Cardinal 3550RL

[jtaylor1920]

The wife and I are considering the purchase of a Cardinal 3550RL but we're not sure if our 2008 F350 is capable of towing it. Is anyone pulling something similar with an F350?

[donn]

Is it a dually?
That fiver has a GVWR around 15K so you will need a dually to handle it.

[LadyWindrider]

Hello and to the forums. While I can't answer your question specifically, I can suggest you a search on here for "tow calculator" and see what you get. Several post on here about what can tow what. You will need empty weight, and max weight of tow vehicle and camper in order to input good data so your output is also good data. I will say this, it arrived at the dealer by means of a one ton dually pick up, and it came from Indiana. Now, can your truck tow it? You have to decide, and be responsible for the consequences, whatever they may be.

[jtaylor1920]

Donn,

Thanks for the reply. Our truck is a single axle so I guess we're back to our search for the right unit. Thanks again.

John

[jtaylor1920]

Originally Posted by windrider

Hello and to the forums. While I can't answer your question specifically, I can suggest you a search on here for "tow calculator" and see what you get. Several post on here about what can tow what. You will need empty weight, and max weight of tow vehicle and camper in order to input good data so your output is also good data. I will say this, it arrived at the dealer by means of a one ton dually pick up, and it came from Indiana. Now, can your truck tow it? You have to decide, and be responsible for the consequences, whatever they may be.

Thank you for the references, I'll definitely check them out as the safety of my family and fellow travelers is a priority for me.

Thanks,
John

[donn]

Originally Posted by jtaylor1920

Donn,

Thanks for the reply. Our truck is a single axle so I guess we're back to our search for the right unit. Thanks again.

John

John,
While I am not telling you that it can't be done and before you cross it off your list, load up your truck like you will be traveling and go to the scales. Get the rear and front axle weights plus the total weight of your truck. From those numbers you can find the FAWR and RAWR plus the trucks GVWR and make some educated guesses if you will be comfortable towing the 3550RL. when calculating a trailers weight please remember to ignore the "yellow" sticker, and any terms that may be used except GVWR. While you may never reach the trailers GVWR (yea right) you will have a safe idea of how heavy your combination will be when loaded and ready to travel. Also ignore anything a salesman tells you as they are in it for the money.
As an example, my fiver has a GVWR of 13,750 an axle dry weight of 8781 and a dry pin weight of 1742. Based on those numbers it appears on paper that this fiver could easily be pulled with a 3/4 ton. But wait. Actual ready to camp numbers are Pin weight 3000+, ready to camp weight 13,500 pounds. Yup the pin weight nearly doubled, simply because I added a few things, (no generator) and the advertised weights were notoriously inaccurate. so long story shortened, I gave up on towing with a 3/4 ton truck after three years and 8700 miles in favor of a dually. I have never looked back or regretted my decision to get enough truck for my load.

[jtaylor1920]

Originally Posted by donn

John,
While I am not telling you that it can't be done and before you cross it off your list, load up your truck like you will be traveling and go to the scales. Get the rear and front axle weights plus the total weight of your truck. From those numbers you can find the FAWR and RAWR plus the trucks GVWR and make some educated guesses if you will be comfortable towing the 3550RL. when calculating a trailers weight please remember to ignore the "yellow" sticker, and any terms that may be used except GVWR. While you may never reach the trailers GVWR (yea right) you will have a safe idea of how heavy your combination will be when loaded and ready to travel. Also ignore anything a salesman tells you as they are in it for the money.
As an example, my fiver has a GVWR of 13,750 an axle dry weight of 8781 and a dry pin weight of 1742. Based on those numbers it appears on paper that this fiver could easily be pulled with a 3/4 ton. But wait. Actual ready to camp numbers are Pin weight 3000+, ready to camp weight 13,500 pounds. Yup the pin weight nearly doubled, simply because I added a few things, (no generator) and the advertised weights were notoriously inaccurate. so long story shortened, I gave up on towing with a 3/4 ton truck after three years and 8700 miles in favor of a dually. I have never looked back or regretted my decision to get enough truck for my load.

Donn,

Thanks again. We recently sold our 29' class C and had been considering going to an A, but to get some of the amenities we wanted we quickly priced ourself out of a reasonable budget since I really wanted a diesel for mileage and hill climbing power. I'll pull my numbers together and see if this model fits and is safe to tow. We'll also take any salesman "advice" with more than a bit of general skepticism.

John

[donn]

Let me know what you come up with. Ee looked at a 3550rl last year a couple traded for a mh and really liked it. Just not in my budget as I was laid off for the second time in Sept. Retired now so we are going camping for two months.

[camper_Lucy]

Originally Posted by jtaylor1920

The wife and I are considering the purchase of a Cardinal 3550RL but we're not sure if our 2008 F350 is capable of towing it. Is anyone pulling something similar with an F350?

We would need more details on the F350 to help you, engine, cab design, srw or drw, gears, etc.

If you want to post those items we can help navigate you to number.

Here is the link to the 2008 F350 Towing specs.
https://www.fleet.ford.com/showroom/...guideDec06.pdf

[jtaylor1920]

Originally Posted by camper_Lucy

We would need more details on the F350 to help you, engine, cab design, srw or drw, gears, etc.

If you want to post those items we can help navigate you to number.

Here is the link to the 2008 F350 Towing specs.
https://www.fleet.ford.com/showroom/...guideDec06.pdf

Camper_Lucy,

Thank you for your reply. I have pulled the following information together:

Engine: 6.4L V8 turbo diesel
Cab: 4 door crew cab
SRW or DRW: It is a SRW truck
Gears: 3.73
Bed length: 8 feet

According to the door sticker:
GVWR: 11,500
Front GAWR: 6000
Rear GAWR: 7000

We generally travel and camp light in my opinion. Just my wife and our 3 small dogs. For the most part we don't carry water and our rig won't have a generator installed since we tend to stay at locations that are full service (the wife doesn't dry camp :-))

Thanks,
John

[camper_Lucy]

is it 2 or 4 wheel drive?

[jtaylor1920]

Originally Posted by camper_Lucy

is it 2 or 4 wheel drive?

It is a 4 wheel drive.

[camper_Lucy]

Using the calculator you come up just short on that fifth with a 10% margin and 20% pin, feel free to change things and rerun it, below is the results.

Fifth Wheel Weight Calculator

Engine: 6.4L V8 turbo diesel
Cab: 4 door crew cab
SRW or DRW: It is a SRW truck
Gears: 3.73
Bed length: 8 feet

According to the door sticker:
GVWR: 11,500
Front GAWR: 6000
Rear GAWR: 7000

in addition
GCWR 23000
max loaded trailer weight 15200 (for 4x4)
payload 4250 ( 8 foot bed 4x4)
5th Wheel
GVWR 16050
dry pin 2330



Item Qty Units Weight (lb)* Weight (kg)*
Tow vehicle GVWR
Enter Gross Vehicle Weight Rating as provided by tow vehicle manufacturer.


lb
kg
11,500 lb 5,216 kg
Tow vehicle GCWR
Enter Gross Combination Weight Rating as provided by tow vehicle manufacturer.


lb
kg
23,000 lb 10,433 kg
Tow vehicle maximum loaded trailer weight rating
Enter rating as provided by vehicle manufacturer.


lb
kg
15,200 lb 6,895 kg
Tow vehicle maximum king pin weight rating
Enter rating as provided by vehicle or hitch manufacturer, whichever is less.


lb
kg
4,250 lb 1,928 kg
Tow vehicle RGAWR
Enter Rear Gross Axle Weight Rating as provided by tow vehicle manufacturer.


lb
kg
7,000 lb 3,175 kg
Tow vehicle GVW
Enter actual weight (Gross Vehicle Weight) of tow vehicle.


lb
kg
6,720 lb 3,048 kg
Tow vehicle RGAW
Enter actual weight of tow vehicle's rear axle (Rear Gross Axle Weight), without trailer attached.


lb
kg
Fifth wheel trailer GVW (or GTW)
Enter actual weight (Gross Vehicle Weight or Gross Trailer Weight) of trailer.


lb
kg
16,050 lb 7,280 kg
Fifth wheel trailer king pin weight
Enter actual king pin weight of trailer.


lb
kg
2,330 lb 1,057 kg
Safety margin
Enter a percentage (1 to 50) of the tow vehicle′s maximum ratings you wish to leave as a safety margin. Recommended margin is 20%.


Fifth wheel trailer king pin weight percentage override
Leave this box empty for the calculator to use the recommended 25% maximum as the king pin weight. Enter a percentage (1 to 50) to use as king pin weight instead. Recommended range is 15% - 25%.


Calculation Results Weight (lb)* Weight (kg)*
Maximum Trailer Weight
This is the maximum trailer weight based on the most restrictive tow vehicle ratings provided (maximum loaded trailer weight rating).

Trailer GVW exceeds Maximum Trailer Weight. The provided trailer GVW (or GTW) exceeds the calculated maximum trailer weight. You should either lighten the trailer or provide additional information for a more accurate calculation.
15,200 lb 6,895 kg
Maximum Trailer Weight with Margin
This is the maximum trailer weight based on the most restrictive tow vehicle ratings provided, reduced by a safety margin of 10%.

13,680 lb 6,205 kg
Maximum King Pin Weight
This is the recommended maximum king pin weight, based on 20% of the calculated Maximum Trailer Weight.

3,040 lb 1,379 kg
Maximum King Pin Weight with Margin
This is the recommended maximum king pin weight, based on 20% of the calculated Maximum Trailer Weight with Margin.

2,736 lb 1,241 kg

[jtaylor1920]

Originally Posted by camper_Lucy

Using the calculator you come up just short on that fifth with a 10% margin and 20% pin, feel free to change things and rerun it, below is the results.

Fifth Wheel Weight Calculator

Engine: 6.4L V8 turbo diesel
Cab: 4 door crew cab
SRW or DRW: It is a SRW truck
Gears: 3.73
Bed length: 8 feet

According to the door sticker:
GVWR: 11,500
Front GAWR: 6000
Rear GAWR: 7000

in addition
GCWR 23000
max loaded trailer weight 15200 (for 4x4)
payload 4250 ( 8 foot bed 4x4)
5th Wheel
GVWR 16050
dry pin 2330

Item Qty Units Weight (lb)* Weight (kg)*
Tow vehicle GVWR
Enter Gross Vehicle Weight Rating as provided by tow vehicle manufacturer.

lb
kg
11,500 lb 5,216 kg
Tow vehicle GCWR
Enter Gross Combination Weight Rating as provided by tow vehicle manufacturer.

lb
kg
23,000 lb 10,433 kg
Tow vehicle maximum loaded trailer weight rating
Enter rating as provided by vehicle manufacturer.

lb
kg
15,200 lb 6,895 kg
Tow vehicle maximum king pin weight rating
Enter rating as provided by vehicle or hitch manufacturer, whichever is less.

lb
kg
4,250 lb 1,928 kg
Tow vehicle RGAWR
Enter Rear Gross Axle Weight Rating as provided by tow vehicle manufacturer.

lb
kg
7,000 lb 3,175 kg
Tow vehicle GVW
Enter actual weight (Gross Vehicle Weight) of tow vehicle.

lb
kg
6,720 lb 3,048 kg
Tow vehicle RGAW
Enter actual weight of tow vehicle's rear axle (Rear Gross Axle Weight), without trailer attached.

lb
kg
Fifth wheel trailer GVW (or GTW)
Enter actual weight (Gross Vehicle Weight or Gross Trailer Weight) of trailer.

lb
kg
16,050 lb 7,280 kg
Fifth wheel trailer king pin weight
Enter actual king pin weight of trailer.

lb
kg
2,330 lb 1,057 kg
Safety margin
Enter a percentage (1 to 50) of the tow vehicle′s maximum ratings you wish to leave as a safety margin. Recommended margin is 20%.

Fifth wheel trailer king pin weight percentage override
Leave this box empty for the calculator to use the recommended 25% maximum as the king pin weight. Enter a percentage (1 to 50) to use as king pin weight instead. Recommended range is 15% - 25%.

Calculation Results Weight (lb)* Weight (kg)*
Maximum Trailer Weight
This is the maximum trailer weight based on the most restrictive tow vehicle ratings provided (maximum loaded trailer weight rating).

Trailer GVW exceeds Maximum Trailer Weight. The provided trailer GVW (or GTW) exceeds the calculated maximum trailer weight. You should either lighten the trailer or provide additional information for a more accurate calculation.
15,200 lb 6,895 kg
Maximum Trailer Weight with Margin
This is the maximum trailer weight based on the most restrictive tow vehicle ratings provided, reduced by a safety margin of 10%.

13,680 lb 6,205 kg
Maximum King Pin Weight
This is the recommended maximum king pin weight, based on 20% of the calculated Maximum Trailer Weight.

3,040 lb 1,379 kg
Maximum King Pin Weight with Margin
This is the recommended maximum king pin weight, based on 20% of the calculated Maximum Trailer Weight with Margin.

2,736 lb 1,241 kg

Thanks for running the numbers, you just saved me some future grief and probably some money too. This will really help me focus in on what 5th wheel we'll pick out.

[camper_Lucy]

You are welcome
save the link to the calculator and you will be able to work yourself through the process, there is also some good tips on matching the TT and TV on that site.

Happy shopping