turtypointbuck wrote:
kzspree320 wrote:
I'll be frank and say I don't know the empty weight of the F250 in question. You state max payload 3,150. Is this correct?? There should be a label in the drivers door jamb that says something like "the maximum weight of passengers and cargo should not exceed XXXX lbs" XXXX equals the actual payload capacity for your truck. That's your starting point.
I think donn0128 has way too much of a fudge factor built in (only real way to know is to weigh everything). I also don't know where you got the trailer weights (brochure or from the actual label on the trailer in question). I have a 2008 Dodge 2500 quad cab with CTD, so not the same vehicle by any stretch.
My empty truck is 6,477#. My empty fiver is 10,606# based on label on trailer. Total is 17,083#. With the wife and I both in truck (about 400#) and the trailer loaded we pulled into the CAT scales. I was apprehensive and a little worried. The CAT scale weights were 4,300# on front axle (FAWR is 4,750), 5,520 on rear axle (RAWR is 6,010), and 9,120 on trailer axles for a total of 18,940#. If we subtract total empty weight of 17,083# from loaded weight it means that all passengers and cargo in truck and trailer combined was 1,857#. We are OK even if we do load another few hundred lbs of stuff.
Now you may load very heavy, I just don't know. My fiver is a 2014 Columbus (Palomino by FR). Since I know the empty weights of my truck axles, I know the pin weight and cargo weights added 673# to my trucks front axle and 2,668# to my trucks rear axle. The brochure pin weight on my fiver is 1,940#. The loaded trailer was 11,788#.
My point is donn0128 may be right if you pack really heavy, but may be way too heavy if you pack relatively light like us. I'm guessing the 1857# of cargo was 400# people, 125# misc stuff in truck, 200# Superglide 5th wheel hitch, which leaves about 1,132# of stuff in our trailer. I admit to packing relatively light, even though my cargo weight does include about 100# for an inflatable boat.
Donn0128 says 3,500 lbs for stuff over dry weight, my actual is far less. I thought giving you my actual weights on a heavier trailer may help. Now the actual label on that trailer may be heavier if you are using brochure weights, so take it for what its worth. Hope this helps.
kzspree,
thanks for the input.
I don't own the truck, so I have been going off of Fords website spec sheet (linked above) for the payload capacity.
I too think that I will be packing lighter than a full timer. The proposed rig would be used for family weekend outings within 200 miles the vast majority of time.
If I understood you correctly, you are pulling heavier than my proposed set up with a similar 3/4 Dodge truck..?
Yes. My empty trailer weight is 10,600# (per sticker on trailer) and loaded my trailer is about 11,800 lbs. My axle weights per the CAT scale are both about 500# under the axle weight ratings of my 3/4 ton Dodge. A lot of people on here want to use the GVWR of the trailers to compute pin weight. As one poster stated above, and I agree, this is not necessary when the trailer has a cargo capacity of 3-5K lbs.
It may be more accurate for a fulltimer that totes all his belongings everywhere, but most recreational campers I know carry between 500 and 1500 lbs of cargo. There are some people that will load to the max. I gave you actual weights so you could know what they are for someone that packs relatively light (if you call over 1,100 lbs of trailer cargo light).
You need to really think about how much you will put in the trailer rather than use others peoples weights or estimates based on GVWR, which in your case would mean you put over 4K lbs in the trailer. Being a retired CPA, I did a spreadsheet and estimated the weights based on the axle positions and how it would be loaded. I estimated the rear axle weight loaded would be about 5,800# and it ended up being 300# less. Since your trailer is lighter than mine, if you put 2 people in the truck and about 1500# of cargo in the trailer, you will probably add about 2,600-2,800# of weight to the rear axle of your truck. Hope this helps.
