I AM WANTING TO PURCHASE A TOY HAULER 5TH WHEEL TRAILER. I HAVE AN 06 CREW CAB 2 NON DUALLY 6.0 PSD. MY TRUCK IS NOT A 4WD. I HAVE THE FORD FACTORY TOWING PACKAGE AND 3.73 REAR GEARS AUTO TRANS. IN THE EXPERIENCE OF YOU FOLKS - WHAT IS THE LARGEST TOY HAULER I CAN SAFELY TOW. MY BIKE WEIGHS IN AT 850 LBS. I TRAVEL ALONE SO I WOULD HAVE MINIMUM OF CLOTHES AND PERSONAL ITEMS ABOARD.
THANKS.
KEN BAILEY

 

Don't know if you have a F250 Or F350 but my single rear wheel 06 F350 super cab with V10 weighs in at a little over 10,000 lbs and I tow 10,000 lbs 2 to 3 times a week and handles it well.

 

I Have The F 250

 

You are good for 23,000 lbs combined weight, 12,500 lbs trailer weight. With your F-250 instead of the F-350 you will most likely overload your rear axle before you go over your max weight ratings.

 

If I Swap The 3.73 Gears For Say A 4.10 Ratio - Will That Give Me More Towing Ability. I Am Doing My Best To Increase My Towing Capacity Without Trading For Another Truck.

 

Most 5th wheel Toy Haulers are gonna be a lot heavier than 12K lbs, especially loaded with your toy(s) , gear, fluids, and all the normal camping stuff inside.

Let us know what models you are considering, it may help to see what your mind set is.

I do know my cousin bought a 30' 5th wheel "normal" camper that supposedly weighed around 10k lbs. He traded his 05 F-250 CC LB for an 07 F-350 DRW CC LB within 2 months of buying the camper. Told me it was the best decision he ever made and the difference in stabilty alone was dramatic.

 

Changing your gears won't help. You have the power, your restriction will be the amount of weight you can carry on the rear axle. If I recall on the F250 the max weight on the rear axle is 6,000 lbs and on the F350 it is 7,100 lbs. That is why I went from the F250 to a F350. I was always borderline on the rear axle when I put it on a weigh scale. If you look at the specifications the two trucks are rated for the same overall weight when towing. It is just with the F250 you are restricted on how much of that weight rests on the truck.

 

F-250/350 CC SRW 2WD 6.0L TD 15,900c. This is the max 5th wheel tow capacity for an automatic transmission, from the Trailer Life towing guides. Here's the link to all the guides.

Trailer Life Magazine: America's Number One RV Magazine

 

[quote=Ken Bailey;6637707]If I Swap The 3.73 Gears For Say A 4.10 Ratio - Will That Give Me More Towing Ability. I Am Doing My Best To Increase My Towing Capacity Without Trading For Another Truck.[/quot
Lower gears WILL increase towing capacity according to Fords towing specs.

 

More specifically, lower gears will increase GCVWR but they don't change GVWR. GVWR is controlled by axles, springs, rims, tires and all. Lowering a rear gear won't help there. So it depends on what's limiting you first. And the OP will be limited by his GVWR (about 10K) long before he hits his 23,000LB GCVWR. If you overload the GVWR you need to be very cognizant of the axle, tire, and rim limits to ensure you don't violate one of those and relaly increase your odds of breaking/blowing something out.