5th wheel hitch weight...
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Junior User
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From: Jacksonville The GREAT U S of A
5th wheel hitch weight...
What do I use to determine the amount of hitch weight my truck can handle? Do I have to stick with the max cargo weight, which as far as I can tell as per the Ford Towing Guide is 1,660lbs? If this is the case than the fifth wheel towing capacity of 13,400lbs is irrelavent since most fifth wheels trailers that are anywhere near 13,000lbs have hitch weights greater than 2,000lbs. Is anyone out there towing a 5th wheel with a 2,000+lbs hitch weight on a F250? Will I need to be shopping for a F350 before I buy the 13,000lbs 5th wheel or will I have to settle on a smaller 5th wheel?
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Joined: Aug 2001
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5th wheel hitch weight...
From what I've read that is too much weight for a f250. I have a psd 4x4 f250 that I tow a 24rk dutchman fifth wheel and it does so rather well. Probably the most knowledgeable people on the web about what you can and can't do is at www.trailerlife.com ....I think that I can guess that they are going to tell you that you will need a larger truck. Most of the people hauling (within the factory limits) campers of that size are using at least a f350 drw or even a f450. Good luck.
-lee-
-lee-
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Joined: Jul 2002
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From: Shillington, Pa.
5th wheel hitch weight...
I am sitting in front of a Specification sheet for 2003 5th wheels. Now keep in mine that I own a 350,V-10, SD, 02 and I am at the limit with any 5th wheel as far as I am concerned. GVWR - Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and UVW - Unloaded Vehicle Weight and HDW - Hitch Dry Weight. Some examples from this Spec Sheet. A 27' has a HDW of 1,796, a GVWR of 12,196 and a UVW of 9,126. A 32' has a HDW of 2,344, a GVWR of 12,744 and a UVW of 10,376. A 36' had a HDW of 2,521, a GVWR of 17,000 and a UVW of 12,775. I travel around the country alot and I see some rigs that should not even be on the road. I talk to people with a PSD, 250 that pull a 32' 5th wheel to Alaska and back to Pa. and have NO problems withing towing nor stability. Who is to say. I am no expert. Just a little input. I am going from a travel trailer to a 5th wheel real soon. Going to Harrisburg, Pa. to the RV show and might be leaving with one. One never knows. Good luck with everything and Happy Camping.
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5th wheel hitch weight...
Correct me if I'm wrong but from what I've read if you overload your truck with too large of a fifth wheel/trailer then you run a larger risk of liability. I have been told that if you have an accident with a load weighing more than the truck is rated then you have opened up a large can of worms. I could be wrong but I have read that on several of the camper sites.
-lee-
-lee-
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Joined: Feb 2002
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From: Fairbanks USA
5th wheel hitch weight...
I just bought a 2002 prowler 5th wheel this spring. The hitch has a dry weight of 1890lbs. I run it loaded at about 2200lbs. The trailer dry weighs in at 9800lbs dry. Loaded I'm running about 12,000lbs. That trailer squats my rear end about 2 inches without any helper springs or air bags. The trailer is also 13 feet tall and carries alot of wind drag. I would definately not pull this large of a trailer with a lesser truck. When I do pull it up and through the mountain passes of Alaska I am always in awe of the pulling power of the V10. What an awesome engine.
2000 F350SD,SRW,RC,5spd man,V10, Front Leveling Kit,4.30 gears, 285/75/16 Wild Country
2000 F350SD,SRW,RC,5spd man,V10, Front Leveling Kit,4.30 gears, 285/75/16 Wild Country
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Junior User
Joined: Apr 2002
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From: Jacksonville The GREAT U S of A
5th wheel hitch weight...
I'm sure with those 4.30 gears the V-10 will pull real well.
The point I was trying to make was that my truck is rated to pull a fifth wheel up to 13,400lbs, but the truck cargo capacity is only about 1,660lbs! From the 5th wheel brouchures that I have, any rig that weighs close to 13,400lbs is going to have a hitch weight that is greatly in excess of my rated 1,660lbs. So, the limiting factor is the cargo capacity of 1,660lbs. I know I see plenty of 250's on the road that are towing 30ft+ 5th wheels, so obviously they must be exceeding their rated cargo capacity. Will the truck handle a heavier hitch weight than the rated cargo weight?
The point I was trying to make was that my truck is rated to pull a fifth wheel up to 13,400lbs, but the truck cargo capacity is only about 1,660lbs! From the 5th wheel brouchures that I have, any rig that weighs close to 13,400lbs is going to have a hitch weight that is greatly in excess of my rated 1,660lbs. So, the limiting factor is the cargo capacity of 1,660lbs. I know I see plenty of 250's on the road that are towing 30ft+ 5th wheels, so obviously they must be exceeding their rated cargo capacity. Will the truck handle a heavier hitch weight than the rated cargo weight?
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Joined: Jul 2002
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From: Shillington, Pa.
5th wheel hitch weight...
The truck will handle it, the truck has the power. All I am saying is that the liability is not worth it to me. There are a lot of *** holes out there trying to put a 15' car in a 10' hole and with me hauling a 12,000 lb. trailer, I can not stop on a dime. Safty First for me. I am just trying to help, not trying to be smart.
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Junior User
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From: Jacksonville The GREAT U S of A
5th wheel hitch weight...
Yup, I understand what you're saying Infinity. I'll be trading my 23' TT in for a 5er sometime early next year. I plan on retiring from the Navy and hitting the road! Infinity, let me know what you end up with.
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From: Broussard USA
5th wheel hitch weight...
I thought you added the GVW for both trailer and truck to come up with a combined GVW? There are to many large 5th wheels on the road today for them to all be over weight?
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Joined: Jul 2002
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From: Shillington, Pa.
5th wheel hitch weight...
There are too many large 5th wheels on the road today for them to all be over weight. You are correct. The truck has a GVWR and so does the trailer. Don't get in an accident being over weight with any of the two. I think that in Pa. it is $1,000 for just being over weight and a $100 for every 100 lbs you are over weight. I was in UP of Michigan last year and a Crown Victoria was pulling about a 25' trailer and had an accident. Closed the interstate for hours. When a trailer is in a accident it looks like the thing exploded. The cop was so mad a him he through his clip board down on the ground for pulling the trailer with a car. He is probably still paying fines. RV'ing is becoming real popular and the people are coming into this thing with alot of money and very little education of how to tow. Safty first. My wife and kids and somebody elses wife and kids are more important to me then just jumping into something blind folded. I love camping and I love my 02, V-10, SD, 350 and I love my family and it makes me mad when I see some of the things on the road across the country. Thanks for leting me vent. Nothing personal!
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Joined: May 2002
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From: levelland, tx
5th wheel hitch weight...
all you really need to worry about is the GVW and the GCW of the truck and trailer. the cargo capacity has nothing to do with how heavy or big of trailer you are towing unless the whole thing is in the bed of the truck. i pull 6.5 ton loads up and down the interstate across texas with a 99 f350 v10/auto/3.73 single wheel with 140,000 miles on it when i'm hauling hay. no peace officer of any sort has ever stopped me for being overloaded because i'm just under my legal limits. hope this info ends up helping some one.
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From: Broussard USA
5th wheel hitch weight...
I contacted a few dealers and internet sites, what I found out was the hich weight is not a real factor in a 5th wheel b/c the hich is in front of the rear axle and therefor is spread across the truck.
You take the GCWR (gross combined weight rating from the manuel) and then you will need to weigh you truck w/ full fule to get the GVW.
GCWR-GVW=trailer and cargo weight.
EX.
GCWR of my truck is 18,000lb
MY truck GVW (guessing) 4000lb
So my trailer loaded could weigh 14,000lb less my family and anything else in the truck.
You take the GCWR (gross combined weight rating from the manuel) and then you will need to weigh you truck w/ full fule to get the GVW.
GCWR-GVW=trailer and cargo weight.
EX.
GCWR of my truck is 18,000lb
MY truck GVW (guessing) 4000lb
So my trailer loaded could weigh 14,000lb less my family and anything else in the truck.
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Junior User
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From: Jacksonville The GREAT U S of A
5th wheel hitch weight...
I understand the limits of GCWR, which for all the SD's with the PSD is 20,000lbs. I'm sure that is what Ford uses to determine their maximum load ratings from, which is 13,400lbs for a fifth wheel. I was just unsure how important hitch weight is for a fifth wheeel. I definitely see alot of 250/350's hauling some big (35'+) 5er's.
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From: Broussard USA
5th wheel hitch weight...
One of the trailer guys told me that toung weight is a consideration when building both the truck and RV. However there is some room for moving the axles front or rear on the RV. So if you feel the RV is squatting your truck to much they can move the axle foward.
You question got me curious b/c I pull a 5th about 60K miles per year and never really thought about so thanks for asking it made me do my homework.:+
You question got me curious b/c I pull a 5th about 60K miles per year and never really thought about so thanks for asking it made me do my homework.:+