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dzirkelb's avatar
dzirkelb
Explorer
Feb 26, 2014

How will my truck handle these two 5th wheels?

2014 F 250 Diesel, crew cab.

I'm looking at the following 5th wheels:

http://kz-rv.com/stoneridge/39BH.html

http://www.heartlandrvs.com/index.php?p=35&c=fifthwheels&sc=SV&i=SV+38QBS&view=floorplans&fcmd=showfplan#showgallery

Both have the dry weight well within my trucks' limits, but the GVWR on both are 15,500, and the truck is listed at 15k. Anything I should be concerned with? Will my truck pull these ok, or not at all? I do plan to camp in the mountains on occasion, like every other year or so, and plan on going on some long trips

29 Replies

  • Can you tell us what the payload sticker in the door jamb says? It would help unwind this easier.
  • Both those 5vrs have a 'dry' weight that is heavier than your current trailers GVWR.
    Stick to a trailer that is within your trucks 'real, actual' towing capabilities NOT the magical max tow numbers from FORD (OR Chevy, Dodge, any others)

    What's within your trucks capability......you already know that
    Quote concerning current rig
    "This tows very, very easily." 12,500# GVWR trailer......

    Otherwise disregard any advice/opinion I have expressed based on experience and REAL world towing limitations. Just go with the mfg.s hyped up magical numbers.
  • My thinking has always been, if you need a diesel to pull it, you are going to need the higher capacity 350/3500, to carry it.

    A 250 could be modified to carry a similar load, as the 350, but may cost more than just getting the 350 to start with.

    Your yellow tire placard will give the manufacturers payload number. It will be on the driver's door jam.

    Jerry
  • I did find my current camper specs:

    Dry: 9915
    Dry Hitch: 2100
    GVW: 12500

    This tows very, very easily. But, is also 3000 lbs lighter than what I'm looking at, so I now see the point of I should be worried. I am definitely concerned now, but I'd still like to know if my truck will be ok or not. As like you guys said, the numbers on the camper specs aren't necessarily realistic, if they were, then I should be fine.
  • Ford towing guide puts me at 15,900 max loaded trailer:

    http://www.ford.com/trucks/superduty/specifications/towing/

    I have the F250 diesel srw 4x4 crew cab

    http://www.ford.com/trucks/superduty/specifications/payload/
    puts my payload at over 3k on all options. I'm not sure which option is mine though, it's either 3150 or 3250 max payload

    Here are the specs for Heartland camper:

    Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) 15,500 lbs
    Dry Weight 12,745 lbs
    Hitch Weight 2,185 lbs
    Carrying Capacity 2,755 lbs

    and her is the KZ camper:
    UVW (Unloaded Vehicle Weight)* 12,920
    Dry Hitch Weight* 2,290
    Dry Axle Weight* 10,630
    NCC (Net Carrying Capacity) 2,580
    GVWR 15,500

    So what I'm really wondering is what is the GVWR actually entail on their specs? Estimated packed weight? Meaning, for the KZ for example, it is dry at 12,920, but I can load it up to 15,500, but nothing more than that, making 15,500 the actual max the camper would ever be? If that is the case, then I think I'm fine, maybe pushing the top end, but for 99% of my camping, it is all within 1 hour of driving.
  • Both have a GVWR of 15,500#

    I don't care what the mfg. magical tow rating is cause you will not be able to reach that magical number without exceeding trucks GVWR, RAWR, Rear Tire MAX Load Rating and/or Payload Capacity

    Fine print on mfg. tow guidelines
    Addition of trailer king pin load weight and weight of passengers and cargo must not cause vehicle weights to exceed rear GAWR or GVWR.

    You have a GVWR of 10,000#
    You have a cargo capacity of maybe 2,000# depending on truck trim level

    And you are not going to tow 'DRY'

    You would be better suited to look for a trailer with a GVWR of 12,000#

    When towing is no fun....you don't tow as much....less towing/less fun.
  • You should be very concerned. Very doubtful that truck has enough payload (3k+) for a 15k FW.
  • Keep in mind that one never tows the dry weight of the RV. You must also consider cargo, TV weight and passengers when calculating your GVW. I towed a 2006 Keystone 3475RL with a 2007 Dodge RAM 2500 and really never got comfortable towing it. If you want true numbers, calculate the full gross weight of the trailer, add the pin weight, tow vehicle including passengers and fuel.
  • I have a 2006 F-350 Dually and I had a K-Z Durango. No problems.

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