The 2017 F-350 DRW and F-450 have a max conventional towing capacity of 21,000 lbs. Also, a max tongue weight of 2,100 lbs. As soon as I get the truck and am past the 1,000 mile break-in, I would like to tow some equipment from a relative's property. The equipment trailer is currently loaded up with stuff and needs to be removed to free up the trailer, moved about 100 feet in order unload it. Most of the mass of the load on the trailer is toward the front, so I used a tongue weight scale and found that the tongue weight is 2,280 pounds if I read the fine tick marks correctly, or simply 2,300 lbs.

So, I am curious about the max tongue weight of the 2017 trucks. Is it potential damage to the vehicle if the max tongue weight is exceeded? or if exceeded it will affect the steering ability of the tow vehicle (due to the tongue weight lifting the front end of the truck)?

I ask, because if it were to come down to my towing it the ~100 feet distance, would I be at risk of damaging a new truck for driving it at 5 MPH or less?

 

No they rate it that because the load is increased when your bouncing up and down the highway jolting the truck. A slow move will be fine.

 

I'm at the same tongue weight as you and my truck pulls great. Ive pulled this around since 130 miles on the truck

 

Yikes! That's a lot of weight on that trailer! 3500 pound axles it appears?

 

umm... 8 lug and 17.5 wheels with H rated tires. 15k rated

 

Then you are OK! That trailer looks almost identical to mine, but it came with the 3500 axles. Wish I had gone heavier as you did! Trucks looks to handle it fine.

 

This is a hydraulic tilt trailer and with the set up its too much for the trailer. I just ordered a 35' gooseneck, I'm going to go with 12k axles and run a single tire set up just like this. They are expensive but have never had a problem with tires.

I spec'ed this trailer out with disk brakes, winch, led lights and 10k double acting ram to power tilt both ways. the truck rides like crap but pulls great and stops just fine. I would be very skeptical at 21k on the bumper hitch, Ive only found 2 3'' receiver hitches and bought a 30k 2 5/16 ball to put on it. I figure:

skid steer 12.5k
1 yard bucket 500 lbs
land shark 2.5k
trailer 5k

puts me around 20k. Im not saying its unsafe, I just feel like if something happens with 20k+ on your hitch the truck is going to go for a ride and won't be able to control it. So for my warm and fuzzies I'm going back to a gooseneck for this machine

 

Nice setup bluewaveaudio!

bluewaveaudio wrote: Wow! On the trailer.

Do/have you get on the highway with that?

 

just pulled it from San Antonio to Houston this morning for a job to do, truck has averaged 11mpg with it running 65-70

 

I have the same truck as bluewaveaudio (350 dually crew 4x4 6.7) and have pulled my similar Cam Superline conventional equipment trailer with 6 tons of wood pellets on it, plus the 4k lb trailer itself...plus another 1-ton pallet in the bed. Not quite as much weight, but I felt pretty comfortable towing that load. I'm using a 2.5" Super Titan hitch with the factory 3" to 2.5" reducer.

 

bluewaveaudio & troverman
Do either of you shift the weight around on the trailer to get a specific tongue weight?
I personally have never seen anybody do this. I have seen people eyeball the load to make it centered over the axles and left/right on the trailer.

 

with this tractor even if its just the machine and bucket ill back it on, lower the deck then back up to where it levels the truck out and thats where I leave it. I made the mistake of loading the land shark then backing on and the *** end of the truck was off the ground. Because of the tilt deck the axles are further forward then normal (IMO) so weight transfer becomes and issue because of the leverage on the far end of the deck

 

Back in 96 i was working for my brother in law down in the city and he gave me the keys to his 94 dodge regular cab 3500 4x4 drw and 36ft cargo trailer with a list of supplies to pick up for the job site. All the lumber was in the front with the drywall near the back was all light stuff like paint hand tools etc had to drive 3hrs north to job site pulled over 2 times to adjust that load it was way to front heavy and the trailer would wag out of control around 40 mph.

 

Could the max tongue weight of 2100 pounds for the 2017 F-450 be related to the capacity of the rear axle? ... wouldn't the tongue weight be leveraged against the rear axle? ...hmm, even if it is leveraged, it still wouldn't feel more than 2100 pounds.

On one of the brochures for the 2017 SuperDuty, the F-350 DRW has a max payload weight rating of 6540 pounds, and the F-450 is 5320 pounds. ... hmm, but a gooseneck or 5th wheel connection can be greater weight, but that tongue weight is directly over the axle, not leveraged like the conventional hitch is.

From another thread "both the 350 DRW and 450 both have the same rear axle weight rating: 9650 lbs" ... "If a 350 DRW has 5500lbs payload rating by the sticker and a 450 has 4900lbs payload on the sticker," then the issue could not be the rear axle rating since both the F-350 DRW and F-450 have the same spec'd conventional tongue weight limit. It must then be the strength of the rear hitch that limits it to 2100 pounds?

I feel confused about this. Any insight you can provide?

 

If you haven't ordered already, get the electric/hydraulic disc brakes on the new trailer. They are nice, have them on my tandem 15k axles trailer and love it

Brett