Ok, someone please give me an answer I can use. I get different answers every where i look.

I have a 2011 F250 crew cab short bed with the 6.2L gas engine. What is the max weight of a 5th wheel i can tow? is it only 12500?

Thanks in advance
confused in VA

 

The answer is it depends. Depends on the payload capacity of the truck, 20% of the fifth wheel weight sits in the bed. So you need enough payload to be able to carry the fifth wheel. You also need to have the ability to tow the amount of the trailer. I would say if the max is showing up as 12k then that is the biggest size you can get provided that you have enough payload capacity.

 

my payload capacity is 2690. so ias long as the trailer doesnt go over the max weight limit stated in the owners manuals then i should be ok?

 

You will want to check what the trailer's pin weight is. If you had a 12500lb trailer about 2500 lbs would be pin weight and in your payload. That only leaves you 190lbs roughly for people and other things in the truck.

 

thanks that is the best answer i have gotten. Love this forum.

 

3.73's = 11,900
4.30's = 14,900

Those are from Ford's spec sheet.

 

ok I have 3.73 rearend. is it worth it to get 4.30 installed?

 

Not quite, there's a little more to it than that. The stated "payload capacity" doesn't account for a lot of optional equipment that makes the truck heavier. What you really need to do is weigh your truck to get an accurate empty weight. You will want to do this with a full gas tank and no people or other cargo in the truck. Once you have the empty weight, subtract it from your GVWR and this will give you your actual payload capacity. I almost guarantee this will be significantly lower than the payload capacity stated by Ford. Now you need to figure out the weight of all people and cargo that will be in the truck and subtract that from your actual payload capacity. This will give you your maximum pin weight.

You could also just head to the scale and weigh the truck with all people and cargo in it to find your max pin weight.

All of this being said, many people choose to exceed these numbers and do so with no problems whatsoever. The legality of doing so may vary by location, so check your local laws on this. The one weight rating you absolutely do not want to exceed is that of your tires.

 

Here's a quick example using my truck (Mine is a 350) since I know my weights.

My truck has a stated payload capacity of 3,892 lbs. When I weighed it, I got and empty weight of 7200 lbs. I have a GVWR of 10,600 lbs, so this leaves me with an actual payload capacity of 3400 lbs. If I put 4 people in the truck at 150 lbs each, plus 200 lbs worth of other junk, this gives me 800 lbs of total cargo weight. Subtracting that 800 lbs from 3400, I would have a maximum pin weight of 2600 lbs. Plus a fifth wheel hitch itself is a huge chunk of metal, so take probably another 200 lbs off your pin weight if you didn't have one in the truck when you weighed it.

 

The biggest point is this, and it has been stated very well in several posts by several posters...

And that is that you are going to have to weight YOUR truck to detemine its true capacity, not go off of what Ford shows.

Rememeber, and this is clearly stated by Ford, but often overlooked, is that the capacites/loading/towing listed are the "best" case, and adding even one option not on the "best" case truck or selecting a different body style than the "best" case truck will REDUCE these "best" case #'s.

David

 

I know you aren't trying to prove anything, and I'm certainly not either. Just trying to point out the difference between the F-250 and F-350 and why the F-250's GVWR can not exceed 10,000 lbs.

This is a perfect example of how complicated the states make these laws and why everyone needs to research their local laws on this stuff.

You quoted MN Statute 168.002, Subd. 21a, which simply defines a "noncommercial vehicle" as a one ton pickup that is only for personal use. It also states that it must be registered under (and provides a link to) 168.013, Subd. 1e, which defines the tax rates that are paid based on gross vehicle weight.

There are a few other things to look at here though.

First, we have the definition of a "passenger automobile".


Note the line that includes "A vehicle that is a pickup truck or van" as a passenger automobile. So now we have the definition of a "pickup truck"



Note how it specifically states the gross vehicle weight must be less than 10,000 lbs. This means anything over 10,000 lbs is not considered a pickup truck and therefore also not considered a passenger automobile.



Now, we have the definition of a "one-ton pickup truck".



So, this defines a one-ton pickup as having a GVWR of 10,001-15,000 lbs.



This illustrates the difference between an F-250 and an F-350 and why the F-250's GVWR can not exceed 10,000 lbs. It's not about how much the truck can safely haul, it's all about the numbers and keeping the F-250 under 10,000 lbs so it can still be considered a 3/4 ton truck and therefore still considered a passenger vehicle.



And as always, these laws vary by state but I would guess most states' laws on this are very similar.

 

I see a lot of fantastic information on capacities and the rules, but I haven't yet seen anything on liability when things don't go as planned.

Scenario: You're hauling above the sticker weight and there is an accident in front of you. You don't stop in time have to swerve to the right in an intersection to avoid a collision. You're stopped, but somebody somewhere hits you after you've stopped outside your lane. In our minds, somebody in front of you is at fault and is handed the tab. If he were to lawyer up, he could make the arguement that you were hauling unsafe and you should have been able stop better if you were hauling under the sticker - and stayed in your lane to avoid the subsequent collision. So now your insurance company is subrogated against for whatever the shyster can manage.

The investigating officer may not give a rip about weights and stickers - but you can bet insurance companies will. I can't help but wonder if we're not looking the wrong direction for answers on this question.

 

Yes, I understand and agree that you may have to pay more for licensing a "one" ton over a 3/4 ton. My main point was this, it is not considered a commercial vehicle just because it has a GVWR of 10,001lbs or more, and that was the one of the most listed reasons as to why there was a break at 10k, which is a misconception for many states.

And I will be the first to point out I did not make that clear enough!

In WA, all trucks are, well trucks and are plated as such. The smallest pickup is licensed as a truck. It also possible to pay weight based fees and get truck plates for passenger cars so they (couriers and such) can use truck loading zones.

David

 

You are correct in your assumption that there are legal issues to be possily contended with in the case of a overloading issue, especialy when a collision occurs.

That is why I have repeadedly pointed out that the "safety compliance sticker" is a LEGAL document in the eyes of the law and those numbers on it are absolutes. This safety compliance sticker is REQUIRED to be on every vehicle sold. This "legal" document specificly lists GAWR's and GVWR among others. The GAWR's and GVWR are set by the complete vehicle manufacture (Ford or GM or? ) and are not recommendations. They are absolutes.

There are times when Ford sells a incomplete chassis, and the safety compliance sticker Ford installes reflects as it is marked "incomplete vehicle" and you will find elsewhere a complete vehicle "saftey compliance sticker" which may or may not have the same ratings, depending upon if the complete manufacture has installed things like a tag axle, etc.

So these incomplete vehicles will have two "safety compliance stickes", incomplete and complete.

The GCWR is not though a absolute number, and does not appear on that safety compliance sticker. That is a recommended number by Ford.

And, in the case of a collision that was due to suspected overloading, the absolute numbers (GAWR's, GVWR) on the safety compliance sticker are the EXACT numbers the authorities will use in support of there determination of overloading or not. The recommended number (GCWR), possibly, especialy if a gross overloading above and beyond the recommended limit was a direct cause of the accident.

Then yes, we have the civil side of things, with the burden of proof not being as strick, there the recommended numbers can come into play, as in, The laywers line of questioning.... MR so-so, as you were exceeding any normal or prudent recommendations and were overloaded when you rear ended the victim....

David