What will my 2012 F250 6.7 short bed crew cab tow.

Emerald

Member
After reading several threads and talking to serveral dealers I still don't feel I know for sure what I can tow.
Some say I can tow anything on their lot. While others say not to go over 10-15% below the max rating from Ford.
So are the Big Horn and Big County RV's out of my weight range?
 

danemayer

Well-known member
Some are some aren't. Your GVW is 10K and your GCWR is 23.5K http://fifthwheelst.com/ Try this website its run by one of the forum members.

Here's a link to the Ford page on towing specs, which looks to me like your towing capacity is 14,000. That would mean it would be ok to tow a trailer with a GVWR of 14,000. HOWEVER, the unstated issue is payload capacity. Here's the Ford page on payload.
Payload will include your passengers, hitch weight, tools and other cargo in the truck, bed lining, tonneau cover, AND the pin weight of a loaded 5th wheel. If your truck has a payload capacity of 3500#, you might be ok using the 20% rule. As mentioned, you can sort this all out at http://fifthwheelst.com/

Keep in mind that many sales people will tell you whatever it takes to make the sale. If it helped sell the trailer, they'd say you could pull it with a motorcycle.









 

mmomega

AnyTimer
The first place I would start is a CAT scale for your truck.

one day when you have a full tank of fuel and you and your wife are out, stop by and weight the truck you and your wife. Add anywhere from 100-200 lbs(ish) for a hitch to that number.
Take that and subtract from your GVW and you'll have a basic idea of what pin weight number you can add to your truck.

The calculator listed above is much more in depth and covers a lot more information and is a good tool to keep with you.


when we bought our first F350 I was given the whole, "this is all the truck you'll ever need bit and it will do everything a dually will but better."
 

Emerald

Member
Ok after taking your advise I loaded my truck with the hitch, the wife, Jasper (108 lb. Lab), full tank of fuel, and two cases of shotgun shells and headed to the CAT scales. Here is what I have for scale weights:
Steer axle 5000 lb.
Drive axle 3660 lb.
Gross weight 8660 lb.
Here is what is on the Truck's door:
Front 5200 lb.
Rear 6100 lb
GVWR 10,000 lb
I do not have a Fifth Wheel trailer yet so i was having trouble with the above mentioned program because it is asking for the weights with the trailer attached.So
So can i only put 1340 lbs on as a hitch weight? If so can i even pull a golf cart!
 

ncc1701e

Well-known member
Ok after taking your advise I loaded my truck with the hitch, the wife, Jasper (108 lb. Lab), full tank of fuel, and two cases of shotgun shells and headed to the CAT scales. Here is what I have for scale weights:
Steer axle 5000 lb.
Drive axle 3660 lb.
Gross weight 8660 lb.
Here is what is on the Truck's door:
Front 5200 lb.
Rear 6100 lb
GVWR 10,000 lb
I do not have a Fifth Wheel trailer yet so i was having trouble with the above mentioned program because it is asking for the weights with the trailer attached.So
So can i only put 1340 lbs on as a hitch weight? If so can i even pull a golf cart!

Attached is the Excel spreadsheet I used to look at various trailers when evaluating the towing capacity. Just plug in your truck numbers and use the numbers from the trailer stickers or the factory website data for the trailer. While not as absolute as having the trailer and weighing, the spreadsheet will give you a fairly good idea of how close to the limits you are with any trailer. You'll max out that 250 at around 14,500# GVW for the trailer.

F250 Right Side.jpg
 

Attachments

  • Trailer Weight Calc.xls
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pegmikef

Well-known member
After reading several threads and talking to serveral dealers I still don't feel I know for sure what I can tow.
Some say I can tow anything on their lot. While others say not to go over 10-15% below the max rating from Ford.
So are the Big Horn and Big County RV's out of my weight range?

I went through this same deal last year when I was looking at fivers. I used the tools referenced elsewhere in this thread and weighed my truck with a full tank of fuel and I have a fiber glass cap (figure it is about the same weight of the hitch would be). I also have a fifty gallon tank. I came out at 8000 pounds, but nothing loaded in the truck. I was considering the BC3250TS and the BH3055RL and the weights were so marginal I concluded that I would not pull either one of them without and F350 or equivalent because we carry a lot of stuff. If I recall, it was the pin weight that was the killer.
 

mmomega

AnyTimer
It is just tough giving advise on these subjects simply because I've gone through a similar story earlier on and found out the hard way.

In my opinion, "3/4 ton" trucks or the F250/2500HD line are made more for "bumper pull" type trailers.
The lower GAWR on the 3/4 tons just aren't rated for very much in bed load capacity.

One could easily get a 5th wheel and be under the GCWR but 9 out of 10 times a regular 30'+ long 5'ver will put you over your GAWR and GVWR.
You would have to find one very small and light 5th wheel.

going to an F350 SRW gives you a 1,180 lbs (7,280) more on your GAWR but you still have the 10,000 lb GVWR.

Jumping to a dually gives you a 9,000 lb GAWR and your GVWR gets bumped up to 13,300 lbs.

like I mentioned, I know the pain of dealing with the weight number game and I bought the new truck with the notion that it's job would be safe towing first, normal driving second.

Thousands of folks will tow whatever they want to because physically the F250 will pull whatever you want for the most part. The bad part is that it is not recommended and against the law to tow above the listed numbers and many people take the gamble they will never have an accident or get checked.

Back to the Trailer, most of the smaller Heartlands I've looked through still have a pin weight of 1,700 lbs or more with a dry weight of 10-11,000 lbs while a bumper pull travel trailer at 33' long weighing approx 9,000 lbs had a hitch weight of 870 lbs which would leave you with some left over weight .
 

caissiel

Senior Member
My F250 will tow GCW of 23500lbs and take away 8000 lbs gives me 15500 lbs. The rear axle can take 6100 lbs. I am registered for 12k.
I seldom weary about the load when not towing, I go with the loaded tire pressures when working.
Sent from my GT-S5660M using Tapatalk 2
 

Peteandsharon

Well-known member
I agree that payload capacity would be the only possible concern. Therefore there would be some Bighorns that I would not attempt to pull with the F250. However, I feel very comfortable pulling my BH 3055 with my '08 F250. I even pulled the same rig for a season with an older '99 F250. I assume the pin weight to be less than 2500 lbs. while loaded. I added Hellwig helper springs just to maintain a better level and with those springs I consider it every bit as capable as a SRW F350. I think a survey of the forum would show many people successfully pulling BH fivers with SRW trucks.
 

dave10a

Well-known member
My F350 SRW truck is at max load with my landmark and it pulls very well. I have the max Ford suspension from the factory and it is level and doesn't sway and pulls like the trailer isn't there. I am very happy with the driving charactoristics with my stock Ford. The factory delivered my trailer with a 3/4 ton Chevy and the person who delivered it claims the there is no need for a larger truck. I got the F350 SRW any way because it will fit in my garage and parking places while having a heavy rated rear end than the F250. I think the 2011-2012 trucks can carry more than previous years. I see a duallies on the road pulling lighter trailers and think it is more of a mocho thing than a necessity.
 

mikeandconnie

Well-known member
Your Max Payload should be on a Red Sticker on the driver side door of your truck. The weight will vary depending on the options on your truck. It will clearly say MAX PAYLOAD.
 
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