Towing capacity and cargo capacity

[vcbice]

Originally Posted by gharrison

please tell us wat we need to buy....to tow our new Jayco 315 rlts 5th wheel?? My old 2002 f 250 4x4 swb 7.3 L diesel with a 3.73 gear is doing OK but I feel pushed at times. Hills pull us down in speed. All this may be normal but we are new to this size trailer. What makes a f350 with a 3.55 gear pull my 5th wheel better?

Help, we can't mess up on what we buy.

Thanks

Your trailer is probably over the limits of the old 3/4T. Our shorter trailer is near the limits of our newer F250. The little truck does very well with the 11,000lb trailer and almost 2000lb pin weight. It can maintain 65mph on a 6% grade easily. I don't know what gearing it has. It was the cheapest diesel on the lot so I bought it.

I would bet your pin weight is what is causing the discomfort. Any time I have been at the cargo limits the truck will begin to feel squirrelly as the axle keeps hitting the bump stops. The newer trucks have much better suspensions than those of 10 or more years ago.

The one thing to be wary of is bed rail height. The newer trucks have high rails, especially the 4x4's. Mine is just below 60inches. If it is critical to you then see if you can find a 2WD. FWIW my rig is about 5in high at the nose just to clear the bed rails.

Basically, just look at the door stickers. The critical one for me has always been cargo capacity vs trailer pin weight. Figure out what cargo you carry, passengers and such, add in the weight of your hitch and anything else you carry (like a generator), the pin weight and compare that number to the sticker cargo capacity. If you want to be conservative, then make sure the capacity is several hundred pounds more than your load, eg, if your load is 2400lb then get a truck with a cargo capacity of 2800lb or so.

If you don't know your actual trailer weights it does pay to take it to the nearest scales (truck stops have cat scales). Well worth the small fee.

[TAK14Swift]

This thread really got me thinking. My 2001 1/2 ton Chevy Silverado's age was beginning to show and I have known for some time that I needed to get something less tired. Even though my 5900 lb trailer was within the weight and towing capacity of my 1500, I could see where the truck's cargo capacity could be exceeded or at least approached in certain situations
I ended up with a 3/4 ton Chevy 2300 HD in very good shape for its age. Drives good and feels bigger but I haven't towed my TT with it yet . I'm curious to see how it does.