Assistance with 5th Wheel Towing Capacity

I have been trying to determine the towing capacity of my TV when it comes to 5th Wheels. There seem to be wide mixed reviews with 3/4 tons and 5th wheel towing. The ford guide places the truck at 15100#, I am aware this varies greatly by options and is even more restricted by the pin weight.

I am tryin to determine my specific trucks capacity the specs are below

2016 F250 4x4 Crew Cab FX4 6.7L Automatic

yellow sticker says "The combined weight of cargo and passenger should never exceed 2063#"

Front GAWR 5940 LB
Rear GAWR 6100 LB
GVWR 10,000 LB
 

danemayer

Well-known member
yellow sticker says "The combined weight of cargo and passenger should never exceed 2063#"

Add up the weight of passengers, pets, tools, firewood, 5th wheel hitch, bed liner, bed cover, and anything else in the truck. Then estimate the pin weight of the 5th wheel trailer by taking 20% of the trailer Gross Vehicle Weight Rating.

If all that comes in at 2,063 or less, you're good to go.

But it probably won't.

Even a very light 5th wheel with a GVWR of 12,000 lbs will have a pin weight of around 2,400 lbs.

You can get more information at Fifth Wheel Street.
 
The one I am looking at has a 2200# hitch weight and 11300 UVW. I am having airbags installed although I know it does not really add to my ratings.

Seems crazy the 39' Bumper Pull Toy Haulers are so much lighter than the 37' 5th Wheel Toy Haulers.
 

danemayer

Well-known member
The one I am looking at has a 2200# hitch weight and 11300 UVW.

If 2200# is from the specs page, it may come in quite a bit heavier. Manufacturers base the specs on prototypes. Then they configure things up, often adding "forced options" that can raise the weight quite a bit. Any options you select add more weight.

We have a lot of options and carry a lot of stuff. The pin weight spec on our coach was 2,620. Actual was 3,700 last time I had it weighed. Not saying you'll see that big a difference, but until you weigh, you should plan on 20% of GVWR. And you should completely disregard unloaded or empty or dry weight numbers. Most people are much close to GVWR by the time they are loaded for travel.
 
all good info!

As much as we would like to get a 5th wheel this stuff is what scares me. I will say I am also a bit worried about our TT alternative the Torque T31. On paper it has a GVWR of 13380# a tongue weight of 1350# and a UVW of 8980#. I keep wondering if this will be pushing my limits as well.

My truck GCWR is 23500# with bumper pull trailer capacity at 14000#
 

danemayer

Well-known member
all good info!

As much as we would like to get a 5th wheel this stuff is what scares me. I will say I am also a bit worried about our TT alternative the Torque T31. On paper it has a GVWR of 13380# a tongue weight of 1350# and a UVW of 8980#. I keep wondering if this will be pushing my limits as well.

My truck GCWR is 23500# with bumper pull trailer capacity at 14000#

You'll be much closer.
 
You'll be much closer.

The video was definitely helpful.

Here are my calculations on the TT Toy Hauler

My Truck GCWR 23500,
Weight of my truck with a 200# driver and full tank 8260# (taken from another forum on the exact same truck build)
GVWR of Trailer 13380#

23500 GCWR
-8260 TRUCK
-13380 TT GVWR

That leaves 1860 LB before exceeding GCWR assuming a MAX loaded trailer. However if I have 2063 LB of cargo capacity on the truck with a 1350# tongue weight I could only haul 713# of cargo and passengers in the truck anyway.

Correct?
 

danemayer

Well-known member
Tongue weight could be 10-15% of GVWR depending on where you load things in the trailer, so you may use some of what looks like margin on the cargo capacity. But it looks like you'll be in reasonable shape on both GCVWR and Cargo Capacity.
 
one other thing to note is that I believe there is more cargo capacity than the yellow sticker says. It says not to exceed 2063# however the rear GAWR is 6100# and the actual weight is 3280# rear.
 

danemayer

Well-known member
one other thing to note is that I believe there is more cargo capacity than the yellow sticker says. It says not to exceed 2063# however the rear GAWR is 6100# and the actual weight is 3280# rear.
That's an indication that there's another weak link in the chain other than the axle. Maybe wheels/tires. Maybe something else.
 

crors7

Active Member
I had a 2016 F250 ccsb 4x4, my trailer (2017 Torque 325) has a listed pin weight of 2400, once loaded the pin weight is actually just a bit over 3300#. It pulled the trailer with ease and stopped great, but I was over on gvwr by 1180#, gvwr by 1500#, under on gawr by 300# in the back and quite a bit in the front. Moral of the story, I now own a 17 F350 CCLB DRW 4x4 and never have to think about weight ever again with any trailer.

Sent from my SM-G930P using Tapatalk
 
The main reason we were considering a 5er is our concerns with the t31 length. 37'9" for a trip is long, although the floor plan is perfect for us.
 

cookie

Administrator
Staff member
That's an indication that there's another weak link in the chain other than the axle. Maybe wheels/tires. Maybe something else.
To the OP, one more thing that could be a limiting factor is that the rear axle ratio that will change the tow rating.
A 4:10 ratio will have a higher tow rating than, say a 3:31 ratio.
Dustin0479, do you know what rear axle ratio your truck has?

Peace
Dave
 

danemayer

Well-known member
The main reason we were considering a 5er is our concerns with the t31 length. 37'9" for a trip is long, although the floor plan is perfect for us.
Length is a real concern for travel trailers. With long trailers and short trucks, I think the tail can wag the dog, creating control challenges. I don't think you've mentioned the bed length of your truck, but if it's a short bed, that would be a concern.

We have seen people constrain their trailer purchase decisions to fit the truck they have, and later regret that decision. I think I recall one owner who finally decided to upgrade his truck after compromising twice on the trailer. Upgrading the truck can be expensive. But it's more expensive to make the wrong initial decision.
 
It has the 3.55 gears and 156" wheel base 6.5" bed. If I do go TT I am getting the Hensley Arrow hitch so sway is a bit less of a concern.
 
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