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Dennis - the ratings are looking at a couple of things. You are looking at what the truck will "pull" down the road. Basically, a 7.3L automatic with 4:10 gear ratio will pull 20,000 lbs regardless of what chassis it sits in (F250 or even F550). The trailer capacity is just what is left over after you subtract the weight of the truck from the 20,000 lbs.
Payload capacity (F250/350/450) is the weight the truck itself is designed to carry (downward force). Fifth wheels have significant weight on the pin, whereas travel trailers are usually only restricted by the rating of the hitch itself. You need to be concerned about the payload when considering a fifth wheel combined with passengers and truck cargo.
Basically an F350 will hold more weight up off the road, but can't drag any more weight down the road than the F250 counterpart.
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