Thanks to everyone who has entered their information. I am thinking of upgrading to a fifth wheel and I found this information VERY helpful. So we finally got to go to the CAT scale...why did we pick a day when it was 102 degrees?!
We had just spent 2 days at Cooney Dam in Roberts, MT. The truck was fully loaded with the following:
DH - 220lb
Me - Not telling
DS - 36lb
2 dogs
dog crates
chairs
raft
auxiliary tank with 55 gallons of diesel
Fuel tank full (29 gal)
Deer Bumper (95lb)
Truck is a:
2002 Ford F250 7.3L diesel Super Duty Crew Cab with Camper/Towing Pkg(I believe this is where they use a F350 axle, larger radiator, stiffer springs, etc) Axle Ratio 3.73
Banks Headers
Trailer is a:
2006 Sunnybrook Sunset Creek 279RB Travel Trailer (it is about 31'4")
Black Tank Full
Gray tank full
Lots of 'stuff'
Here are the readings
TRUCK WITH TRAILER
Steer Axle 4520# (Max Rating 5200#)
Drive Axle 5240# (Max Rating 6084#)
Trailer Axle 7140#
GCW = 16900#
TRUCK WITHOUT TRAILER
Steer Axle 4820#
Drive Axle 3840#
GVW = 8660#
EDITED TO ADD 6/25/12: My husband pointed out that if we needed to add some payload capacity we could just limit the amount of fuel we put in the auxiliary tank or leave it empty.
This trip there was some climbing in altitude, some rough dirt roads, and we got 10.88 mpg. I was pretty happy with that!
We are looking to get a fifth wheel but it is much larger. We keep getting various 'opinions' on what numbers are important in determining whether or we can tow it. Hope this information helps someone! Great idea!
