Anyone been duped by a Truck dealer on weight ratings?

[SteinHaus]

Feeling a bit frustrated at misinformation I received from Ford dealer. Now I feel duped, and mad at myself for not doing more due diligence.

Ford dealer claimed the ratings for F350 SRW 4x4 Crew Cab Diesel 6.7 Turbo 5th wheel: GCWR: 31,900 & Max Loaded Trailer Weight: 23,500.
I was very interested in the Cyclone 4200 with a max weight 20,000, Dry weight of 15,725. So when the "referred & trusted" Ford Fleet manager said I didn't need a Dually for this trailer I switched my mind from a DRW since I felt my wife would be more comfortable with the SRW if she had to drive it.

A week later, as I was about to buy the 4200 tomorrow , I did my own last minute due diligence and found that the SRW truck's actual specs were 23,500 and 15,900. So now I'm stuck. I have to go back to the dealer a week later and fight over the misinformation, trade the SRW for a DRW if I want the 4200. AHHHH!

Anyone experienced anything like this? I should not have let him talk me out of a Dually.

Embarrassed and frustrated,

Scott

 

[SteinHaus]

Re: Anyone been duped by a dealer on weight ratings?

So after reading several posts here, I'm questioning if I can "get by" with the SRW?

Feeling a bit frustrated at misinformation I received from Ford dealer. Now I feel duped, and mad at myself for not doing more due diligence.

Ford dealer claimed the ratings for F350 SRW 4x4 Crew Cab Diesel 6.7 Turbo 5th wheel: GCWR: 31,900 & Max Loaded Trailer Weight: 23,500.
I was very interested in the Cyclone 4200 with a max weight 20,000, Dry weight of 15,725. So when the "referred & trusted" Ford Fleet manager said I didn't need a Dually for this trailer I switched my mind from a DRW since I felt my wife would be more comfortable with the SRW if she had to drive it.

A week later, as I was about to buy the 4200 tomorrow , I did my own last minute due diligence and found that the SRW truck's actual specs were 23,500 and 15,900. So now I'm stuck. I have to go back to the dealer a week later and fight over the misinformation, trade the SRW for a DRW if I want the 4200. AHHHH!

Anyone experienced anything like this? I should not have let him talk me out of a Dually.

Embarrassed and frustrated,

Scott

 

[danemayer]

Re: Anyone been duped by a dealer on weight ratings?

Hi Scott,

Sorry this happened to you. My own experience is that the dealer sales people know next to nothing about 5th wheel towing or payload specs for any given truck. In all my shopping the best the sales people could do is dig out a copy of the specs for me to read.

It sounds like they quoted you the max capability of the product line, based on a very specific dually configuration.

Our recently purchased RAM dually has specs well under the product line maximum, but well above what we need. I would expect as you look at Ford duallies, you'll find that most of the trucks you see will also be well below the max.

 

[SteinHaus]

Re: Anyone been duped by a dealer on weight ratings?

Dane,

Yeah, I should've known better, but a good friend has used this fleet manager for years and he's a horse guy who's 5th wheeled for years. He was very knowledgeable, but must have read from the wrong spec sheet line. I guess if I want the 4200, I have to go wrestle with the dealer to straighten this out. Too bad, I really like the flexibility of the SRW vs. DRW.

Thanks Dane, you're really helpful to a newbie.

Scott

 

[crazybanshee]

Re: Anyone been duped by a dealer on weight ratings?

Hey Scott sorry bout your troubles. The 4200 is way to much trailer for a SRW. Pin weight is going to be in the 4k to 5k range. That is a lot of weight on two rear tires.

 

[SteinHaus]

Re: Anyone been duped by a dealer on weight ratings?

Doug,

Wow now that's a rig. Yeah, I'm going back to dealer tomorrow. I should've known better. Thanks, this site is great! Appreciate all the help!!!

Scott

 

[Kosanko]

Re: Anyone been duped by a dealer on weight ratings?

Scott,

In my experience you really have to do your own research on the tow capacity of the trucks since most of the salesman "will sale you what you want" not "what you need" they get commission on the sale, and bad advice ironically could turn into another commission since you SRW will now be sold as a USED vehicle. Your course of action is to ONLY talk to the General Manager of the Auto Group. He may be able to cut you an invoice deal on the dually, but you are going to take a hit on the trade.

 

[JohnD]

Re: Anyone been duped by a dealer on weight ratings?

Scott,

In my experience you really have to do your own research on the tow capacity of the trucks since most of the salesman "will sale you what you want" not "what you need" they get commission on the sale, and bad advice ironically could turn into another commission since you SRW will now be sold as a USED vehicle.

Have to disagree with you here . . .

Not all commissioned sales people are scumbags like you suggest.

I am in commissioned sales (not auto related), and take your comment as an insult!

You have to think about it . . . someone who would sell like you suggest wouldn't have a job for very long!

Most especially at a reputable dealership or business!

 

[Kosanko]

Re: Anyone been duped by a dealer on weight ratings?

John,

Sorry you feel this way, but facts are facts and I did not mention anything about scumbags like you suggested. But in the sales world the customer is always right and if someone is leaning toward a particular vehicle who are you to say they are wrong. The sale man WILL reap rewards in the customers unpreparedness, and the sale man WILL reap rewards on the customers education, and as you know the sale man has very little that they can do to rectify the situation where someone has to trade a truck within a week of purchase. You also know that once a vehicle has been titled the vehicle cannot be resold as new, so no matter what the situation is the sale man WILL receive a commission on the sale of the second vehicle.

As for how long the person would be employed at a BIG BOX dealership, the dealership gets credits on units sold! PERIOD!! and if the single unit is the tipping point between a certain monthly level or quarterly level, it will be SOLD especially if they don not have the RIGHT truck on the lot.

I am sorry that I may have offended you, but I have personally seen this happen on more than one occasion, and nothing I have stated is untrue, but sometimes the truth does hurt, and in a depressed economy I have never seen a sale man send a potential client to another dealership when they did not have the truck the customer needed on the lot. They at most will try to GET the truck through a dealer trade, but the sale man will not tell you which dealership has the truck for you to go pick it up yourself, and why is this? Commission!!

 

[JohnD]

Re: Anyone been duped by a dealer on weight ratings?

John,

Sorry you feel this way, but facts are facts and I did not mention anything about scumbags like you suggested. But in the sales world the customer is always right and if someone is leaning toward a particular vehicle who are you to say they are wrong. The sale man WILL reap rewards in the customers unpreparedness, and the sale man WILL reap rewards on the customers education, and as you know the sale man has very little that they can do to rectify the situation where someone has to trade a truck within a week of purchase. You also know that once a vehicle has been titled the vehicle cannot be resold as new, so no matter what the situation is the sale man WILL receive a commission on the sale of the second vehicle.

As for how long the person would be employed at a BIG BOX dealership, the dealership gets credits on units sold! PERIOD!! and if the single unit is the tipping point between a certain monthly level or quarterly level, it will be SOLD especially if they don not have the RIGHT truck on the lot.

I am sorry that I may have offended you, but I have personally seen this happen on more than one occasion, and nothing I have stated is untrue, but sometimes the truth does hurt, and in a depressed economy I have never seen a sale man send a potential client to another dealership when they did not have the truck the customer needed on the lot. They at most will try to GET the truck through a dealer trade, but the sale man will not tell you which dealership has the truck for you to go pick it up yourself, and why is this? Commission!!

All I've got to say is "Wow!"

 

[Jim.Allison]

Re: Anyone been duped by a dealer on weight ratings?

Here is your solution if your are short on payload and good on GCVWR. Your truck will be a SRW beast with these on it.

http://www.ricksontruckwheels.com/wheels-ford-srw.php

BTW, I'm a former Industrial Sales Representative, and there is nothing you can say about a car salesman that would offend me. I have never identified with car salespeople. But there are good and bad in every profession. But the least a seller can do is show you in his literature where the specs are so that you can get a handle on it. I would have.

 

[donr827]

Re: Anyone been duped by a dealer on weight ratings?

After learning the hard way I know pick out the truck I want to drive and then start looking at trailers it will tow and stop safely. I now get the weight data on the truck from several places to make sure I have the correct weights. With my SRW it limits what I can tow but comprise is a way of life..........Don

 

[JanAndBill]

According to RL Polk, Ford sold less than 50,000 F350's in 2012, which is a drop in the bucket of total sales for Ford. When we were looking at new trucks last year, we found salesmen at Ford, GM, and Ram to be sadly lacking in knowledge of the HD line. Maybe it's partly because their experience with the product is limited, but the fact remains you need to do your OWN research.

 

[guyc66]

Not sure how much these cost, but might be an option to consider http://fifthwheelst.com/automated-safety-hitch-system.html

 

[porthole]

Feeling a bit frustrated at misinformation I received from Ford dealer. Now I feel duped, and mad at myself for not doing more due diligence.

Ford dealer claimed the ratings for F350 SRW 4x4 Crew Cab Diesel 6.7 Turbo 5th wheel:
GCWR: 31,900 & Max Loaded Trailer Weight: 23,500.
SRW truck's actual specs were 23,500 and 15,900.

Looks like your dealer gave you the correct specs - for a 2015 DRW
He obviously looked in the wrong column, which, could be a simple mistake or ..........

2015 towing guide.
http://www.ford.com/resources/ford/general/pdf/towingguides/2015_SuperDuty.pdf

You will need a DRW for that trailer.

I know it is water under the bridge, but I would never trust an automotive sales person to get all the facts correct.
Some make legitimate mistakes.
Some will do anything to make a sale
and some are just buffoons.

I did over 18 years in new cars and seen just about everything, and trusting the car salesperson to know everything I need to know for my purchase, is something I would not do.

 

[ILH]

Three years ago when I bought my Road Warrior, the sales people at the trailer dealership assured me that the 2500 would be sufficient (I was looking at the triple axle Road Warrior - can't recall the model number). I bought my GMC and only then realized it was WAY under spec. I blame myself - I was a rookie in the world of 5th wheels at the time. I had just pulled the trigger on the 2500. What really bothers me is that the incremental cost of moving up to a 3500 was less than $3,000 (I get GM discount through family).

I this case it was the trailer dealer, not the truck dealer who gave misleading information.

 

[Seren]

Yes, I knew I was going to buy a Landmark (16K) and emailed a GMC dealer to let them know that I was going to stop buy just to get some info about what kind of truck I need to pull the RV I was going to purchase. The dealer emailed me back saying that they had something that just came in that I might be interested in. When I got there they said that someone just traded in their 2011 2500 diesel SRW that was used for towing a 5th wheel and only had 25K on it. I was very hesitant since I was only trying to learn a bit more so was not planning on buying. The person even called the local Camping World to ask them if this truck was enough to tow a Landmark and of course they said yes. So they talked me into buying it. After posting the truck/5th wheel combo on this forum, I was basically told that it was not enough truck. 3 weeks later, after doing more research and then talking to my daughter who convinced me that as a safety issue I should go back to the dealer and demand that they take back or change the truck since it could not safely tow my 5th wheeI. I spent 6 hours (4 negotiating and trying to have them take some of the blame - which is hard to do), I managed to have them take it back and now have a 2014 3500 diesel SRW.
Dealers do not have a clue about towing 5ers, and all they care about is making a sale.

 

[JohnDar]

GM does have published towing guides (or at least they did). When I was shopping for
the truck, I picked one up at the dealership before talking to a salesman.

I also had the luxury of owning the BH before buying the truck, along with a few months of being on the forum before deciding. Nothing less than a 3500 DRW would do.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Bob&Patty]

Re: Anyone been duped by a dealer on weight ratings?

JohnD and Mark, I am not taking sides. John in your line of work/sales it is probably a whole different world. However, in the auto/truck sales part of this world is an whole different story. Unless the customer wants a certain vehicle and knows what they need for a certain job/use. Then the saleman will sell them what they want...not need. Example, guy wants a Corvette, but never tells the saleman that he has a wife and 2 kids and buys the Corvette. The guy needed a Tahoe.....now the wife is mad because where are they all going to fit. Customers fault. In Marks case the saleman/manager did not listen to what Mark wanted/needed and gave him bad information. So now Mark looses. If the dealer is any good at all...they will work with Mark to rectify this issue. If the dealer is smart....they will put Marks SRW truck in service as "demo". A demo is still considered new until it is sold to a retail customer.Then no one looses.

John, not all commission sales people are dishonest and I'm sure your not. I think it all depends on what people are selling. I have know some really "HONEST" used car salespeople. Honesty is part of a persons up bringing and maybe DNA.
This is no different than a RV salesman telling a guy with a 2500/250 that they can tow a 4200 CY. It's still the same old story...."Buyer Beware".

JohnD and Mark, I know from where I speak on this issue. For over 45 years I worked In the auto/truck industry at the dealership level. Trust me, I have seen it all....good and bad.

Mark, good luck.

 

[Jim.Allison]

Re: Anyone been duped by a dealer on weight ratings?

After thinking about this; A good representative of the company would study the literature put out by his own company and be an expert on the subject of his truck and their capacities. He would be the go-to man on the floor for the information.