40' 5er with f-250 ?

[ryantparks]

The wife and I are looking a 5th wheels and really like the Rampage 395 but the dealer said my 05 f-250 4x4 psd cannot tow it. Its dry weight is 12050lbs. Im not possitive but I think its max was like 19K lbs
We then looked at the Vortex 3950 which weighs in at 12,100 dry and 17,200 is its max wieght. We really liked the Vortex but I liked the Rampage a bit more.
Does anyone tow anything around this weight with a f-250 or 350.
I have air bags but I dont want to do anything unsafe.
Thanks, Ryan

[ddevore]

Check the Diesel owners supplement guide for the recommended limit. For me I believe my 4x4 crewcab automatic 6.0 can pull a 5th wheel up to 10600lbs giving a maximum 20000lbs GCWR. I really don't know if I'm reading it right - but I do know you can get left standing in court by yourself (no insurance help) if something happens and your exceeding the trucks limit...

[fc-cdf]

I pulled my winners circle 36' footer which is 40' actually with my 02 gmc 2500 cc short bed duramax the trailer gross weight was 15500 it pulled it fine except in wind I am receiving my 3500 dually next week just to be safer with the family, I wish I could aford a topkick or something of that nature but need a daily driver also.

[riverroyal]

my 37ft weekend warrior is 11500 dry,loaded with rhino,4 quads and water,my guess is 15k.F250 6.0 does fine,but Im illegal in weight.I think at 12ish you become to heavy.But it tows fine,pleny of power,we cruise at about 62 to 65 all day

[riverroyal]

http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/510/2371camp_october.JPG

[ddevore]

I'm thinkin about a bigger trailer too... What can happen though if your pulling over weight and an accident occurs (fault or not)?

[Magic34]

I'm thinkin about a bigger trailer too... What can happen though if your pulling over weight and an accident occurs (fault or not)?
Figure a lawsuit battle with your insurance company to pay.
38'+ with a 3/4 ton is really too much.
35' is fair being safe, but up to 37' is all that I would push it with a 3/4 ton truck.
1 ton dually is perfect. I had a 4500 (pic below) for 40' WW and it was great until I hit the sand :hammerhea .

[victorfb]

start looking at the 3500HD or a F550. pulling it up the hill is one thing, slowing it down in an emergancy situation is another. do your research. if you feel you want to chance it like a large percentage of the people do, than thats up to you. one question though, do you have your family in the truck while towing that rig? think on that one!!!!

[jet4fun]

could always look at the tow boss too...
i got a question too, all the different models have different weight ratings, but what is really changing. i was told that the only difference between an f-250 and 350 is the rear leaf pack, brakes and drivetrain are the same. obviously in the case of a dually you are adding the extra tires to distribute the weight, but as far as stopping power or pulling power, their all the same... i just think its interesting that you can add bags or change leaf packs to a 250 to be even stronger than a 350, but that 350 will always be able to tow more weight legally because of what the said when it was new... oh well i guess thats why you buy accordingly or take the risk, even though i dont think its a risk, at least not safety wise

[ryantparks]

we just looked at the Raptor 36' and its nice, the weight is around 11,8K pounds but I really like the Vortex 3950. It has nicer options than the raptor except for the coutches.

[River918]

WOW! all I can say is congratulations, you found an honest dealer if he is worried about the towing capacity of your truck. Normally they'll sell you anything and it doesn't matter what size truck you have, they just have you sign a waiver saying YOU are responsible for making sure your truck has the capacity to tow the trailer or 5ver you purchase.
When I went to buy my first toyhauler, the dealer tried to tell me my 2004 F250 is equiped to haul the 36' 5ver we had picked out. The weight on that trailer was 12,500 dry....After checking my towing guides I saw that my crew-cab F250 was only listed to haul 10,500 lbs.....I know the '05 and '06's are equiped to haul more. I don't know what your truck is equiped to haul (Might check Trailerlife.com they have a good forum section and a current weight chart for trucks), but I had to tell you how impressed I am that you found an honest RV dealer....Must not be Mike Thompson's RV....
Make sure you don't exceed your tow vehicle's trailering capacity weights or you insurance company might not cover you in case of an accident.

[HMF'er]

When calculating trailer weight, don't forget to add fluid capacities (fuel, water) plus whatever toys you'll be hauling, food, clothing, propane, etc. You may end up adding over 4k lbs more than the trailer weight.

[ddevore]

Richardsons RV would not let me take my travel trailer off the lot w/o the right truck (edit: Great dealer, cool sales guys and great part's guys)- so I was limited to a smaller trailer (my old 1500 chevy). I was looking in my 01 F250 manual and it shows 20k as the maximum GCWR (truck, trailer and beer I guess) for a 5th wheel or a 10500lb travel trailer... That would put a 5th wheel at around 13000 lbs (excluding all the extra weight - people, beer, water etc). I may be wrong, but check the diesel supplement that came with the truck.

[SLOWMAN]

could always look at the tow boss too...
i got a question too, all the different models have different weight ratings, but what is really changing. i was told that the only difference between an f-250 and 350 is the rear leaf pack, brakes and drivetrain are the same. obviously in the case of a dually you are adding the extra tires to distribute the weight, but as far as stopping power or pulling power, their all the same... i just think its interesting that you can add bags or change leaf packs to a 250 to be even stronger than a 350, but that 350 will always be able to tow more weight legally because of what the said when it was new... oh well i guess thats why you buy accordingly or take the risk, even though i dont think its a risk, at least not safety wise
The F250 and F350 SRW may share the same drive train, however the F350 DRW has a Dana 80 rear axle which is larger than the F250 and F350 SRWs. The Tow Boss is one step better with a Dana 110 rear end with 4.30's, same rear end as the F450.

[jet4fun]

The F250 and F350 SRW may share the same drive train, however the F350 DRW has a Dana 80 rear axle which is larger than the F250 and F350 SRWs. The Tow Boss is one step better with a Dana 110 rear end with 4.30's, same rear end as the F450.
cool...
hey, i just looked at fords website and there wasnt anything about the tow boss i could find. is it gone?

[SoCalOffshore]

i just got a '06 f350 DRW with the tow boss package. Max trailering is 18,900 lbs vs 16,000 without the package. I have a 40' WW on order. Plus it has the trailering brake controller in the cab.

[riverroyal]

The F250 and F350 SRW may share the same drive train, however the F350 DRW has a Dana 80 rear axle which is larger than the F250 and F350 SRWs. The Tow Boss is one step better with a Dana 110 rear end with 4.30's, same rear end as the F450.
think the rear ends change the towing cap,it may pull better.This is on 250 and 350s,NOT the dually,that can carry more.

[Beer-30]

Unless you want to be stuck on the side of the road waiting for some road service to come replace your axle and pinion bearings - I would go a MINIMUM of F350. F450 would be ideal.

[riverroyal]

Unless you want to be stuck on the side of the road waiting for some road service to come replace your axle and pinion bearings - I would go a MINIMUM of F350. F450 would be ideal.
and lease the truck,,,hehe.

[Beer-30]

and lease the truck,,,hehe.
No kidding. :D

[SoCalOffshore]

picked up the 40 foot WW last week. Pulled it up to Gorman/Hungry Valley full of fuel, water and 3 bikes. the f350 pulled great and handled perfectly. We averaged just under 12 mpg. I can fully say the F350 DRW with the tow boss package works great. The max towing is 18,900 lbs.

[H20 Toie]

Not only will your insurance not cover you if you exceed the tow rating but if someone was to get hurt or killed you could be charged for negligence and get jail time even if the accident was not your fault.

[Caribbean Jet]

Giant RV did the same thing to my brother in law. He had a 1500 avalanche and they advised him that he should tow the trailer with that truck and if he decided to buy it they would deliver it to his house and not hook it to his truck.
WOW! all I can say is congratulations, you found an honest dealer if he is worried about the towing capacity of your truck. Normally they'll sell you anything and it doesn't matter what size truck you have, they just have you sign a waiver saying YOU are responsible for making sure your truck has the capacity to tow the trailer or 5ver you purchase.
When I went to buy my first toyhauler, the dealer tried to tell me my 2004 F250 is equiped to haul the 36' 5ver we had picked out. The weight on that trailer was 12,500 dry....After checking my towing guides I saw that my crew-cab F250 was only listed to haul 10,500 lbs.....I know the '05 and '06's are equiped to haul more. I don't know what your truck is equiped to haul (Might check Trailerlife.com they have a good forum section and a current weight chart for trucks), but I had to tell you how impressed I am that you found an honest RV dealer....Must not be Mike Thompson's RV....
Make sure you don't exceed your tow vehicle's trailering capacity weights or you insurance company might not cover you in case of an accident.