Please help me figure out your capacity

[roadtriptoforev]

I'm trying to buy a truck to tow my 5th wheel. I don't want to be one of those idiots trying to tow 20k with a ford ranger or something but I cannot get a clear understanding of how to figure out if perspective vehicles can handle my weight. So here are the specs and maybe you can tell me how to calculate this so I don't have to take a used truck salesman's word for the towing capacity.

I have a 5th wheel toy hauler.
Dry weight is 12,000
Fully loaded the toy hauler can hold 5,000 in cargo
Pin weight is 2,700
So total potential weight is 17,000

I am looking at a 2006 f-350 with single rear wheels and 6 liter v8 diesel

The tow guide is here: http://www.fleet.ford.com/resources/ford/general/pdf/towingguides/2006RVguideApr08.pdf

Can you not only tell me what my tow capacity is but show me how to figure it out so if I start looking at another vehicle I can figure it out on my own? Please explain it like you would to a toddler.

[time2roll]

roadtriptoforever wrote:
So are you saying the total weight doesn't matter? Just the pin weight?

I don't know why this is so confusing to me...

Frequently with a 5th wheel you will run out of payload before you run out of trailer tow rating.
Generally if the pin weight + passengers + hitch and gear is good on payload you should be fine.

The confusing part is that there are several limits and depending on the set up the first limit you hit IS the limit.

The three to check with separate estimates:
GCWR, the total weight of truck, trailer and ALL contents combined.
Truck GVWR, the maximum total weight of the truck including pin and ALL things in the truck. (payload rating)
GRAWR, Gross Rear Axle weight rating. This rating will be on the truck door sticker and is the total weight on the rear axle.

This is why it seems confusing. Reach any of these limits and you are over.

Best is to hitch it all up, load it down and drive to a scale. Have yet to figure out how to do that with a truck and trailer you do not own. So you must estimate.

Think of it like saying you can personally carry 80 pounds. You assume this is a backpack but then find out you need to carry it in your arms. Then you say you can carry 60 pounds. Then you pick the item up and 50 pounds is on one arm and 10 pounds on the other and you just can't do it. The guy asking says you need to make up your mind what you can really carry.

Many have found the Ford 6.0 to be problematic and expensive to fix compared to other brands.

Good luck.

[tatest]

roadtriptoforever wrote:
So is my tow limit 15,900 where I circled in this guide?

That's a theoretical maximum, for an empty truck with no optional equipment except what was necessary to get that rating (e.g. Camper Package).

[tatest]

Maximum tow capacity is usually a sales number, and for most tow vehicles this number is high because they are not used in the way the number configured. The whole issue is a lot more complex than a number in a sales brochure, thus most of us get confused.

What you need to know for your tow vehicle are:

First is GCWR, Gross Combined Weight Rating. This needs to cover the weight of your vehicle as it is loaded, plus weight of the trailer as it is loaded. For the truck you are looking at, the number is 23,000 pounds. If the truck was empty, that means a trailer somewhere between 15,500 and 16,500 pounds, depending on the options that determine the weight of an empty truck. But you wont be towing with an empty truck, so the real capacity is going to be something less than what is listed.

Second is GVWR, Gross Vehicle Weight Rating. This is the maximum for the truck and what it is carrying. That includes the weight on the hitch of the trailer. This is hard to get from a chart, because there are GVWR options, for a F-350 SRW the rating can range from 10,200 to 11,500 pounds with the 6.0 diesel installed. Actual numbers depend on options like wheels chosen and having the camper package. The actual numbers for each truck manufactured are posted in the doorjamb.

Something from 6500 to 7500 pounds will be empty truck, depending on cab size, bed length and optional accessories. A 2700 pound pin weight could leave you as much as 1400 pounds for people and other stuff, but with other options, you could be overloaded as soon as you hook up.

But there is another side of it. If your load, including that 2700 pin weight, takes that 7000 pound truck up to 10,000 pounds, just short of GVWR, then the towing capacity is now 23,000-10,000 or 13,000 pounds.

Third is RAWR, Rear Axle Weight Rating. Most of the pin weight is going onto this axle, while GVWR and advertised carrying capacities assume some distribution of loads to both front and rear axles. You need to know what is the load on that axle before you hook up, and put the additional 2700 pounds on it.

I think for a F-350 6.0 diesel SRW of that vintage, 15,000 pounds is going to be marginal, and having it loaded to 17,000 is going to be a problem. For that much trailer I would be looking for a dual rear wheel F-350 with the right options for a 26,000 pound GCWR (Tow Boss and Camper Packages, 4.30 axle), and that one could still be marginal for a 17,000 pound tow if your are not conservative about loading up the truck.

[transamz9]

mkirsch wrote:
Trying to keep this as simple as possible:

As a rule of thumb, the fifth wheel capacity of a pickup truck is roughly 5 times its payload capacity, after you've loaded yourself, your family, and anything else in the truck.

You will *NEVER* be able to tow the maximum amount stated in the towing guide. It is a theoretical maximum based on ideal conditions. The truck has to be empty except maybe one passenger. The trailer has to be balanced perfectly with just the right amount of pin weight. That *NEVER* happens in the real world.

Quick Example: The F-250 you were originally looking at typically has a payload capacity of around 2300lbs. A 5th wheel hitch weighs about 250lbs. So you'd have about 2000lbs of payload to work with. 5 times 2000 is 10,000lbs. That's roughly the heaviest trailer you can tow with that F250.

Never? I'm towing 20,000 with a SRW 3500 and with-in payload capacity.

[bucky]

Why do you want to know our capacity? Yes, I know that I am a SA.

[KD4UPL]

roadtriptoforever wrote:
Care to expand? Not sure what you're talking about

glkids2 wrote:
If you are looking at a ford 6.0/6.4 diesel. PLUG YOUR EARS and run don't walk away. if you question what I'm claiming do your own research on these motors

What he's alluding to is that a 6.0 Ford diesel is likely one of the worst diesels ever put in a motor vehicle. The lawsuit over this engine caused the break-up of the longstanding relationship between Ford and International.
I've experienced 2 of these trucks at work; an '03 and an '06. They were bad when they ran and terrible when they went in the shop; which was quite often.
As was suggested, Google 6.0 problems and read on.

[mkirsch]

Trying to keep this as simple as possible:

As a rule of thumb, the fifth wheel capacity of a pickup truck is roughly 5 times its payload capacity, after you've loaded yourself, your family, and anything else in the truck.

You will *NEVER* be able to tow the maximum amount stated in the towing guide. It is a theoretical maximum based on ideal conditions. The truck has to be empty except maybe one passenger. The trailer has to be balanced perfectly with just the right amount of pin weight. That *NEVER* happens in the real world.

Quick Example: The F-250 you were originally looking at typically has a payload capacity of around 2300lbs. A 5th wheel hitch weighs about 250lbs. So you'd have about 2000lbs of payload to work with. 5 times 2000 is 10,000lbs. That's roughly the heaviest trailer you can tow with that F250.

[DaveF-250SD]

As Old Biscuit said, you will need a dually for a trailer of that weight. Your pin weight can go as high as 3,700 lbs., and the weight of the hitch itself must also be considered. You don't want to be over loaded, for safety reasons, and also it makes for an uncomfortable trip.

[roadtriptoforev]

It has two wheel drive

JIMNLIN wrote:

It's a crew cab. Let's assume it's 156.2wb

So how do I figure out how much I can tow and maximum pin weight?

Well...... now your getting closer.
Looking at page #5 in the clicky shows a F350 SRW with 17" wheels/tires has a 2600-3900 payload depending on 2wd or 4wd.

Now move on down to page 6 which shows a F350 SRW with 18"-20" wheels and tires has a 2500-4200 lb payload depending on 2wd or 4wd.

I couldn't come up with a '06 Ford crew cab 174" wb tow rating on their fleet website but the '05 and '07 F350 SRW trucks show a 15900 lb GN 5th wheel tow rating........and a 12500 lb tow rating for a conventional (bumper pull) trailer.

Remember tow rating are for all types of trailers. Some 15900 lb 5th wheel RV trailers will have way too much pin weight for a one ton SRW pickup.

[JIMNLIN]

It's a crew cab. Let's assume it's 156.2wb

So how do I figure out how much I can tow and maximum pin weight?

Well...... now your getting closer.
Looking at page #5 in the clicky shows a F350 SRW with 17" wheels/tires has a 2600-3900 payload depending on 2wd or 4wd.

Now move on down to page 6 which shows a F350 SRW with 18"-20" wheels and tires has a 2500-4200 lb payload depending on 2wd or 4wd.

I couldn't come up with a '06 Ford crew cab 174" wb tow rating on their fleet website but the '05 and '07 F350 SRW trucks show a 15900 lb GN 5th wheel tow rating........and a 12500 lb tow rating for a conventional (bumper pull) trailer.

Remember tow rating are for all types of trailers. Some 15900 lb 5th wheel RV trailers will have way too much pin weight for a one ton SRW pickup.

[roadtriptoforev]

It's a crew cab. Let's assume it's 156.2wb

So how do I figure out how much I can tow and maximum pin weight?

JIMNLIN wrote:

So is my tow limit 15,900 where I circled in this guide?

What you have circled is for a cab and chassis F350/450/550 truck.

Check out https://www.fleet.ford.com/truckbbas/non-html/2006/vs_pdf/fseriessd-ms_06.pdf for a F350 style side truck.
Now scroll down to page #5 for a F350 with 17" tires and page #6 for the same truck with higher rated 18"-20" tires.
Also you will need to know if the truck is a reg cab/super cab or a crew cab/2wd or 4wd/etc.

[fla-gypsy]

Any tow vehicle is an engineered system with manufacturer rated parts. Each component of the system has ratings and to do it safely you should not exceed any of the numerous ratings of the vehicle. Learn more about the various ratings before making a decision.

[Old-Biscuit]

With that 5vr weight (Total and wet pin weight) you should be looking at a 2013 and newer 350/3500 dually as those will be the ones that have the payload capacity to carry the pin weight and the tow ratings & GCWR to tow that heavy 5vr

Any truck older than a 2013 model year and not a dually will be overweight with that 5vr
Trailers GVWR of 17,000# will exceed their mfg. magical max tow ratings and will exceed the truck/trailer GCWR of 23,000#

Need a newer vintage dually with a 19,000# tow rating and 29,000/30,000# GCWR

[JIMNLIN]

So is my tow limit 15,900 where I circled in this guide?

What you have circled is for a cab and chassis F350/450/550 truck.

Check out https://www.fleet.ford.com/truckbbas/non-html/2006/vs_pdf/fseriessd-ms_06.pdf for a F350 style side truck.
Now scroll down to page #5 for a F350 with 17" tires and page #6 for the same truck with higher rated 18"-20" tires.
Also you will need to know if the truck is a reg cab/super cab or a crew cab/2wd or 4wd/etc.