Another towing question
I have a long bed 2015 f350 4x4 srw diesel truck. I just recently sold my fifth wheel and am thinking of getting a keystone impact 361 toy hauler with a gross weight of 17000. Is this truck good enoug...
Forum Discussion
"laments terms"??
Oh, I think I see; "lay men's terms"!
OK, look in the Owners Manual for the GCWR of the truck (Gross Combined Weight Rating). That is the maximum the truck plus cargo plus trailer weight should be.
Go to a scale and weigh the truck, with full fuel and just the driver in it.
Subtract that weight from the GCWR. The remainder is the maximum your trailer can weigh. Your hitch should be rated equal to or greater than that number. Remember that any cargo you load in the truck (spouse, kids, dogs, tools, firewood, etc.) will reduce that weight pound for pound.
A few years ago, we lived in a 32 foot fifth wheel for a couple years. Our tow vehicle was a 1994 Dodge Ram CTD 3500 dually. On the final trip home, I decided it might be a good idea to weigh the rig, so when I stopped at a Flying J in Idaho, after I fueled up I went across the scales.
It was under the GAWR of all axles, under the GVWR of the truck and trailer, under the registered GVW of the truck, but over the GCWR of the truck.
According to the book the GCWR was 18,000 lbs. The total weight of the rig was 21,180. At that point, nothing had bent, nothing broke, nobody had been injured or died, so I didn't worry about it. I kept that truck for a few more years, and when I got rid of it, it was still going strong, with 276,000 on the odometer.
Oh, I think I see; "lay men's terms"!
OK, look in the Owners Manual for the GCWR of the truck (Gross Combined Weight Rating). That is the maximum the truck plus cargo plus trailer weight should be.
Go to a scale and weigh the truck, with full fuel and just the driver in it.
Subtract that weight from the GCWR. The remainder is the maximum your trailer can weigh. Your hitch should be rated equal to or greater than that number. Remember that any cargo you load in the truck (spouse, kids, dogs, tools, firewood, etc.) will reduce that weight pound for pound.
A few years ago, we lived in a 32 foot fifth wheel for a couple years. Our tow vehicle was a 1994 Dodge Ram CTD 3500 dually. On the final trip home, I decided it might be a good idea to weigh the rig, so when I stopped at a Flying J in Idaho, after I fueled up I went across the scales.
It was under the GAWR of all axles, under the GVWR of the truck and trailer, under the registered GVW of the truck, but over the GCWR of the truck.
According to the book the GCWR was 18,000 lbs. The total weight of the rig was 21,180. At that point, nothing had bent, nothing broke, nobody had been injured or died, so I didn't worry about it. I kept that truck for a few more years, and when I got rid of it, it was still going strong, with 276,000 on the odometer.
