I have A 2006 F-350 6.0L.
I am looking at getting a new 2015 or possibly 2016 F-350 or F-450.
I will be going on the road full time with a 15900 lb 5th wheel.
The tow rating all seem to be different depending on where you look or who you ask.
It says with a 5th wheel kit I can pull 18,000 lbs.
The tow chart says 16,000 lbs or 15700 lbs depending on 4x2 or 4x4.
Two different dealers have quoted 31,000 lbs,However I am quite sure that is for a F-450?
I want a truck that can pull the new trailer we are looking at and am unsure because of all the different info on the Ford web site and the dealers just what I will need.
Will I need to get a dually instead of a single?
If I need to get a dually is there any advantage to getting a F-450 over a F-350?
If I have to get a F-450 is the mileage gonna suck compared to a F-350?
I limited experience with a dual wheel ride and that is outdated. I used to hate it as they rode way to ruff when they where empty. Do they ride any smoother now?
Any help on just what truck I will need would be greatly appreciated.

A very confused customer.

Dave

 

Your truck will work, it would work better with a few upgrades if you don't have them already.

A new truck will work better...

Dually will be more stable, but might be overkill.

 

Here is a link to a chart for 2015 and other year. This is what most Rvers go by.


Trailer Towing Guides | Trailer Life Magazine

 

Here is the Ford 2015 Towing Guide.

http://www.fleet.ford.com/resources/...TTgde_Feb3.pdf

Yes, the 31,200 pound figure is from the F-450.

 

Every F-350 I have seen on the lot has 19,000 Lbs stamped on the tow hitch receiver.
I reckon they are just putting bigger Receivers the what they need now.
Same thing about the 5th wheel prep. The numbers are way higher then it can tow.
I think this is where some of my confusion is coming from.
The tow ratings in the charts say the new trucks will pull 200 less pounds then the trailer fully loaded will weigh. The empty weight on the trailer is 12695 lbs.It has a dry hitch weight of 2855. Wet weight max is 15,950.
I am thinking just to be on the safe side I will half to go with a DRW.
Two bad I could not just get the 3;73 rear end then I could could go with a SRW.
Guess I need to find a dealer that actually has a dually in stock.

 

A SRW truck with air helper springs will carry it fine. I've towed 20,000lbs with my 99 off a regular ball mount.

What I'm sayin is, the truck is way more capable than its ratings.

 

DRW will be more pleasurable pulling a 5th wheel around especially full timing, that doesn't mean you can't do it with a SRW lots of folks do it. When the winds kick up a little or being passed or passing a tractor trailer the control is better.

 

Dave,

I am going to speak in general terms. Check with your insurance carrier first. The 450 is really pushing a commercial application chassis. Your issuing company may charge more due to heavier tow capacity. Then check with your local state registration policies. Some places you cannot run the truck on certain roads or has to be registration a certain way. Adding something like a cap changes it's class. Then there is licensing. Towing with a 450, might make you more of target for road enforcement. There is was a discussion awhile back on the requirement for a CDL to tow a travel trailer over a certain weight on here awhile ago.

As for the truck, personally I would go with the thought of spending as much as you can. From what I have seen around campgrounds, DRW and 5ers seem to go hand in hand. No matter which brand. However, since you are talking about a 450, it sounds like money is not as much of a factor.

F450

DRW only 4.30s only axle ratio
Going to be limited by the 26.5 hitch prep package


F350
SRW or DRW options
Diesel 3.55 SRW axle ratios
3.73s or 4.30s in the DRW.
26.5K max weight in the 5er plate
31,200 GCWR


Just glancing at the 2015 towing guide, it looks like the 350 DRW should be a good fit for a tow vehicle. good luck.

 

Dave,

I speak of duallies. In my opinion, you need one unless you want white knuckles and to be worn out after a day of driving.

A 450 in the 2008-10 was a beast and rode rough unless you had a good pin weight, then it was a dresm. They had a massive rear end, springs and brakes, and a wide track front end that improved stability and made turning a dream. All came with 4.30 or 4.88 rear ends, and 19.5 tires. Little if any butt sag with a 4500 pin weight. The "350 Tow Boss" of that vintage offered the wide front end and 4.10 / 4.30 gears, 16-17 inch tires, with a much more modest rear axle, but cooling fins on the rear axle. Despite all of the "specs" on a 360, you need air bags for a 3000#+ pin unless you don't mind headlights in the trees.

Along comes more epa stuff in 2011 and the 450 is completely de-rated, essentially a Tow Boss 350. Insurance companies still treated it as a 450, making it harder and more expensive to insure- made no sense. A 6 speed auto was added. You need air bags at your weight unless it is a toy hauler with a light pin. This went on through 2014. Yes, you could get the old beast 450 as a chassis cab, but it is detuned (epa) versus a pickup body.

The 2015's are back to the 08-10 configuration, but with a much better engine and transmission. The 350 rides smooth empty, but needs air bags for your load. A 450 rides rougher until loaded. A 450's brakes are much, much larger; it's rear axle is MUCH, MUCH MUCH larger than any 350.

If you run loaded at 50-55 mpg with that load, particularly in the hills, a 4.30 will work much better for you, in my opinion, in performance and mpg. It will hold 6th in most situations while a 3.73 will hunt for gears frequently at that speed with load. 60 mpg with load is about cutoff where the 3.73 will work better for you loaded like that. 62 mph is a great loaded speed. Empty, a 3.73 will be 2-4 mpg better.

Mfg tow ratings are nearly worthless when it comes to heavy 5er campers. Our pin weights for a 17k gvwr 5er are much higher than for a similar horse trailer or dozer low boy.

I just traded an 11 450 for a 2015 350. Both duallys. I noticed immediately the narrower front end in terms of stability loaded and unloaded, and the dramatic difference in turning radius (wide is much better turning). . Also noticed the brakes (without the trailer exhaust brake) are adaquate, but a lot weaker empty. The 15 350 has 3.73 gears it is more powerful than the 11 450 empty. This is probably the new turbo setup. Pulling17k, the 350 is no slouch, but a bit weaker Off the line, but hope Combined mpg's will offset that - too early to tell, but empty is a 3 mpg improvement. Insurance is a bit less and lots of choices. Yes need air bags and Bilstein shocks- done, a great improvement on both the 11 and the 15 my 08 450 needed no bags, but bilsteins greatly improved the ride.

I could have gotten the wide front end 350, but it only comes with heavy towing 4.30 gears. AGAIN, LOOK AT THE SPECS - THE
TOW RATING GOES UP DUE TO GEARING, BUT YOUR REAR AXLE (PIN) GAWR CAPACITY on a 350 DOES NOT. The 4.30 gives you lots of grunt power off the line, but you pay dearly for it empty or at higher loaded speeds.

Just so you know, loaded with gear, hitch, tools, fuel and people, my 350 weighs 9600#. The pin on my 17k GVWR 5er puts me at 13,600# a bit under my 15's GVWR of 14,000#. A 5er is VERY easy to overload, but I keep it just under its rating of 17k. That is the 4,000# on the pin, 6,400# on the front 5er axle, and 6,500# on the rear 5er axle. So, I am 26,500# going down the road loaded. No cdl needed because it is a personal rv. And my 13,600# truck can keep the trailer's 12,900# wheels going where I want them to go.

Every trailer dealer will sell you a bigger rig than you can safely or comfortably tow, and tell you your truck will pull it just fine. Similarly, truck salesmen raRely pull heavy loads themselves, and will tell you until the cows come home that this truck will do the trick. Buyer beware, and forewarned with real info.

How much does your 5er weigh before you add propane, water and your stuff? If it is 12,500 or less, you should be more than fine with a dually 350 with 3.73 axles. Remember, load some of the 5er weight behind its axles! It it is more than 12,500 empty, you might think about the 4.30 gears and a 450. If it is a triple axle 5er, you should be fine with the 350 with a 3.73 axle. Another caviat, if you live in the Rockies (steep and altitude) or travel back roads in steeper hills frequently (remember my comment on 60 mpg cutoff for the 3.73 versus 4.30 gears!), you may find that the 4.30 is a better axle.

 

X2, good info, be an informed buyer!

 

My 2014 DRW crew cab long bed has a Gross Combined Vehicle Weight Rating (GCVWR) of 30,500 lbs. This is found in the manual, this is also Ford's number not a legal number. So taking Ford's numbers 30,500lbs and subtract the weight of my truck as of now, 11,200lbs, leaves me with a tow rating of 19,300lbs. Now if my truck was empty, empty weight was 8200lbs, my tow rating would be 22,300lbs. So you notice how the weight of the truck affects your tow rating. These are very capable trucks and are able to do more than what Ford says they can do, I believe Ford derates them for safety reasons and I cant blame them for that. You can pull a lot of camper with a tow rating just over 22,000lbs. A F450 would be rated to pull more but is it really necessary, maybe maybe not. As far as insurance goes, if you were to buy a F450 make sure the insurance company knows that it is a pickup truck not a cab and chassis truck, you would be surprised how much that gets confused. I wouldn't worry about a CDL as RV's are exempt, however if you are driving like a maniac and get pulled over, they could get curious and want to check everything, if you look like you have a dangerous setup you could catch their eye. Also the 2015 F450 would come with 19.5 tires and wheels which are good for carrying a lot of weight and lasting a long time but they are really expensive when you want to replace them, probably double the price of 17" tires found on the F350.

 

So Dave,

What did you wind up getting? Inquiring minds want to know!