F350 Dump Towing Capacity

[skipmarcy]

Not always.

You'll find many trucks front & rear axle ratings add up to more than the GVWR on the door jamb sticker. That's because they're several other factors that might limit the trucks GVWR. The "weakest link" determines max GVWR.

You could have 2 axles that add up to 11,000 GVWR and still have the GVWR limited by the capacity of the tires, brakes, wheels, parking brake, etc. In any case, the lowest capacity component is the determinant of GVWR.

I wasn't trying to explain how GVWR is calculated, I was merely stating that trailer tongue weight is to be included in everything that adds up to that specification, but not the weight of the of the trailer & it's load.

 

[Harold_J]

Wow, I just looked at the link to the web site on towing provided above (thanks) and was shocked. An f350 DRW cab/chassis with a v8 can only tow 7000 or 8500 lbs, depending on gear ratio. Not only that but the specs are for 5th wheel towing which are always higher than bumper towing. Hmm

Remember: 5th wheel/gooseneck ratings are much higher than aft of axle or "bumper pull" ratings...

I took a look at that Ford towing link also (thanks), and it's not true that 5th wheel towing capacity is always higher than conventional. This only comes into play when the max trailer weight starts to go beyond about 12,500# as with bigger engines or higher number axle ratios. Up to that point the capacities look the same for either type of hitch. What this probably means is that up to a certain engine size/axle combination the drivetrain specs will be the limiting factor, not the type of hitch.

I don't know about Ford but GM seems to give the towing capacities in the owners manual. The owners manual for my 2000 3500SRW has all the combinations of engines and axles etc and their tow limits. I have seen this in other GM trucks I have owned also. In 2000 GM limited conventional towing to 10,000#.