I notice a ton of posts regarding the weight rating of our trucks and the lack of carrying capacity of the 250's - especially with options like I have (4x4, crew cab, long bed, PSD, etc.). Is there a way to increase the weight carrying capacity of my truck in order to safely carry the pin weight of a decent size 5th wheel? I know I can exceed the GVWR a bit, and I know the engine and drive train will pull the house off the foundation, but I want to be safe AND get a 30 ft. bunkhouse 5'er.
Any help would be appreciated... I know, get a different truck or buy a trailer.
Thanks
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edited to clarify the topic title
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White '99.5 F-250 XLT Crew Cab 7.3L PSD 4x4 Long Bed, Ranch Hand front and rear, 285/75/16 BFG AT, Bilstein 5100's, Triple Autometer Sport Comp Gauges, Homemade Tymar, Walker BTM, External Tranny Filter w/Guage, Tru-Cool Max Cooler, and Jody's 80 HP Econo Tune
'03 Nash 31W TT follows behind
'00 Club Car rides in the bed
You'll probably get a ton of responses, I think the bottom line is; you can add helper springs or find a way to put on bigger brakes, but if Ford puts a tag on it stating the GVWR then that what it is, no ifs, ands or buts.
Good luck.
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2006 F350 Lariat Crew Cab 4x4 LWB SRW 6.0 Auto, with Tow Command and 20's.
I probably should have clarified but, I know we cannot change the GVWR that is stated by Ford. But what can be done to effectively raise that rating "unofficially," for lack of a better word?
And has anyone done this?
Thanks
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White '99.5 F-250 XLT Crew Cab 7.3L PSD 4x4 Long Bed, Ranch Hand front and rear, 285/75/16 BFG AT, Bilstein 5100's, Triple Autometer Sport Comp Gauges, Homemade Tymar, Walker BTM, External Tranny Filter w/Guage, Tru-Cool Max Cooler, and Jody's 80 HP Econo Tune
'03 Nash 31W TT follows behind
'00 Club Car rides in the bed
Nothing!!!!! The F250 and F350 are the same! Except the GVWR and block on the rear end (2" vs 4" under the F350).
If you want to haul a large 5th and be overweight, which the truck can handle, I recomend air bags, bilstien shocks and good tires that have a wieght rating to handle the load. But if you want to be legal, get a new truck!
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'01 F350 Lariat PSD 4X4 CC SWR LB auto
Superchip 60hp, 4" cat back, A-pillar w/auto meter gages, Firestone Air bags, Bilsteins, Radio Speed Volume Mod, XM Roady Photos
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Nothing!!!!! The F250 and F350 are the same! Except the GVWR and block on the rear end (2" vs 4" under the F350).
If you want to haul a large 5th and be overweight, which the truck can handle, I recomend air bags, bilstien shocks and good tires that have a wieght rating to handle the load. But if you want to be legal, get a new truck!
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WRONG!!! A VW bug will "handle" the weight if you put enough HP and springs under the thing. Sure as hell dont mean it is going to stop when you need it to.
To answer the OP's question. A set of Timbrens or even better, a good airbag set up will stabilize your load a little more. The correct answer for ANY 5th wheel set up is dual rear wheels.
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Just eating rainbows and butterflies
Opinions everybody has one. My vote is sell the truck you have and go buy a F-350 or up and use the money you would have spent upgrading your current one towards the purchase price of your (much safer) rig.
Personal experience, been there done that, air bags and all and I still felt like I was going to break a wheel off towing the 12,500 lb 5th wheel with my SRW F-250. One vacation was all it took and I was shopping for a dually.
I completely agree with these replies. I never have felt safe when pulling much weight with the SRW trucks. The DRW will give you a much safer feel without the sway or roll. Those SRW trucks with those large trailers or fifthwheels really put alot of weight and strain on those rear tires. Btw, my wife likes to tell everyone I need training wheels since I'm ten younger than her.
Using airbags or add-a-leafs will definitely give you more capacity and a better feel, but remember that those two rear tires are subjected to more forces(heat mostly) than your DRW brothers.
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Nothing!!!!! The F250 and F350 are the same! Except the GVWR and block on the rear end (2" vs 4" under the F350).
If you want to haul a large 5th and be overweight, which the truck can handle, I recomend air bags, bilstien shocks and good tires that have a wieght rating to handle the load. But if you want to be legal, get a new truck!
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This kind of thinking is what gets people in trouble. No matter what you do, the truck is still stickers for the GVWR on the post.
Ken
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KE5DFR
2002 F-350 PSD CC Dually/ with 4.10 axle, and SCMT
Toting a 1979 Silver Streak, 28.5', Jordan 2020 controller and a Reese Dual Cam HP.
the 250 and 350 on 02 and later are the same. BUT the sticker is what tells all and i have only heard of one guy who got the sticker changed. He went to www.godmudders.com and there was a guy there who apparently can legally change the sticker. I dont see the point of beefing up the 250 and still leaving the sticker. If your 250 cant handle the load than neither will a 350. You'd have to step up to DRW. I made the same mistake with the 250, but i dont care. I dont tow very often and i dont own a 5th wheel. Good luck.
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2002 F-250, PSD 6-speed, CC, short bed, 4X4, Toreador Red w/ Silver accent, A.R.E mx cap, Weld Super Single II and 33s in the summer, x-springs, F-350 blocks and badges, AIC, proflaps, ITP intank mod, AirDog with 3 micron filter, isspro guages and TTM, husky liners, alarm, xm stereo,stull 5399-p grille, centramatics, ccv mod, AIS Air Filter, Southbend CON O, Detroit Truetrac LSD, coolant filter, 203 stat with billet housing, blackcloud intake heater plug/boost fitting, reese titan hitch, fabcraft PTO cover/temp sender port, prodigy brake controller, ITP Boost Annihalator, oilguard bypass filter, Mag-Hytec rear dif, bilsteins, hellwig rear stabilizer bar, DP Tuner F5 - no start, stock, 40t, 60t, 80e and 80t, ATS housing, non-ebpv pedistal and exhaust flange, magnaflow 3.5dp exhaust, ITP reg return, turbomaster wastegate controller, and ceramic coated bellowed up pipes, currently 80,100 miles. truck Pictures
I want to make it clear to you, just so you know, that your F-250 will probably tow your fifth wheel with some overloads and trailer brakes, but if it is over the posted GVWR, you are breaking the law. This means that you will not be insured if you get in an accident, and it will be your fault whether it is your fault or isn't. Additionally, if driving over the posted GVWR, and (God forbid) you get in an accident with a fatality involved, whether it is your fault or not, you can be charged with manslaughter or negligent vehicular homicide (or something similar). It is the same as driving drunk in that it is an absolute liability situation. Your insurance will not cover you, you can be sued (and you'll lose), which means your house, retirement, etc.
What you can do is add the overloads, airbags, brakes, whatever and go to the local vehicle inspection (here in Washington it is our State Patrol office) and have them up the GVWR of the truck ON PAPER, then you are legal and good to go. Make sure you are legal and above board, because you are taking a risk doing it any other way. Not that the truck won't do it, because it will...
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'99.5 PSD 6 SPD 4x4 Extended Cab long Box F-350
AFe Stage 1 intake, Marinco Block Htr Plug Mod., Hutch in-Tank Pickup Mod, $10 AIC, Walker BTM, Edge Juice with Attitude, and that is all, FOR NOW!!! Next mod = Regulated Return???
Old Truck - '95 PSD 5 spd 4x4
Haulin' a 11.5' camper, an '85 Bayliner Capri 20' boat w/ Chevy 350, and a flatbed w/ two big quads.
2004 Grizzly 660 Yamaha (For Me)
2004 Polaris 500 HO (For the Wife)
Spokane, WA
"I don't ride bulls, but I have fought some men" Hank Williams, Jr.
"Sie vie pacem, para bellum" (if you want peace, first prepare for war...)
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I want to make it clear to you, just so you know, that your F-250 will probably tow your fifth wheel with some overloads and trailer brakes, but if it is over the posted GVWR, you are breaking the law. This means that you will not be insured if you get in an accident, and it will be your fault whether it is your fault or isn't. Additionally, if driving over the posted GVWR, and (God forbid) you get in an accident with a fatality involved, whether it is your fault or not, you can be charged with manslaughter or negligent vehicular homicide (or something similar). It is the same as driving drunk in that it is an absolute liability situation. Your insurance will not cover you, you can be sued (and you'll lose), which means your house, retirement, etc.
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This has been discussed many times here, and I haven't yet seen anyone with any first hand knowledge that this is true. Every day, trucks are registered legally to haul more than what the mfg. GCWR is. Nearly everyone is overloaded who pulls large fifth wheels with pickups, and I've never even heard a second hand story of someone's insurance not paying in a wreck, or being charged with manslaughter or negligent vehicular homicide. I would think there be one news story somewhere where this has happened if it has.
On edit, I do know a couple people who have been in accidents while driving drunk, and their insurance did pay. But both were dropped by the company afterwards.
In the US, anybody can take you to court for anything. Being overloaded isn't going to help if it would go to court.
Does anyone know what the law is? I remember seeing some debates as to what the law is for different states, but I don't remember seeing any clear agreement on how it is interpreted. Maybe that's because there isn't a clear interpretation. For example, is it the registered GVW that is legally binding and Ford's rating is only a guideline, or is Ford's rating the legal rating. If I were to custom build a 50's truck with various modern axles, springs, brakes, frame, etc, what would be the legal GVW? If I build a flat bed trailer, what determines the legal trailer GVW? Is the legal liability of operating a vehicle over Ford's GVW rating, but under the registered GVW, worse or equivalent to the legal liability of driving over the speed limit, or faster than what is safe and prudent for the conditions at hand, which is another form of a traffic violation?
Just some thoughts. Maybe the answers aren't clear, which means any said lawsuit will most likely be won by the better lawyer, not by factual law.
L.J.
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'00 F250 XLT (HMR0), 6sp, ARE CX shell, Autometer Gauges, ProComp leveling springs & Con-Ferr Shackles w/ Ford 4" blocks, RS9000X's, Warn Trans4mer, Brakesmart, Southbend OFE, Chipped Home Page
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but I don't remember seeing any clear agreement on how it is interpreted.
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I have read all the federal laws, and Minnesota laws, and they are vague. Couple that with any time you call the DMV for clarification, you get a different answer with each person you talk to.
Every day, you see hot shotters on the road grossing 30k plus with dodge and ford 1 ton trucks, and it’s hard to believe every one of them is illegal when they go through scales every day without problems.
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