What? We've been pulling our 40 ft. 5th Wheel with a 3/4 ton F-250!? 

Personally, I don't pull anything that exceeds 85% of the truck's capacity. Lot's of people seem to want to avoid dually's, but I think you could easily justify upgrading to a DRW truck with your trailer. The difference in stability is night and day, no hitch weight concerns whatsoever, you have a safety factor in the event of a rear tire blowout (imagine that blowout in the curve of a mountain road at the bottom of a hill), and better braking. The question for me is not weather or not a truck "can" pull something, but how safe is my truck pulling the load. When nothing is going wrong, the truck is probably safe. What about when more than one thing is going wrong? Suppose you are in a 35mph crosswind and have to swerve and brake at the same time? You’re going to find out if you have enough truck the hard way

your sticker says it all. Change the trailer or the truck. DOT would love to talk to you lol

Tire pressure label in the door jam is recommended tire pressure. Number on tire is max pressure for maximum load.

You’re probably fine until your involved in an accident while towing your camper. Your fault or not if there’s lawyers involved you could be held liable then comes the civil suit especially after lawyers see this video.

We pull our 397TH “Big Mo” with a GMC Sierra 3500HD dually with the 8 foot bed. I got lucky and found a used one. I like the suggestion of just going with the 450 dually. Better to have more truck than what you need.

We pull our Grand Design 337rls with a 2018 f250 gas truck. Been doing it for about 4 years now with no problems. Only problem I have found is refilling the truck on trips. Have to pull that camper through regular gas pumps.

We have an F350 SRW Lariat. Its GVWR is 11,400. The F350 has an additional leaf spring and a beefier rear axle. Our door sticker says 3444 lbs of payload capacity. We added Timbrens to help squat and add some lateral stability. We tow an Alliance 310 RL which is 15000 GVWR. We are very close to payload sticker limit.

Door sticker for tires is just what ford recommends for best ride and not tripping the tpms sensors. Rating on tires is what tire manufacturer recommends for safe psi

VERY informative for us newbies! Thank you for a thorough, concise, rapid video!!

There are a few differences in your F250 Platinum Crew Cab vs F350 regular cab plain jane model, #1 there's a few hundred pounds; now the F350 SRW Crewcab also has a larger rear axle. They have some of the same gearing,however, the F250 has a 2" rear block and the F350's have a 4" rear block. Also the LWB(8 or 9') will increase your payload.

Definitely fine as long as your fine and comfortable

U never have too much truck!

I'm not at all an expert, but we just bought a F350 Dually, King Ranch and love it. We had a 550 before and everyone told us it was the best truck ever. But it was loud and quirky. My husband loved it but I wanted comfort. I watched a lot of videos since I don't have a clue and wanted to participate in the next purchase. I think the information you shared here is amazing and I appreciate it! I hope it all works out great for you whether it's changing the rating on this one or scoring a good deal on another. Thank you for this informative video!

That was a fantastic video. You are spot on. I've had enough of the door sticker Nazis myself.

Lot’s of folks tout the 7.3 Godzilla and it sounds great on paper, but if you are pulling a 40’ rig, try getting gas at a standard station … can be a harrowing experience, we love refueling at truck stops with our diesel truck, way easier. Plus you give up an exhaust brake for mountains. The safety of an exhaust brake in mountains is paramount imho.

when my wife and i bought our truck/trailer-several of the ole timers told me the same thing; you may be able to tow that weight but can you "stop it". Just as important...be careful.

BEAUTIFUL...VERY INFORMATIVE. GOOD JOB.

Im AMAZED how many 3/4 ton guys out there are over payload weight! Especially with a diesel. Air bags dont increase payload Legally! For the price difference just buy a 1 Ton and save yourself the headache! I too believe in the 80% rule!

Your tires aren’t sufficient. You have 7600lbs on the rear axle and only 6900lbs of tire capacity. You have a total of 12640 lbs on the truck axles and a 10800gvw. Even a SRW F350 only has a 12,400gvw.

Going through the same thing right now, learning what all the capacities are. My situation is a 2021 2500 HD short bed with camper/snow plow prep Z71 package, diesel/Allison .What I learned through research is GVWR 11350 - Curb weight of 8033 = 3317 max payload . That payload figure is what your limit is when you add hitch weight, people weight , fifth wheel weight installed in your truck and anything else in your truck. My hitch weight is 2150 unloaded with a UVW of 11669 lb. So after you subtract 2150 from max payload remaining is 1167 lb to cover added hitch , people, fuel etc. It adds up real quick. Also the ratio of hitch weight unloaded weight of trailer is approx 18% on my camper which means if your trailer is loaded to 140000 you have to figure new hitch weight using that 18% ratio.This example it would be 2520 not 2150. So you have to start the math all over and only have about 800 lbs left. seems your way over weight. Do a truck build on Fords site and you can come up with new specs and weights than compare. Think on a chevy its about 800lbs more max payload

Ok so I’m a weight enforcement/commercial vehicle Trooper for a very large state agency. The misconception is when dealing fifth wheels and 3/4 ton trucks is some how we’re going to look at your truck GVWR and say you can only carry this much. That’s not true. In you’re configuration you’re really just limited by tire rating. Other than that you’re the same as a dually. So……tire rating by federal standards is done per tire….tire rating in my state is by axle because you are not a commercial vehicle. You’re tire rating has you at 6900lbs on the rear axle. Your weight ticket has you at 7580. So you’re over tire rating. It’s not how many tires you have in the road way. Each individual tire experiences individual weight standards.

This is the first time I have watched one of your vlogs. While not giving you a permanent score, I wholeheartedly give you a provisional score of very good. I was very happy to hear that you never travel with more than few gallons of freshwater in your tank. I don't know about you, but I have encountered tremendous newbie resistance on limiting one's freshwater to 5-10😊 gallons while on the highway. Newbies always want to travel at 65 mph with 75 or 80 gallons of water in their tank. They always want to bring a stranger along to their funerals.

Just got my 22 F350 crew long bed a couple of weeks ago. Messing with the screens I hit on the tire pressure screen. Rear tires were 80 lbs, front were 65 lbs. Traded in a 2011 F250 and I don't think I ever put more than 65 lbs in those tires. We have a gravel drive and my grown son remarked how much smoother of a ride the 350 is. I say it's just because it's new. I ordered my truck back in late Jan and picked it up in mid Sept. I went with the F350 for just the reasons you were mentioning. We have a Grand Design Reflection that is about 40' but with just 3 slides. It is a bit lighter than your Solitude. But I wanted enough payload so I wouldn't be worried about it. I went with the 7..3 Godzilla and 4:30 gears. Pulled the trailer last week, just a short haul and it did fine. It's hilly here but no long pulls. I know it doesn't have the power of a powerstroke but I think it will work fine for me. And about 8k cheaper. Good luck finding another truck.

I own a similar truck... 2022 F-250 Lariat with max towing and payload package; I have 2745 payload on my yellow sticker; however, my 5th wheel is a Cougar 24RDS and is only 7400 lbs empty with an advertised empty hitch weight of about 1400 pounds. My trailer does not sag my rear-end in the least bit. The F-350 has a bigger block in the back to help it stay level with more hitch weight and slightly stiffer springs, but you are correct... same tires, same axles, same engine, same frame, same brakes, etc... what you left out is vehicle registration issues, that's the limiting factor on the payload sticker. Buy an F-350, add the bigger rear block and stiffer springs, adds PSI in the tires and you can register it for 11,000+ pounds. Bottom line though... your trailer should be pulled with a 1-ton truck, and as your video documented... you are aware of that fact. Safe travels.

Good video, everybody has comments about Towing , the worst ones are all the f150 guys that have the heavy tow package and are dead certain that they can tow a half ton rated fifth wheel or some crazy extremely long travel trailer just because the numbers fall just barely Within capacity. We Had a 2019 F250 with the higher GVW package and camper package and snow plow package which increased the spring rate. However our 2020 F-350 with the same higher gvw package and camper package and snow plow package gave us even bigger Springs. Both of our trucks were gassers. Our current 2020 F-350 has a 4,000 lb payload we pull our 12,100 pound 36 ft fifth wheel with no issues of course with the gas engine and actually can do up to 15,000 lb. Unless you park your truck next to a comparable same year F350 and actually measure not only leaf spring stack but also the length of each leaf spring and spring Arch , I don't think there's really any way of telling. I find it hard to believe that a manufacturer is going to make two identical trucks and just put different badges on them. Can you imagine spending the extra money for an F-350 only to have your friend pull up next to you with an F-250 and have the exact same suspension/axle setup. How many disgruntled F-350 owners you think that would be complaining to Ford wanting an explanation why they're bigger truck has F250 suspension on it. I know on the old body styles that the 10-in rear ends looked identical between the F350 and an F250 yet some of them had full floater style bearings. I don't know if they're still doing that, but I doubt it. Like you said, the issue is the legality part of things. You can continue to tow I'm sure hundreds of miles with no issues but it just takes once. Just like people driving without insurance for thousands of miles until that one time. And one of the things that everybody forgets is that it has nothing to do with the rear squat.. if a vehicle can handle the load it's going by the numbers obviously and more importantly if you're going to look at a vehicle and deem it safe visually, it's all about how much weight has come off that front end. Remember, the front end does 80% of the braking and 100% of the steering so the last thing you want to do is remove weight off of that front contact patch that meets the ground. By the way, the truck door tag PSI for tires are always what you're supposed to go by. Those tires are made for all kinds of different trucks out there in your case only Ford has deemed what PSI those tires are to be run at on your truck. It's not a discrepancy all manufacturers do it. Rarely does what the door tag say match what the tire says.

Same conversation that comes up about my ‘91 F350 Dually. Im well within specs on GVW but back in the nineties there wasn’t a firm CGVWR put on specific trucks.

In many states, you must also be licensed to drive it, OVER 10000 LB TRAILER WEIGHT- NCDL MAY BE REQUIRED. PLEASE CHECK YOUR STATE.

F-350’s suspension is specially tuned for recreational and commercial towing; it has a tight rear spring and a reinforced midsection, which makes it ideal for towing. May or may not work for Ford. Suspension and brakes are a big difference between the two

also check your owners manual for the full combined weight both truck and 5thwheel

Our 2022 KZ Durango Gold is 12,930 unloaded with a max GVWR of 16,000. She's 42.5 feet long. The BIGGEST concern for us, was handling. A Dully WILL handle the passing, and side winds better due to the extra 2 wheels in the rear. We're full timers, my wife and I also have 3 dogs in crates in the back seat. I want safety, which is a priority both for us and any jackass who likes pulling in front of us. I also put disk brakes on our 5th wheel for even more added safety. Plus, we ordered out truck with 2x4, not 4x4. 2x4 gives you more hauling and towing capacity. Rule of thumb is get a truck bigger then you think you need.

Great video. The weight ratings are very underrated. Sucks because many people are in the same boat as you, I know I was. Pulls great but insurance won’t be on your side in an accident.

It's the over all wight of the truck that sets the payload

Before trucks came with all the #’s it was common practice to believe that you don’t go beyond flattening the leaf springs your ok.

Buy an international 4700 or alike. Kinda overkill but it is great. Family member bought one for 56ft camper

This hitch is in the same spot in relation to the rear axle in both long and short beds. Get some air bags to help with the sag. I think the springs may be different. It's not always as easy as counting the leafs. The could also be different thicknesses. My 99 f350 has over half a million miles and will easily tow anything I put behind it. When you get your new truck, get a long bed. No point in having a 1 ton truck that can't hold a single sheet of plywood...

Your tire is only able to give its max capacity when they are at the max pressure listed on the sidewall. The 60psi in the door jam is for when you are unloaded. At 60psi it rides better but will have a lower weight capacity because of sidewall flex. As the tire rolls, the sidewall flexes each time it comes around to the bottom. With less air pressure, it flexes more which causes it to get hotter which causes it to fail. I hope this makes sense. ------

I'm currently waiting for my f350 limited long bed, with a 12400 gvwr. Only 2000 more than your truck? But will make big difference. But you have s beautiful truck and will have no problems selling when ready. Good luck buddy.

well said when you upgrade truck go dually and long bed thats a big boy back there!

I have a 2020 F-350 SRW with 6.2 3.73 gears. My friend has a 2021 F250 6.7 with 3.31 gears. My payload is about 1500 lbs more than his. He has a thicker Dana axle, I have a Sterling. Everything else is identical, same number of leafs, overload spring. We parked the two trucks next to each other to try to figure out what the difference was; only that he has a heavier axle.

The f350s use a heavier duty dana 310 axle vs the sterling. There is a high capacity f250 but they use the f350 heavier duty axle

Man I understand completely I just acquired a 2012 f250 and it specs out the same as a f350 srw. All I can figure is it was ordered that way specific. I freaking love it! Hope you can find what your looking for when I was looking to upgrade from and 06 f250. The F450s were priced better than f250s, f350s. I would say look at moving your weight around to help your pin weight I know you talked about having a follow vehicle put all you can in it and take it easy! We are suppose to drive the speed limit it's safer, but it seems many pay it no mind! Good of you to do your research and your trying to find a better solution best of luck!

The transmission shift points are different between 1 ton and 3/4. You are adding total tire combined capacity but your hitch puts more weight on rear axle so the cat scale can determine that by weighing the truck with the camper loaded, then weighing the truck alone, and subtracting the difference.

I think you’re confused about the weights, as most everyone is. For instance, regarding the tire limits. Each tire is rated for 3,450lb, that’s a max of 6,900lb. You’re at 7,580lb on the rear axle, well over the tire limit. That’s not a safe setup at all.

I have a 2022 GMC Sierra 2500 Duramax Sle with lots of option and ordered 20”. It’s max payload is 3400 pounds. It’s not a problem till it’s a problem if you get what I mean. Take care

Bumper pull towing capacity versus fifth wheel setup towing capacity has completely different ratings. You would be overweight if it was on your bumper but all good with fifth wheel setup👍 I tow a 13,500 42’ fifth with a 2010 2500HD gas 6.0 no problem and the camper needs no help from the truck to stop it other than 12 volts DC for camper brakes. If I get stopped I keep a copy of my trucks towing capacity with fifth wheel setup over axle since the stickers in truck show capacity for a bumper towing capacity.

FYI I do have a 2022 F250 the long bed , wanted the 48 gallon fuel tank, but I ordered with the high capacity towing package which bump the truck GCWR on diesel engine from 23,500 lbs to 30,300 lbs.

Don’t tow over your trucks capacities. You are leaving yourself open to huge liability

If you think your door jamb sticker tire pressure is telling you the max tire pressure of your tires, you’ve got lots to learn about trucks and tires. That sticker just tells you what the engineers decide for best handling, wear, comfort etc. , it could be the same as max psi but many times is not.

Get a f450 - bigger brakes / much smaller turning diameter/ 48 gallon tank / truck tires.

You don’t have the leaf spring package as the 350. The 350 has another set of leafs. My 350 SRW has another 1000lbs of payload capacity

im pulling a 5th wheel with a 1500 v6. just around town dont go over 30 mph. livin on the street off grid. its fine

The F350 had 2 more leafs in the rear suspension which is why they don’t sag like your trailer

Payload, Payload, Payload. period. I have 2015 Ram, 6 4L Hemi, 4:10 axle ratio. Payload 3200 lbs Pulling a 42ft Forest River Sabre , 11,400 dry weight. Tongue weight 2100lbs I personally never would have paired your camper and truck together. Be safe out there

Big Truck big Rv would have a stroke watching this video. You are way over on your pay load rating. I'm sure you can feel that 5th wheel pushing that truck around,especially going down a steep grade.

I've had 12 ton In the bed of my 2017 super duty won't even pull the overload down😅

there is a tire called KANATI ARMOR HOG ATX LT 275 65 20 same size as your stock tire but it rated at 4080 lbs at 95 psi

That all sounds fine on RU-vid but not in court.

Buy the F450 dually and never look back. The ride of the F450 with the trailer on it will tell you all you need to know.

You are incorrect on tire load capacity. Your rear axle gawr is 6800 lbs by max tire load. Your scale shows 7580 lbs rear axle weight. That means you are overloaded by 780 lbs on the rear tires and 1840 lbs over gvwr. You are way overloaded. . I love the argument that a F250 with the 10800 gvwr package is a F350. Well F350 has a higher gvwr. Even with a F350 11500 lb gvwr you would still be borderline over loaded. I towed my 13500 lb fifth wheel with a ram 3500 mega cab are. It was 400 lbs under rear gawr and 100 lbs over gvwr and 100 lbs under gvwr. It pulled ok until I got pushed through a intersection in a emergency stop and pushed around in crossed winds moved up to a F350 dually. Pulls great. A very comfortable tow. That's what you need for a 16500 lb gvwr camper

The dealer is only trying to sell rvs

I have a 2021 F-250 7.3 2900# payload, to keep it legal I have been looking at a max loaded weight of around 13,000 pounds. My research is that most of the components are the same but there is an added leaf spring in the 350's that adds that 1000 pounds of payload to the cost of a harsher ride. The leaf spring is an easy swap or add on and if I were towing that rig I would probably look into that as aa stopgap till you get a new truck.

The frames are different between 250 and 350

In the same boat !

I don’t think you can be ticked for that, the truck is still able to pull that amount of weight. I don’t think that dot would care if your trailer is putting too much weight on your truck

My payload capacity says 4391, it’s a 2022 F-350 7.3 gas SWR, my camper weighs 2500 full. I’m all set.

I would be inclined to go to Ford and request that the vehicle be re-certified, based on your analysis of the suspense, powertrain parallel to the F350. What trips the trigger is the discrepancy between the sticker and the rating on the tires. As you say, these differences bring you within 200 lbs of being legal and nobody is writing tickets for 200 lbs.

I pull 16000 gvrw with a platinum 250 6.7. Bag it stop the squat. Keep the brake pads on your truck no more than 75000 miles before replacing shocks same schedule. Do your routine maintenance religiously. Have your front end inspected and replace everything worn at 100 to 125000 miles. Slow and easy and your rig can last you a long long time and do it safely. I have a 2015 and have been amazed at how well it works. Get the auto adjust bagging system you will love it game changer. Will also slow those COURTESY inspections on the side of the road. Happy miles to you

I know that the F-250 tremors are de-rated F-350's so it would make sense that your truck is likely also a de-rated F-350.

I just learned how absolutely clueless I am about stuff like this 😅😂 I know you know what you are doing. Good thing you have a knack for research. Y’all be safe out there ❤️

Something not adding up ?2022 platinum there no way the curb weight is near 9k . The max specified curb IS no more 7500 . Most are 6700 or less . The bed payload should be at least 3300 min. Should be more .

Possibly the difference is in the brakes/rear and or the wheel specs ( not the tires). Like previous comment it’s great you have a knack for research.

part number for timbren is FRTT350J

I have a 2022 f-350 SRW long bed with a 7.3 gas the payload on it is 4126 #

The tire pressure on the door sticker has nothing to do with the tires rated capacity. It's Fords recommended pressure in relation to your cargo capacity. Different max. cargo capacities require different pressures for proper tire life and wear qualities. Overweight is overweight regardless of any add on springs, airbags etc. What is on the door sticker is all that legally counts. We were at a campground once and saw someone pulling a 38' 5th wheel with a F150, he said it pulled fine, but that doesn't make it right.

I did major research on this. Spoke to a lawyer, looked at both Chevy 2500 diesel and 3500 diesel (SRW).Only difference is an extra leaf on suspension, steel rims and a heavier rated tire. (On a Chevy. Not sure on Ford or Dodge.) If you modify your 2500 diesel, you void what the factory door sticker says. (GVWR on door jamb may no longer apply ) JUST REMEMBER, YOUR WARRANTY MAY BE VOIDED) Once you change The vehicle from factory OEM specs everything changes. I added air lift and bigger tires and rims to my 2500 diesel 2019 Chevy Silverado it handles great and has plenty of towing ability. (Currently towing a 42’ 5th wheel with max weight of trailer rated at 17995lbs.)This applies to diesel trucks only! Gas 2500 or F250 are different than diesels across all brands. If you really want to cover your self legally, after you modify your truck you can get it recertified. In the end if you have a bad accident you are still going to be sued, but hopefully your insurance company will back you as long as you’re not factory stock and overweight. Good luck to all! Stay safe! Just remember, If something doesn’t feel right while towing, PULL OVER AND CHECK THINGS OUT! Safe travels everyone, maybe run into one of while camping.😁

For starters the axles in the f250 and f350 are different.

Just statically sitting your pin weight is over your manufacturer’s cargo capacity. Now add 2 adults, your 5th wheel hitch, stuff you put into your truck. Yikes! Perhaps you should have a defense attorney on retainer. Most people would say never go over 75% of manufacturer’s max ratings.

I have an 03 Ram 2500 SLT, Cummins 5.9, 6 speed manual transmission, regular cab, long bed, SRW / 2WD. I have spent many days and countless hours researching this subject, but where Ram 2500 HD vs 3500 HD is concerned. And I have discovered that the ONLY difference between the 03 2500 HD and 3500 HD SRW was the inclusion of overload springs on the 3500 HD... Literally EVERYTHING else is exactly the same. And this is true between the 2500 HD and 3500 HD going all the way through both 3rd and 4th gen models, all the way up to 2018, excepting of course the difference in engine and transmissions. Even the 5th gen trucks after 2018 all have the same rear axles, though at some point they started putting coil springs on many of their 2500s and 3500's instead of leaf springs, which when it comes to towing is actually a downgrade, all things considered. If you do not believe me, then just read the whole WIKI article of the evolution of the Ram line of heavy duty trucks. Regardless of the fact that the 2500s and 3500s SWD trucks are essentially the exact same truck insofar as the HD trim models are concerned, my 03 sticker says the GVWR is only 9000 lbs, while the 3500 HD of the same year is 9900 lbs. And later model trucks have even more payload for one reason or another, despite there being almost no difference between the older and newer trucks beside engines and some discrepancy in suspensions. Now I KNOW my 5.9 Cummins can easily pull the largest trailers out there, especially the high output version like the one I have. And I KNOW the transmission is more or less capable so long as it is equipped with a transmission cooler, and especially if it has been built out and bulletproofed. So I came to the conclusion that the ONLY thing my 2500 HD needed was a suspension upfit in order to make it every bit as capable of towing heaving loads as it's various 3500 HD counterparts, DRW trucks excluded for obvious reasons. And that is why I decided that I would simply completely overhaul my trucks suspension, adding 6000 lbs "SUPERSPRING" helper leafs, an HD sway bar and the heaviest duty sumo springs available to the rear axle, while adding new HD coils and sumo springs to the front axle, and new HD shocks all the way around. I also went so far as to add fast coolers to the tranny, a tire pressure monitor with sensors, and an exhaust brake into the mix as well. I am now more than confident that my 2500 HD is even more capable of towing heavy loads than ANY factory equipped 3500 HD SRW out there to date. Now maybe I am missing something, but I dont think I am. And I would gladly hear any challenges to my understanding. That being said, I am now also more or less convinced that, generally speaking, the door stickers on the heavy duty trucks are basically just smoke and mirrors in order to meet government regulations, and do not in any way accurately portray what these trucks are really capable of when it comes to towing, especially when upfiitted with aftermarket suspensions and towing mods. CHEERS!

I'm just curious. In your research, did you actually compare the spring packs between the F250 & F350? Do they have the same number of leaves? Do they both have an overload spring and is it the same? Are the leaves in the pack the same length, thickness, etc.? What about the axle tube, is it the same diameter? I know there have been several videos made about the F250 Tremor vs an F350 rear suspension, but they seem to draw the same conclusion: there is a difference between the F250 and the F350 non-Tremor models.

Totally understandable great video informative. payload is king when towing a camper DOT is strict especially if in an accident. With campers always look at all the numbers. I too am driving an F250 waiting to spec build an appropriate F350 SRW with the 12,400 GVWR package or just jumping straight up to an F450 great all-around capability and incredible turning radius for a dually especially compared to a 350 Dually again great video

I see some F250 trucks are 4x4 and others (like yours) is Fx4. Does this matter when towing?

Do what you want brother. This is America. Happy camping. Happy living.

Best to go F450 dually. Much safer, you'll always pull below rated specs by a good margin.

Anyone knowingly towing overloaded is really "out on a limb". Your insurance carrier may decline to cover you should you be in an accident. If you don't want to get a DRW, you should give some thought to having a personal liability policy that exceeds your net worth. Timbren's or air bags don't increase payload. They will level your truck and it may handle better but in no way do they help from a legal standpoint.

I didn't hear but did you confirm on scales? Some ppl get up in arms assuming they trailer is maxed out which is something you can definitely control. Personally I don't think you're unsafe: new, well maintained vehicle, prudent safe driving. But yeah, any accident and you're screwed because you're technically over. My understanding is these limits are based on pretty extreme cases (environment, road) but unfortunately there's only one value that goes on that sticker...

It's not a 350 no matter what you try convincing yourself. My srw 350 has a payload over 4k.

Good video and analysis. Regarding truck availability (not to mention expense)..... I now have a Home Base and between the cost of diesel and this past summer's heat everywhere, I decided to stay where I was in the Home Base. The trailer hasn't moved for nearly a year, so I was thinking of downsizing from my (2016) dually and (2020) 42' Sandpiper. I can probably get what I paid... for both. There's plenty of availability of the pull-trailer that I was considering. But getting a truck?? Even "just" an F-150?? I'll probably simply stick with what I've got even though it's now more than what I need and that dually is rattling my fillings loose. You seem very aware of your situation and are being sensible. That's a thousand per cent better than those who look at only one set of numbers then proclaim their Datsun 620 to be a 'towing machine'. If I were in your shoes, I'd ride out the truck availability problem as well.

The main differences is the frame thickness f350s have a thicker heavier frame

Did you ever compare the weight of the f350 vs the f250 truck by themselves or the wheel base? Just these values can make towing a lot safer if the tow vehicle is a bit heavier or longer.

If you buy a trailer house, buy a single screw haul truck….TRUCK! Any thing less, unsafe.

The Tremor package trucks are like this. The F250 and F350 Tremor are the EXACT same truck except for the sticker and badges. Its just a scam from ford to get a get a couple thousand bucks for a higher capacity sticker.

could you not get the truck re rated to reflect the tires and up graded suspension package ? I know in NZ and Australia you can simply get an engineer to inspect the vehicle for any upgrades that reflect bigger GVWR I have a 2021 F250 here in NZ the sad part here is we have a cut off at 6000KG on CVCWR before we move up to a different weight known as heavy ridged and extra costs so most RVs are around 7000bls

The only actual problem is in the event of an accident. There could be legal problems

Myself I have a CDL I would buy a Peter Built to pull that monster let's talk about fuel mileage

What Mr. GoTo has is a F250 that is equipped to the maximum a F250 can handle. He is comparing a maxed out F250 with a lowest capacity F350. Furthermore, he admits that he is overloading his truck while towing. Never good! In regards to the tires, there is no discrepancy. Ford recommends tire pressure of 60 psi front, 65 psi rear. Michelin rates the tires for a MAXIMUM pressure of 80 psi without deforming tire or having it explode due to over inflation. Most tires are not made for a specific model, which is why these tires can be used on a F250 or F350, as well as on the front or rear of the vehicle. They can also be used on trucks made by other manufacturers requiring the same tire rating. To conclude, Mr. GoTo is using a tow vehicle that is beyond it's rated capacity. There is no safety factor with his setup. He should be in a F350 to be towing this particular rig. Good luck to Mr. GoTo and anyone that's in close proximity to him while he's towing this setup down the road.

Trade your truck. I know the 250 diesel will pull it fine, but it’s the braking that will get you in the end. I know for a fact because I’ve been there, the F-250 has a heck of a time stopping a 5th wheel with that much weight. That’s why I went to a 350 with 7.3 gas. Good luck in finding a truck to handle the Solitude. I pull a similar Solitude with the 350.

If I’m seeing correctly you have the short bed. So I was wondering if you are using a sliding hitch or if you found out it was not needed.

Smart. Your one of the few that understand. The f250 is a derated f350 for tac reasons. To please people just put f350 badges on it and airbags amd your an f350.

Sow aht I was told is that if you are towing and get into a accidents and your truck and trailer shouldn't have been rated to tow what you are doing off what is on the dealers site and specs then your insurance can drop you and not cover the accident or drop coverage altogether on your setup. Does anyone know this is ture or not? I know the numbers and parts might line up but you could for sure have issues down the road.

I have a similar situation and have been researching the F250 Diesel for fifth wheel pulling for some time now. I have a 2017 F250 Lariat short-bed and a 260RD Reflection 150 but want to go a bit bigger but that requires a more capable truck. Problem is the trucks' towing capacities are less than the unit you have, so a Solitude is not possible. Problem 1: The Super Duties were updated in 2020 with a better engine and towing capacity but does your F250 have the Super High Capacity Trailer Tow package (Option 535). If yes, that good and it gives you lots of capacity for the Maximum Trailer weight. Problem 2: My 2017 only has 1932 pounds (per my door sticker) of "Payload Capacity" and that ends up being the major issue with a 250 short bed.. As a full-time RVer, I needed about 4000# of payload capacity for the next potential fifth wheel and that only comes from a long bed and an F350. The F350 has the high capacity trailer towing by default, so Problem 1 is fixed and then for for Problem 2, I recommend the 8 foot box. The short beds just don't have the payload capacity you need. Unfortunately you need to look at the door sticker for payload capacity on any F350 you consider as they are all unique and you can't look it up online (the Ford spec only shows for a regular cab and gas engine ( I called Ford and their engineers didn't even know how much weight going to a Platinum detracts from what they publish...pretty sad") . I am in the process of purchasing a 2022 F350 Crew Cab, Platinum with an 8 foot box that is planned to be picked up on Friday. It has 3859 # capacity. There is basically no inventory for 2022 out there and forget about getting a deal. 2023s are likely mid next year at best. I have looked pretty much up and down the eastern seaboard via the ford search which is very tedious. I still use a Reflection 150 which is much lighter than you Solitude, but with the new truck, I can begin to work towards a slightly larger fifth wheel. Grand Design Solitude or perhaps a Brinkley. Lastly, if you have other questions, let me know. I don't really put up RV videos but it may be on my list. Another RU-vidr, "Travels with Delaney" just upgraded his truck and while it's a lot lighter trailer, his methodology is spot on and worth watching. If I did a video, I'd basically copy his method. Good luck! I can send you an email, if you have questions.