Ford F-350 6.7 V8 Diesel 4WD SRW Crew Cab & Long Bed and Towing Capacity

Forgive the long-winded post, but we are desperate to get some solid answers!

We just purchased our 2014 tow vehicle in May. We want to buy a 5^th Wheel and go full-time RVing in about a year’s time. (Yes, I know, we should have done the purchasing the other way around…but, alas, we didn’t – so we’re stuck)

The Towing Capacity posted by Ford says we can tow a loaded trailer at a weight of 15,900 lbs .  Boy, did we get a rude awakening when reading the Trailer Life Towing Guide and using some of the on-line calculators. We are actually angry that Ford would so blatantly misinform its customers!

Even the calculators and Trailer Life have different recommended tow weights … one says 9000 lbs and another says about 11,000 lbs. You can’t get a decent full-time rig with “all-season” features even close to that weight.

We are at our wits end and don’t know what to do – Just purchased the truck in May, so trading it in is not an affordable option. Anybody know something we don’t and have options to suggest?

We realize that the rear-axle load is the most critical part of the weight limits ….

QUESTIONS:

We’ve been told that we can put air bags in rear wheel wells to help overcome any sagging issues.

What about drum brakes vs disk brakes on the trailer?  Is one better than the other as far as stopping capabilities?

Are wider tires an important factor in stopping?   

What is the most critical factor in determining towing capacity? If stopping is the most critical factor then disk brakes on trailer should be a factor in determining the weight of 5vr that one can pull, correct?

Ford has the built in engine brake …Is adding after-market Jake Brake to this Ford F350 effective?

In other words, are there other considerations and options that would increase our towing capacity?

Here are our numbers:

GCWR                   23,500

GVWR                   11,500

GAWR-Front      6,000                     actual: 5200 weighed on scale

GAWR-Rear        7,000                     actual: 3820 weighed on scale

GVW                     9,020                     Weighed at scale with passengers, fuel, & cargo (but no 5^th wheel hitch)

Max Tow Rating   15,900

Here are our calculations for a 14,500 lb loaded 5^th Wheel:

GCWR                   23,500

- GVWR                                11,500

                        12,000  3,900 lbs less than quoted towing ability (15,900 lbs)

GCWR                   23,500

-GVW                9,020   Actual truck weight GVW

                        14,480   1420 lbs less than quoted towing ability (15,900 lbs)

Pin wt. for 14,500 lb 5ver                              (Pin Wt for trailer adds 2900 lbs to back of truck)
14,500 x 20% =   2,900

      +  Truck Wt   9,020

                   11,920              [420 lbs OVER truck's GVWR of 11,500 lbs]

                                                                        and just  312 lbs UNDER rear-axle limit of 7000 lbs

                                                                                                2900 + 3788= 6688      pin Wt + rear axle wt

Feeling with you ...
Seriously, read my thread about the new tow truck sitting too high. I just yesterday drove a F350 on a scale to find out it has not enough payload to carry my truck camper!
I find your calculations correct, except the one where you deduct GVWR from GCWR to determine your towing capacity. The 12000lbs you found here is what can be behind the truck after it is fully loaded. That is the max weight sitting on your fifth wheel axles. Your real fifth wheel towing capacity is about 14500lbs as you calculated one line further down (GVWR-GVW).
To stay within legal limits your fifth wheel should not weigh more than 14500 lbs when hitched up and it should have 2500lbs pinweight and 12000lbs on the axles to max out your capacities.
The numbers you find in the spec sheets are always idealised. Standard truck with no options whatsoever and I don't know if a drivers weight and some gas in the tank is already factored in ...
I am about to buy a new truck and I will have the dealer calculate the numbers, i.e. payload, towing capacity, etc. for my truck as specified and write those numbers into the contract.
No matter what modifications you do to your truck, the GVWR and GCWR won't change. The truck might gain higher capabilities but your legal limits stay the same.
Sorry for not delivering better news.
Bernd

P.S. our Alpenlite is in the exact weight class you are talking about. GVWR 14600. Weighed it when travelling (we are part timers only). 2700 pin weight, 10800 axle weight, 13500 total trailer weight loaded. Truck was 8100lbs (2 people, full tank, some cargo and hitch). Somehow trucks have gained some weight over the years ...

Your truck seems heavy.. are you running a spare fuel tank?

What have you added in the truck for 1500 lbs? Curb weight is about #7600..

www.fleet.ford.com/truckbbas/topics/2014/14_SD_Pickups_SB_Updates.pdf

May be you lighten the load?


I bet the RAM in the same truck would meet spec... ??Duallys are rated to 30k.. with the right options... 

either way..If you must, stick a good set of bags in it.. add a temp sensor/pressure system for the tires and run it.

-- Edited by The Junkman on Wednesday 22nd of October 2014 07:47:41 AM

-- Edited by The Junkman on Wednesday 22nd of October 2014 08:34:21 AM

I'd have to agree with Gene, your truck decision has seriously limited your options vs your aspirations. Painful as it is, if you can't find a lighter trailer for your planned travels then you should think about a trade.  Maybe you could trade it for an older dually, say, a 2011 or 2012 model that may be better able to handle your envisioned rig more safely compared to that SRW 2014. If you try to exceed the limits of your SRW you may live to regret it. Better to fix a bad choice now ($$$ ouch) than wait and have a disaster later.

FWIW, Brian

Some good advice above. I'll add my two cents. But it is easy for us to sit in our recliners and give advice....not so easy for you,who has an unsolvable problem.

You have a truck that is simply not suited for most fulltiming 5ers. Which you know. While you may find a trailer that you can live with, it is grossly limiting your choice. If you decide to be a fulltimer one of the important factors to longevity on the road is to have a home that meets your needs and that you are both happy with. You may find it hard to accomplish that with the truck you have. Compromising on your trailer may put you at a mental disadvantage and cause adaptation to fulltiming to be difficult. My experience is that people unhappy with their equipment often leave the road.

Knowing the limitations of the truck I would likely trade it in to the dealer you bought it from and get a better suited truck. Yes, it will hurt. Actually, I'd consider taking it to a Dodge dealer and trading it in there. The current crop of Dodge trucks are pretty well suited to heavy towing.....and I'm a "Ford guy" saying that.  As you have discovered you have to run the numbers....the real numbers....

My research showed a curb weight of 7776.

We are taking your suggestion and reweighing the truck.

Jack Mayer wrote:

Some good advice above. I'll add my two cents. But it is easy for us to sit in our recliners and give advice....not so easy for you,who has an unsolvable problem.

Knowing the limitations of the truck I would likely trade it in to the dealer you bought it from and get a better suited truck. Yes, it will hurt. Actually, I'd consider taking it to a Dodge dealer and trading it in there. The current crop of Dodge trucks are pretty well suited to heavy towing.....and I'm a "Ford guy" saying that.  As you have discovered you have to run the numbers....the real numbers....

-- Edited by Jack Mayer on Wednesday 22nd of October 2014 08:45:43 AM

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Another 2 cents:

Ken, you now seem to have a good handle on how to interpret the numbers; and the problem.

One of the “real numbers” you have to take into consideration is the rear axle capacity and the actual weight of the truck itself before adding anything.  Sometimes it can be surprising.

It goes something like this: Some trucks have a much higher rear axle weight rating than others.  But because the truck itself, right off the production line, weighs so much it may actually have less useable rear axle capacity than another one with a rear axle rating that is lower.  I’m just a numbers, performance and reliability guy.  I did charts for the big 3 trucks and it surprised me how some of the trucks with the largest towing capacity had the least amount of rear axle capacity due to the trucks own weight or simply a low rear axle rating to begin with.

Also keep also in mind the badge on the side, like F-350 / F-450 or 3500HD have almost nothing to do now with actual ratings like they did some years ago.  As one example: The Ford F-450 actually has a much lower rear axle weight rating than the Ford F-350 and the Chevy/GM 3500HD even though the 450 is rated to tow more.  Naturally I’m referring to dual rear wheel trucks.  In the full timing (or part timing) world of weights and capacities single rear wheel trucks are simply not going to offer the kind of capacity, or stability, that are nominally required.

All three brands of trucks offer different attributes and we all have preferences for various reasons.  But the numbers are the determining factor when purchasing a truck and yes, this can be confusing. Don’t let the towing capacity rating become the focus of research.  That’s a “marketing” number that is almost impossible to achieve in the real world with RV type 5^th wheels as opposed to “gooseneck” trailers.

I do hate to say it but Jack’s opinion is most likely the best option for full-timing.  Likewise, consider you might get a heavier trailer in the future. The trailer you described isn’t a really heavy trailer.  Just a thought.

You could just buy a lighter trailer too.. instead of higher rated truck..

oR YEA,, listen to the ford guy.. Jack. I love my RAM.

-- Edited by The Junkman on Wednesday 22nd of October 2014 02:03:24 PM

pamc wrote:

---

My research showed a curb weight of 7776.

We are taking your suggestion and reweighing the truck.

---

 I am curious about your reweigh result. The F350 we drove to the scale was specified with 7620lbs curb weight (spec from the same sheet you are referring to). Actual weight was 7830 lbs (just the truck, nobody inside, tank almost empty, the low fuel warning was already on). The 200lbs difference is probably due to options on the truck.

Hope you will have better results.

Bernd

Just reweighed the truck.

It came in at 8900 with 3/4 tank of gas.

2 Passengers & cargo came to 730 lbs..

8900 - 730 = 8170

Curb weight (w/ full tank gas) supposed to be 7776

That leaves 394 lbs unaccounted for.

I'm guessing that it may be the larger gas tank (37 gal), snow plow attachment, & ????

Yes, I did use the Trailer Life and Ford Towing Guides for the 5th wheel to get the GVWR 15,900. How heavy is your rig? Is it a 31 footer? Is it a long bed with the 37 gal diesel tank?

Reading your original post, I was under the impression that Ford told you something different than Trailer Life. Sorry if I misinterpreted that.

My truck is a long box with a 38 gallon tank. Same GVWR as you. Trailer weighs 11850 fully loaded with our stuff (including two bikes on the back), 5 gallons of water and full propane included. Truck had the kayaks on, the dog and us...and a full tank of diesel. Pin was 2225. Truck was at 11475 with the trailer attached. Front axle was 5450 and back was 6025. The only close thing was the 11475, and we technically have that beat. We shifted some weight from front to back in the rig and lightened up the pin, so we have even more reserve now. Like I said, we are at traveling weight, so we are good. I just need to make sure I lay off the Bon-bons! :)

Oh, and the trailer is a 31 footer by rating, 34 actual from pin to rear bumper.

Jim (and Diana)