I'm trying to determine the GCWR for my 96 F250 PSD. We are wanting to move from a tow behind travel trailer to 5th wheel. I decoded my VIN on this website and came up with the following. Looking at the GCWR numbers below it shows 16,000, 20,000, 12,000 pounds (see below). I'm confused about these three numbers for GCWR. Why are there 3 numbers listed for my truck?

I realize the GCWR is the total weight the truck can handle (truck, passengers, trailer, additional gear, etc.). I'm trying to determine what the safe limit of the truck is for towing. Years ago I recall weighing the truck and, if I recall the truck was around 6200 pounds with full tanks. The truck has a manual transmission with a 4:10 rear, SDW.

VIN decoded tech specs;
Vehicle Name Ford F-250 Crew Cab
Body Style 4 Door 6.75' Styleside
Body Code 152.2" WB
Drivetrain Rear Wheel Drive
Passenger Capacity 6 6.0 min 6.0 max
Gross Axle Wt Rating - Front 3765 lbs 3440.0 min 3765.0 max
Gross Axle Wt Rating - Rear 6084 lbs 6084.0 min 6084.0 max
Curb Weight - Front 3008 lbs 3008.0 min 3008.0 max
Curb Weight - Rear 2278 lbs 2278.0 min 2278.0 max
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating Cap 8800 lbs 8800.0 min 8800.0 max
Gross Combined Wt Rating 16,000, 20,000, 12,000 lbs
Dead Weight Hitch - Max Trailer Wt. 3500, 5000, 2000 lbs 2000.0 min 5000.0 max
Dead Weight Hitch - Max Tongue Wt. 350, 500, 200 lbs 200.0 min 500.0 max
Wt Distributing Hitch - Max Trailer Wt. 3500, 10,000, 2000 lbs 2000.0 min 3500.0 max
Wt Distributing Hitch - Max Tongue Wt. 525, 1500, 300 lbs 300.0 min 1500.0 max
Fifth Wheel Hitch - Max Trailer Wt. 3500, 12,500, 2000 lbs 2000.0 min 3500.0 max
Engine Order Code 99F Engine Type Diesel V8 Displacement 7.3L/444 Fuel System Turbo-Charged DI
SAE Net Horsepower @ RPM 210 @ 3000
SAE Net Torque @ RPM 425 @ 2000
Suspension Type - Front Coil Spring
Suspension Type - Rear 2-Stage Mutli-Leaf
Spring Capacity - Front 3440 lbs 3440.0 min 3440.0 max
Spring Capacity - Rear 5600 lbs 5600.0 min 6141.0 max Axle Type - Front Twin I-Beam
Axle Type - Rear Ford Full-Floating
Axle Capacity - Front 4200 lbs 4200.0 min 4200.0 max
Axle Capacity - Rear 6250 lbs 6250.0 min 6250.0 max Axle Ratio (:1) - Rear 4.10

 

My 2002 F350 has a GCWR of 20k so my guess is yours would have to be less, so 12k or 16k, my guess is as good as yours. 12k sounds a little low though. 16k it is then.

 

12k is probably the normal travel trailer weight (aka bumper pull).

 

I'd agree with that.. I think the numbers are 16k bumper hitch with w/d, 20k fifthwheel, and 12k bumper hitch NO w/d. If you take the 8800 of the vehicle and add the max weight for each of these categories above, you are close to these numbers.

 

I should have specified if the 12k weight I proposed was with or without a weight distributing hitch (WDH) or not. 12k was with WDH. Towable weight without a WDH would be much lower.

I based 12k on what I was finding locally at the dealerships. It was very difficult to find a SuperDuty that could pull more than 12k conventional (bumper pull) despite the Ford web site saying the F-350 was rated for 14K. Most of the trucks I looked at came in at 11,500.

 

Thanks for the help. That is kind of what I was thinking.