help with Tow ratings

[jtstromsburg]

We have a 2005 F250 CC 4x4 V10 with, I believe 3.73 gears (hoping for 4.10), 6.75' bed.
I'm hoping were ok to tow a sabre 34TBOK gvwr of 13956, but guessing we'd be pulling at closer to 13000 as ship weight is around 11000 depending on options.
Most of our trips are within 100 miles and here I'm the flat lands of Nebraska.

From what i see on the towing guide, for a 5er it is 15400. I know pin weight will be the kicker, but looking for advice BEFORE spending $35000....
Thanks!

[Herk7769]

If you search on "Can I tow" you will get hundreds of hits on how to do this calculation.

Some tips:

1) For safe towing, the pin weight should fall between 15 and 25% of total camper weight. At 14,000 pounds that is 2100 minimum to 3500 maximum. The optimum (20%) will fall about 2800 pounds of pin.

2) So even though your tow rating is in excess of the camper you are looking at, the tow rating is based on an empty truck.

3) Weigh your truck with your family and hitch in it; along with any stuff you will be keeping in the bed and subtract that from the truck's maximum gross weight.

4) What remains is your individual payload left for pin weight. This can be worked backwards to find your maximum camper weght.

[QCCowboy]

Completely agree with HERK. Only thing that I would add is while the towing guide gives you some good baseline numbers, I would recommend that you actually use the specific numbers for your truck, which can be found on the sticker inside the drivers door.

You can do some math up front and get a rough estimate for your towing and pin weight capacity without actually weighing the truck, passengers and gear, but a lot of assumptions are made in doing this.

[Dave_Monica]

Here's a link to the 2005 Ford Fleet towing guide... https://www.fleet.ford.com/showroom/...5_F250-350.pdf

The max tow rating is 13900 lbs with 4.10 rear ratio...no 3.73 rear listed. There should be a sticker on the glove box door stating rear ratio of the truck.

If your 2005 F250 has a GVWR of 9400 lbs, you will be exceeding the trucks GVWR. My 2008 in my signature with 2 people, dog and hitch is 7500 lbs...your 4x4 will be more. The dry pin weight is only 15% of the dry camper weight. The loaded pin weight will be most likely a higher %. You'll be over your truck GVWR but under it's RAWR. Lots of people accept that, but it's your call.

The best way to eliminate all the guessing is to weigh the truck.

Dave

[jtstromsburg]

Thanks everyone. The link Dave posted helped a bunch as towing life I was reading I thought showed the 15400, but that seemed way high. I trust the Ford link much more and will weigh the next chance I get. Like most, I'll probably do it even though I know I'm probably going to be over on pin weight.
Just trying to look at all my numbers and I'll keep doing just that.
Thanks!

[myredracer]

Having just purchased an '09 F250 with V10 and 4.3 diff., I have had to check all this out. It can be a little confusing. Diff. ratio is on a 4 digit code on the sticker on the driver's side door jamb. You will need to find the decoder info on the internet.

Take a look at this 2005 towing guide from Trailer Life:
http://www.trailerlife.com/wp-conten...Guide-2005.pdf I couldn't find the legend codes for the diff. ratio and transmission type on this one, but the following Trailer Life guide for 2004 has the legend info.: http://www.trailerlife.com/wp-conten...Guide-2004.pdf

In the Trailer Life guide, i= 3.73 and d= auto trans.

It looks to me like you are rated for max. 10,300 lbs unless you have a manual tranny or dual rear wheels.

Remember, Google is always your best friend.

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by jtstromsburg

Thanks everyone. The link Dave posted helped a bunch as towing life I was reading I thought showed the 15400, but that seemed way high. I trust the Ford link much more and will weigh the next chance I get. Like most, I'll probably do it even though I know I'm probably going to be over on pin weight.
Just trying to look at all my numbers and I'll keep doing just that.
Thanks!

Just remember that the rear axle rating is JUST the weight rating of the rear axle. The GVWR includes the maximum weight the truck's FRAME can support.

Frame cracks are no fun.

[Dave_Monica]

Originally Posted by herk7769

Just remember that the rear axle rating is JUST the weight rating of the rear axle. The GVWR includes the maximum weight the truck's FRAME can support.

Frame cracks are no fun.

I know that we'll have to agree to disagree on this Lou. The F350 SRW has as much as 1500 lbs more payload by GVWR than a F250 yet they share the same frame according to many posts I've read on FTE.

We know that even with a GVWR of 10000 lbs, the diesel F250 would have a true payload by GVWR of less than 2000 lbs or less depending on options, passengers and loaded gear. I do believe that a large majority of diesel 3/4 ton trucks are towing in excess of their GVWR but under their RAWR. I'm not condoning towing pin weight of 3000 lbs with a F250, though some people do it, but a pin weight of around 2400 lbs is acceptable and commonplace for 250/2500 series trucks.

Dave

[Herk7769]

Dave,

I am not sure (still) how we can disagree on a manufacturer's published GVWR being "less important" than a rear axle limit; but it is what makes the world go round...

Lou

[Dave_Monica]

Originally Posted by herk7769

Dave,

I am not sure (still) how we can disagree on a manufacturer's published GVWR being "less important" than a rear axle limit; but it is what makes the world go round...

Lou

All I can say is that if the truck's GVWR ever became law in US/Can and exceeding it was enforced, there'd be a glut of diesel 250/2500 on the used truck market!

Personally, if I was in the market for a diesel truck, I'd skip over the 250/2500 and go with a 350/3500 and this issue for the most part, disappears.

Dave

[jtstromsburg]

I agree with all said here and wish i woulda got a 1T drw actually. The F250 was a huge step up from or 1/2t burb and, like many before me, wasn't planning on upgrading....

[N3HCP]

Originally Posted by Dave_Monica

Personally, if I was in the market for a diesel truck, I'd skip over the 250/2500 and go with a 350/3500 and this issue for the most part, disappears.

Dave

Been there, done that! We just traded our 2011 F-250 for a 2013 F-350 Dually. With our new Silverback we were only about 10% below the trucks GVWR (yes, we had taken it to the scales) and that was with the pin weight on the 5th wheel at only about 12%. Just not comfortable exceeding what the manufacturer recommends. Never mind the potential legal ramifications in the event of an accident where overloading of the tow vehicle could be a contributing factor.

[dalford]

Originally Posted by jtstromsburg

We have a 2005 F250 CC 4x4 V10 with, I believe 3.73 gears (hoping for 4.10), 6.75' bed.
I'm hoping were ok to tow a sabre 34TBOK gvwr of 13956, but guessing we'd be pulling at closer to 13000 as ship weight is around 11000 depending on options.
Most of our trips are within 100 miles and here I'm the flat lands of Nebraska.

From what i see on the towing guide, for a 5er it is 15400. I know pin weight will be the kicker, but looking for advice BEFORE spending $35000....
Thanks!

Find the sticker on your driver door. There is a code under axle. Look that up at ford and it will tell you your gear ratio.

[whj77372]

The GCWR will also a problem and you will be over with pin weigh and the combined weights of the fiver and TV.