2014 F250 SB with 10,000 GVWR

Hi,

Am I understanding this correctly? My truck weighs 8040...Steer axle 4760...drive axle 3280....filled up with fuel. If I add 600 lbs for people and 250 for hitch,etc. does that mean I only have 1,110 left for hitch weight? All the RV brochures show hitch weights at 1800+, most in the 2k's. Yet I see F250s pulling big fifth wheels all the time. How do they do it?

Thanks for any info.

Bob

Hi Bob,

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

I'll let some of the others come in on the weight things.

Jim M

Hi doctrbob,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum. You've got the essence of the payload calculation right. Sounds like the payload on yours is on the low side at 1960 lbs. Many 250s/2500s have a payload of 2300-2700. It varies by configuration.

Big 5th wheels could be anywhere from 14,000 to 18,000 lbs GVWR. You can estimate pin weight to be around 20% of that - 2800 - 3600 lbs. Pin weight can run less - maybe 15%, depending on how the trailer is loaded and what options it carries. So you could have a lighter 5th wheel with a pin weight as low as 2,100 lbs. A 250 with higher payload might handle that ok.

There are probably quite a few people overloading their trucks which may create safety issues and cause excessive wear. Sometimes they add airbags to help keep truck and trailer level. Sometimes they add springs to carry the load. Some 250s use the same frame and axle parts as 350s, others don't. So it can be hard to know how effective these measures will be.

Hi Dan,

Thanks for the reply. So I have played with Fifth ST's calculator, but have been guessing at the trailer weights based on the yellow sticker on the door of a BH 3010BE. I am calculating at 14000 loaded trailer weight, and using 20% (2800) for PW and 11,200 for trailer. My GAWR is 6290, but my tire ratings say 6100 on the door of the truck. As I mentioned in the OP, I am guessing 600 plus 250 more weight in the truck. But I am not sure how that will distribute in the truck. Also, with a 5th hooked up, does that change the front axles weight due to weight in the back?

This is all very tough to figure before you purchase the actual trailer.

Thanks again,

Unfortunately not everyone pays as close attention as you. Thanks in advance for keeping me and mine safer.

I have a dodge megacab. My 2600 lb pin weight is about 2300 on rear and 300 on front.

Hi again,

Dan, my Payload capacity, according to Ford is 3250. So I could handle the PW, it appears. But my GVWR is 10,000. I don't understand why Ford rates the payload so high if they know the curb weight is 7661 (mine is 8040 with fuel) according to their specs. That would make GVW 10,911. What am I missing?

Trying to figure it all out.

Bob

doctrbob said:

Hi again,

Dan, my Payload capacity, according to Ford is 3250. So I could handle the PW, it appears. But my GVWR is 10,000. I don't understand why Ford rates the payload so high if they know the curb weight is 7661 (mine is 8040 with fuel) according to their specs. That would make GVW 10,911. What am I missing?

Trying to figure it all out.

Bob

Click to expand...

Bob,

The truck manufacturers play a competitive specifications game because many people want the spec, but don't get into the detail. So on the Ford website, they have a nice table that speaks to "Maximum Payload Package". I'll hazard a guess that the payload spec on the truck's door label misses the "Maximum" by a large margin.

If you look up curb weight spec on the Ford website, you'll see they have a 1000 lb range on the base truck, before options are added. Every option you add at purchase, including "forced options" and "packages" add to curb weight. The GVWR doesn't change, so adding to curb weight reduces the effective payload.

This isn't unique to Ford, or to trucks. RV manufacturers do the same thing. The websites show a base configuration. The yellow sticker on the inside of the door frame tells you the actual weight going out the door. 1000 lbs of difference isn't unusual.

When I shopped trucks in 2010, Dodge was being somewhat misleading on their website. They showed 3500 trucks has having competitive payload, but it only applied to duallies. The SRWs had payload specs barely more than a 2500. But you really had to dig deep to figure that out.

You can estimate weights and capacities from spec pages, but the only way to know for sure what you're really getting is to check the labels on the vehicles you're planning to buy.

Dan,

Was just replying as to the OP's question about distribution of pin weight between front and rear axles. These are scaled weights.

10,000 lbs is for state classification on paper.
My 2005 F250 is licensed for 13200 lbs and I cannot lower it in my province. It's 1000 lbs more then my Friend's 2000 F350 dually. And I do have more spring plies on the rear then he does.