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 ...

-- Edited by The Schweitzers on the road on Tuesday 21st of October 2014 11:18:10 PM

if one was to read the writing on the wall.......most RV's on the road are over weight...this is an issue with most associations and safety groups as they make it public......how long before a D.O.T officer points you to the shoulder or scale area and these overweight units become revenue !!!

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

-- Edited by biggaRView on Wednesday 22nd of October 2014 06:17:34 PM

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 might want to check out Livinlite Fifth Wheels.....Nicely put together and light weight....some lightweight manufacturers cut weight by compromising on structure and other important things...It looks to me that Livinlite really puts its efforts into finding and using lightweight composite materials...good luck.

pamc wrote:

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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

I just looked up the Trailer Life Towing Guide specs on your truck. Did you look under the 5th wheel section? From what I am seeing, it mirrors Ford's 15,900 designation. The Conventional towing spec (off the bumper) is much lower, but it always is. Is that what you are reading? Be sure to always look under the 5th wheel specs, not conventional.

Your post caught my eye, as we have a 2008 F-350 SRW with a similar weight rating. We are within spec with our 31RL Colorado (a heavy 5ver for its size and classification as a mid profile unit). We had Howrd and Linda weigh it at the Fall Rally to confirm it.

Thanks for this post, as it is so important to be concerned about our towing weights.

Jim (and Diana)

Ok, this could work..

According to the charts.. you must have the 3.55 rear gears.. That truck has a gcvw of 23500

Moving to 3.73 rear gears bumps the gcvw to 30500.. More than enough to do what you want to do.

I knew something was wrong when I compared the numbers to RAM. I knew they could not be that far apart..

So go to ford, ask for a quote to change the gear ratio in the rear.. and will they warranty you to the 30500 weight cap.. Pretty sure they would.

Just so you know.. 4.30 gears bump the gcwr to 33000... only 4500 less than my RAM..

I'd bet it won't cost 1500 to swap gears.. get you old ones back and sell them too.

Just a idea..

That's only part of it..

Here is the Comparison for FORD..

Heres the chart.. look at gcwr by gear ratio..

www.ford.com/resources/ford/general/pdf/towingguides/14_superdutypu_sep11.pdf

Yes, you got it. But I'm not sure anyone would want to haul anything heavier than I am hauling with a SRW. I know I wouldn't. Quite frankly, we are currently comfortable in our rig for full timing, so we are good. We are aware that an upgrade in rig to something like your DRV means an upgrade to a DRW like yours, and we will do that, in due time. I think the original poster will actually be OK; they just may need to get a slightly lighter trailer and watch the pin weight. We are not at 20%...more like 17%.