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I love the 2 7.3 trucks I have, but her indoors would like a larger 5th wheel, currently have a Wildcat 30LSBS, Dry Weight 9,180 lbs. Payload Capacity 2,350 lbs. GVWR 11,930 lbs. Hitch Weight 1,770 lbs. Looks like we may be going a 5th in the order of
UVW12,620 lbs.
Hitch Weight2,135 lbs.
Axle Weight10,485 lbs.
GVWR 16,250 lbs
I don't think my F350 in its current shape is going to cut it, especially from a braking stand point. Is there anything I can do with the F350 to accommodate this or am I going to have to bite the bullet and go a different truck?
If it is a different truck, anyone got any recommends??
I'll say this. We just this week bought a 2014 F250 Lariat fx4 6.7. If you don't want to buy a newer truck.. DO NOT go and drive one lol. The Foo Foo meter is peaked out. We haven't towed with it yet but we have a trip coming up in two weeks. Can hardly wait.
I must be missing something.
Why won't your F-350 handle it?
If you're worried about braking, are you considering the trailer brakes?
It could be me missing something. I towed our current one recently. I guess because we live in it full time and accumulation of stuff, it was certainly trying to push the truck around a bit and I know it’s outside the specs for the truck. Don’t get me wrong I think it will pull the bigger 5th but it’s going to be a long way out on the specs and when we have to do Raton Pass visiting relatives, I’m not sure how that’ll work out.
I do do have a good trailer brake system, so I could just amp
up the trailer brakes more for sure. I guess I just expected having to step up to a truck with a bigger gross combined weight.
I installed slotted/drilled rotors on all 4 corners of my truck. I have Hawk LTS pads in the front and ceramic in the rear. Changed brake fluid twice and have had zero issues stopping the 12K lbs 5th wheel we used to haul around. I also installed air bags just because we take cross country trips and I wanted the truck to be as safe as possible. No big deal, just take your time and start stopping sooner.
Like others have said too, adjust the trailer brakes. You should be able to stop the trailer and truck with brakes that are properly adjusted. If you want to go the extra mile, put disc brakes on the trailer, then you will have zero concerns about stopping...
The truck will know the trailer is there, but you have to remember that you are towing ~13.5K lbs and just take it slower.
The new trucks will handle the weight a lot better, but the banks will appreciate you paying them to drive their truck around a lot more too.
The real week spot IMO is tire weight capability. Best to chance over to 19.5 big truck rims and tires. This will just about double your tire weight carrying capabilities. It’s like having a dually without having one. There also good for the trailer
Just to expand the range of options, I find a decel tune helps greatly to save the brakes on a long descent. Flip on the tune, the exhaust backpressure valve becomes an exhaust brake, and voila far less need to hit the brake pedal. Takes some hardware to make it happen but it's sweet! That's the main reason I stick with the retro DP F5 chip, but exhaust brake setups can be almost as good DIY.
Like Sous I also recommend the Hawk LTS pads, feels like a good compromise between cold bite and hot fade resistance. I'll be trying the Hawk Super Duty pads next. Apparently they have even better hot fade resistance but at the cost of increased chance of squealing.
Also have all the brake hardware in top shape. Fresh pads, flushed with fresh fluid, maybe new hoses and grease the slide pins, and really; if the brake fluid is more than a few years old, flush and bleed. Ya don't want "wet" brake fluid to boil up under heat stress.
If your trailer is getting pushy, there are a couple of things to check. I don't know your set up so these are just fyi's.
Check the way your trailer is loaded. Too much stuff too far back takes weight off the pin. Not enough pin weight makes it hard to steer the trailer and keep it pointed in the desired direction.
Lubricate your coupling. If you're using a Teflon frisbee, use dish soap on both sides of it. If you have one of the new hitches with Teflon pads, use dish soap. If you're old school metal on metal use good quality grease.
Your hitch has over 2000 pounds on a metal plate that is sitting on another metal plate. Those two plates need to be able to slide against each other freely. If they stick, you will have trouble keeping the rig going straight. It will always wonder making you feel like you have to herd it down the road.
Lubricant on the hitch is often overlooked.
Last edited by HD Rider; Jul 25, 2018 at 10:31 PM.
Reason: Spelling
If your trailer is getting pushy, there are a couple of things to check. I don't know your set up so these are just fyi's.
Check the way your trailer is loaded. Too much stuff too far back takes weight off the pin. Not enough pin weight makes it hard to steer the trailer and keep it pointed in the desired direction.
Lubricate your coupling. If you're using a Teflon frisbee, use dish soap on both sides of it. If you have one of the new hitches with Teflon pads, use dish soap. If you're old school metal on metal use good quality grease.
Your hitch has over 2000 pounds on a metal plate that is sitting on another metal plate. Those two plates need to be able to slide against each other freely. If they stick, you will have trouble keeping the rig going straight. It will always wonder making you feel like you have to herd it down the road.
Lubricant on the hitch is often overlooked.
We’re in a non ideal situation with this I’m guessing as we use a gooseneck adapter. That’s what was fitted to the truck when we got it and I haven’t been in a rush to change it. It will have to happen though!
Just to throw this up again. We’ve almost settled
on a 5th but it’s a toy hauler at 16700 empty, 20k gross. Thoughts? Will my SRW F350 manage this beast?
That depends; do you plan on only towing it 5 miles, in granny gear 4Low so you won't have to worry about needing brakes, hitting bumps in the road that will break your springs, or heat up your transmission or tires to a quick failure?
Thats wayyy too much trailer for our 7.3's in SRW ,250 or 350, to drive off a farm on public roads. That's dually territory hands down, and 6.4L - 6.7L territoy for the better suspension/brakes/transmission.
If you were being serious, open your driver's door and look at the max weight you can tow. You'll see what size trailer you should be shopping for.
Or you can ask the 5th wheel salesman what he thinks and he'll tell you its 1/2 ton towable
I see the grinning face at the end, so I am hopeful that this was a joke.
I once saw a guy towing a 40+ ft Redwood full time 5th wheel with a 2001 SRW 7.3. We happened to be stopped at the same fuel station and went over to ask him what he had done to his truck and he said the only thing he had was a chip to help the transmission. He claimed they towed that thing around the country. This was early into my 7.3 ownership days, but I was pretty impressed by his courage. Those things are heavy...
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