Here are the actual CAT scale weight tickets and a link to the web site that calculated my numbers; RV Weight Calculator | 5th Wheel | Gooseneck | Safety Report

I don't agree with the available pin weight it listed.....way too high and it added all the cargo weight in the truck as pin weight. It shows I have pin weight of 25%....2760 lbs, but when you subtract 150 lbs for added people and cargo in the truck it brings that down to 2610 lbs which is between 23% & 24%.

 

I stand corrected. Sometimes it's just too many numbers......

 

it can get your head spinning for sure!

 

The ratings on the 250 and 350 SRW are pretty close. Timbrens or air bags more than make up the difference. I, and a bunch of others, have done the computations and then wonder if we punched the right button on the calculator.
It's not a question of whether the SRW can pull whatever, its more a question of whether it should. The legal issue comes in during a worse case accident scenario and if you're overloaded then the ins co will wash their hands of you and you are on your own.
To be sure you are ok make the jump to dually. I would've but just couldn't make that a daily driver and still try to park it in a city parking garage so now I'm just careful how many bottles or cans of beer I stick in the fridge.

 

Can anyone, anyone at all, provide a documented case in which an insurance company has denied coverage based on a private owner running overweight in a non-commercial situation. If it is not in your policy, it can't happen. Your policy is a legal contract with your carrier. Yes, they will cancel you after they pay, but they will pay. Same thing with driving drunk, etc.

Steve

 

The only difference I can tell between the F-250 & 350 SWR's is the GVWR. So whatever differences there are in the suspension to give the 350 a higher rating, I'm not exactly sure what they are.

I have to admit that I do get confused with the suspension add ons such as air bags, Timbrens and helper springs. I know they do not increase your truck's ratings, but do they actually increase the truck's capabilities? Or do they only help level and stabilize?

I would feel completely at ease towing with a dually, but right now we are only taking trips within 200 miles and only a dozen or so times a year. I am retired and my wife will be in a couple of years and when she does we are looking at taking longer trips for 2 or 3 weeks at a time. A dually would come in handy when that time comes.

If I were to purchase a dually it would be my daily driver. Here in rural eastern Oklahoma that's not a big deal, just inconvenient at times. Parking in our small town would mean finding an open area and walking to wherever you needed to go, which isn't really a big deal to me.

However, in my search of used 350's within 200 miles I find more DRW's than SRW's and they are priced about the same. So to me that's like more bang for the buck.......if the pro's and con's of a dually equal out for you.

Oh.....if you need any help when you get overloaded with those cans/bottles of beer.....just let me know.

 

I'd run it as it. Don't exceed the axle ratings and the tire rating on the sidewall of the trailer.


Register the truck for a higher GVW and be done.


I would not bother with a new truck.


Take a look at mine before I traded for a new rig.

 

Agree with Senix. I never tried (or needed) to register a truck for a higher GVWR, but definitely worth looking into. Your truck is plenty able to handle your camper.

 

There's a good possibility I'll do just that. I like my truck and have no other reason to get rid of it at this time. I bought it used a couple of years ago and even though I still owe on it I do have a decent amount of equity built up.

Not sure about how to register the truck for a higher GVW either. Might check with the local tag agency and see if they can help.

Still gonna keep looking around at the used 350's just in case.

 

I know samboni already quoted this, but I share the same perspective. I have had the misfortune of dealing with some vehicular related insurance claims in my driving history and it is not a fun process. Maybe I am paranoid now, but anything that could be a "negative" in the eyes of the law or insurance doesn't sit at ease with me. That doesn't mean I won't do certain things, but it sucks out the "peace of mind" factor.

My truck's registration is in the 8-12,000lbs classification. F350 crew cab, long bed, single rear wheel, FX4, 6.7, 3.55 gears. The door sticker shows my GVWR at 11,500lbs. That means, if I go by my registration weight I have an extra 500lbs payload available. As it works out - my truck with me in it, mostly full fuel tank, and some miscellaneous stuff in the bed (tie straps, chain, a couple tools), plus fabric tonneu it is almost exactly 8500lbs. That means that, according to my door sticker, I have 3000lbs available payload. If I go off of the registration, and as the numbers work out, the rear axle rating also, I can go up to 3500lbs. What I could only imagine happening in an accident scenario is being over the Manufacturers GVWR, regardless of what my legal registration shows.

[edit - I believe the registration vs weight issue is more of a policing/regulations/taxation issue. For example, in some areas of the country safety inspections are required for vehicles over a certain weight class. If you are on the high end of the cut off you have to abide by those regulations - higher tax, annual or biannual inspections, etc. If you register the lower weight class you visually can get out of that "target zone", but the bare/dry weight of the truck itself may even be over that - if you get stopped and weighed you have two problems - being over your registration weight + wrong registration class. That has nothing to do with the manufacturers GVWR rating, rather your actual rolling weight. Your GVWR (of the truck and trailer), and combined GCWR would be more pertinent to insurance coverage. Though, both scenarios would play out in an accident because the police/hwy patrol/some form of law enforcement will be involved as well as insurance]

I agree with the point of these trucks having a lot of power and the "capability" to tow a lot more weight than they are rated for, but how does the vehicle react and perform in an emergency maneuver?

Some things to consider are:
- Brakes - Can you stop the load? Heavy trailers have to have brakes - but what if those fail?
- Stability - Can you hold the load and control it safely through maneuvers?
- Component strength - Can the axle(s), tires, frame, hitch, etc support the load you are trying to carry?

For the top two - brakes and stability - there are "upgrades" that one can do to make those variables safer (I know Scott speaks very highly of the airbags he had). However, you are not going to modify the door sticker that shows the manufacturers ratings. With such upgrades would I feel more comfortable towing heavy? Absolutely. Would I do upgrades like that? Most likely, yep. Would the insurance company agree that "upgrades" or a higher registration weight class make it OK to surpass the GVWR (or GCWR)? I am not sure I would have peace of mind making those changes and putting that in the bank hoping my insurance company would come through.

Then comes the question do you ask the insurance company the details beforehand and get answers in writing? Then you may open up a can of worms. Do you not say anything before hand and ask for forgiveness later if you have to make a claim? What are you comfortable with?


Yes.

My insurance claims weren't fun - I lost a nearly-new (had less than 10,000 miles on it) truck related to one. It wasn't in relation to weight, or towing anything, but I've been through that (with the short straw in-hand) process and the police reports. I can assure you - numbers are going to be scrutinized, though actual loaded weight going down the road would be hard to figure up after a pileup. Manufacturers ratings are easy to find.

 

Here is my point about statements having to do with the law or insurance. Folks post comments as though these entities and the decisions they make are above the law. That is simply not the case. Insurance companies can not simply deny coverage in a situation unless it is stated in the policy they give to customers (for example fraud). If they could arbitrarily decide what claims to pay and what claims not to pay, they might decide not to pay anything. If there is hard evidence they deny coverage for running overweight, why can they not do it anytime you are in an accident, run a red light, spit on the sidewall, etc?

Personally I don't run overweight on anything and I think there are reasons not to do so, but in my mind they have more to do with possible issues related to reliability or longevity. Not saying they do, no hard evidence, just a personal judgment call.

Now, if you and I were involved in an accident, I would gather all the information I could at the time, provided I were not injured and might even point out issues like weight ratings and equipment issues to investigators at the scene to the lay the ground work to appeal a citation or for a later civil suit. Those may not be issues that justify denial of coverage from my insurance carrier, but perhaps would impact my rate after the accident. Otherwise why do we all have those ten page long policies no one can interpret?

Now my initial appeal was for hard evidence to substantiate the statement that an insurance carrier will deny coverage based on running overweight. Can anyone provide hard evidence with an example where this has actually occurred? I don't think anyone can, but I am entirely willing to be proven wrong.

Steve

 

Here in the UK I see alot of posts stating the same sort of thing, but the truth is that the insurance company have a legal requirement to pay out, they may choose to sue your *** for their losses after the event & they will probably refuse to give you any more cover (which then has to be disclosed to future insurers, not good) but as you say Steve they cover you while drunk so overweight isn't an issue!
My 2c, it's not what the truck will pull, it's what it can stop & having had some #@¥t in an Audi overtake me then pull straight in front & stand on the brakes @ 65mph, I can tell you that a 16 year old super duty pulling a 10k 5th wheel is no match for a modern car with fat tyres, big brakes & abs! We survived with smoke from most tyres but it was scary & that was on a flat & straight bit of road.

 

Visualize you going around Atlanta, all four lanes bumper to bumper, your doing 55 mph (while everybody else is doing 70+) because the nose of your trailer is bouncing up and down due to the roads being so bad and you lose a rear tire.....

Luckily I drive a DRW.

 

As far as insurance, I tend to believe as Steve does. Cancellation of your policy after an accident caused by being over weight seems to be a more likely action by the insurance company than denying the claim. Fortunately I've never been in that situation nor do I know anyone who has, so that's just my opinion and not a fact.

In my situation, premature wear and tear on my truck due to being over weight is my biggest concern. Of course, that could be the cause of an accident as well. I'm not worried about the drivetrain, just the suspension.

Since purchasing this 5'er on August 12th I've towed the trailer about 500 miles without any problems. The truck really seems to handle it well, but before I put the Timbrens on it sagged 3 1/4".....after installation 1 3/4". Since the truck seems to handle the trailer and I like my truck, besides cost, I guess that's the reasons why I even hesitate about buying another.

With only one more camping trip before I winterize the trailer I feel I have the time to look around and find the deal I'm comfortable with. It's usually late March before we start camping again. I guess the biggest question is, DRW or SRW?

 

What suspension components do you think will wear out? Maybe (and that's a very weak maybe) you'll wear out the rear springs a little faster, but I just can't imagine you accomplishing that. Your truck is made for this job. You're not over working it at all. I expect you'll wear out the upholstery before you get accelerated wear on the suspension when comparing your F250 vs a F350 SRW or DRW.


Your truck will have an easy life, imo.