How much can I tow? - Diesel Forum

weareweird69 · 05-11-2006, 11:19 PM

How much is LEGAL to tow with a 95 F250, longbed, Xcab with the diesel and auto tranny and 4:10 gears.

How much am I allowed to tow with the truck, bumper, and goose.
And how much CAN I tow? Bumper, and goose.

I live in PA if that helps!

Thanks guys.

milner351 · 05-12-2006, 08:48 AM

You should ask this question in the towing / hauling forum, hopefully one of the guys from PA will answer, perhaps you can look it up on your States DOT webpage?

Mark E. · 05-12-2006, 09:20 AM

I'm going to take a stab at this.

How much is LEGAL to tow with a 95 F250, longbed, Xcab with the diesel and auto tranny and 4:10 gears.

A 97 like this is rated at about 14K 5th, & 10K Class IV

How much am I allowed to tow with the truck, bumper, and goose.

I think you would need the CGVW, which I'm not sure of
Bumper is probably 8K max (see bumper rating)

And how much CAN I tow? Bumper, and goose.

How much can you afford?

Sparkydm · 05-12-2006, 10:47 AM

It should be a Tow forum question but, with truck in my sig.
I tow 12,500 scaled with a class V hitch. My friends 39'
14' beam Sea Ray was towed from the west to the east side of
MI by a marina with a F350 PSD 2WD CC truck. Was it legal, I don't
know how it could have been but, driver said it did a great job
pulling it. That boat/trailer were over 20K by a good bit. Bottom
line is these trucks will pull more than they are rated for, it's
just not recommended. I have brakes on all three axles of
my trailer. I have no idea what his braking setup was. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif[/img]

SmokeyWren · 05-14-2006, 01:21 AM

[ QUOTE ]
How much is LEGAL to tow with a 95 F250, longbed, Xcab with the diesel and auto tranny and 4:10 gears.

[/ QUOTE ]

Throwing that word "legal" in there makes it a trick question. Every state and province is different, so there could be 60 different answers to that question.

Change the question to "how much does Ford say I can tow?", and I can reply.

Max hitch weight of a gooseneck will be 8,800 pounds GVWR of the tow vehicle minus the wet and loaded weight of the truck. So if your wet and loaded truck weighs 7,500 pounds, you could have a max hitch weight of 1,300 pounds. If you have 20 percent of the gross trailer weight on the hitch, then your goose shouldn't gross more than about 6,500 pounds or else you'll exceed the GVWR of your truck.

If you didn't have to worry about GVWR, then you could tow a gooseneck trailer that was 20,000 pounds minus the wet and loaded weight of your tow vehicle. So if your tow vehicle weighs 7,500 pounds, the gooseneck trailer could gross up to 12,500 without exceeding the GCWR of the tow vehicle.

Back in '95, Ford limited "bumper-pull" trailers to the weight limits of the optional receiver, which was a max of 1,000 pounds hitch weight and 10,000 pounds gross trailer weight with a weight-distributing hitch. Without a weight-distributing hitch, the limits were 500 pounds hitch weight and 5,000 pounds gross trailer weight.

Most folks assumed that if you installed a receiver with higher limits, then the weight limits of the hitch and gross trailer weight could be increased too, as long as you didn't exceed the GVWR or GCWR of the tow vehicle. So in that case, with a class V hitch and a tow vehicle that weighed 7,500 pounds, you could have a hitch weight up to 1,300 pounds and a gross trailer weight of up to 12,500 pounds with a weight-distributing hitch. The "weight-carrying" limits of the receiver would probably be less than the limits with a weight-distributing hitch.

[ QUOTE ]
How much can I -tow? Bumper, and goose.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ignoring the Ford weight limits, the PSD combined with a 4.10 rear end will tow a mountain up the mountain. So you could probably exceed the Ford limits by several thousand pounds with a gooseneck or 5er trailer. But you don't ever want to exceed the hitch/receiver limits of a bumper-pull hitch/receiver, so don't even think about overloading your bumper-pull hitch/receiver. That could get you killed. Dead. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

larry_minn · 05-14-2006, 08:07 PM

OK (broken record here) I have a 89 F-250 4wd 7.3 dsl with ATS turbo. With properly set up trailer I have hauled over 20k in cargo (not counting trailer) There are some concerns you have to consider. First what your state laws are. Second how much common sense/skill/ forsight/etc you have. Third your truck/hitch/trailer.
I have a couple trailers. One is a 32' GN flatbed. The GN hitch is rated for 30k. (nope not a $99 GN) With brakes on all tires (triple axle) load range E (IIRC) tires. Won't list other extras.
I took it to MNDOT and STate Patrol and they agreed I was fine. It pulls it down highway/interstate just fine. I do SLOW DOWN from empty speeds. Leave more room between me/others/ WATCH other idiots (opps drivers) [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] Try to plan trips during slack traffic if possible.
For longer distances I normally have less then 11k (trailer/cargo) in a 20' enclosed trailer. Pair of 5200lb axles (or is that one the 6000 lbs I get them mixed up and have to look) So dang close it really dosen't matter. Those are bumper hitch. Again NOT your average hitch. DMI or Brute hitchs (Brute on 1/2 ton and DMI on 3/4. )

FINE69 · 05-14-2006, 09:44 PM

I also live in PA, look on the back of your drivers license, unless you have CDL, the most you can legally tow, in PA, is 10,000 lbs.

Joshs1100 · 05-14-2006, 10:18 PM

[ QUOTE ]
I also live in PA, look on the back of your drivers license, unless you have CDL, the most you can legally tow, in PA, is 10,000 lbs.

[/ QUOTE ]

According to the Pennsylvania Driver's manual, you can tow any combination up to 26,000 lbs with your normal license. So, if the truck is 10,000lbs GVW, you can have a trailer that is 16,000 lbs.

FINE69 · 05-14-2006, 11:14 PM

According to the Pennsylvania Driver's manual, you can tow any combination up to 26,000 lbs with your normal license. So, if the truck is 10,000lbs GVW, you can have a trailer that is 16,000 lbs.

[/ QUOTE ]

So then I guess your telling me my drivers license is wrong then.
Class C license, regular license, up to 26000 lbs, trailers less than 10000. Oh well Harrisburg has screwed up things before, I'm buyin' a bigger trailer!

Joshs1100 · 05-15-2006, 09:59 AM

[ QUOTE ]
So then I guess your telling me my drivers license is wrong then.

[/ QUOTE ]

I've seen web sites that aren't up to date either.

This is what it says in the code book online:

[ QUOTE ]
Class C driver’s license—A license issued to a person 18 years of age or older, except as provided in 75 Pa.C.S. § 1503 (relating to persons ineligible for licensing), who has demonstrated his qualifications to operate any single vehicle, except those vehicles requiring a Class M qualification, with a GVWR of not more than 26,000 pounds or any combination of vehicles, except combination vehicles involving motorcycles, that does not meet the definition of either Class A or Class B.

[/ QUOTE ] click here

You clearly could drive any combination under 26,0001 lbs according to this since class A and B only refers to combos OVER 26,001 lbs.

Now, since your actual license says something different, you'd perhaps have to abide by that, or does what it says in state law override what may be a typo on your license? I'm not sure. I'd make sure the law hasn't been changed since being posted on the web before getting that larger trailer!

SIC-E · 05-16-2006, 02:49 AM

just bought "new" 2004 e450, dsl, quigley 4x4. disappointed at derated van motor after '03 7.3 f350. how well is e450 gonna pull its rated tow load? planning expensive sleeper install, exhaust, tandem axle and other stuff. worried van will disappoint in the power dept.. wonder if starting something that will be disappointed in, as interested as i am in building something different, is gonna be the wrong way to go. dont see the whole road in front of me and am stalled in indecision w/ the chassis cab sitting in the drive. will van tow rated load satisfactorally? thanks for the help.

SmokeyWren · 05-16-2006, 09:26 AM

'04 E-450 is rated to pull a tag trailer grossing up to 10,000 pounds. You should have no problem towing that light of a trailer, even though you have no intercooler.

The E-450 PSD is NOT rated to pull as much as an F-450 PSD. The GCWR is 20,000 pounds vs. 26,000 pounds or more for the F-450. Plus the E-450 towing guide has a footnote that "...applications that exceed 10,000 pounds Maximum Trailer Weight require a fifth-wheel hitch." The E-450 starts life as a cutaway, so I guess it's possible to mount a fifth-wheel hitch in front of the rear axle, so then with an 8,000-pound wet and loaded tow vehicle you'd have 12,000 pounds max 5er trailer weight.

Leader · 05-17-2006, 09:22 AM

[ QUOTE ]
It should be a Tow forum question but, with truck in my sig.
I tow 12,500 scaled with a class V hitch. <font color="blue"> </font> but, driver said it did a great job
pulling it. That boat/trailer were over 20K by a good bit. Bottom
line is these trucks will pull more than they are rated for, it's
just not recommended. I have brakes on all three axles of
my trailer. I have no idea what his braking setup was. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

To make that *Legal* in MI all he needed to do was get an oversized load permit. The weight was just fine. Width is what makes it oversized. And yes he has to follow the provisions on the permit as to time of travel, escorts, routes etc....