Is anyone here towing a fiver with their 7.3L?
Ours is a 4x4, crew cab, short bed. We have the pullrite superglide
hitch and we are having no problems at all towing our 31 foot fiver.
(it weighs in at 9500 lbs loaded up).
We have the Ride Rite air bags (put them on, didn't know if we would
need them or not, but we did it to make sure it was a level set up.)
I am quite SURE we are over our payload amount, but I tell ya, I see
many, many more fivers going down the road lots bigger than us and
have for many years.
The hubby says not to worry, we are fine. We don't have a huge pin
weight and we are way under our tow capacity. Don't worry - be happy!
What does the concensus here think? (I am the worrier in the family....)
Ours is a 4x4, crew cab, short bed. We have the pullrite superglide hitch and we are having no problems at all towing our 31 foot fiver. (it weighs in at 9500 lbs loaded up).
You're probably overloaded by several hundred pounds over the GVWR of your F-250. But you'll be fine as long as you don't exceed about 10,000 pounds GVW (gross vehicle weight on the 4 pickup tires).
Quote:
We have the Ride Rite air bags (put them on, didn't know if we would need them or not, but we did it to make sure it was a level set up.)
You'll need them if you plan to tow at night without the headlights trying to light up the stars (and blinding oncoming drivers).
Quote:
I am quite SURE we are over our payload amount, but I tell ya, I see many, many more fivers going down the road lots bigger than us and have for many years.
Two wrongs don't make a right. Overloaded is overloaded, no matter how much you try to rationalize it. Just because others do it is no reason for you to join the crowd.
Quote:
The hubby says not to worry, we are fine. We don't have a huge pin weight and we are way under our tow capacity. Don't worry - be happy!
What does the concensus here think? (I am the worrier in the family....)
I think you're flying blind unless you have a certified automated truck (CAT) scale ticket to show your wet and loaded weights in the middle of a towing trip.
I suspect you're grossing about 8,000 pounds before you tie onto the 5er. The typical medium-sized 5er that grosses 9,500 pounds will have 17 percent hitch weight, or about 1,615 pounds. That's 9,615 pounds GVW, or 815 pounds overloaded over the GVWR of your F-250.
But most experts also say that if you have LT265/75R16E tires then your truck is identical, except for the spacer blocks in the rear suspension, to the 2003 F-350 SRW, which has 9,900 pounds GVWR. So as long as you have less than 9,900 pounds GVW, you should be fine as far as GVW is concerned. And if your trailer grosses less than 10,000 pounds wet and loaded, then you shouldn't even come close to the 20,000 pounds GCWR of your tow vehicle. So I'll agree, you're probably fine.
But only the CAT scale knows for sure, so fill up with diesel then get that CAT scale ticket during your next towing trip. There will be a CAT scale (or comparable certified automated truck scale) at almost every name-brand truckstop on the interstate.
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My Sierra Blanca is a '99.5 PSD CrewCab hot-rod Towing Machine! BTS tranny; TurboRamAir intake and 4" stainless turbo-back exhaust; DP-Tuner tunes flashed into an Edge Evolution tuner; ISSPRO EV gauges and TTM; AIC; SP-Diesel exhaust brake and torque converter controller. I special-ordered it new and plan to drive it until it quits.
I am quite SURE we are over our payload amount ... The hubby says not to worry, we are fine. We don't have a huge pin
weight and we are way under our tow capacity. Don't worry - be happy!
What does the consensus here think? (I am the worrier in the family....)
Jo
The weakest link determines the strength of the chain. To say you've only exceeded one of the truck's limits is akin to saying you left only one of the children behind at the rest stop.
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Douglas Campbell [drcampbell ot engineer dat kahm]
1986 Isuzu P'up, 177,673.8 miles. Hella headlights, (highly recommended) DOT C-2 back end. (also recommended) R-12 air conditioner converted to R-406a. 4.1:1 rear axle converted to 3.4:1.
9/22/2007, age 21: Still running well when reluctantly sent away for reincarnation, due to body & frame rust.
The Green Party's candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in Michigan's 9th district
To say you've only exceeded one of the truck's limits is akin to saying you left only one of the children behind at the rest stop.
I remember it well. I was about 7 years old, right after WW-II, well before rest stops were installed on Texas highways. That was also before air conditioned cars, so Dad liked to drive the '38 model Chevy at night when it was cooler. Middle bro was about 5, and baby bro was about 2. We were driving to see Grandma, an all-night drive. We stopped at a "filling station" in the middle of the night. After filling up with gas, Dad hollered "Let's highway!" and we headed on down the road. About an hour later, Mom began counting boys. Where's Bobby (the 5-year-old)? Oops! He was back at that filling station.
If you really want to know weigh the truck with tanks full and everyone in the truck. You will get two readings for front and back axles so add them up. (Unloaded truck wt)
Now connect the trailer and drive it through the truck scales. You will get 4 readings Two for the truck axles and two for the trailer axles. Add the truck axle readings and it should be below the GVWR (8800). Add all of the axle readings and it should be less than 20000 CGWR.
Now you can subract the unlloaded Truck wt from the loaded readings of the truck axles and that gives you pin weight.
My trailer weighs 10.k with a 2350 pin wt fully loaded. Never had a problem towing
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2002 F250 Stock PSD Crew Cab SRW pulling Same Montana as old truck
On our last trip out we did do the scales and I can only remember one number, the total amount of weight and it was 17,500 lbs approximately. I'll find the weight slip - now I am curious on the other weights. He did not remove the fifth wheel to weigh truck separately though. I'm sure on one of our trips (without the trailer) I'll suggest he do that. Thanks everyone! Jo
PS- It wasn't 17,500 but it is 18,100 lbs. Our total GCVW is 20,000 - so we are okay there. ALL axles were within limits. but we are OF COURSE over our payload capacity.
Looks like our next truck will be a F350 WHEN I get this one paid for!
YIKES............
On our last trip out we did do the scales and I can only remember one number, the total amount of weight and it was 17,500 lbs approximately. I'll find the weight slip - now I am curious on the other weights. He did not remove the fifth wheel to weigh truck separately though. I'm sure on one of our trips (without the trailer) I'll suggest he do that. Thanks everyone! Jo
Jo,
Looks like your in great shape for Combined Weight.
you only need to measure unloaded truck wt if you want to calculate pin wt. or total trailer Wt.
Trailer weight equals pin wt. plus the trailer axle readings.
On the weight slip you have add the two truck axles to determine GVW. It should be less than the GVWR that is stamped on the sticker at the drivers door. 8800 for you I assume.
A lot of people go over the GVWR but I don't recommend it. But if you do Never go above the axle ratings which is also on the door frame.
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2002 F250 Stock PSD Crew Cab SRW pulling Same Montana as old truck
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Towing 5th wheel with F250, 7.3L
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