I am starting to think about fifth wheels for our next camper. We have a 2016 F350 with the 6.7 powerstroke. It’s a shortbed too. The cargo weight is 3470. And the max towing capacity with a 5th wheel is 16,000 lbs. The total weight of our family is about 430 lbs. I’m curious what you experienced 5th wheel campers would consider to be the safe pin weight limit for us given our truck’s specs. I’m not looking for what the max COULD be, but rather if anyone else has a truck like ours and can share their experiences of what they feel comfortable pulling. I’m curious if there is a point with the pin weight that will effect the driving performance too much? For example, I love a particular 5th wheel that has a 2600 lb dry hitch weight. I feel uneasy about being that close to the roughly 3000 lb cargo weight I have leftover after subtracting the weight of the family. So any advice here would be much appreciated. Should I be sticking with a pin weight closer to 2000 lbs? At any rate, this will really help me narrow my search on what I should be looking for in a camper. Thanks kindly!

Take your truck with all the kids/dogs/cats/wife other junk you will be carrying when road ready down to the scales and weigh the trucks front and rear axles separately. A 5th wheel trailer adds little to no weight on the trucks front axle...so pay attention to the trucks rear axle (RAWR numbers from your trucks door post) as its carrying all the pin weight plus a hitch and other gear in the bed. The F350 SRW will handle like other one ton SRW trucks with a max load or a 50 percent load. Point is pay attention to other one ton SRW truck owners also.

That's 600lbs margin on the truck. With a short bed what else would you carry in the truck that's 600lbs? I have a long bed with a tool box full and I don't think it would weigh 600lbs. I have a Husky 26K hitch about 250lbs, heavier than most hitches. (over kill but a great deal used)JMHO

Dry hitch weight means nothing ...... you don't tow a empty trailerDry hitch weight can give you an idea what trailers pin weight ratio isA 13,000# DRY trailer weight (Unloaded Weight) with 20% pin weight would be 2600# DRY pin weightUse that dry trailer weight to dry pin weight ratio to get an idea what trailers Wet pin weight could be based on the trailers GVWR(16,0000# GVWR 20% pin ratio----3200# pin weight)Pin weight ratios of 20% to 25% are typicalHeavier pin ...better towing result on a 5th wheelAS suggested by LIMNLIN .....go get truck weighed 'camp ready' Weight on rear axle subtracted from trucks RAWR equals amount of 'pin weight' you can add to rear axle before being overloaded.

rhetthughes wrote: I’m not looking for what the max COULD be, but rather if anyone else has a truck like ours and can share their experiences of what they feel comfortable pulling. The max is perfectly fine. No reason to de-rate it. If it wasn't the max would be lower.Subtract the family, the hitch and anything else you are carrying in the truck and that's what you can handle in pin weight.If it doesn't pull it safely, something was already wrong with the truck.

The Ford engineers have told you what a safe pin weight is. Large safety margins have been used to come up with the trucks carrying capacity there is absolutely no need for you to add to that safety margin. I certainly know of 2011-2016 f350 srw trucks going down the road pulling 25000 lb equipment trailers and it doesn't seem to bother the truck a bit. You should feel very safe and comfortable towing right up to the manufacturer's payload limit.

Appropriate pin weight when buying 5th wheel? | Good Sam Community

valhalla360
Navigator
Feb 04, 2018
rhetthughes wrote:
I’m not looking for what the max COULD be, but rather if anyone else has a truck like ours and can share their experiences of what they feel comfortable pulling.

The max is perfectly fine. No reason to de-rate it. If it wasn't the max would be lower.

Subtract the family, the hitch and anything else you are carrying in the truck and that's what you can handle in pin weight.

If it doesn't pull it safely, something was already wrong with the truck.
Old-Biscuit
Explorer III
Feb 04, 2018
Dry hitch weight means nothing ...... you don't tow a empty trailer

Dry hitch weight can give you an idea what trailers pin weight ratio is

A 13,000# DRY trailer weight (Unloaded Weight) with 20% pin weight would be 2600# DRY pin weight

Use that dry trailer weight to dry pin weight ratio to get an idea what trailers Wet pin weight could be based on the trailers GVWR
(16,0000# GVWR 20% pin ratio----3200# pin weight)

Pin weight ratios of 20% to 25% are typical
Heavier pin ...better towing result on a 5th wheel

AS suggested by LIMNLIN .....go get truck weighed 'camp ready'
Weight on rear axle subtracted from trucks RAWR equals amount of 'pin weight' you can add to rear axle before being overloaded.
Edd505
Explorer
Feb 04, 2018
That's 600lbs margin on the truck. With a short bed what else would you carry in the truck that's 600lbs? I have a long bed with a tool box full and I don't think it would weigh 600lbs. I have a Husky 26K hitch about 250lbs, heavier than most hitches. (over kill but a great deal used)
JMHO
JIMNLIN
Explorer III
Feb 04, 2018
Take your truck with all the kids/dogs/cats/wife other junk you will be carrying when road ready down to the scales and weigh the trucks front and rear axles separately. A 5th wheel trailer adds little to no weight on the trucks front axle...so pay attention to the trucks rear axle (RAWR numbers from your trucks door post) as its carrying all the pin weight plus a hitch and other gear in the bed.

The F350 SRW will handle like other one ton SRW trucks with a max load or a 50 percent load. Point is pay attention to other one ton SRW truck owners also.

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