handsome51 wrote:
I have a 2001 Ford F250 Extended cab with a 8ft bed. It was built to tow a travel trailer. The rear end is the same as a 1 ton single wheel truck. Only difference really is the suspension. I had a cabover camper at the time. I added the Helwing progressive helper springs on the rear. Added a transmission cooler with a real gauge.
In 2006 when I retired I bought a Carriage 5th wheel. Fully loaded on the truck scale it weighs a little over 14,700lbs. Of that is a little over 3100lbs hitch weight. SO I have 11,600lbs on the tires. I have a diamond plate toolbox behind the cab with a generator in it. It is called a Genbox. I have a 25k Airsafe hitch which takes a fork lift to put it in the truck if you assemble it out of the truck. In front of the tail gate I have a 37 gallon extra fuel tank. When I am hitched up and you look at the truck sideways it is still a fraction above level. This year I have been towing that 5th wheel for 13 years and have not had a problem. In fact I think if I matched my truck up against a 2001 1 ton single wheel and loaded both truck beds up. The 1 ton would sink below level before my truck would. So work with what you have and save thousands of dollars.
Sounds a bit heavy, you speak of add on springs and sway bars, what about tires and wheels, and rear axle weight.
I had to compare my 2001 Ram 2500 to a 3500 DRW, as there wasn’t a
SRW 3500 from 1994 to 2002. I was at 10,500# 1,700# over GVWR. No super heavy hitch or extra fuel tank. Our 5er weighed in at 12,500# with a 2,700# pin. I still felt fine at the end of a day towing. This is with a 5speed manual. How many miles on the rig in those years?
I felt I could go to the 11,500# GVWR of the 2001 DRW, but chose instead to get a
2016 3500 DRW, CTD, Aisin with 3.73’s.
