Hi all!! I have to check with the guys that seem to know what they are talking about..... I am looking to buy a 5th wheel camper in the somewhat near future. I joined an RV forum, and explained what I wanted to do, and what I had to pull this camper. I have a 2001 CC LB 4WD PSD SRW with auto trans. I am looking at getting a Cardinal 33TBH. I dont remember what the weight was on it off hand, but I was told my truck wont do it. What are your thoughts??
Thanks in advance, Aaron.

 

I think if I knew the gross vehicle weight of the trailer I could give you a reasonable answer.

 

The unloaded weight is 11k lbs and your 7.3 should pull that just fine. If you don't have them you should get gauges and a good intake and exhaust. (you have nothing listed in your signature for mods)

 

Anyone know the CGVW for his truck offhand? It isn't if the truck can PULL it, can it safely STOP it? For some reason, 13,500 sticks in my mind...if that's true, he's good.

 

14,000 fiver, 20k GCWR

https://www.ford-trucks.com/specs/2001_superduty_1.html

 

You can handle that trailer without a problem. I pull our 32' Big Sky Montana without issue. Basically the same pickup except mine is an 02.

 

Would it be a big concern even if the trailer had brakes??



I looked in the brochure for the cardinal, and I see two weight ratings: GAWR (12000 lbs) and GVWR (13990 lbs). Im not sure which one to go with??

 

Go with the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR.) That's the total weight of the trailer and everything in it. The 13990 is added to the truck's weight and should be under your truck's 20,000 pound Gross Combined Weight Rating.

Hint: It's not. Your truck is around 7300 pounds, plus people, so you're overweight.

 

You are 100% legal with that trailer behind your pickup.

 

Here we go again... legality vs stupidity.

You are LEGAL to do anything you want as long as your truck and trailer are REGISTERED for the appropriate ratings. As in, you go to your DMV and pay the appropriate fees to get a license plate/registration paper that says xxxxlbs. You can have that as high as you want... heck, you could register your sedan for 80000lbs gross weight if you felt like it, and wanted to pay through the nose for commercial plates. You are STUPID if you disregard the manufacturer's ratings in favor of your own "well my buddy does it, why can't I?" reasons. There is leeway, especially if you are an experianced driver who knows how and why ratings are determined and keeps in mind the "weakest link" law. And the bigger the truck, the more leeway you'll have. But just because you can pull an extra ton or two with a F550 does not mean a Ranger can do the same. Regardless if its a know-it-all behind the wheel, the truck can only SAFELY handle so much weight! More than that and you will shorten the truck's life expectancy, and possibly your own or the person who's car you hit because you can't control the rig you thought you could.

Seriously... if the trucks were so strong as to pull the world, do you really think the manufacturers would dumb them down so they can be LOWER than their competiters?

All that said, chances are that your truck wouldn't have a big problem with that paticular load, assuming its in tip-top condition and ready to work hard for its living.

 

Yes... those ratings do include the braking power of the trailer, and depend on it. Some new trucks come with a tow rating that assumes NO brakes (rather, assumes a FAILURE of said brakes). With the newer (2005-2007) F250/350+ trucks that was 15,000lbs, just shy of its rated max of 15,500ish.



Normally those two numbers are the exact same, however, in this case they are assuming that your truck will assume 1990lbs (at a minimum) of the trailer's load. This paticular example would have two six thousand pound axles (with an individual GAWR of 6000 and a total GAWR of 12000lbs) plus an addition ton shouldered on the truck.

Remember that those weights are MAXIMUM WEIGHT ratings for the ENTIRE TRAILER... that is not the dry or the wet weight. For example, I have a Featherlite horse trailer, technically a 4 horse trailer. It has two seven thousand pound axles for a GVWR of 14,000lbs. The trailer itself has a "dry" weight of 4200lbs, and a "wet" rating of 10,000lbs, assuming four average sized horses and an extra ton of tack. That's a lot for that size trailer, but the GVWR is still an additional 4000lbs higher. That weight capacity may never ever be filled, but its included in the ratings because of the extra-heavy duty axles. So in this example since I know actual CAT scale weights I can "dumb down" the gross weight of my trailer. If I were to use the stickered GVWR of the trailer, I'd be WAY over my truck's GCWR. But, the actual weight of the complete rig is still under the truck's recommended capacities. That's the advantage you get by actually knowing real, set-in-stone weights of your paticular equipment and loads. If you don't know weights you have to depend of the GVWR's which will sometimes be way more than you are actually towing, which would require you to severely "overtruck" yourself, which isn't a bad thing in and of itself, but can get expensive if you are buying a dually to pull a load a half ton can comfortably handle

 

Check my sig for my Truck..............I pull a 36 ft 5er @ 14,000 loaded and have no problems, Take off or stopping.....!!!

 

Wow you really assume alot with my simple statement. His pickup has a GVWR of 9900 (IIRC) If you do not exceed 9900lbs on the pickup you are legal. If your trailer has GVWR of 14k and only wieghs 11k empty you are again within the legal limits. You might be a little over the GCVW manufacturers recomendation, but like i said You are legal.

You have to have a vehicle loaded within its legal limits. You can have 7k on your rear axle(more if you have heavier tires), but your front better not be over 2900, likewise a trailer rated for 14k cant exceed that on its axles. It is not any more complicated than that.

 

you will not have any problems pulling that. i pull 10k with my little 5.4. Your 7.3 should run with it. make sure you get a good brake controler. i have a prodigy and it is great. cost $100. they make more expensevie ones but for the money it is hard to beat the prodigy.

 

Too many numbers to try and get a sense of it but it looks like you are looking at something like 11K-14K worth of trailer, either way that is WELL within the limits of what the truck can handle. Your biggest problem will be the height of that thing and cross winds trying to blow you over or off the road. As others have eluded to look up your GCVWR, NOT the number on your door, in your owners manual and subtract around 7K out of it for the truck weight and what you have left is what Ford says is a safe weight for a trailer, which will still be a lot lower than what the truck could handle in the real world.