F250 - is it enough to Tow?

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by 77cruiser

That's what I'm getting at, some seem to think they are totally different. They aren't.

They ARE totally different....to the tune of about 1k lbs. of added payload. Having owned a 3/4 and bought a 1 ton right behind it I can assure you they aren't the same truck no matter what some might want to believe.

[mlh]

If they are totally different tell us what the difference is in a 250 SRW and a 350 SRW truck besides the rear springs and badge on the side.
Lynwood

[bshgto]

Originally Posted by mlh

If they are totally different tell us what the difference is in a 250 SRW and a 350 SRW truck besides the rear springs and badge on the side.
Lynwood

The part numbers for the bearings in the rear axle are different so that means something. the tires that came with the swr 250 I had were different in weight rating than the tires on the swr 350 I had some time ago. Two critical areas. And of Course the spring pact was different, and the spring perches are taller on the 350. not sure it makes much difference unless your overloaded. Like I said all this just boils down to money and you having to tell the wife you need a bigger $80,000 truck.

[jjwhite368]

MLH...Upgrade the load range on the tires by 1 grade and the single extra leaf in the rear. That is it.

[dfb]

the best thing you can do is look up the numbers on your truck.. GVWR,, then weight the truck should not exceed loaded already to go with people and pets etc... Second number.. GCWR this is the weight of the truck, and the rv with everything together.... 3rd.. The Rear Axle rating.. what Load is on the rear axle.... with the trailer hooked up, then the Front axle weighting... finally, the Truck's towing capacity... Load everything up and go to a CAT scale... This will tell you the truth..

[bshgto]

Originally Posted by Kjr

Hello. I have a Montana 28.5 fifth wheel GVRW 14300. I need to buy a truck. All of the information is so confusing. I lean to the conservative side and don’t want to be “close” to my max towing capacity. But I also don’t want way more truck than necessary.
I have a F250 Super duty 4x4 crew cab xlt, power stroke v8 10 speed on hold. But now I’m worried it’s not enough to pull my RV safely.
Any advice?

I suppose everybody's point here is why screw around with a 250 just buy a 350 and forget about the worry. A 250 is for your local contractor picking up materials a 350 is for towing heavy things like a skid loader or heavy camper. When your spending 80 grand what`s another 1200 dollars. Never understood why people don`t look to the future if your going to get into this camping in a fifth wheel thing you will more than likely upgrade to a heavier unit anyway or carry way more than you anticipated like water, tools, junk, I mean what are you going to do when the wife puts on 75lbs latter in life?

[PatrickandMarga]

I had a similar concern when I bought my GMC 2500. After many sleepless nights, I canceled the 2500 and purchased a 3500 (it was only $300 more).
Be safe and have peace of mind, get a F350. It will not be much more money and you won't have to worry about the pin weight.

[bcrvman]

Originally Posted by Kjr

Hello. I have a Montana 28.5 fifth wheel GVRW 14300. I need to buy a truck. All of the information is so confusing. I lean to the conservative side and don’t want to be “close” to my max towing capacity. But I also don’t want way more truck than necessary.
I have a F250 Super duty 4x4 crew cab xlt, power stroke v8 10 speed on hold. But now I’m worried it’s not enough to pull my RV safely.
Any advice?

If the trailer weighs 14,300 then pin wt is 23% or 3,289. Now look at the yellow sticker on the driver side door post. From that number subtract EVERYTHING added to the truck since it left the factory, humans, fuel, hitch, floor mats etc etc. What is left over has to exceed that 3,289 number. If it's a 250 I bet it doesn't. You will need a 350 and possibly dually, it depends on how you configure the 350. No other numbers are meaningful, every truck can PULL, the question is can they carry the load. BTW, the published payloads are estimates, if you buy new, make the dealer sign off on a minimum payload which for you is probably at least 4,000, maybe a bit higher.

[dsttexas]

For many years when we were taking horses with us on trail riding trips, I had a 3 horse living quarters Sundowner, and went with 1 ton diesel dual wheel crew cabin long beds - 1 a 2001 chevy, 1 a 2005 Ford. Very solid and safe.


After horse travels over with, I now have a 2015 Montana High Country 292RK 5th wheel, and my new 2017 Chevy 3500 crew cab long bed diesel SRW, And very happy with its handling, even as an around town vehicle.


Running w/o trailer I can get 18-21 mpg cruising on reasonably flat terrain, about 14-15 in around the town travels, and on round trips between Texas and summer in Maine with the RV will average about 12-14 if not pulling the high hills through Virginia etc.!


My biggest issue is the length of truck in today's typical parking lots but you get used to it. And the long turning radius in tighter places

[KirkFess]

I tow a 2016 343 RL with my 2002 F250 diesel. On the scales I am within 100 pounds of max load on both front and rear truck axles, and I am within 500 pounds of my max GCVWR of 20000 pounds. When I bought the camper I didn’t realize how much hitch weight I would be adding to my truck. I am legal, but near my max. If I didn’t already own the truck, I would buy a 1 ton.

Have towed it over 25,000 miles with only one issue where I needed a bigger truck. Had to pull over on a long downgrade in Colorado to let the brakes cool on the truck.

I have done some upgrades, to enhance my performance and comfort level, but they don’t change the legal rating. Air bags on the truck and disc brakes on the camper.

[bcrvman]

Originally Posted by KirkFess

I tow a 2016 343 RL with my 2002 F250 diesel. On the scales I am within 100 pounds of max load on both front and rear truck axles, and I am within 500 pounds of my max GCVWR of 20000 pounds. When I bought the camper I didn’t realize how much hitch weight I would be adding to my truck. I am legal, but near my max. If I didn’t already own the truck, I would buy a 1 ton.

Have towed it over 25,000 miles with only one issue where I needed a bigger truck. Had to pull over on a long downgrade in Colorado to let the brakes cool on the truck.

I have done some upgrades, to enhance my performance and comfort level, but they don’t change the legal rating. Air bags on the truck and disc brakes on the camper.

I have automatic exhaust brake. I turn on cruise and auto exhaust brake at the bottom of the mountain pass and drive with both feet flat on the floor over the top and down the back. The engine never is stressed, and I have almost never used the brakes.
I just had the 2017 F450 checked and the brakes are still good as well as the tires but after 5 yrs I will replace them any way. The 350 will actually take a bigger pin weight but I wanted the bigger brakes and overall more heavy duty truck. It is a Medium duty and the 350/250/150 are all Light duty.
According to what I am reading I will sell it next summer for almost what I paid for it due to shortages. I am leaving RVing so won't need a truck at all.

[mlh]

I have tried to point out the difference between the F250 and F350. Which is almost nothing. I’m not trying to discourage you from the 350. In fact if I were buying a new truck to pull a Montana fiver I would buy the 350.
Lynwood

[77cruiser]

But nobody has been able to point out the differences that don't exist.

[jsb5717]

Of course they’re different. Is anyone suggesting that the only difference is the badging and an arbitrary payload rating that the OEM’s just make up that have no real bearing in real world application? I personally don’t know what the differences are and from what I’ve seen the differences can change depending on the years. Leaf springs vs coil springs, axles, size of brakes, bearings, tire ratings…who knows.

I wouldn’t mind hearing what the real differences are but I don’t need to know to make a truck decision. The yellow sticker payload rating is what matters and no amount of arguing or trying to manipulate the numbers changes the legal rating of the truck. I definitely understand not wanting to buy a different truck but it’s a waste of time to try to justify towing unsafely just because the numbers don’t line up they someone wants them to. The numbers are the numbers…aren’t they?

[mlh]

Quote from Google
A Ford Sterling 10.25 axle is a heavy duty, full floating rear axle produced for F-250 and F-350 trucks.Sep 9, 2021
End quote
A few years ago almost HD pickups came with Dana 60 rear axle.
Lynwood

[elee3]

I've seen the same person, in multiple threads, say that pin weight will be 23% of GVWR. I'm not sure where this number is coming from. The rule of thumb that I have heard is 15-20% of actual weight. Of course, it depends on how you have the camper loaded out. In real world numbers, my Montana has a pin weight that is 18% of the actual loaded weight, which is well below listed GVWR (fifth wheel). My previous Montana High Country pin weight was also less than 20%.

[R.S.O'Donnell]

I remembered reading a discussion on a Ford forum about this very subject. Apparently there is a difference in the latest generation of Super Duty SRW trucks.

[Dave W]

Yep, It will tow it with no problem. Should you> NOPE<. Mechanically an F250 is almost the same. Legally - it wont be as it will be rated at no more then 10,000 pounds GVWR. Mine weighs in at ~8000 which means that I have ~2000 pounds to 'play' with which includes mom, kids, toys and things that include the hitch, chocks grille, then 2500 to 3500 pounds in pin weight. Another Yep! I did it but was always well aware of what I had even though the brakes and suspension were rated for well in excess (13.1K) by actual part numbers of that 10K door pillar sticker - but always wished it was an F350

[mlh]

Originally Posted by R.S.O'Donnell

I remembered reading a discussion on a Ford forum about this very subject. Apparently there is a difference in the latest generation of Super Duty SRW trucks.

Thanks
Lynwood