Thanks. I have a Pull Behind, XLR 29HFS.

I understand the XLR 5th Wheel is about as good as you can get.

Are all XLR's Toy Haulers? I know Toy Haulers are heavy. Gotta be stout.

My tongue weight is supposed to be 1,140 lbs. Empty. I guess that's so you can pile lots of stuff in the back and not get a see-saw effect. Just a guess but it makes sense

 

Yep, XLR is strictly a toy hauler brand. Great people that run the place. I've been to the plant a few times and can't say enough about them. All these things have issues from time to time but it's how they take care of you after the sale that differentiates XLR from a lot of other brands... I LOVE mine...

 

Got the idea awhile back before my new RV was even ordered, it was on IRV2 with all users in awe, no negatives. I will cross over to the newer model when ordering, thank you!

 

I was very happy with the improvement of the Tri-Glide on my Road Warrior. The only negative was the noise but that was a very small nit. With my Thunderbolt being full body paint, I really didn't want to loose the pinbox cover so I went 5th Airborne this time. It's also a LOT lighter which is good for us SRW guys wanting to keep pin weight in check. Anyways, to sum up the Lippert boxes:

Tri-Glide = discontinued but still available with a huge fan base. Replaced by Flex Air which has shaky reviews.

Trail Air = name has been changed to Air Ride. Same box, new name.

 

I hear ya on the fiberglass cover, kinda nice but I will sacrifice it if I have to. I've heard on FR forums that the 5th air will still fit nicely underneath it.

Did you use; (for your 1621HD?) the 5th Airborne Part# 5AB-E1621-610 ??

 

The factory box is actually a 1621SDH. The HD is good to 18k. The SHD is 21k. Yes, that's the 5th Airborne box I used. Here's a visual for you.

Not pretty:



Pretty:

 

Agree, the lid is nice looking. Mine is still on of course w the factory PinBox.

Some have said the 5th air doesn't have as much travel (distance up and down) as the Trail Air?. 5th air also has a lot of complaints on them not holding air pressure even for a short weekend camp outing. Sure do like the stealthy look however!

 

Mine will hold pressure indefinitely. If I forget to air it down after a trip, it will only need a slight bump a month later. Note sure about the travel but you have a long bed, DRW that has very little propensity towards chucking. I'm not sure if I would even swap out the solid box if I were you. I'd try running it a bit before making the swap. (This is very hard for me to type as I live to upgrade the truck and RV...LOL)

 

You have the 3.55 gears. The Platinum is only available with 20" wheels, and the only gear ratio available for the SRW 6.7 with 20s is the 3.55.

 

And the problem lies in that even with that stupid little "useless" sticker on the truck, FORD, the MANUFACTURER certifies the truck to be able to handle X specs. You can have 10,000 people say it is safe and don't worry about it online but it goes back to what the manufacturer.. the creator of the product who DESIGNED the vehicle says.

And people like to say Axle this and Axle that. Just pay attention to your axle ratings but who says that both axles can be maxed out? Want to put a load in the bed, make sure you don't go over your rear axle rating. Want to put a load on the front (snow plow), make sure you don't go over your front axle rating. Who says that you can max out both axle ratings combined?? The manufacturer sure doesn't which is why they give you a GVWR.

And sure, insurance companies will pay the claim and then cancel you. But what happens IF (yes a HUGE if) you get into an accident and you kill someone? Is ones towing skills the same as every other person? Absolutely not... and what happens if someone does die (again, huge IF). How much is your insurance going to cover?? What exactly is your coverage? $100,000, $300,000, $500,000??

What happens if you get sued for more then what the insurance covers? Buh bye house?? vehicles?? money in bank?? Attorneys fees??

Will it happen to you, me or someone else?? Again, probably not. But could it? Absolutely and with my 3 year old, 6 year old and my wife. I will not take that chance.

I research and buy enough truck for what I'm towing. This brings me to Camper's Inn when I was looking at campers with my 07 F250. They REFUSED to sell me a trailer that was more then what my truck was rated for. Why?? Because of liability.

Yes I went on a rant and yes there will be many on here that says I'm overreacting.. So be it..

PS - Yes I do know someone who got into an accident and both the police and insurance company checked the trucks rating as well as the ratings of the trailer to make sure it was within spec. So it DOES happen out there in accidents.

 

Well, how about this. How about the 2011 to 2016 F250 that was physically 100% identical to the SRW 350. How about the derated 10k SRW 350 that is physically the same as the one rated to 11.5k? Ford also put those stickers on based on absolutely NO engineering. And, are these the same engineers who can't get a fuel gauge to read right in 2017? Yeah, their math is spot on. They certainly aren't adding in safety factory to protect Ford's bottom line. No, that can't possibly be it.

As to axles weights, combined they are much higher than GVWR so you're not going to overload them. They also have a rating much higher than the truck when rated as stand alone. The 250's "little" Sterling 10.5" is rated to 9750# by itself...

As to all your "what if" nonsense, it's pure paranoia. Sure, any of those possibilities can happen. I could also get struck by lightning or hit by a drunk driver. Your kids are more likely to be killed in a diving accident that from towing a couple hundred lbs over some rating. I'm perfectly fine with the odds in this situation and I'm fine with my wife and 4 year old in the truck while doing it. Hiding in the basement can feel very safe for some too... Do you ever speed when towing within your rating limits? Your house, money, and life are gone too. Man, I can't see how anyone could live in such a fearful state. The good news is you can do whatever you want and I'll do what I want.

 

No, I don't speed. I always set my cruise control between 60-62mph. I'm all set with speeding with 21,000lbs going down the road. And I don't care about a fuel gauge.. we are not talking about fuel gauges. The F250 was not physically identical to the F350. And we are not talking about F350 vs derated F350 sticker. We are talking about F250 vs F350.

 

Time to put your money where your mouth is. I've won this bet a few times but if you are feeling lucky, give it a go. The 11-16 is physically 100% identical to the SRW 350. Period. End of story. Find me a difference in part numbers other than the badges and I'll buy you one of each. The early units had a shorter suspension block which affected stance but not towing capacity. The later 250's got the taller block too. The camper package got the 250 the SRW 350's overload spring. So, they could indeed be optioned identically but were rated 1.5k apart.

As to speeding, going slower than traffic is more dangerous than speeding. I run 75-80 with the tractors with my 28k GCW.

 

Oh, and I see your looking up the braking differences. Yes the 2011 SRW 350 had hydroboost but it was dropped in 2012. All SRW trucks from 12 forward had vacuum boost.

 

F250 didn't have the helper spring that the F350 had. The F350 had the 4" blocks where the F250 had 2". Ford towards the 2015 model year decided to put the 4" blocks on some of the F250s and nobody could figure out what was causing SOME of them to have the blocks and others not to. I remember members walking the lots and seeing both size blocks on F250s on the same lot.

Yes same axles, same diff, same brakes etc. But not the overload spring or the blocks on the 11-14.. I don't remember when in the 15s that they started putting the same blocks on.