Confused as to the tow weight of my vehicle

[TREVORINBC]

Please Help !!!

Just bought a 2013 Road warrier. The gross weight on the trailer is listed as 18.000lbs.
I have a Ford f350 6.7 4x4 single rear wheel. I have been onto the Ford web site and it states that my truck is rated as follows:

GCWR 23,500 but the crew cab with the 3.5 rear axle is saying 15,900.
I have even spoken to my local dealer and they keep giving me different information.

Does anyone have the same trailer (RoadWarrier rw390) and can tow it legally and without damaging the vehicle.

Thanks Trevor

 

[danemayer]

Hi TREVORINBC,

Congratulations on your new Road Warrior and welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum.

You didn't mention the model year of your F350, but newer diesel models usually come in at about 15,000 - 16,000 5th wheel towing capacity, which is a little on the light side for towing an 18,000 lb rig.

You need to be concerned about both the 5th wheel towing capacity (horizontal load) and the payload capacity (vertical load). The payload on your truck is probably somewhere near 4,000. You should plan on at least 20% of the trailer GVWR being carried by the hitch, which would be around 3,600 lbs for your RW. Add to that the weight of the hitch, bed cover, bed lining, tools, pets, passengers and anything else you put in the truck. You'll probably be right at the limit for a single rear wheel truck.

I suspect you'll get a number of responses suggesting you need a dually for an 18,000 lb trailer.

You can find out more on this subject at Fifth Wheel Safe Towing, a website created by another Heartland owner.

 

[TREVORINBC]

The vehicle is a 2011 with the 3.55 rear axle rated at 15,900lbs but the GCWR is rated at 23,500lbs
the 18,000lb on the trailer is presumably the loaded weight with tanks full etc. I only jus purchased he truck and don't really want to trade in. The dealer told m that I would be fine with this truck.

 

[ZAZ]

I have a cyclone 43'11" long that is the same weight and is 14000lbs dry, also depend on what you load it with to increase the weight. I have a F350 single axel, and you will be just fine on towing your unit. I have no problems at all with towing mine everywhere and not causing any damage to my truck at all.

 

[MTPockets]

The vehicle is a 2011 with the 3.55 rear axle rated at 15,900lbs but the GCWR is rated at 23,500lbs
the 18,000lb on the trailer is presumably the loaded weight with tanks full etc. I only jus purchased he truck and don't really want to trade in. The dealer told m that I would be fine with this truck.

The dealer mislead you big time. You should have a payload sticker on the driver side door post. I doubt it is over 3600 lbs, which will be 1000 lbs light after you load truck and 5vr.

 

[JohnDar]

The 15900 is the max. weight allowed for the trailer you might pull with it. Subtract the curb weight of the truck (loaded with fuel, passengers and "stuff") from the 23500 and you end up with how heavy the trailer can actually be.

A safe guesstimate on the trailer weight is to take the sticker dry weight and add 2000lbs. That will give you an idea of how much stuff you'll load in it, with empty tanks. It is not recommended to travel very far with your tanks full.

 

[Ladiver]

The dealer told m that I would be fine with this truck.

I hate this about ALL dealers. They will say anything to make the sale. Though you may be OK, I think you will be looking for a DRW real soon. Realistically, most of the Cyclone owners I have heard from are at or very near their max GVWR if they use the garage. These things are heavy from the start. I think adding 2000 from the sticker dry weight is probably reasonable. My dry weight sticker (12,582) was only 3000 lbs less than the GVWR. As you can see, it will be easy to hit the max.

 

[jnbhobe]

[QUOTE=JohnDar; It is not recommended to travel very far with your tanks full.

Why can't you do this ??? I travel with a full fresh water tank all the time, and have for 40 yrs.

 

[caissiel]

So do I.
Better full then half full. Much less water hammer in the tank. Anyway my unit is so smooth that my wife leaves the dishes to dry on the cupboard and store them when we arrive.

I believe in SRW for regular 5th wheels.
But Toy haulers pin weight is unpredictable so duallies are more practical.
Make sure your rear tires are not overloaded. If not you are safe.

Sent from my LG-LS720 using Tapatalk

 

[Mastiffking]

Please Help !!!

Just bought a 2013 Road warrier. The gross weight on the trailer is listed as 18.000lbs.
I have a Ford f350 6.7 4x4 single rear wheel. I have been onto the Ford web site and it states that my truck is rated as follows:

GCWR 23,500 but the crew cab with the 3.5 rear axle is saying 15,900.
I have even spoken to my local dealer and they keep giving me different information.

Does anyone have the same trailer (RoadWarrier rw390) and can tow it legally and without damaging the vehicle.

Thanks Trevor

Trevor,

I just went through this whole ordeal only mine was with an F-150 and a conventional TT. Since the dealer screwed me once, shame on him. But here is my new formula. Look at the GVWR for your F350, then subtract that from the CGVWR and that will put you at a safe Max for your trailer. Yes it will be a smaller trailer, but it will give you the safe zone especially if you load the truck with Kids. For instance My F-250 has a GVWR of 10000#s and a CGVWR or 19000#s. Therefor I will stick with a trailer that is around 9000#s GVWR. It just gives me the piece of mind. And always remember that payload includes Passengers, stuff, and Hitch weight. Its not how much you can put in the bed of the truck. Turns out it is an expensive mistake.

Good Luck!

 

[JohnDar]

My recommendation about the tanks was based on some of the threads I've read about tanks dropping from their mountings. So, consider it a precaution unless you're sure the tanks are secure. Consider, also, if the tanks (all of them) are full, you're hauling an additional 1700 lbs. around. A full 75 gallon fresh water tank is 600 lbs. by itself. Traveling along the freeways between full hook up CG's, there isn't much need for your own water unless you have some aversion to public rest stops. If you're going boondocking, I guess you do what you gotta do.

 

[caissiel]

I do try to start with full fresh and empty black and grey.
Yes the tank supports are checked.
Been traveling like that for 22 years.
Started with a 20 gal. Tank. Then a 45 and now 70 imperial gallons.
The trailer carries it well and its only 5% anyway on the axles.

Sent from my LG-LS720 using Tapatalk

 

[DW_Gray]

The vehicle is a 2011 with the 3.55 rear axle rated at 15,900lbs but the GCWR is rated at 23,500lbs
the 18,000lb on the trailer is presumably the loaded weight with tanks full etc. I only jus purchased he truck and don't really want to trade in. The dealer told m that I would be fine with this truck.

IMHO, this just nails my thoughts on Fords. Undeniably, Ford has a great powertrain except that they ruin it all by selling their diesel trucks with a gear ratio under 3.73:1. Absolutely shameful.

You can take that truck and install overload springs and or an air bag system or purchase an Automated Safety Hitch System and it will still struggle to tow in some situations with the 3.55 ratio. If you want to keep the truck, one of your options is to modify it to tow the RW. Count the cost and decide what's best.

 

[alex00]

Please Help !!!

Just bought a 2013 Road warrier. The gross weight on the trailer is listed as 18.000lbs.
I have a Ford f350 6.7 4x4 single rear wheel. I have been onto the Ford web site and it states that my truck is rated as follows:

GCWR 23,500 but the crew cab with the 3.5 rear axle is saying 15,900.
I have even spoken to my local dealer and they keep giving me different information.

Does anyone have the same trailer (RoadWarrier rw390) and can tow it legally and without damaging the vehicle.

Thanks Trevor

The vehicle is a 2011 with the 3.55 rear axle rated at 15,900lbs but the GCWR is rated at 23,500lbs
the 18,000lb on the trailer is presumably the loaded weight with tanks full etc. I only jus purchased he truck and don't really want to trade in. The dealer told m that I would be fine with this truck.

It's too bad the dealer lied to you. There are many people that tow that size trailer with 3/4 ton and SRW 1 tons without problems. Others have switched to a DRW 1 ton and noticed huge improvements in stability. Now that you know you are overloaded, you have to make the informed decision about whether or not to continue. Experience of others counts for a lot, but ultimately you need to decide what is right for you and your setup. Go out and enjoy your new trailer, and don't worry about the truck for now.

 

[SeattleLion]

There are actually several numbers you need to consider. We have a 2014 F350 SRW Crew Cab. We weighed the truck with us and our stuff in it and it came to 8,400 lbs. GCWR is 11,500 for the truck (there are different packages...the heaviest for SRW is 11,500). Subtract 8400 from 11,500 and we have a max payload of 3100 lbs with us in the truck. Ok, the next number that really counts is the rear axle weight rating. Ours is 7,000 lbs. When we weighed the truck, we found the rear axle weighs 3,300 lbs. That leaves us a maximum of 3,700 lbs capacity. Next, if you check the Ford towing guide for your year (do a Google search on 2011 F350 towing guide), you will get max towed weight for your rear end. Ours is in the 15,500 lb range.

Now, you need your trailer numbers. We have a Bighorn 3160. It has a 12,000 lb dry weight and a 2,300 lb hitch weight (give or take...doing this from memory). The hitch weight on our trailer is 17% of gross weight. The max weight for the trailer (loaded) is 15,500 lbs. At that weight, the hitch weight would be (15,500 * .17) 2,635 lbs.

Ok, now we figure if we are ok to tow:

Payload Truck max is 3,100 lbs. Max trailer tongue weight is 2,635...so even if we load the trailer to the gills, we still have about 500 lbs extra payload capacity. We probably will have 1,000 lbs of stuff. We drive with tanks empty.

Next, rear axle capacity: Truck max is 3,700 lbs. Trailer tongue weight max is 2,635. Still ok.

Towing capacity: Truck 16,000 (more or less) Trailer is maxed at 15,500. No problem.

The key is that the truck is not overloaded on the rear axle and the max payload. The towing capacity is less critical.

You need to weigh your truck with you and your stuff in it. Get front and rear axle weights...add them together to get total truck gross weight. Do the math on the rear to assure proper rear axle weight. You can find all the max ratings on the side of the driver door area. Personally, I wouldn't tow if I ran over my payload rating or rear axle rating.

Hope this helps

 

[TravelTiger]

There are actually several numbers you need to consider. We have a 2014 F350 SRW Crew Cab. We weighed the truck with us and our stuff in it and it came to 8,400 lbs. GCWR is 11,500 for the truck (there are different packages...the heaviest for SRW is 11,500). Subtract 8400 from 11,500 and we have a max payload of 3100 lbs with us in the truck. Ok, the next number that really counts is the rear axle weight rating. Ours is 7,000 lbs. When we weighed the truck, we found the rear axle weighs 3,300 lbs. That leaves us a maximum of 3,700 lbs capacity. Next, if you check the Ford towing guide for your year (do a Google search on 2011 F350 towing guide), you will get max towed weight for your rear end. Ours is in the 15,500 lb range.

Now, you need your trailer numbers. We have a Bighorn 3160. It has a 12,000 lb dry weight and a 2,300 lb hitch weight (give or take...doing this from memory). The hitch weight on our trailer is 17% of gross weight. The max weight for the trailer (loaded) is 15,500 lbs. At that weight, the hitch weight would be (15,500 * .17) 2,635 lbs.

Ok, now we figure if we are ok to tow:

Payload Truck max is 3,100 lbs. Max trailer tongue weight is 2,635...so even if we load the trailer to the gills, we still have about 500 lbs extra payload capacity. We probably will have 1,000 lbs of stuff. We drive with tanks empty.

Next, rear axle capacity: Truck max is 3,700 lbs. Trailer tongue weight max is 2,635. Still ok.

Towing capacity: Truck 16,000 (more or less) Trailer is maxed at 15,500. No problem.

The key is that the truck is not overloaded on the rear axle and the max payload. The towing capacity is less critical.

You need to weigh your truck with you and your stuff in it. Get front and rear axle weights...add them together to get total truck gross weight. Do the math on the rear to assure proper rear axle weight. You can find all the max ratings on the side of the driver door area. Personally, I wouldn't tow if I ran over my payload rating or rear axle rating.

Hope this helps

Very good explanation with example!