Trailer weight and towing

I know this has been addressed numerous times but I have to admit that everything regarding trailer weights and tow ratings has me thoroughly confused.
I want to upgrade from my travel trailer to a 5 wheel and I am confused about how much weight my truck can really handle.
I have a 2015 F250 Super Duty, 6.7 turbo diesel, SRW, 156 wheel base
I have gathered the following from the owner manual and from the certification tag on the door jamb;
GCWR - 23500
GVWR - 10000
Max tow weight - 15100
GAWR Front 5200  Rear 6100
Tires - 275/65R20 E rated
I think that I can handle in the ball park of 13500 pounds but I am not sure of my calculation and I do not trust the sales people at the RV centers.
Experienced and expert help requested please.

This has been discussed frequently. Payload is the issue here, the pin weight will be approximately 20% of the total. A fiver with a gross weight of 13,500 is going to put 2700 lb on the 175 lb hitch which is way too much for an F-250. You are now at almost half the GAWR for the rear axle and you haven't weighed the truck yet. It can be done, many people do it without mishap but you really need to consider an F-350 dually or a lighter trailer for peace of mind. What is your family's safety worth to you?

Your max tow weight is 15,100, that's the gross weight of the trailer you are towing.  Your pin weight, or as mine is stated max 5th wheel tongue weight should be in your owners manual.  My 2015 Silverado 2500 has a max pin weight of 3000.

The max towing weight and max pin weight in the manual may not be true for your particular truck. Going by manual and brochure limits is what gets people into trouble. Every truck has a GVWR and a GCWR. The numbers in the manual and brochure are calculated using the lightest truck with the heaviest suspension. Find the GVWR and GCWR for your truck, go weigh your truck, then do the math. As stated above, the pin weight for a fiver will be 20 to 25% of the fiver's loaded weight. Pin weights published by the trailer manufacturer are another number that should be pretty much ignored. There should be a yellow sticker on the pillar when you open the driver's door. If the pin weight of the fiver is more than the payload on the yellow sticker, get a smaller trailer or a bigger truck.

All the above said, you cannot tow a 13,500# fiver. My F 250 maxed out around 12,000# if I remember correctly, and I had more available payload than you due to having a gas engine rather than a diesel. The sad part is if you have helper leafs on the back axle, and the snow plow package on the front axle, it's exactly like an F 350 except for the badges on the hood, and the yellow sticker.

GLOtto said:

I know this has been addressed numerous times but I have to admit that everything regarding trailer weights and tow ratings has me thoroughly confused.
I want to upgrade from my travel trailer to a 5 wheel and I am confused about how much weight my truck can really handle.
I have a 2015 F250 Super Duty, 6.7 turbo diesel, SRW, 156 wheel base
I have gathered the following from the owner manual and from the certification tag on the door jamb;
GCWR - 23500
GVWR - 10000
Max tow weight - 15100
GAWR Front 5200  Rear 6100
Tires - 275/65R20 E rated
I think that I can handle in the ball park of 13500 pounds but I am not sure of my calculation and I do not trust the sales people at the RV centers.
Experienced and expert help requested please.

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GLOtto.........here is a real world example......my previous truck
I had a 2011 F250 Crew Cab Diesel, 4x4 in the XLT version, which would have more payload capacity than say a Lariat or King Ranch because of the options list.  It was also the short bed...6.5' bed.  My payload capacity for THAT truck was 2148 lbs....NOT near enough payload capacity for towing a 5ver of the size that you are looking at.  So I ended up buying a tow behind trailer that has a GVWR of 13K......which puts less load on the truck...10-15% of the GVWR.  Tongue weight came in at 1340 lbs, whereas a 5ver figured at 20% would have been 2600 lbs and clearly over the payload capacity of the truck.  When all was said and done, I still didn't have enough truck to safely tow the trailer that I bought and ended up having to get a different truck.

I now have a Crew Cab Dually F350 that is somewhat overkill for the trailer that I have, but it is very stable AND I have plenty of room (payload capacity available) for the time that I may want to get a bigger trailer and actually go with a 5ver instead of a tow behind.

The bottom line is that you do NOT have near enough truck for the trailer you want to buy.  An F350 SRW might  work for your application, but the number that you MOST need to be concerned with is the CCC or payload number for THAT particular truck.  DO NOT go by brochures, advertising, or what anyone says.....unless they are reading the payload number directly off of the yellow/white sticker on the driver's side door post/pillar.  That number is a result of the GVWR of the truck..minus the actual weight of that particular truck AS IT WAS BUILT.
Hope this helps you a bit.  I got a very hard lesson in truck payload capacity and trailer weights and ended up buy a different truck within 8 months of the trailer.....something I TOTALLY had not planned on.

Doesn't the sticker on the door jamb show a Mac Cargo/Payload Capacity or CCC?  That would be the limit for the combined weight of the passengers, gear and the 5W pin.  For most F250's, it is well under 3000  lbs and sometimes closer to 2000. As others have stated, the pin weight of that trailer will be about 20% of the trailer GVWR or 2700 lbs. You are going to run out of payload even though the truck can pull the trailer weight ok.

The yellow sticker on mine said 2963# payload. By the time you add in seat covers, bedliner, those heavy rubber floor mats, ratchet straps, emergency kit, first aid kit, yourself, your wife, wife's purse, and anything else you will be carrying, that eats into the available payload.

Gary RV_Wizard said:

Doesn't the sticker on the door jamb show a Mac Cargo/Payload Capacity or CCC? That would be the limit for the combined weight of the passengers, gear and the 5W pin.  For most F250's, it is well under 3000  lbs and sometimes closer to 2000. As others have stated, the pin weight of that trailer will be about 20% of the trailer GVWR or 2700 lbs. You are going to run out of payload even though the truck can pull the trailer weight ok.

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Yes it does.....and in the case of my previous truck, a 2011 F250 Diesel CC, 4x4 XLT....it was 2148 lbs.  Pretty wimpy for a F250, but I totally understand the way that payload number was calculated.  Unfortunately, when I bought the truck back in Oct. 2010, I knew little to nothing about payload capacities, trailer weights, and I just figured that if I bought an F250, I could probably tow about anything that I wanted to buy.  Boy, was I wrong!

there are some people that dont believe that yellow decal they think the numbers dont apply to them 

It's not only a Ford thing, I had a 2500HD Silverado and it had 2150# payload.  They are not made for most FWs.

You need to look at the door jam and will see that the payload of that Ford is on the 2,100-2,500# payload.  Not enough payload.

I know I learned the hard way.  You need a 3500 truck.

My owners manual says max pin weight 3,000.  The door sticker says max cargo 2,404.  sticker GVWR is 10,000.  My truck weighs 7,900. So my true pin max weight should be 2,100 - 2,400.  My 5r GVWR is 10,140. 20% estimated pin weight would be 2028. The sticker doesn't have the GCWR, I'll have to look in the owners manual for that I guess.

It will depend on which manual but...

The door sticker says max cargo 2,404

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The limit for YOUR truck is 2404 lbs. To calculate what your trailer is, use the GVWR of the TRAILER at 20%, (this will build in a safety margin).  Don't forget to add in all other weights to be carried in the truck such as the 5th wheel hitch (150 lbs?), you, the wife, the wife's purse, the dog, the kids, all are cargo as far as the calculations are concerned, and compare that with the 2404 lbs. max.

steveblonde said:

there are some people that dont believe that yellow decal they think the numbers dont apply to them 

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Some people think the numbers are just a suggestion to be able to adjust for your own needs. 

Papadude said:

Some people think the numbers are just a suggestion to be able to adjust for your own needs. 

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Technically, they are a suggestion, but one that should be heeded and not exceeded (I know, it rhymes).  Like steve said, some folks just don't think the numbers apply to them....and they will have every excuse in the book why they don't........I don't drive that far, I don't drive that fast, I'm only going a few hundred miles, not cross country.  I'm a great driver....I can handle it.  Manufacturer doesn't know what they are talking about.  And one of my all time favorites.......the (fill in the blank space) told me it was OK....I can tow anything with my (fill in the blank space).  The ones that truly don't know, I will always try to help and make suggestions.  The ones that know everything and you can't tell them anything; the only time i will engage them is to make my point, explain why, and then move on to someone that is interested in actually learning and doing the right thing.

I think that I can handle in the ball park of 13500 pounds but I am not sure of my calculation and I do not trust the sales people at the RV centers.
Experienced and expert help requested please.

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The truck will be fine with a 13500 lb 5th wheel trailer. We know the 6.7 diesel/tranny and Ford Sterlings axle can handle Ford tow rating.
Ford markets the F250/F350 srw same truck with gvwrs ranging from 10000 lb up to 11500 lb and RAWR packages from 6100 lb up to 7000 lb.
Most folks don't know how or for whatever reason don't read Fleet Ford body specs with all the mechanical numbers for each truck.
Your F-250 6.7 diesel option is the same truck as  the F350 srw........exception can be your rear spring pack has a 6100 rawr. If your F250 has the camper package or heavy service package it has the same suspension as the 350 srw.

The trucks rear axle may weigh in the 3000 range leaving approx 3100 lb payload in the bed which is typical of most 3/4 ton trucks.  You have the truck so drop by a set of scales and weigh the trucks front and rear axles separately. That way you know what your working with.
The 13500 lb trailer may have a 2700 lb pin weight....leaving approx 400 lbs for the hitch and other gear in the bed.
If the trucks rear sags add air bags or another type of aftermarket rear suspension help.

I doubt the rear spring pack will need any help.

longhaul said:

The truck will be fine with a 13500 lb 5th wheel trailer. We know the 6.7 diesel/tranny and Ford Sterlings axle can handle Ford tow rating.
Ford markets the F250/F350 srw same truck with gvwrs ranging from 10000 lb up to 11500 lb and RAWR packages from 6100 lb up to 7000 lb.
Most folks don't know how or for whatever reason don't read Fleet Ford body specs with all the mechanical numbers for each truck.
Your F-250 6.7 diesel option is the same truck as  the F350 srw........exception can be your rear spring pack has a 6100 rawr. If your F250 has the camper package or heavy service package it has the same suspension as the 350 srw.

The trucks rear axle may weigh in the 3000 range leaving approx 3100 lb payload in the bed which is typical of most 3/4 ton trucks.  You have the truck so drop by a set of scales and weigh the trucks front and rear axles separately. That way you know what your working with.
The 13500 lb trailer may have a 2700 lb pin weight....leaving approx 400 lbs for the hitch and other gear in the bed.
If the trucks rear sags add air bags or another type of aftermarket rear suspension help.

I doubt the rear spring pack will need any help.

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Just because the rear axle weight "might" be approx. 3000 lbs, that doesn't mean that he has 3100 lbs of payload capacity....That's NOT how it's calculated!  Bad Advice period.

A real world number on my F250 Diesel was:
Front axle weight:  3100 lbs
Rear Axle weight:  4760
Total:  7860
GVWR:  10,000 lbs
PAYLOAD:  2140 lbs  The truck/trailer combo he is looking to do is going to be OVERLOADED on payload capacity.....you just can't sugar coat it and pick and choose which capacities you are going to be OK with and ignore others.


You might want to relook at what I've highlighted in bold for the first part of your post.  There are, according to Ford's own spec sheet, a difference besides the springs between the F250 and the F350 SRW.  Axle spline shaft size is just one of them.

The bottom line is that Ford or any other manufacturer will state in their owner's manual as well as other places......load capacities SHOULD NOT be exceeded!  They didn't say that it's OK to exceed this one, but not the other one, they state that LOAD CAPACITIES should NOT be exceeded.....meaning any and all of them

xrated said:

You might want to relook at what I've highlighted in bold for the first part of your post.  There are, according to Ford's own spec sheet, a difference besides the springs between the F250 and the F350 SRW.  Axle spline shaft size is just one of them.

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The axle spline difference above is not true. Yes, it's in Ford's literature, and has been for years. Why they haven't changed it is beyond me. Look them up, part number for part number, (I have), they are exactly the same on both the F-250 and F-350.

From 2011 until 2016, the only difference between an F-250, and an F-350 is the badges on the hood, and possibly the rear springs. If an F-250 has helper leafs on the rear, it has the same exact spring as an F-350. If an F-250 does have helper leafs on the rear springs, then in addition to the badges on the hood, the only difference is the yellow sticker.

kdbgoat said:

The axle spline difference above is not true. Yes, it's in Ford's literature, and has been for years. Why they haven't changed it is beyond me. Look them up, part number for part number, (I have), they are exactly the same on both the F-250 and F-350.

From 2011 until 2016, the only difference between an F-250, and an F-350 is the badges on the hood, and possibly the rear springs. If an F-250 has helper leafs on the rear, it has the same exact spring as an F-350. If an F-250 does have helper leafs on the rear springs, then in addition to the badges on the hood, the only difference is the yellow sticker.

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Try going down to the Ford Parts department and try to order a suspension part or reared part without giving them it's a F250 or F350.  Thats because all the part numbers are the same but when you order the part you get is based not only on the part number by also on the model and sometimes the VIN.  That makes the parts manual usable and not having to have list part numbers for the guy at the counter to order and incorrect parts being ordered - They made it simple for the parts guy - The Part number identify the parts and the model/vin narrows the part down to the correct part for that model truck.

CWSWine said:

Try going down to the Ford Parts department and try to order a suspension part or reared part without giving them it's a F250 or F350.  Thats because all the part numbers are the same but when you order the part you get is based not only on the part number by also on the model and sometimes the VIN.  That makes the parts manual usable and not having to have list part numbers for the guy at the counter to order and incorrect parts being ordered - They made it simple for the parts guy - The Part number identify the parts and the model/vin narrows the part down to the correct part for that model truck.

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So, I guess my question to you, if you know, are the axle splines different between an F250 and an F350 SRW truck?  I also saw that the axle tube diameter is smaller on the F250.....which would make sense if the spline size was different.