Hi,
Looking at picking up a 2011 Sundance SD 3300 CK and a 1999-2005 F350 Dually crew cab truck to tow it.
It will be used to tow the camper on a 4000 mile round trip twice a year.
I am still a little confused with the whole GVWR stuff.
The dealer told me the truck is more then enough and said I wont have any problems.
The issue I see is the specs on the 3300CK shows GVWR as 14,165lbs, dry weight as 10,712 lbs, and
hitch at 2,165lbs.
The trucks we are looking at show the GVWR as between 11,500 and 13,000lbs.

Am I confused in thinking that they should be higher then the trailer?

Will I have any problem hauling the trailer?
What other options is there to haul the trailer if a F350 wont haul it properly?

Thanks Jason

 

Think of the GVWR as the max weight the TRUCK can excert on the ground through all 4 tires. The trailer is seperate, except for the hitch weight that the truck has to bear. A simplified example would be if your truck weighs 8000# bone dry and emtpy and has a gvwr of 1200# then you can load it up with people, cargo, gravel, whatever up to 4000#. So out of the 4000# the hitch weight of the trailer is 2165# leaving 1835# for people, dogs, gear etc in the truck. And 2165# should be no sweat for a dually 350. The trailer will then have its own gvwr to wich you would subtract out the dry weight to get an idea of how much weight it can be loaded with (water in the tanks, propane, groeceries and gear, stowaways, it all adds up quick).

I dont know what the 5th wheel specs are for the 99-04's but the newer ones are 15,000#. Someone more familiar with the 99-04's I'm sure will chime in but I think you'll be fine. And for those kinda miles you probably should consider a diesel but if your looking for a 6.0 make sure you know what to look for, there are a lot of bad ones out there. If you post in the 6.0 forum though folks will tell you what to look for. V10 will do it as well, not sure what your looking for.

 

GVWR = Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
GCVWR = Gross Combination Vehicle Weight Rating

The GVWR on the truck is how much the truck is rated to weigh.

The GVWR on the trailer is how much the trailer is rated to weigh.

The GCVWR is the sum of the truck and trailer GVWR.

These numbers come mainly from the axle and brake design of each vehicle.

As long as the tounge weight of the trailer doesn't cause your truck to bust the GVWR, you're okay.

a 350 should be able to pull that just fine. You should probably opt for a dually

 

Thanks for the info guys

Yes, one requirement I have is that its a dually. I would need it for work as well (construction) and wouldnt want to blow a tire hauling the trailer cross country.

Located a 2001 with a 7.3, I know of the 6.0 problems. Guess I better research the 7.3 as well if this truck turns out to be ok.

Thanks again for the info.

 

While not as powerful. the 7.3L is a pretty reliable engine. Keep an eye on your transmission temps and you should be fine.

 

make sure you know if that 7.3 has been "tuned" before... you never know what you're getting when that's happened.

 

Hi

Heres what the ad says:


2001 Ford dually turbo 7.3 diesel Truck has highway klms works like new.Great mileage Truck has chip.New starter + roters
Would consider possible trade on C5 Corvette

Asking $13,900 CDN

 

be cautious

 

Thanks

Is there any certain thing I should be watching out for?

 

I have a 2005 f-350 dually 6.0L and I pull a 15000 5th camper up steep hills with no problems the truck with a 6.0L will have enough power for you the problems will the 6.0L happen when people start to add new chips and different things like thing and the head gasket gos if you want to you could go to a f-450 but a f-350 should be fine

 

nothing specific... just make sure it wasn't abused. Abuse rate tends to be higher in chipped trucks.

 

Either truck is good, with the 6.0 you just have to be cautious with the engine. Can't go to crazy on tunes or let the EGT get to high. With the 7.3 you have to keep your eye on the trans temp. Both have issues. I think the 6.0 might do a better job both trucks equaly modded. Get as big of a trans cooler as you can for the 7.3 and do exhaust on both trucks. The exhaust helps the engine breath and gets the heat out. Every one has their own opinion on intakes with the 6.0 but I'd add one anyways. The more air you move as freely as possible will help the EGT's stay low.

If you are doing the longer trip I'd choose the 6.0, it has that extra gear and the tow mode on the transmission. With the 7.3 you can only take off OD. I have a 7.3 and it tows fine but when your on a trip the extra gear will help out.

 

Both the 7.3 and 6.0 have their own list of problems, but i own both and have to say the 6.0 tows 10 times better than the 7.3. if you go with the 6.0 do some reseach, the 6.0 forum will help tremendosly.

 

Just remembered, upgrade the egr cooler. Man it's scary to hear horror stories on either trucks.

 

Thanks for the info guys.

The chip is a hypertech.