To answer some of these:

Triple axle alone does not mean you need a 350 or 3500. But thats probably a close assessment since triple axle trailers are usually pretty heavy.

That forest river is really nice. My riding buddy just got one last season. Its way too much for your F250 though. Its dry pin weight is 2333, your payload is less than that. So you are already over the limit. Wet, with family, wood, coolers, whatever else, you'll be way over.

Moving weight to the rear can alleviate some hitch weight, but not that much, and even less so in 5ers. Plus, too much weight in the rear and you get some of this action going on:


https://i.imgur.com/3PQFK7Y.mp4

 

Thanks for all the help!!! Time to go back to the drawing board... Maybe I'll just buy a motorhome and an enclosed trailer lol. Or tell her F-It and just keep the RZR at our lake house and don't "camp"

 

Yep, our garage turns into a dining room, a bedroom for our daughter when you fold the couches to a bed, and has access to the rear party deck with sliding 3 season doors. TV, DVD, and washer dryer in there too...

This is dining room mode at the coast...



OP, I certainly wouldn't give up. You have a ton of 5th wheel, separate garage options. You're truck is extremely capable despite the factory derate on paper that the 250's suffer.

 

Don't get discouraged, I'm in the same boat. My previous setup was a lifted (flipped axles and subframe lift) Weekend Warrior that was a triple axle that I towed with a 2500HD Duramax with an 8" lift on 37" tires. I put several thousand miles on that setup, had to stop quickly a few times but I was always in control of the load (loved that 150 gallons of water, I like showers with the wifey after being in the RZR all day, haha!)

It certainly does limit our fifth wheel choices but there are some out there that are reasonable, you may not get all the top finishes, granite counters or huge showers, two bathrooms or the best features but there are many that will work.

Can an accident happen where you are liable due to being overweight? Sure anything can happen, I have many friends that tow fifths all over the place and have never heard of them being sued, but it could happen.....anything can happen.

I'm throwing on isolated airbags to resist sway and already have 4K load rated tires on the truck. Always stay in control of the load, don't speed, pay attention, leave room, drive in the middle lanes (not slow or fast lanes,) spring for good LT tires on the trailer, proper inflation, etc. and don't worry about it.

We love camping and once you get there you don't have to worry about traffic and loaded weights and all that stuff, but make sure that you get you and your family there safely!

 

Definitely don't stop looking, I'm not trying to be a weight police nanny...I just want you to understand the risk that you take.

So many guys (and its not your fault, its all marketing bull****) see that the max trailer weight is 15K or 18k or whatever and just go buy a 15K trailer...when in fact its almost always the payload that maxes out before you get to the max trailer weight.

As long as you understand the liability you open yourself to, then you are way ahead of the game to 90% of the guys out there towing. I used to never care, until I saw what happens when that weird, one-off-type, crappy situation of an accident actually happens. It sucks. But if you know, then you know, and you can take an educated risk. Not all risk is bad. But uneducated risk can be life altering.

 

I appreciate and agree with you. I personally own multiple companies, commercial, and residential properties in the multi-million dollar range and am not willing to place any of those at risk because I was in an accident with too large of a trailer. Not to mention the wife and 3 boys that would be in the truck if something was to happen. I just need to keep searching around and find an alternative. I was able to find a few pull trailers that have the separate garage (dual AC as well)... Maybe I can talk her into that lol.

 

Sorry wrong post