I did a search of the forums here but couldn't find quite what I'm looking for. I don't have the owner's manual for my truck so I'm in the dark and the people I called at the Ford dealership here were wholly inadequate and most likely wrong. I have a 1997 F-250 LD Supercab 4x4 with the 5.4L. I have a 40' gooseneck trailer that I'm fixing to pull with this truck but am mildly curious what Ford has set the ratings at. Anyone know these ratings or where I can find them? Ford told me 12,500 lbs but I'm not so sure he knew what he was looking at. Thanks.

 

What rear axle ratio does your truck have? Towing capacities vary greatly depending on engine and axle ratio, and sometimes transmission. First thing you should do is weigh your truck and trailer, so you are working with real, rather than theoretical weights. The published weight of a truck or trailer can be significantly less than the actual scale weights.

With a light duty F250 towing a heavy gooseneck trailer, I would first be concerned with the hitch wieght on the rear axle and the max load rating of the rear tires. Hitch weight of a gooseneck or 5th wheel trailer can be as much as 25% of the total trailer weight. Light duty F250's don't always have enough payload capacity available to carry the hitch weight.

Up to a point, the total trailer weight towing rating is more of a performance rating, based on available power from engine and gear ratio. Beyond a point, it becomes a safety issue as well. That point is the GrossCombinedWeightRating GCWR for a truck of your year and model with the largest available engine and lowest available axle ratio (max amount the truck and trailer together can weigh). If you have a high (numerically low) axle ratio, your GCWR will be less.

 

I think that 12,500 lb value is the rating of the factory hitch. The 5th-wheel/goose-neck trailer rating of the truck is probably going to be somewhere in the 8-9000 lb range. Will need the info mentioned by SoCalDesertRider to know exact numbers.

 

If the Ford dealer looked up your axle and transmission codes and told you 12,500 then that is the GCWR for your truck, which sounds about right if you have 3.08 or 3.31 gears and an automatic. The Gross Combination Weight Rating has nothing to do with the hitch, frame, brakes, etc. It is how much total loaded truck and trailer that the engine, transmission and driveline can pull without destructing before the warranty is up. Lets say that your truck is 5,500 lbs with you, your passengers and full tanks. That leaves 7,000 for the loaded trailer. My guess is that a 40 foot trailer might be a lot heavier than that.

Jim

 

A 1997 light duty F250 is actually a rebadged F150. I believe the GVWR is 7700#. A Gross Combined Weight Rating of 12,500# sounds about right. I would discourage trying to pull any 40' trailer with it.

 

From the 1997 Ford towing guide: 5th wheel towing.

F250LD has a 3.73 rear end. The gcwr is 13,500lbs. Supercab 4x4 max tow is 8300.

I have to agree with the other responses here just about any 40' trailer is too much for this truck.

 

I have an extended cab xl 97 f250 ld with the 4.6l and I towed a 6x12 double axle dump trailer with around 3-4 yds of concrete (9-12k lbs) in it. Truck will tow it but has trouble stopping. Its weird Ive never seen a truck with 7 lugs before this one. I had to count twice the first time I noticed it.

 

You pulled up a very old thread there. Your F250 LD was nothing more than a F150.

do you have something to work trailer brakes on that truck? If not then I would not be doing that again.