Towing weight question

[dennisl]

I need some help from F250/F350 owners out there. I just bought 2007 Mountaineer 307RKD, which shows a UVW of 9700 lbs. I plan to weigh it this week to get actual loaded weight. I presently have a 97 F250 diesel with a GVWR of 8800 lbs, GCWR of 16000 lbs and "trailer towing range" of 10400 lbs. My same truck with a 4.10 rear end (as opposed to my present 3.55 rear end) changes the weights to 20000 and 14000 lbs. I had planned to possibly upgrade to an F350, however, in checking the ratings, the F250 and F350 HAVE EXACTLY THE SAME RATINGS, with the possible exception of GVWR. So, what is the advantage of buying an F350 versus changing my rear end to 4.10? Maybe I am missing something (other than dually versus single) because I always thought the F350 would tow more than the F250. Please enlighten me.

[bsmeaton]

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.