Hi, guys!

I think this might be my first official post on this forum, although I've followed a number of posts here for the past couple of years.

I have a 2000 F250 PSD (great truck, by the way) and I'll soon be ordering a new 2008 F450 so that I'll be able to tow a new 5th wheel that I'm also about to buy.

The fifth wheel will have a GVWR of 20,000#, and a pin weight of approx. 3,100#, or maybe a little more.

So, here's my question: How much squat (inches) should I expect to have in the F450 with a 3,100# (more or less) trailer pin weight? (I don't expect to normally carry a whole lot more weight in the truck, other than my wife and me, a full tank of fuel, and perhaps another couple hundred pounds of "stuff".

I think I'll need at least 2" of squat on the truck for the trailer to tow level. ??? (Ford specs show the F450 bed height at 35.1", and the Reese Hitch that I'm getting is adjustable down to 14 1/2", so I assume my hitch will be at at height of just over 49 1/2".) The Pin Height on the 5th wheel is spec'ed. at 47".

However, this will be my first experience towing a fifth wheel, after a number of years towing a tag behind trailer with my F250, so this is all new to me. Any help that you guys can give me will be very much appreciated.

Thanks, John

 

The 3,100 pounds is no issue at all. We just got a F-450 and F-550 at work both only squat about 2'' with 4800 pounds of concrete on the back.Make sure to order it with the 4.88 rear end or else your will be limited to 20,100 pounds. Your issue will be like mine both of our drivers must have a class B if we operate at the full 33,000 GVWR. So we try to keep it under the 26,000 mark for class C. Depending on your state you will also need a class B to drive the truck with trailer because it will be above the 26k mark.

 

Thanks for the quick reply! That's good, because 2" (minimum) will be just what I need.

Although the trailer has a gross weight rating of 20,000#, it's dry weight is around 17,000#, and I doubt if we'll ever load it to where it'll be much over 18,000# - but you never know until you weigh it.

We live in PA, but mostly will tow in MT and surrounding region.

John

 

Even at 18k you are going to be pretty close to the 26K combined weight. Thats trailer+truck+stuff=gross combined weight.

 

I dont know how your state(s) work, but in missouri as long as its a private rv and not for commercial use, it doesnt matter.

 

Dang that's a big trailer. Good choice on the 450. What kind of 5er is it? Sounds like a dandy!

 

pa is the same, private/recreational use requires no cdl. my old man drives truck and told me in early november that they want to change that. i don't know if it is true, but he complains all the time about people having 40000# gvw motorhomes with air brakes and everything else and you don't need a cdl for it. also mentioned that the state wants to start cracking down on people who overload their pick-ups. i called bull@#$% but he told me to wait and see. has anyone else heard this

 

I don't know about the new ones....but we have some 99-06s and as mentioned, they really hardly squat with 3100lbs in the bed (ride much better with the weight).

 

Yep, that is a big trailer -- just about 40' long. It's a Newmar Kountry Aire. Guess I wont be able to triple tow with my 20' drift boat/trailer behind it!

Although we will be buying the trailer either in the east or the midwest, we'll use it almost exclusively in MT, where we stay right on the Yellowstone River all summer and fall, and then storing the trailer there in MT over the winter. I'm not sure what MT's regs are as far as allowable weight limits, but I won't be on the road with it a whole lot, and the roads we will be on don't have tons of police -- one of the many reasons I like it there -- Yes, I know...it only takes one policeman.

Anyway, other than the weight issue, I really wish I didn't need to buy that new F450, because some off road places I need to get in and out of (I'm a fisherman, if you didn't already know!) are hard enough squeezes with my single rear axle F250, and with high fuel costs these days and the new 6.4L fuel consumption, (the nearest town to where we stay is 20 miles away and the closest "real" town is 60 miles) things will be esssspensive -- but somebody's got to pay the price for living in Paradise, I guess!

John

 

You may want to consider the traction tires. I have heard a few complain about the standard tires in relation to light snow, etc.

I just order a F450 in Pa, the dealer gave the following information about Job3 for the F450.


It is dated 12/01/07.


Front license plate bracket no longer standard. It is now a option and forced in states where required.

Rapid heat now available on manual tranny.

Engine idle shut down is required on 6.4L diesel with auto tranny in the following states: CA,CT,DE,GA,ME,NJ,NY,NC,PA. The number of minutes are not shown. Exemptions need state certification or truck is to be delivered to another state.

Reverse aid sensor not available with engine shutdown feature.

Engine block heater standard in MI,VE,ID,NY,NH.

The high capacity trailer tow package (535) is no longer available. The standard max GCWR for F-450 PU with auto is now 33,000 lbs. The standard max GCWR for F-450 PU with manual tranny remains 27,000.

Winter front grill is now standard and only available in the following states: AK,CO,ID,IA,ME,MI,MT,NH,NY,ND,SD,VT,WI,WY.

This is a summary, but you can get the picture.

 

Thanks for this info -- my dealer didn't know about Job 3 when I talked to him a few days ago.

I was already planning to get the traction tires.

John

 

Be carefull of the weights listed in the brochure for travel trailers. I recently bought an Escalade Sportster. The pin weight listed is 3100 lbs. If you look it says the weights are empty. My trailer has the generator and all the other stuff they add. Brought it home and weighed it at 4000 lbs pin weight. Also the UVW shows 14,720 but at the scales she wieghed 16,300. I am sure the 450 is what you want though. That is my next purchase.

 

Running that setup in Montana wont be an issue. I run a 30k gvw flatbed behind my F350 and have never been hassled by the DOT. The guys here dont seem to bother with private vehicles.

 

I believe that Newmar has tandem DUALS, good for towing that much weight. I, too, think the pin weight will be above 4K, but maybe with the 4 tires, Newmar allows more weight on them, thus taking it off the pin.

 

Yes, the trailer does have tandem duals. Although it is spec'ed for a pin weight of just over 3,100 pounds, I suspect, too, that it'll come in higher than that.

I'm still not thinking that we'll have a problem with too much pin weight for the truck since we won't be carrying much gear, and other than towing it to MT when we originally get it, and for intermittant servicing (RV's have more quality issues than Ford trucks!), we'll only be moving it 60 miles (over the Bozeman Pass) to and from storage a couple times a year.

If needed, I guess I can also put airbags on the truck.

John