3300QS too much for F250 sd swb ?

Jaysee

Member
Since the 3300QS specs indicate borderline for my 2006 F250 SD SWB, I'm curious how the combination works in the real world? Any feedback will be much appreciated, as the floorplan is very intriguing.
 

jimtoo

Moderator
Hi Jaysee,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and hopefully the family. We have a great bunch of people here with lots of information and all willing to share their knowledge if needed.

I'm sure you will get some feedback soon.

Meanwhile, enjoy the forum.

Jim M
 

goodtruck

Well-known member
Hi and welcome to the forum.I have a 2010 ER and the specs show it to be heavier then the Sundance and we pull it with a 2005 dodge 2500 with no problem at all even in some strong wind gusts.Hope this helps
 

caissiel

Senior Member
I pull our BC 3500RL with the F250 in the signiture. No Problem with pulling it, the BC pulls lighter then my previous trailer that I pulled with a 98 GM 2500.
I feel the wait on the hills but it makes it quit well with no heat problems. My 2005 is rated for 23000Lbs GVW and I am at the limit.
 

PSF513

Well-known member
I pull a BC 3550 TSL with my 2 wheel drive F250 (stock). While I have not taken it through the mountains yet, I have had no problems pulling or handling.
 

Rockerga

Full-time WANNABE
Sorry to be a stickler here but with lots of research regarding the pin weights of the "newer" L O N G E R 5ver's I don't know of ANY 250/2500 (3/4 ton) truck that is NOT OVERLOADED! (OVERLOADED, NOT OVER-TOWING) If you look at the ACTUAL weight of YOUR TRUCK, (Certified scales), then weigh the 5ver FULLY LOADED as if ready to roll then pull out your owners manual......

The bed of your truck WILL BE overweight! The only difference I can actually discern (That has a bearing on RV'g) between a one ton and a 3/4 ton is the load rating of the tires and or dual tires and the leaf springs. The one ton has a higher LOAD rating (that is IN THE BED) than a 3/4 ton. Other than that the towing capacity, engine and transmission are identical.

Now will your 3/4 ton do the job: I have no doubts and looking at a lot of the members here apparently so, but if you are in an accident or "push the limits" you are ASKING for trouble. No insurance company will forget to check the rating on your door sticker thren compare it to the actual weight rolling down the road to determine that you were a rolling hazard to begin with ACCORDING TO THE DOT!!!

My purpose was looking into an Elk Ridge 34QSRL: (All data was "as published" on the date of the research) (2008 Chevy 2500 Crewcab, Duramax/Allison combo)

RV Pin weight: 2350# (This was the published DRY pin weight of the 34QSRL, NOT LOADED!)
My vehicle actual weight: 7220# (Without the DW, Dog and typical gear in the truck, full tank of diesel)
GVWR of vehicle: 9200#

7220#
2350#
9570#


With a GVWR of 9200# the rule of thumb is to actually haul only 80% of that or 7,360#.

Now if I were to stay a local weekender or regional vacationer this would be acceptable to me. But as a traveler heading for extended travel or across North America....... I WOULD NOT EVEN CONSIDER IT!
 

RoadJunkie

Well-known member
Jaysee, I pull with a 10,000 lb GVW 3/4 ton Ford and I am comfortable towing a comparable rig to that you are considering. While it doesn't increase GVWR, I installed air bags to level the load. I am also extremely careful as to what I put in the rig and most of my cabinets are empty; We just don't feel like we have to carry equipment to handle every imaginable problem and we don't pack as if we were not going to be doing laundry for a month (not full timing). Basically we travel sparsely, slowly, and give lots of room between vehicles ahead. Tires load ratings on the TV are also critical in your decision process. I will also tell you that during my travels and informal observations around rv parks that I find a mix of 3/4 and 1 ton trucks pulling larger rigs with a ratio of about 4:1 with the larger number being 1 ton trucks or larger. I won't YELL my opinion at you or throw numbers your way, because it appears you know what your up against. In the end, I feel this decision is strictly individual and you have to be comfortable. But then you already knew that. Good Luck.
 

Rockerga

Full-time WANNABE
Oooh, someone's a little touchy aren't we.... The forum was asked a question and I ended with a proper and correct statement: "Now if I were to stay a local weekender or regional vacationer this would be acceptable to me. But as a traveler heading for extended travel or across North America....... I WOULD NOT EVEN CONSIDER IT!"

Factually I don't care if YOU are comfortable with it; the common sense thing to do dictates another approach as in either a smaller RV or a larger truck. I do not want to be on the road next to you with this scenario. You are a hazard to everyone else.
 

SJH

Past Washington Chapter Leaders
7220#
2350#
9570#

With a GVWR of 9200# the rule of thumb is to actually haul only 80% of that or 7,360#.
![/B]

That's a "rule-of-thumb" I have never heard. If such is the case, I can only carry 20 lbs in the bed of my 3/4 ton! At the CAT scales fully loaded fuel, wife, hitch etc. my 2007 LMM 2500HD D/A 4x4 weighs 7340 lbs.
 

ihsolutions

Well-known member
With a GVWR of 9200# the rule of thumb is to actually haul only 80% of that or 7,360#.

I've heard a lot of questionable "rules of thumb" before but I can honestly say I've never heard this one, which is as meaningless of a rule as I've ever heard...
 

Rockerga

Full-time WANNABE
http://changingears.com/rv-sec-calc-trailer-weight-fw.shtml
Look down toward the bottom and you will see a "SAFETY MARGIN" with a range shown but a stated "20%" as a rule of thumb! The NHTSA also uses the same safety margin but this link is on my PC. (National Highway Transportation Safety Association)

People; you cannot load a tow vehicle (Or an RV for that matter) to its max especially if you do not even know what it is you weigh then expect to safely motor down the highway without a higher degree of risk to you and the other motorists by doing so. As an example MY TRUCK per the paperwork was supposed to weigh only 6220! They were 1000# off from reality!!!!
 

Dave012

Well-known member
I think the truck manufacturer already has the "safety margin" built in to the GVWR. Someone else on the forum pointed out that the GVWR of an F-350 is about 80% of the two combined GAWRs of the truck. On my truck it comes within 80 lbs.

I've previously posted my actual weights on this forum, and believe I am safe (and so did the others), but with the Sundance hooked up, I am at my GVWR, and my trailer is not overloaded. If I used 80% of GVWR I wouldn't be able to put my son's bicycle in the back, let alone pull a trailer.
 

caissiel

Senior Member
If the professional truck drivers would go by this BS the trucking association would not be able to haul anything in the country. Here the load limits are so high that the tires are the limit. Its not the load we carry that makes it unsafe, its the way we drive.
I took a safety driving course and I assure you that its imposible to be at 80% load factor for any vehicles. Just this weekend I had over 3500 Lbs in the truck and over 3000 Lbs in a loaded trailer with 2700 Lbs Tire Capacity. I made it safe because I drove 10MPHG under the speed limit.
 
Just food for thought is all I was providing and I always err on the side of safety. I personally totally agree it is 80% THE DRIVER and the balance is the truck and RV. Tires play such a crucial role in our lifestyle and that is the one thing, at least on the "RV" that scares the dickens out of me personally given all the horror stories out there. I would also like to know for a fact if the ratings (On the TV) are already with the 80% rule built-in. I am not ready to upgrade as yet but these are all things I am investigating.

I do know for a fact through incidences of several accidents however (Through a friend that works as a claims adjuster for a major insurance company) that were denied coverage since the truck was overloaded per the sticker on the door.
 
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Just beware the opinions of people here mean nothing as regard to towing weights.
Just research the facts correctly and do the math, too many people are exceeding the limits and saying it's ok. After doing the math I can legally only tow my Sundance ultra-lite with my 08 F-250 SD.
 

mickey51

Member
As for claims against a accident the onlr reason 1 would look into weights is because 1 they looked totally over weight, or the claims adjuster has experience eith rv,ing. I have been told by my company that its not a concern as long as it looks rihght.

As for truckers i know from talking with people in the industry that many trucks are over there limits so watch out for those trucks they may bite you
 

Mouse

Member
I tow my 2011 3300QS with a a stock 2005 F250 CC 2WD SB 6.0L. When configured for a long trip, my computations indicate that I start limited by the max gross for the truck. I've weighed the truck and have computed axle weights and center of gravity. All other weights are within limits with the bottom line being I am at 86 of the CVWR limit. Loading aft helps on paper, but load it with the CG too far after and you lower the pin weight, which makes the chucking more pronounced. I've towed empty and I've towed heavy, overall performance and handling are not materially different regardless of weight with the exception of chucking. The truck squats about 3 inches or so regardless of pin weight.

I wish it would drive like BWN 740iL, but it doesn't. You start slow and stop longer. It has the turning radius of a US man of war. I wouldn't recommend attempting to parallel park. I wish it got better mileage. I experience around 11-12 MPG driving around 65 or so dependent upon terrain, weather, traffic, and road conditions.

80% loading is great, but your not towing a big 5er with a conventional pick-up truck. My truck on the scale empty is at 72% of the GVWR. If you want to tow a big 5er, expect to be near some limit or another.

This rig is a lot heavier then our old TT, but weight's only one factor. I appreciate all the safety arguments, but for anyone who has flown or operated complex machines at the published limits, you know that operator technique and judgement are the critical factor in the safety equation.

It's equally important to point out that weight limits are not driven by safety alone. In reality component life objectives have a much stronger influence on the limits than safety. The more weight the more you demand from the equipment the more likely you are to experience a materiel failure. This is the root of the tire is the weakest link thread.

Bon chance,
Mouse
 

caissiel

Senior Member
The trailer load limits for most light duty trucks are the heat capacity of the power train. The first thing that any wehicle will indicate overload is by the coolant capacity and transmission temperature. The braking is covered by the trailer axles and if anyone think they can stop the trailer with the truck they are wrong, the front tires will loose their grip way to early to do the job properly. The disc brakes on the rear will fail way to early.

The 1/2 tons today can tow 12000 Lbs and a lot of owners use the 1/2 tons to tow their TT and 5th wheel. I towed above my trailer tow limite with the previous 3 trucks and it was done while I had great braking capacity and felt completely safe.
As for 80% I feel that anyone that publish wait limits is under the gun to be on the safety side and totaly has never towed with a 1/2 ton or 3/4 ton. When I read the info on the site I totally understood it was by Motorhome owners and realy are against truck pulling a trailer like most reason for owning a motorhome.
Unless the motorhome is of the high end type like Freightliner rear engine frame type, they are on a wimpy frame that has proven reinforced and overloaded. The rear engine models are totaly not my choice due to the rearend maintenance requirements, I told that to a Wheel Horse rep and he never knew any of my theory and problems.
I feel the reasons for a lot of Provinces in Canada, limiting the trailer load of 10K with a regular licence is pushed by the motorhome owners that are very influential in the different level of gouvernement. They are totally unaware of the trailering comfort that we trailer owners have with the use of our TV and trailer. Trailer has been my first choice for the last 20 years and no one will scare me from my choices, after doing 110000 Miles towing one, and living in one full time for the past 6 years.
 

dalspot

Well-known member
I know this is an old thread, but in case someone new is looking, I thought I would pass along our actual weights with our F-350 and 3300QS

Truck weights with two passengers, full tank of fuel, Duraliner bed liner:

Steering Axle: 4820
Rear Axle: 3080
Gross Weight: 7900

Truck, plus 3300QS (dual pane windows; single 15000 btu AC; fireplace; tv) with two passengers, full tank of fuel and full fresh water tank; Curt 5k slider hitch:

Steering Axle: 4880
Rear Axle: 5580
Trailer Axle: 10080
CGVW: 20540
 
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