb. The actual payload is 3400 lb, per your owner's manual.

He will be fine.

Rebel,

Does the yellow sticker on your door say 3400 lbs? To be absolutely safe you can always go to a truck stop, spend the $10 and get your truck weighed with you in it and a full tank of gas (if possible with all of the gear you expect to have in your vehicle.

I make a bigger deal out of this because if you get in an accident and you are over your vehicles weight limits essentially all liability falls on you regardless of fault. To many times you see people towing well beyond their capacities and airbags and the like don't improve those numbers. (Technically would hurt them since the weight of adding that equipment)

If you're payload is infact 3400 lbs and all else above stands then you are fine. But double check those numbers and then go weigh. I weighed my F150 and found my numbers to be off. Found out my f150 can not tow any 5th wheel, and a limited number of travel trailers that we were looking at.

I think you'd be surprised how quick an F250 is technically/legally overweight with a 5th wheel.

We full time in 5th wheel that has a higher pin weight then others are typically overweight, but we carry alot of extras that a weekender might not.

We have bags on it. Bags would be a must on the 250.

Should be no problem, I pull a 14k gvwr 5th wheel with a Ram 2500 diesel and it pulls and handles just fine.

That's with 600lbs of passengers and 400lbs of stuff in the bed of the truck.

Fishing Fools said:

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Ask yourself what's the difference between an F250 and F350 Super Duty Powerstroke.

I've been told the difference is one leaf spring. Add air bags and you should be good.

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The difference is the GVWR. Not sure on the alumiduties, but the prior (11-16) generation, the F250s had a 10k GVWR and the SRW F350s had a 11500 GVWR. I think the duallys were 14k.

Just don't drive it through deep sand.

Matts' is an entertaining channel. It's amazing how little respect people have for sand.

And yes, the parts similarly from 3/4 tons to 1 tons these days are pretty much everything but the tires and a couple of suspension parts.

MouthBQ98 said:

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Matts' is an entertaining channel. It's amazing how little respect people have for sand.

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Yeah his channel is great.

The Corvair he just re-built and re-purposed as an off-road recovery vehicle is pretty cool.

At what point did that guy think it was a good idea to take a 5th wheel that big down that road...

Very interested in this thread. We are about to leave for the summer towing a 40' Solitude with a 2015 F250 Powerstroke with airbags. Manual says my GCWR is 23,500. I weighed the truck and trailer recently and I'm at 23,840. I think that number will be well over 24,000 when we are fully loaded.

According to the weigh ticket, my rear axle is carrying 7,320 which is well outside the sticker GAWR of 6,100. However, the tires are rated to 3,750 each so I'm still within the tire weight rating, barely.

I found it interesting that the manual says a F350 GCWR is still only 23,500. Have to go to a dually to get up to 35,000.

I'm a little concerned after reading this thread. Thinking I at least should move some weight around in the trailer to get some off of the pin. I need to go weight the truck without the trailer to see exactly what my pin weight is but I think its around 3,700 and my total trailer weight is around 15,000. The manual also says to subtract 2% of the GCWR for every 1,000' of altitude over 1,000'. Again, more concern there as we will be in CO most of the summer.

I've seen a lot of 3/4 ton trucks hauling trailers bigger than mine so I thought I was fine, but now not so sure.

Those Solitudes have such a high hitch weight.

So you are overloaded. The question you have to ask yourself is how you plan to proceed.

If you buy a new truck, weight ratings have gone up, but in a SRW your axle limit may still be 7000 pounds. A Ram 3500 SRW GCWR is 32,710 for a HO that I was looking at. Dealers can log into a system and show you exact features of your new truck.

If you make the jump and get a dually, note that that will open you up to needing a Class A non-CDL license because it will put you at a rating of over 26000 pounds, even if your actual weight is under the 26000 lb threshold. Depending on the GVWR of your trailer, you might already be there.

Here are some links with helpful info.

Texas Class A or B License Upgrade FAQs - RV Action Items - Escapees Discussion Forum (rvnetwork.com)

Guide to Texas Driver's License Requirements for RVers - Escapees RV Club

Were all your water tanks drained? You could have a couple grand of weight there if full.

Yeah, tanks were drained when I last weighed it. Total trailer GVWR is 16,000 lbs so does that push me over the limit to where I need that Class A license? F250 GVWR is 10,000

Man, I really don't want to buy a truck in the next few weeks. Just paid this one off and it's in great shape.

I believe the class A requirement begins at 26,001

Answered my own question - looks like less than or equal to 26,000 total GVWR and you are good with a class C. You are correct though, if I go with any other truck with a higher GVWR I will need to do the class A license.

So is that axle weight rating on the sticker on the truck more about the tires or the axle itself. I think I can move some weight around and get closer to the 6,100 number but I'm not likely to get all the way there.

I think I'm less concerned about going and stopping, just don't want to start blowing tires or break an axle.

D&C 2002 said:

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Answered my own question - looks like less than or equal to 26,000 total GVWR and you are good with a class C. You are correct though, if I go with any other truck with a higher GVWR I will need to do the class A license.

So is that axle weight rating on the sticker on the truck more about the tires or the axle itself. I think I can move some weight around and get closer to the 6,100 number but I'm not likely to get all the way there.

I think I'm less concerned about going and stopping, just don't want to start blowing tires or break an axle.

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You like to live on the edge, huh?