Don't know what to do?

Ball parking some numbers a 3/4 or 1 ton diesels will weight 7,500 to 8,000# loaded with fuel, hitch and family. When you open the driver's door there is a sticker which will list the GVWR for that truck. The F250 will be about 10,000# GVWR so (10,000 - 8,000 - 2,000) you'll be able to carry a 2,000# pin (hitch) weight. Average pin is 20% of loaded trailer weight so a 10,000# trailer.

The trailer you listed is 14,000# GVWR or a 2,800# pin weight (ball park) so you need a truck with a GVWR of 11,000# or higher. That means you are looking at a F350 and a dually might be the better option. Age and spec's effects the ratings, so just open the door and look. Leave yourself a little wiggle room with the numbers.

sorry , but I think the 3/4 would be a little light. but for me it would be perfect. how much does he want. I am in CA, but what a great trip it would be.

Dry weight means nothing, it will never be dry again. GVWR is TOTAL maximum weight. If you fill the tanks that is part of your carrying capacity.

I will need to look at what you wrote. I will need to do my homework. I am leaning more towards the 350 Dully.... Thanks for the info.

markjschuttler.2016 wrote:
Thanks therink,I am not sure what that means if the pin weight is like 3200, what should i be concerned with about pin weight. when i look for a truck, it will tell me the total Fifth wheel weight it can tow. I found a truck that says 16,300 towing capacity. so is the pin weight 3260?

No, you need to be concerned about payload rating (weight the truck can carry), not what it can pull. All trucks can pull, don't mean it can carry the weight pin that a 16,300 lb fifth wheel would be (3200+ lbs).
For example, my truck (see below) has a payload rating from the factory of 3,700 lbs. It says so on the sticker in the door jamb as do all trucks. The pin on my fifth wheel loaded is 2400 lbs. My in bed tool box weighs about 300. My hitch weighs about 200. Passengers and gear weigh about 600 including the dog. This means I load my truck with about 3,500 lbs, which is short of the cargo/payload rating by 200 lbs. I am certain that with this scenario, I would be exceeding the payload on any 3/4 truck. Would any 3/4 truck pull it? Sure, but I would be overweight on payload. Not something I would want to do. So if a added another 1,000 lbs of pin weight with a 16,230 lb fiver I would be asking for trouble with my truck or a 3/4 ton truck.
Hopefully this explains it.

Easy, F-350. You get a truck completely capable of towing the trailer you want to tow and you may still be friends.

Thanks therink,I am not sure what that means if the pin weight is like 3200, what should i be concerned with about pin weight. when i look for a truck, it will tell me the total Fifth wheel weight it can tow. I found a truck that says 16,300 towing capacity. so is the pin weight 3260?

For a fifth wheel that heavy, potentially 2000 to 2500 pounds weight on the pin, I would be looking for a dually F-350 or somebody else's 3500. 250 vs 350 with turbodiesel drivetrain, you are OK on what you can pull, the difference is what you can carry, the load in the truck and the weight on the bed.

Single rear wheel, there is not that much difference in the 250 vs 350 ratings. Sometimes a difference in the rear axle spring packs, sometimes just a difference in ratings for tax and license purposes. I'm driving a 350 that gets three different GVWRs with no equipment changes at all, it is just paperwork for the tax people.

Gvwr is the total weight the trailer is rated for. Dry weight is as it was shipped from the factory.
Always use gvwr of trailer as starting point when matching the trailer for the truck. This way you can make sure you have enough truck. Keep in mind the tongue weight of a fiver averages 20 percent of the loaded weight of the trailer. If gvwr of trailer is 16,000 the pin has a potential to weigh as much as 3200 loaded, could be more.

I also need to understand what is meant by GVWR. The 5th Wheels I see have like a dry weight of 11,720, a GVWR of 14,000, and a Hitch weight of 2,010. What do all of these mean? I can understand cargo weight is added stuff, like your belongings underneath like storage stuff, your pots and Pans, dishes, washer and Dryer, all the stuff you bring into the RV. What about gray water, fresh water and Black?? Are those added in the cargo or are they extra on top of the cargo? On a lot of the specs of 5th Wheels they have like 3772 cargo weight. Does that include the tanks?