So I am planning on towing a 5th wheel soon. I was originally going to buy a well equiped 350 DRW. However, after finding out how much my payments would be I though hard about it and decided to go with a lesser vehicle. I picked up a used 17 F250 4x4 6.7 long bed with 13k miles. I got it for only $43k so my payments are much better. However, I was disappointed to find out that I have 3.31's and that the max 5th wheel weight is 12.500k lbs! Now I am even more upset to find out that the 16 F250 with 3.31's has a 15,100k 5th wheel max! What the #@$% is that all about?!?! Im going to upgrade my truck to handle more now. I know, I know. It won't be legal to tow more no matter what I do. Does anyone know why the newer verson can tow less? I would have bought a 16 instead had I known! 😒

 

Are you sure that 12.5k isn't for the gasser 6.2L? I'm 99.9% sure the ratings went up for 2017.

 

here is the specs for 3.31 gears

 

Yup! 12,500LBS. And here is the 2016 chart!

 

Jeremy, Go out to the door jamb sticker and find your GCWR value. For 3.31 might be as high as 13,200 I dont know what the subnotes(1, 2) are on the first two values.

Sadly, finding this out AFTER the buy is the worst thing. Anyone out shopping, knowing they will tow a fifth wheel they dont yet own, needs to START at a F350 SRW, and decide if thats enough or not. When replacing, it makes no sense to start looking at F250...IMO

I'm guessing you are dealing with that sickening feeling in your gut about now...

 

I just want to know WHY Ford would drop the max rating 2600lbs on the NEWER version!!! I probably looked at the 16 list before I was shopping and thought that it had plenty for what I need. But yes, my stupid fault. I should have known Ford would let me down somehow. These trucks are way too expensive in the first place.

 

They way I read the charts is that a 2016 F-250 CCLB 4x4 and 3.31's has 12.5-13.2K lbs.

Compare the same specs to a 2017 and you get 15.1K lbs.

Am I missing something? Are you?

 

The first chart listed is for 17's... the second is for 16's.

 

 

I don't know. It makes no sense to me. It says the 17 F350 crew long bed with the 3.31 axle max 5th wheel is only 12,000 LBS! So it's 500 LBS less then the F250? Wow, ok.

 

Looking at the charts, your CCLB 4x4 is good for 12.5 - 13.2 depending on the GCWR (20.6 - 21.3) The second chart for the 16's shows 15.1 for a GCWR of 23.5. Going off the combined weight and the lists towing max, the 17 did lose about 300 pounds.

You need to find the GCWR of your truck, then you can figure out what your rating is. Notice they do not complete the chart for all possible weight ratings. I think they only list them up until they figure a 20% pin weight will overload the payload of the truck.

 

If you are one that wants to do this “By the Book”; what will really kill your dream will be the pin weight with an F250 rather than the max tow rating.
Sorry for your dilema. Yup, I started pulling a 5er with a 250 and that didn’t last long...........started looking for a 350 DRW shortly after the first long trip.
Mistakes can be expensive.

 

What do you mean "By the Book". Because I usually don't go by the book for anything.

 

Not to speak for Don, but he is referring to the fact that your limiting factor on an F250 will be the limited cargo capacity (pin weight), not the gross weight of the 5er.

 

As the last post stated, with a 250 your pin weight will likely exceed the cargo capacity of the truck. But, if you don’t worry about doing this “by the book”; hook up and go. But you will very likely need to install air bags to level out your truck. Now the internet camper cops will tell you that your insurance won’t cover you, that you will likely fall of the edge of the world, etc. blah, blah, blah!!!!