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Old 09-17-2013, 09:31 AM   #1
RobP
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Anybody towing the 3900FB

Hello everyone! My wife and I (newbies) are looking at the 3900FB. the question......
I have a 2011 Ford f350 SRW. I had the truck weighed with me (wife will be in a different rig) and full fuel with the hitch. I am at 8440 which leaves 2860 according to the sticker on the door. The 3900FB pin weight is 2430, my GCWR is 23500. Dry weight on trailer is 12674 and gross is 15930. Can't see that I would ever put that much cargo on it. What's the average weight you put on a fifthwheel (I am guessing around 1500lbs) Am I getting to close to the max weight to be safe. I really don't want to have to trade trucks but I don't want to be unsafe or illegal. Any thoughts would be great. Anyone comments on the 3900 would be great too since we haven't made the final decision yet.
 
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Old 09-17-2013, 11:23 AM   #2
johncamtravel
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We have a 3900FB and love the unit especially with the second bathroom. We just got ours in April. I also got weighed on the way back from Florida in the spring. I am pulling with a Ram Dually as you can see from my sig. My truck by itself is about what your truck weighs. My weights are as follows: Steer Axle 5,100LBS,
Drive Axle 7,060LB, Trailer Axle 12,340LBS Gross Combined Weight is
24,500LBS. I think my Pin Weight as about 3,500LBS. Don't forget all the weight you add is mostly in the front of the trailer so that adds to you Pin Weight.
My last truck was the 2007 F350 SRW. I don't know if I would pull this trailer with a SRW. I got the Dually in 2012 knowing that I was getting a bigger trailer. And it worked out well having the dually.
I hope this helps you. If you need any additional Info you can PM Me.
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Old 09-17-2013, 11:56 AM   #3
Mrs. CountryGuy
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Here is how you figure out if that 1500 pounds is enough.

Take a list of some of the stuff you tote with you, go google search them, to buy new, look for shipping weights. Start adding it up.

Generator, what does it weigh? Pillow, sweatshirt, dishes, glasses, pots and pans, toss in a few clothes, toss in some more, lawn chairs, lawn mat? Get the idea?

See how long it takes to get to 1500 pounds. You might be surprised.

Now add a case of cola or adult beverage, a few bottles of wine maybe, some groceries.

How ya doing??

It is a eye opening experiment.

Your mileage may vary, seems to me I remember that my toaster was somewhere between 5 and 7 pounds, a sweatshirt about 2 pounds.

Have fun - - enjoy that new unit!

Ohhh, don't forget to add a few pounds for fresh water, if you only carry 10 pounds that is still 80 pounds added or taken away from that 1500 in a hurry.
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Old 09-17-2013, 12:24 PM   #4
vibetech1
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Hello, we just purchased a 2014 3900FB and absolutely love the floor plan. Our tow vehicle is a 2003 GMC 2500 Sierra HD 4x4 CC SRW with the 8.1 Gas Engine, Allison Transmission and 4:10 gears. Max trailer weight is 15300#s We ordered our trailer fully loaded including a generator. The shipping/dry weight is 13400#s. We always pull with our tanks close to empty which leaves us plenty of room for extra gear. We live in a valley and have to pull a grade in just about any direction we go. The steepest being about 8%. The truck pulls the trailer with no problems. Good luck with you decision.
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Old 09-17-2013, 12:52 PM   #5
richfaa
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RobP "The 3900FB pin weight is 2430" I am assuming that is the dry pin weight?? You need to know what the ACTUALL pin weight is. With 2860Lbs left over you may be very close or over on the pin weight/Only actual weight will tell the story. We have the 2013 3402 and it is just as big as the 3900 and our pin weight is MORE than 2860.The 3900 has a lot of heavy stuff up front. In terms of getting to the GVWR of the 5th wheel. It is easy to do . Load everything you feel you need on it and get it weighed. It could be a throat clutcher. You may be just Ok but only a actual weigh in will tell you.
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Old 09-17-2013, 01:20 PM   #6
mhs4771
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Vibtech1, your TV may pull it fine, but I bet you're over just about every spec there is for that TV. Not trying to be weight Police, just saying "Just because it does, Doesn't make it right".
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Old 09-17-2013, 01:48 PM   #7
vibetech1
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Am I missing something here. My owners manual clearly states the max 5th wheel trailer weight to be 15300#s with a max pin weight of 3000#s. As I mentioned my dry weight is 13400#s well below the max of 15300#s. As for the pin weight the 3900FB is 2430#s. Even if I include the gen (which sets well behind the pin) and hitch weight I don't think they would add up to 570#s. On the 3900FB the master bath sets directly above the pin/hitch and the only things packed in that area are clothes and bath utensils. We are not full timers and usually pack lightly.

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quote:Originally posted by mhs4771

Vibtech1, your TV may pull it fine, but I bet you're over just about every spec there is for that TV. Not trying to be weight Police, just saying "Just because it does, Doesn't make it right".
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Old 09-17-2013, 01:57 PM   #8
richfaa
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Did you do all the rael weights properly and can confirm that your pin weight is 2430lbs. Check the 2nd post on this this tread and look at his real pin weight..
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Old 09-17-2013, 02:14 PM   #9
vibetech1
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Hi Rich, Yea I've been in touch with John. Its nice to see him be so thorough with all his weights but when it comes to his pin weight he's making an educated guess based on how much additional weight he is adding to his dry weight. I'm pretty sure he's a full timer so im sure they carry quite a bit of extras. There's no doubt im very close to the actual 3000#s at the pin but we are not full timers and pack very lightly.

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quote:Originally posted by richfaa

Did you do all the rael weights properly and can confirm that your pin weight is 2430lbs. Check the 2nd post on this this tread and look at his real pin weight..
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Old 09-17-2013, 03:37 PM   #10
richfaa
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The 2430lbs pin weight is off the Keystone web site spec's and is the dry weight. Actual weight is going to be way more than 2430lbs .20% of 14,300 is 2860 and you have nothing in the Rv yet. Your stated dry weight is 13,400lbs only 1900 lbs under the GVWR. You are gonna have to pack real light to stay under that. A good weigh in and the real weights are the only way to know and you may be surprised. You would be amazed at what everyday stuff weighs. Next time you do a good shopping trip weigh the stuff before your put it away. Most of us have been not so pleasantly surprised the first time we had our rigs weighed.
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Old 09-17-2013, 03:40 PM   #11
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We do weekend camping, and we have right at 1500lb of stuff as cargo. This is the scaled weight of the trailer 10960lbs, minus the yellow sticker weight of 9470lbs. Our pin weight is 2680lbs. We have a DRW truck and I would not want to go back to the SRW, although I know some have the carrying capacity.
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Old 09-17-2013, 04:00 PM   #12
RobP
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Thanks to everyone for their input. You are confirming what I'm thinking..........trading trucks!! Going fulltime we would be carrying quite a bit more than non full timers and then I got to thinking about all the "stuff" that will be in the bed of the truck. :0

Well........off to search for trucks!!

Thanks you!!
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Old 09-17-2013, 04:24 PM   #13
vibetech1
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Rich, thank you for your input I really appreciate it. Yea I know we're pushing the limits but I feel very confident our truck will do the job just fine. IF we are over it's not by much. You know as well as I do that manufactures build in a fudge factor when they rate their trucks towing capabilities. Of course you still want to stay within manufacture recommendations to be safe. I can tell you that coming down the 8% grade I spoke of the 8.1 & Allison Trans in tow mode slows me down to the point where I actually have to hit the gas to speed up. I'm certainly not out to break any land speed records. We eventually plan to use our Montana for full timing. At that point we will certainly look into more towing capacity (and G rated tires) as we will surely be carrying much more weight.
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