Please help me figure out your capacity
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 ...
Forum Discussion
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.
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.
