Trailer Weight ?

[jayhawkintx]

I am looking at getting my first 5th wheel. I have a 09 F250 SB 4X4 6.4 with the 3.73 rear end.

Per the Ford towing guide my max. loaded 5th wheel trailer weight is 15,300.

What other number should I be concerned about? Just keep the total trailer weight under 15,300 and I should be good?

Of course I just have to make sure total truck, trailer, cargo doesnt go above my GCWR right?

Thanks for any input.

[1tonpower]

you should look at the pin weight also

[poashll]

You need to look at your payload capacity for your truck. It should be on a yellow sticker on the driver side. This will be the real deciding factor for what you can get for a 5th wheel and each truck is different based on options.

Now figure the weight of your passengers and cargo to include the weight of your hitch system when you are going to tow. Subtract this amount from your payload capacity and that is how much you can have for a pin weight.

With a 5th wheel, you are going to want to run 15%-25% of your trailer weight on your pin. So if you look at a trailer that is 15,300 that is anywhere from 2295lb - 3825lb. I opted for the F350 because it has a payload rating of 3300lb. I am betting the F250 is closer to 1800lb.

[jayhawkintx]

I did find a yellow tire/loading chart. Says 1924. GVWR is 10k on the VIN sticker. Rear GAWR is 6800. Not sure why the Ford towing chart for my exact vehicle would say that I can tow a 15300 5th wheel.

[poashll]

All manufacturer's do it. The salesmen at the dealership often do not know or choose not to disclose it either. They always qualify their numbers with something like "Maximum Trailer Weights in pounds for properly equipped vehicles with no cargo". The numbers almost always include a 150lb driver.

From their 09 5th Wheel towing guide

Trailer king pin weight should be 15-25% of total loaded trailer weight. Make sure vehicle payload (reduced by option weight) will
accommodate trailer king pin weight and weight of passengers and cargo added to the towing vehicle.

Addition of trailer king pin weight, and weight of passengers and cargo cannot cause vehicle weights to exceed rear GAWR or GVWR. These ratings can be found on the vehicle Safety Compliance Certification Label.

[MDarrough]

The pin (hitch) weight is usually 15% to 20% of the total weight of a 5th wheel.

My 40ft Sierra has a shipped weight of 11185, with a pin weight of 1923. After adding all my "stuff", I'm more like 12000 and 2400.

So, you can indeed tow a 15300 trailer, just keep the pin under 2000.

Mark