Hello Everyone. I ordered and received my new 17' SD SB 250 Gasser w/ 4.30 rear end the beginning of July. As the title states I have started searching for a 5ver. The trailer I'm looking at is the GD 303RLS with the below specs. My truck is rated to tow 15,500 lbs but I don't really want to come close to that. I know my truck will squat with that weight and I plan on adding airbags before bringing it home. I do however think my truck will be fine with this trailer as I live in central texas where it's mostly flat. However, I know I will going up through Colorado a couple of times a year. What kind of performance can I expect out of my truck with a 12k lb 5ver in the rocky mtns? With this trailer I will be under tow rating and payload. Also, the salesman I spoke with said that due to having a short bed I would need a slider. I wasn't even considering a slider hitch until then. Honestly, I was debating between the Andersen Ultimate and the B&W Companion.

Any thoughts or opinions is more than welcome.

UVW*
9265 lbs
Hitch Weight*
1685 lbs
GVWR
11995 lbs
Length**
32' 5"

 

What you can expect in the mountains is using manual mode up and down grades and if you get on a real good grade just find a gear that it will pull and set the CC. Like yours my 6.2 is rated to pull 15400 and I'm at that and a little more with a gross combined weight of 24400 last time I weighed. After you get used to the way it pulls you will be amazed at what it can do. I know the 17s have a little different torque curve but what I have found that if you really have to pull it hard get the rpms just under the max torque and let it pull.

I use a lot of combinations when pulling from manual mode, TH with locking out gears to just D depending on road conditions. Today coming across 64 in NM I used both manual and TH and the truck worked flawlessly.

Depending on your trailer you may not need a slider, a lot of the newer trailers have extended pin boxes or cutouts in the front cap to allow for more cap to cab clearance. If you haven't bought a trailer yet use the hitch as a bargaining point and you may be able to get one in the deal, I like the B&W and would have one now but I have a release handle clearance problem because of all my boxes.

Denny

 

GoldenDomer, what does the placard on driver's door frame say about your cargo capacity? I'm thinking you're going to be close to the cargo capacity with just the trailer and hitch.

 

HRTKD- my payload is 2871. If anything I could save some weight and go with the anderson ultimate. I would rather keep my options open but If I have to so that I can stay within my weight limitations then I'm ok with that. My wife was partial to the 337 model 5ver but it has a hitch weight of right over 2k. I still think if I'm careful I could stay under on payload with that one but I would rather give myself and my truck some breathing room.

In regards to the hitch. It looks like the majority of the new 5vers have their front ends made to accommodate for SB trucks. Would it be safe to say that?

Thanks for your input guys...

 

The loaded pin weight on the 303 will come in between 2,000 and 2,750 lbs. (up to 23% of the trailer's GVWR). If you go with an auto-slider hitch for the short bed, the hitch can add another 275 lbs. Add fuel, people and stuff, you'll be very close. (BTW - air bags level but do not change the rear axle or tire ratings). An Andersen Ultimate hitch can save you 200 lbs. or more. If you do your homework, weigh the truck at the CAT scales and do the math, you might be OK. Only knowing the facts (true weights) and doing the math will tell.

Rob

 

We are looking at the 337. Some of the folks on the GD forum have said that their loaded 337 has a pin weight of around 3000lbs. You may want to check what a loaded 303 weighs. I think you will be ok with it.

 

Oops, I didn't see Robs response, he know a lot more about this than I do. Listen to what he says.

 

This is a little disheartening. It seems that for me to ensure that I stay within the legal requirements the only 5ver's I should look at are the ones that are advertised as half ton towable. It's looking like I really should have went with 350. At least I know what I will get next.

 

If it's an consolation, you aren't the first to have come to that realization. I read this forum for more than a year before I ordered my 2017 F-350.

My F-350 is plenty of truck for what I currently tow and would likely be enough if I went with a moderate 5th wheel (not a toy hauler). But if I move up to a really nice 5th wheel like a Grand Design I may have to switch to a dually. But that's a few years off.

 

Air the rear tires up to 80lbs.

 

The part that really sucks is I have actually been paying attn to the actual hitch weight number. I was just under the impression that the posted hitch weight number was in regards to the trailers GVWR and was close to the truth. The posted pin weight number for the 303 is 1685. I was thinking that would give me right under 1200 lbs to accommodate for hitch, family and belongings. But to hear that the actual hitch weight is actually 7 to 1300 lbs more is what gets me. In all actuality the pin weight could almost be double what is actually posted. If this is the case how do the Mfr's get away with posting the advertised number as it is truly misleading. I even ordered my truck with the 4.30 rear end with the sole purpose of getting a 5ver and wanting to make sure that I had enough truck. It would be nice if some of the RV dealers actually had a scale where you could get a true hitch pin weight instead of having to buy it before you can take it to the scales to get the true numbers. Or is there another to get the actual weight numbers?

 

It seems like it's all smoke and mirrors. I learned to look at the GVWR and pretty much ignore everything else and try to calculate the other weights myself and always take the more pessimistic number.s

Ford plays the same game. On their web site they post trailering capabilities. But the posted numbers are optimistic and apply only to the most base, stripped down model you can get. Every step up in trim levels reduces cargo capacity.

 

GoldenDomer here is a thread from the beginning of the year with the same F250 dilemma. Some up grades that could be done but you'll still have a registered F250.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...ey-begins.html

If the thread ventures in to this territory.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...l-weights.html

 

Good reading. Thank you sir. Time to look into the ratings of the axle and tires. The tires are exactly the same as to what is on the F350 so that should be easy. Anyone know what the axle rating is for a 250 off the top of your head?

 

What I would do first is fill the trucks tank and go to a scale and get a gvw, front axle weight and all important rear axle weight. Subtract the tire weight rating from the rear axle weight and you will have the load the rear axle will hold. I'm guessing that you will have enough for that trailers pin weigh. Next plan on installing air bags so you can level the truck when pulling, as your truck settles weight will transfer from the front to rear axle. Another thing I would look at if your truck doesn't have a rear sway bar I would install one.

I've would run my work trucks at max rear tire rating 24/7 for years with the only down side being low mileage out of the rear tires.

Denny