General Tow Weight Question

[chapmcd]

Hi All,

I am looking to purchase my first 5th wheel and have some questions regarding my truck's payload capacity. I have a 2011 F250 CC SRW 6.7L Diesel truck. I have attached the label from the pillar for weight references. My question being, I am interested in a 2013 Coachmen Chaparral 345bhs. The factory brochure claims the pin weight is 1,900 lbs and the dry weight is 10,600 lbs. I know my truck will "pull" it, but will I be overloaded from a pin weight/payload standpoint? I've heard mixed opinions but looking for additional advice or comments. Thanks in advance!

[Herk7769]

My advice is to load your family and a full tank of gas and take the truck to the scales.

Subtract that weight from your GVWR (10,000 pounds) and that is your available remaining payload.

Find the weight of the hitch you plan to buy and subtract that.

With the final number of remaining payload; divide that number by 0.18 (18% pin to trailer weight) to find the optimal trailer weight you can tow.

The trailer's pin weight should fall between 15% and 25% to be safely loaded.

For example a 12,000 pound trailer loaded to 18% would have a 2,100 pound pin weight. Its minimum safe pin weight would be 1,800 pounds and its maximum safe pin weight would be 3,000 pounds.

Your camper's brochure weight means nothing as it is a base model with no options as designed and with no modifications since the brochure was printed.

It will sort of give you some idea of how the floor plan effects pin load but where you store your goodies will determine the actual weight distribution.

[dodosmike]

You'll need info off the yellow tire sticker. It'll give you payload information. If your F250 isnt a loaded (leather, power everything etc) truck Id guess your payload in the 2400lb range.

Take factory weight specs with a grain of salt. Use 15% of the loaded weight, 20% if your aggressive. Load up and take the truck and trailer to a CAT scale and start from there.

My Wildwood HG 272BH is 9500 loaded (no water), 15% of that is 1425. Payload on my '13 Ram 2500 (diesel) is 2350 or there abouts. Ive got 925 of "room" for crap in the truck, inverter, gas, beer, kids, beer, wife, beer and a spare tire and a spare case of beer.

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by dodosmike

You'll need info off the yellow tire sticker. It'll give you payload information. If your F250 isnt a loaded (leather, power everything etc) truck Id guess your payload in the 2400lb range.

Take factory weight specs with a grain of salt. Use 15% of the loaded weight, 20% if your aggressive. Load up and take the truck and trailer to a CAT scale and start from there.

My Wildwood HG 272BH is 9500 loaded (no water), 15% of that is 1425. Payload on my '13 Ram 2500 (diesel) is 2350 or there abouts. Ive got 925 of "room" for crap in the truck, inverter, gas, beer, kids, beer, wife, beer and a spare tire and a spare case of beer.

I thought he was still shopping. Taking the combination loaded with a showroom model is not normally allowed

The biggest issue I have with my 2008 2500HD Diesel is remaining payload. With a GVWR of 9300 pounds and a "family with full tank" empty weight of 7800 pounds due to the diesel and Alison transmission options, I only have 1500 pounds of available payload. My 9200 pound 5th wheel is about all I can tow.

[CWSWine]

Go here and with just some basic number you can figure it out for yourself.

Towing Planner - towing capability calculators

[asquared]

Originally Posted by dodosmike

You'll need info off the yellow tire sticker. It'll give you payload information. If your F250 isnt a loaded (leather, power everything etc) truck Id guess your payload in the 2400lb range.

Take factory weight specs with a grain of salt. Use 15% of the loaded weight, 20% if your aggressive. Load up and take the truck and trailer to a CAT scale and start from there.

My Wildwood HG 272BH is 9500 loaded (no water), 15% of that is 1425. Payload on my '13 Ram 2500 (diesel) is 2350 or there abouts. Ive got 925 of "room" for crap in the truck, inverter, gas, beer, kids, beer, wife, beer and a spare tire and a spare case of beer.

X2 on what Herk said. This will give you the most accurate info. Make sure you account for the weight of a fifth wheel hitch which typically weighs around 150 lbs. Loaded fiver weight will vary but you can average around 1500 lbs cargo weight added into a trailer. Calculate loAded pin weight off the loaded fiver weight.

[The_Rhino]

IMO you need to pair the heavier diesel/tranny upgrade to a 1 ton so that you can handle the pin weight that matches the diesel's increased tow capacity. Otherwise with most 3/4 ton diesels you run-out of payload before you run out of tow capacity or GCVW...

With our 2011 Ram 2500 w/5.7 Hemi we have the opposite problem. We have a payload of 3,000, tow rating of 9,100, but a GCVW of only 15,000. With an 8,000 lb. TT we reach GCVW before we max-out the 3,000 payload...

[Big Red and 30WR]

When I went and bought my new one ton drw the only number I wanted to know was the tow rating. Which is 30310 . That will handle any rv trailer on the market.

[CWSWine]

Never say any - these are made down the street from us..

[Big Red and 30WR]

Let me rephrase that , Any mass produced rv , that's a custom build not on every dealer lot .

[CWSWine]

Originally Posted by Big Red and 30WR

Let me rephrase that , Any mass produced rv , that's a custom build not on ever dealer lot .

I don't remember the weight but the dry weight was in the very high 20's and the dry pin weight was in the 8000 range. I don't think there 1 ton dual wheel that could stay with in spec on this one. It was made to stack two race cars on top each other plus a work shop. I'm about 90% sure this is the one made down the street and the owner comes in the store from time and time and see him I will ask.

[CWSWine]

Check out these guys don't blink an eye at dry pin in 6000 to 7000 lbs range on the production RVs is nothing. The owner lets me know when got something neat that custom and lot times I go over and check it.

New Horizons RV | Five Star Rated RV Manufacturer for High End Luxury RV Trailers and Fifth Wheels | We Design your Perfect Floor Plan | Proudly serving Junction City, KS

[BandJCarm]

Originally Posted by chapmcd

Hi All,

I am looking to purchase my first 5th wheel and have some questions regarding my truck's payload capacity. I have a 2011 F250 CC SRW 6.7L Diesel truck. I have attached the label from the pillar for weight references. My question being, I am interested in a 2013 Coachmen Chaparral 345bhs. The factory brochure claims the pin weight is 1,900 lbs and the dry weight is 10,600 lbs. I know my truck will "pull" it, but will I be overloaded from a pin weight/payload standpoint? I've heard mixed opinions but looking for additional advice or comments. Thanks in advance!

Welcome to my world, sir!

I was here about 3 weeks ago, right where you are.

I am educated. I have a math degree (but it was back when the total numbers in the known universe were about 19, maybe 20 total!!). I still couldn't make heads or tails of what I was being told.

Then someone (not sure whom) told it to me in a generalized fashion that I could understand. The pin weight of the trailer we are looking at is 2,407 dry. So maybe it's 2600-2800 loaded. The max payload (cargo carrying capacity) of my 3/4 ton was 2,286 per the door sticker (that I almost never found!). Duh. Bingo.........Bingo Bango, that truck wasn't going to handle the weight even though it would pull the weight!

So, I traded it for a Dually. Now my payload is 5K and I can carry the pin weight, my fat self, a hitch, DW, fuel, clothes, and the other items necessary for living. (And I reduced my payments $20 a month! Go figure).

I don't know your situation. But to us, this is our last one. And I ain't gonna See the USA in my Chevrolet and have my sphincter all tight at every intersection!

Who knew these things are so expensive to own!???

Good luck man. It is crazy trying to deal with all of it.

[mach8274]

I have the same truck you do and I tow a Columbus 385BH. I am under my tow rating and my GCWR. I am over on payload though. At the time we bought the truck, we had a 32' TT and had no plans of getting anything bigger. However, the running gear(engine, tranny, axles) are the same as a 350. The rear spring pack differs as there are no overload springs on the 250 unless you have the camper package. I have airbags installed which keeps the pin weight in check. As long as you have tires on your truck rated for the weight, you will be fine. The truck pulls(and stops) the fiver beautifully.