Do i have enough truck?

[bjj5633]

I just purchased a 2009 3585sa with a dry weight of 11500lbs. I have a 2008 f350 v-10 sc sb 4.10 rear axle srw. 10800 gvw with a cvwr 21000. The manual says i can tow fifth wheel up to 14500. I tow less than 1000 miles per year. The more i read the more confused i get, please help.

[Gramps]

You've got plenty. Let us know what that V-10 does for mileage.

[Countryfolks]

You're fine. What are you trying to understand?

[FLSTS03]

Do a search on this topic and you'll find a lot of opinions on this subject. The good news is you've asked this question to a very good group of folks, who travel alot and have some very good opinions. Besides saying go to the scales loaded as you would travel,I will defer advice to those in the know.

Steve

[bjj5633]

Thanks for the quick answers. It's not that i don't understand , It's more that I am worried because, from what I have read alot of people say for a 5ver this size you should have drw. Thanks again.

[hookman]

When I bought our truck the difference between srw and drw was about 400lbs in towing capacity

[richfaa]

We pulled a 06 3400 all over the country with a 05 F-350, CC,LB Dually V-10. Have no idea what your pin weight might be and you might want to check That out. The V-10 will be a bit weak in the steep grades but will do well most of the time. Towing capacity is not the issue..pin weight may be????

[bjj5633]

Thanks again for all the info. The dry hitch weight is 2060. As far as the mpg I won't be leaving current site for a month, so I will post the mpg after the trip. Thanks

[SlickWillie]

I have a friend here that tows a HR Presidential with same setup. Goes to Michigan every summer. He does carry some extra gas cans though.

[HamRad]

Bjj5633,

The issue of dual wheels vs single is pretty much a matter of preference. Personally I've opted for the dual but that is sort of because at the time that was the rig that was available. The dual does give me a bit more security in terms of a blowout on the rear wheels.

I actually had a blow out on the driver side inside tire while I was towing the Monty. I was passing a truck at the time and thought he had blown one of his tires. When I could see that he still had all his tires I got to looking at my setup. Could not see or feel any problem. Pulled off at next exit and discovered I'd blown the tire.

I'm not sure what would have happened if I'd had only the single. And I hope I never find out!

As others have said you have plenty of truck. I don't think you'll have any problems.

Good luck.

HamRad

[Countryfolks]

This is to clarify why I, and some of the others, feel confident you're OK. You have a payload capacity of 4210 pounds. This includes all of the 'stuff', including fuel, passengers, hitch and loaded pin weight, the truck was designed to carry. Your loaded pin weight will probably stay below 2600 lbs which leaves you ~1600 lbs for these things. You also have a 5th wheel capacity of 16900.
My reference:
http://www.fordf150.net/2008/2008-fo...ifications.php

The only thing you may not be be happy with is you may go over design weight on your GCWR. Many of us do and we live with it. It wouldn't hurt to weigh sometime when you go out.

[Art-n-Marge]

Since I am experiencing the same problem you are concerned about, I can tell you what to expect in your case.

You provided some valuable information but what we need is the FAWR and RAWR (front and rear axle weight ratings) to help determine if you are okay. Then you must get actual weights to know for sure.

You have an F-350 with a GVWR of 10,800 lb and GCWR of 21,000lbs. For the purpose of example I am going to estimate your truck has FAWR of 5800 & RAWR of 6300. You cannot use just one weight for comparison, nor can you use what is documented. Only real world numbers will work since the paper numbers are estimates.

First thing I recommend is weigh your truck. Get to a scale, weigh just the front axle (FAW), then the whole truck (GVW), then just the rear axle (RAW). The front and rear axle weights should add up to the whole truck weight (if not, there should only be a few lbs different). ALL the weights should be under the Front, Rear and Gross Weight RATINGS.

The difference of the actual rear axle weight and the RAWR is how much you have left for the pin weight of the trailer, the 5er hitch and any gear you want to carry in the truck. For example, if your truck weighs 7500 total (4200 in front and 3300 in the rear), then in this example you have 3,000 lbs left over in the rear, and only about 500 left in the front in order not to exceed the gross weight. Remember the front and rear weights must NOT exceed the gross weight even though each axles can exceed this in total.

THEN you must know what the pin weight is going to be. As you provided, the unladen weight of your 5er is 11,500 with a 2,060 pin weight. This estimate means your pin weight is about 18% of the trailer's total weight. None of us tows a trailer unladen - there will be clothing, tools, supplies, food, propane, maybe some water, batteries, etc. etc. etc. Let's assume your trailer now weighs about 13,500 lbs (only 2,000 lbs of stuff), this will now increase your pin weight about 20% or 2,700 lbs. Assume your fifth wheel hitch weighs 100 lbs. This means you have now added 2,800 lbs on the rear axle. In our example, you had 3,000 lbs of allowable weight. This means you only have 200 lbs left for gear, family, luggage, etc. over the rear axle.

Almost there... with 2,800 lbs on your rear axle, you have 6,100 lbs on your truck's rear axle (3300 lbs empty plus 2800 for the trailer/hitch). Add the rear axle weight to the front axle weight and these should not exceed your GVWR (4200 plus 6100 equals 10,300) or 500 lbs left over as far as the GROSS weight is concerned.

Adding weight to the truck or RV causes weight to increase fast. Like implied in previous paragraphs, weighing the truck with everything you plan to carry in the truck before adding the RV is the best way to determine how much weight is left over for the RV. If you find you are over, then it's time to start taking stuff out of the truck or putting it in the trailer as long as it does not increase the pin weight, or cause the RV to be too heavy.

FINALLY, with a 21,000lb GCWR in our example the truck at around 10,300 lbs, plus the trailer at 10,800 (13,500 minus the pin weight on the truck of 2700 lbs, because the pin weight was considered in the truck weight) equals a total GCW of 21,100 lbs and is over by 100 lbs. Now you can see why just looking at one weight can affect another weight. In our example, you'll have to remove 100 lbs, somewhere (maybe leave the beer kegs behind and buy them when you get there, then make sure you drink it all before you return).

This applies whether you tow 10 miles, 1,000 miles or 10,000 miles. Being overweight means you are overweight. There are plenty of folks that tow overweight and think they are good because the truck does not feel like it is being stressed. That will be your prerogative and liability on how you want to handle this situation.

I have typed a lot so please someone check my math, but I hope this helps you determine how to figure out weights and help you decide how comfortable you want to be.

Yes, it's rocket science but easy to learn over time.

Good luck with this.

[Art-n-Marge]

I forgot to mention the truck's tow rating of 14,500. This assumes you, as the tow operator ensures the truck weight will be 6,500 or less to remain within the GCWR of 21,000.

[bobandkip]

Hi all,

Brand new to MOC. Don't yet have a Montana; anticipating a purchase 'round year's end; likely a 3455SA.

Per Keystone's info, this rig's dry weight is 12,000+ pounds (the heaviest of them). I would tow this with a 2008 F-250 with 6.4L diesel. According to Ford's "official" documentation, this truck can handle 15,200#. Aside from what it'll "take" without threatening to break something, is this enough truck for this rig?

I see in some of the posts that other folks also have 250s; don't know if the weight difference is really significant.

Any thoughts/opinions will be appreciated.

Thanks,

[Countryfolks]

Depends on what you're comfortable with. See Arts post right above yours.

[Art-n-Marge]

To "bobandskip". Documented number are ONLY guides. Actual numbers may vary depending on how you load your TV or RV.

Know all your rated values and measure your truck and RV to ensure you are under all the numbers. Do not use just the one and think you are good. All the numbers should be used for reference.

[Art-n-Marge]

Check all the weights for your TV and your RV and if you are under all of them, this is the best you can do to stay within the ratings. Unfortunately, there are no guarantees that nothing breaks but if you are over, but it's anticipated the odds are higher that something breaks or has some kind of problem (panic stops, for example) if you are overweight.

Use caution relying on the 15K weight rating, because you should still be under the Gross Combined Weight Rating to be safest. Know the truck's FAWR, RAWR, GVWR, GCWR and the RV's GVWR, axle weights and pin weights. All of these in combination will give you the information you seek.

Lastly, the dry weight of a rig, is not necessarily reflective of the heaviest trailer, because the trailer might have more or have heavier options out the factory. The telling factor would be the Gross Weight Rating because it includes how much cargo weight you can add. A lighter trailer might have more cargo carrying capacity and therefore might ultimately weigh more.

In summary, look at all the numbers. Good luck with your rig combination.

[TLightning]

Ignore what the brochure/internet say for tow capacity. The tow capacity is the GCWR minus the weight of the TV.

Towing is not the problem if it's a diesel. The problem is the pin weight of the Montana exceeds the cargo capacity of most 3/4 ton trucks. The cargo capacity for model year 2005 and newer trucks can be found on the Tire And Loading Information sticker located somewhere on the left door post or left side of the truck.

[FLSTS03]

bjj, Going to the scales helped in real world terms to clarify a few things for me. What my 07 ram 3500 drw weighed in at;
steer ax 4680, drive ax 5540, trailer ax 10880, gross weight 21100
limits are;
front 5200,drive 9350, max tow 13500, gcvw 21000

Also my Dually has a GVWR of 12200 while it's SRW counterpart has a rating of 10500....FYI Steve

as you can see, my only short coming was on the total; 100lbs over.SRW #'s were not that different(1300 lbs @ rear and GVW) Kinda goes to what Countryfolks was stating. Steve