Lets say a SRW f350 6.7 and you don't exceed your rear axle load rating, how much weight would you feel comfortable pulling with a 5 wheel or gooseneck? 17,000lbs? What's your number?

 

I would be good with anything up to 17k. I have a fifth wheel work trailer, 36' triple 7k axles with load range G tires on it. It's a really nice ATC hauler capable of heavy weight, nice low center of gravity, much more stable than a RV.

So, that being said, with a real cargo trailer designed for the weight, I would be comfy going to 17K. I also have a 36' fifth wheel camper that obviously is not nearly as engineered as the cargo trailer. It weighs just under 12K and I am much less comfy with it, significantly less stable, more prone to winds and weight shifting with terrain/road swells.

A 17K RV would certainly be a challenge and I would be much more conservative a driver than normal.

Long answer but that sums it up, RV's tow like crap so they scare me. Cargo trailers are wonderful. And, knowing what a good stable 17K feels like behind a great truck, I would not want to go any heavier. Freight liner sport chassis would be my tow vehicle if I did.

 

I think I pretty much agree, 17...maybe up to 20K but no more.

 

I'm looking at fivers right now for this summer, trying to keep it lighter. Looking at 26 ft 9,000lb fiver which will have my 2,500lb boat behind it. 11,500 is my number, guess I'm kinda a sissy lol

 

F350 single wheel cc 25 foot gooseneck 6700 pounds and a 12000 pound excavator. Hauls really nice but it is all I want.

 

We just made our first real tow of 350 miles with our 5th wheel behind our 12 f250 6.7 4x4 .... VERY, VERY pleased with the handling and performance...

probably need to do some balancing up as the front is a tiny bit light, but my goodness it rides better with the 5'er than without !!!

brake control on 5.5 and when no one around tried some strong stops and between the 5'er and the tow haul, it actually brings it down very controlled...
don't know if we had any sway even with the crosswinds and trucks...

10 to 12 mpg at more speed than I should have gone - but after 3 hours at 60 it got so mundane, we picked it up and I'm loving the truck even more !!!

 

I would tow as much as I could stop comfortably.

 

jdadamsjr
do you have any more pics of your truck and 5er?

 

I don't think that's an accurate thing though. As long as you're not over your rear GAWR or GVWR your trucks brakes can effectively brake all that's placed on it. And as long as the trailer has brakes on all axles and they are functioning correctly those axles can stop all the weight on them. Between the two you are effectively braking 100% of the load.

Say you somehow hooked up a fully loaded semi trailer at 60,000 lbs with electric brakes that could be controlled by the truck. That F250 or F350 could stop every bit as fast as if it were towing a 5,000 lb open trailer. I would not put more than 3-4,000 lbs behind a truck like this for more than a couple miles at slow speeds without trailer brakes.

And as a professional driver, an empty semi trailer without brakes is SCARY, even with a 19,000 lb Kenworth road tractor.

 

I towed 24k lbs behind mine. Miscalculated.....400mi. Actually wasnt bad at all. 350 srw shortbed with 3.55 and 35" BFG km2s. Tires never got hot.

 

My 350 CCSB is really happy with the 30' Toy Hauler at about 12500. It goes to 14000 GVRW and I would not hesitate to go at that weight.

 

I think 17,000 is a good number to keep as a firewall. Anything over that and you need to start compensating. Airbags, advanced tire monitors, lower speeds, and serious concentration behind the wheel. I personally think the biggest variable in safety is the rear end in the driver seat.

 

soon as I get home from vacation
u raised a good question in your pm...
let's let the team respond am I ok with the 5th wheel load my truck is handling

u scared me and had to pull out the manual on the f250 crew cab 6.7 4x4
according to this:
http://media.ford.com/images/10031/2...Duty_Specs.pdf

comparing the max wgts for the 2012 f250 6.7 cc 4x4 10k against my cat weights :
max combined gcwr = 23,500 which is > my 23120 total wgt
max loaded trailer wgt = 15,200 which is > my 11440 trlr wgt
max truck payload = 3,290 which is > my 2590 hitch wgt

close - but aren't they under my trailer weights ?

(and I enhanced the f250 with the roadmaster active suspension on the rear which, iirc - sorry it's late , should help with about 5000 lb of the load ?!? )
whew

 

I didnt mean to scare you
I have close to the same truck as you and have been researching 5th wheels and was using the payload chart from the brochure but when I read the max carg sticker inside my drivers door it showed alot less than the brochure

 

I pull 17.5k for about 1500-2000 miles per month in my 5th wheel toy hauler and it does great. I got the triple axles instead of the doubles which I believe helps with the stopping power. I've never wanted more braking. I've been in high winds, white-out blizzards, mountain passes, etc. and it's done really well. Like Epic said, I think a lot depends on the driver being careful based on the conditions.

The only thing I'd like to have more of is fuel economy. My best run is 9.1 mpg over a 400 mile stretch that was slightly down hill. These mountains make it tough to pull good numbers. I'm typically closer to 8mpg.