I have a 2000 F250 SD 4 X 4 with a 5.4L Triton V8 engine,automatic trans, 3.73 rear axle ratio. According to Owners Manual, the Max Gross Combined Weight Rating is 13,500#. This means that I can only haul a fifth wheel with a dry weight of about 7,500# (since truck weighs about 6K by itself). Manual states that with a 4.10 rear axle, GCWR goes up to 15,000# which means a trailer weight of about 9,000#.

Question: Could I use the higher number (15K GCWR) even with the 3.73 axle ration if I am sensible about down shifting on hills, not using overdrive (no lugging) etc?

Also, if consider trading for a PS Diesel, do I need to go turbocharged to get the Horsepower needed to pull a 10,000# fifth wheel??

Regards,

 

Hello

I'm pulling about 25k everyday, and as long as you don't over load the truck and the 5th wheel will handle that much I would pull that much or more.

If you have a chip and stuff you need to have some guages so you know how hot the tranny and exhaust and stuff is getting. I can run up to about 1250 degrees on my diesel. With out any damage.

I also only pull with OD off.
I know guys that are pulling about 35-40K everyday and haven't had any problems, I personally am having some problems w/ my tranny. But I found a guy in Texas that will rebuild it and gurantee it to last forever under any conditions.

Ryan

 

Thanks Ryan:

It looks like I will need to go to a diesel if I want to pull 15K +. Mine is a small V8 (5.4 liter) with high ratio rear end. I don't expect that it will handle over about 15K total.

RFLAMM



>
>I'm pulling about 25k everyday, and as long as you don't
>over load the truck and the 5th wheel will handle that much
>I would pull that much or more.
>
>If you have a chip and stuff you need to have some guages so
>you know how hot the tranny and exhaust and stuff is
>getting. I can run up to about 1250 degrees on my diesel.
>With out any damage.
>
>I also only pull with OD off.
>I know guys that are pulling about 35-40K everyday and
>haven't had any problems, I personally am having some
>problems w/ my tranny. But I found a guy in Texas that will
>rebuild it and gurantee it to last forever under any
>conditions.
>
>Ryan

 

You are absolutely correct about the max trailer weights. ACCORDING TO THE LAW, the max. weight of your truck and trailer as it's rolling down the highway is the manufacturer's GVWR for your truck plus ~7000lbs of trailer weight, depending on the configuration of your truck. Anymore than that and you are you breaking the law, and therefore liable in any type of accident. It doesn't matter if your truck can pull it, can you stop it safely? How about emergency manoueverability? There are reasons these limits are set. If in fact someone was to tow a trailer weighing 35-40k lbs with an F250/F350 (which I highly doubt, the trailer would weigh 7 or 8 times what the truck weighs ), IMHO they're crazy and a hazard to everyone else on the road.:-X23

Also, you could potentially void any warranty claim and damage your truck at the same time.

Do a bit of a search on this board on towing and 5th wheel/trailer weights, there's been a lot of really good threads on this in the past that gave detailed info on how to determine your exact GVWR, and then calculate your available payload to determine the maximum 5th wheel weight you can SAFELY haul.

With some common sense loads that are slightly over the reccomended limits can more than likely be towed safely, but I would advise caution if you're travelling in Canada, as the weight ratings are pretty strictly enforced here, and carry a hefty fine.

In regards to your question about diesels, I believe that all of the diesels currently offered by Ford, dudge and chebby are turbocharged.

Waxy

 

I don't know where you are from Waxy, but here in Washington state the manufacturer's GVWR is NOT the law. The state could care less what the GVWR is. They only care about how much you registered your truck for, and then only if you are using the truck for commercial purposes. Many other states are the same way.

The main concern with exceeding GVWR is Ford's warranty. Ford will void your warranty if they know you are exceeding any of their limits. Logically think about the truck in question. The only reason for the tow limit is that the engine and rear-end ratio would provide poor towing performance (acceleration) and could cause engine/driveline problems. So Ford sets a limit to minimize warranty claims. There's absolutely no difference in brakes in any Superduty F250/F350 pickup, so the only reason for the lower GCWR is the weaker engine/drive ratio. So if you don't mind wearing your truck out quicker and holding up traffic going up hills, then there shouldn't be any problem towing a larger trailer. Of course, when you get over 20,000 lbs GCW then you run into braking and handling limits on the truck.

Harald

2000 F350 4x4 CC DRW V10 4.30ls Lariat LWB.
Firestone Ride-rite airbags, Rancho RS9000 shocks and Torklift Superhitch.
1998 Alpenlite Pendelton 11'10" camper held on by Torklift tie downs.
Remove I_HATE_SPAM_ from email address to email me.

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 24-Oct-02 AT 02:31 PM (EST)]Harald,

I live in Alberta, Canada, and we're not too bad compared to British Columbia (BC), when it comes to enforcing weight limits. So if you venture across the 49th, I'd check into the regulations.

In Canada the maximum weight you can register/insure your vehicle for is the manufacturer's GVWR. Why would the province/state allow you to register your vehicle for more weight than the manufacturer's specify as the max.? They'd be setting themselves up for a law suit. You can register it for less if you like, it'll save you some money, but limit your hauling ability. Likewise, the maximum weight of your truck and trailer cannot exceed the manufacturer's GCWR. They can, and believe me, they will, pull you over and weigh your truck at any time. If you're over, there's a fine and your truck sits there until it gets lighter.

BC and Alberta straddle the Rocky mountains, so accidents and traffic problems caused by overloaded vehicles (ie. SLOW moving, can't stop safely) are a major concern. They treat you and your 5th wheel the same way they treat 18 wheelers.

My post was aimed more at McKinney515's reply, I didn't want rflamm to think that pulling a 25,000lb, or a 40,000lb trailer , was a good practice or "the norm".

I guess it comes down to every person knowing the regulations where they plan on towing and doing the best they can to equip their truck and trailer accordingly.

Waxy

 

I don't think it's wise to exceed the weight ratings of the truck. Lots of reasons on both sides of the argument.

But, to address the second question about turbocharging, ALL of the newer PSDs are turbocharged... it's not an option.

 

 

Thank you Waxy. You are CORRECT and common sense should tell you this is all for SAFTY no matter what state you are from. Well put.