After researching, I think so too. Here's the truck https://www.anchorautogroup.com/used...9aadb8f18e.htm. What do you think of the pricepoint?

 

I think that is high for what amounts to a 5 model year old truck.
But, right now all used trucks are outrageously expensive.
For me, it's order new or do without, if you can wait, that is what I suggest you do as well.
And, I have towed heavier than you are looking at with a 3/4 ton truck.

 

The gross rear axle weight rating is not the only factor in the truck's towing capability. His door sticker says 3,242 lbs. max payload. His 5th wheel is supposed to be 13,900 lbs. With an 18% pin weight that leaves him 740 lbs. for himself, his passengers, cargo, etc. Almost everyone states that the listed weights of the 5th wheels are lighter than what they see in the real world. The OP may very well be out of payload with just himself and the 5th wheel hooked up.

OP - while the truck can certainly tow that trailer keep in mind - if you are in an at-fault accident and your combo is over-weight it may seriously affect how your insurance company covers you - and how the other person(s) attorneys go after you.

 

Exactly, this is not the truck for me if I'm right up against my numbers, or over. I currently have a 2017 F350 6.2 lariat with a 8' bed and almost every option. My payload can be another 4100# before I'm over. The only downfall on this truck is I believe it's a 12400# rating on the 5th wheel. So I'll have to stay well within my weights for the 5th wheel which is 11K dry. I'm not sure if someone can tell me what my current truck is rated to tow for a 5th wheel. 1FT8X3A60HEE36381, that's the VIN, but the vin lookup thing here really doesn't say much and it says I have a diesel, which I don't.

But it's a 2017 F350 Lariat 2WD 6.2 SuperCab with 8' bed.

Anyone know what the 5th wheel rating is on that? I'd really appreciate it.

 

And, the weight police chime in.
If the load doesn't exceed the axle/tire ratings then you're good to go.
Nobody, NOBODY, will ever check that you are under the manufacturers ratings for towing or payload, only that you aren't exceeding the limits of the tires, and that would only be if you were to be stopped for some other reason and the cop had reason to suspect you were overloading the tires.
My 3/4 ton truck has a tow rating of 17,150, but only has a payload of about 2300 pounds, with a rear axle weight rating of 6500 pounds.
And, towing a solitude 5th wheel with a 16K GVWR and an actual weight of 14K, the axle weight rating was not exceeded, and of course the tire rating was not exceeded either as that is about 7230 pounds for the pair.
And, I have been weighed checked by numerous DOT officers, and never had any question the loading of the truck.

To the OP, do as you wish, but if an 11.5K GVWR truck doesn't make you comfortable for towing, then the next step up is a Dually with a 14K GVWR.

I'm out...

 

Weight police? Grow up.

When responding to the OP I used the data Ford provides on what they deem safe for operating the truck when towing. You responded with what you "think". What the truck can handle safely might be quite different than the load it mechanically can sustain. The sticker on my door jamb states "The combined weight of occupants and cargo should never exceed: 3,381 lbs." Notice it says NEVER. Think there is a reason for that? Do you think they rate it for what the truck can do safely or is it just some random number spit out by a random number generator? Why does a manufacturer even bother supplying the weight ratings for their vehicles? Just hook it up and let it rip?

We live in a very litigious society. Small, local accident attorneys can afford to advertise on TV - wonder why that is? Big money civil cases usually go to juries. Do you think a jury told that a truck setup was meant to tow 15,000 lbs. safely and the driver chose to drive overloaded by XX% is going to go well for the defendant or the plaintiff? If you believe that an attorney won't review the weight placards in your tow vehicle and the trailer being towed if you are involved in an accident, especially with loss of life or physical injury, you are fooling yourself.

Being stopped or ticketed for a weight violation is almost guaranteed to not happen. Does that mean the safety reasons for those manufacturer limits should be ignored?

 

Notice the sticker on the door jamb says SHOULD never. It's not an absolute. It is guidance to assist the owner in determining how much weight can be carried while remaining at or below the GVWR based on the as manufactured curb weight. It is easy for an owner to increase the curb weight, thus reducing payload, by adding accessories that they don't consider as cargo. The owner can carefully weigh all the items and occupants placed in the truck along with the tongue weight of the trailer and have it be just below the max payload number. All is good except the owner fails to consider the added 350 pounds in bush whacker bumpers front and rear, over sized wheels/tires and headache rack he bolted on the truck. The max payload number on the door jamb sticker is no longer valid.
Your caution about potential liability issues if payload is exceeded is something to consider but more importantly are the limits set by GAWR, tire weight rating and GVWR. Those ratings are where any litigation or law enforcement action will focus. Exceeding payload will mean exceeding at least one of those.

 

Definitely not. You're taking semantic liberties that are not well founded. The payload sticker is not a mere suggestion. It's a hard requirement that is borne out of the concept of the GVWR of the vehicle. The payload sticker is nothing more than a proxy for GVWR, which is definitely not a casual piece of guidance. Payload = GVWR - GVW. Since the manufacturer doesn't expect people to go weigh their trucks, they do it for you. GVW as it rolls off the line, fully wet, equipped, etc.. Thus, you have a payload rating. So, it is correct that there is no legislation written anywhere about payload ... but there are plenty written around GVWR. If you're over payload rating, then you're over your GVWR ... in fact, you'll be over at a 1:1 ratio. Every pound you go over on payload, you'll go over a pound on your GVWR. Simple math.

The max payload sticker is absolutely valid even after you add all of the hypothetical accessories you mentioned. Those things are cargo. Whether the owner considers those things or not has no bearing on the validity of the payload sticker. The only time that sticker becomes invalid is when you make permanent reduction modifications to the vehicle, such as removing the heater core, converting a 4WD to a 2WD, or some other drastic measure where you have literally changed the vehicle. But a moronic owner who doesn't consider his new roll bar in his bed doesn't magically invalidate the payload sticker, it just means that the moronic owner is liable to go over his GVWR by failing to consider his accessories.

I've seen countless warnings that insurance may deny claims, that people will assume liability in accidents, and other punitive measures for being over GVWR. I have never once seen any bona fide evidence of any of those things happening ... EVER! And I've been looking for at least 15 years now. The closest story I read was on these forums where a guy was towing (personal use) a skid steer (or something similar) on a flatbed. The cops mistook him for commercial and waived him into a weigh station. He was over GVWR, he was close to home, and they told him to go home immediately (which is what he was doing). BTW, those are the only weight police. People who warn people of being over GVWR/Payload aren't weight police ... they're just competent at math.

With that said, I think it's silly to go over manufacturers' ratings. I love how people hold the GAWR rating in such high esteem or even the tire load ratings -- don't exceed those. But, the truck's GVWR? Meh, that's fine to exceed. I'm not sure what makes Ford engineers a bunch of buffoons who don't know how to apply safety ratings, but the engineers at Dana or Goodyear are sage engineers who perfected the balance of capability and safety. That's for others to debate. For me, I don't exceed ratings and I don't differentiate between Dana or Ford -- I follow both sets of engineers' specifications.

 

It is not semantic liberties at all. Words matter. Look at the OM. Payload is defined as should never exceed. GAWR and GVWR are both defined as must never exceed. I agree 100% with you that the manufacturer's weight limits must be followed to ensure safe operation. Exceeding them is asking for trouble. Maybe not right away or on every trip but there is risk.

My point was payload should not be such a focus. I referred to it as guidance because it is derived from GVWR based on curb weight and varies across different models and trim lines. If the truck is over payload then it is over GVWR. If you are going to be held accountable it will be because you were over GVWR not payload.

I think owners stretch (exceed) weight limits when the model truck they purchased has a paper derate say from 11,400 lbs to 10,000lbs, but they treat it as still being 11,400. No doubt the truck, as built and designed, is capable of 11,400 but the door jamb sticker places the driver at risk if 10,000 is exceeded.

 

How can this statement "payload should not be such a focus" make any sense if you claim to be concerned about not exceeding GVWR? It isn't possible to put the truck over it's GVWR without exceeding the payload rating. You are correct that curb weight changes with options and models - that is the entire reason the manufacturer puts the sticker in the door jamb. How else would a consumer know what the truck can handle? They would have to take their truck to a scale and weigh it and subtract that from the GVWR - which is exactly what I did when I started shopping for a RV.

My truck has a GVWR of 11,500. Payload is listed as 3,381 lbs. on the door placard. That means the curb weight should have been 8,119 lbs. Due to the tonneau cover, larger tires and wheels, spray-in bed liner, power running boards, dual steering stabilizer, 60 gallon fuel tank, etc. my curb weight is now 8,416 lbs. according to CAT Scales. My payload is therefore only 3,084 lbs. If I exceed that payload I will exceed the GVWR.

 

Agreed. If you're over payload, you're over GVWR. We can quibble about paper derates, but for those of us that don't have a derate the numbers are easy.

Registration weight ratings are used for tax purposes. If you get stopped and you're over your registered weight, you could get fined for that. If you're over your axle weight ratings, it's a safety issue and you could get a ticket and be forced to unload to lessen the overage. This applies to all vehicles, commercial and private, but the chance of getting caught is greater in the commercial area.