Dealer says truck is undersized and requires a waiver to sell it to me

[ThePearls]

My wife and I had decided on getting a Reflection 337RLS 5th Wheel.

I went to my local for dealer to purchase my tow vehicle.

2020 F350 Diesel SRW 4x4 Crew Cab 8ft box Lariat 18" All Terrain Tires with a GVWR of 12,400lb

They asked what was the weight of the 5th wheel we wanted to tow and I gave them the 14,000lb GVWR of the 337.

They spec'd out the truck on their Ford order tools and told me the truck would not be adequate and that I needed a DRW.

These are the numbers they used.

Occupants Weight 750lb
Tongue Weight (25% Hitch Factor) 3,500lb
Hitch Weight 200lb
Truck Curb Weight 8,000lb
-------
Gross Vehicle Weight 12,450lb

We are 50lb over the GVWR by their numbers. They said Ford recommends being 15% Under GVWR.

The dealer says they will sell me the truck but that I will need to sign a waiver saying they advised the truck was not adequate for the proposed trailer.

Based on 337 pin weights I've seen here on this forum, I think 3,500 is a bit high. I've seen one post that says 3,400lb but most are closer to 3,000. I also think 750lb is a bit high for occupants. For the most part, it's just myself & my wife and maybe a cooler. Ocassionally 2 grandchildren.

My thought is to go to another dealer and purchase the truck with no mention of a trailer. Unfortunately, all my wife heard was "unsafe!".

I know there are people towing 337's with various sized trucks. Some very undersized. How close to max payload is OK? Does it need to be 15% under?

[phonemannn]

I will give the Ford dealer cudos for doing the right thing........
Just buy the Dually . 800.00 more, or so....
IMO

[cfowler55]

I agree that , if you were going to be overweight, the dealer did the right thing. I also think you would end up being within weight specs , but probably close. We have a 310 Solitude that would be ok at 15k with most new one ton SRW’s. That being said , if you were to actually see and feel the difference in stability towing with a DRW has , you would be sold.
Charlie

[bertschb]

My opinion? A 2020 F-350 SRW is perfectly fine for the 337RLS at 13,995 GVWR. My personal cut off for a DRW is 15-16,000lbs depending on length. I'd be willing to bet a good chunk of money that the majority of people towing 337's are using F-250's.

BTW, I've never heard of a truck dealer asking for a waiver. RV dealer? Yes. Truck? No way. Unless you're getting a killer deal on the truck, I'd go to another dealer out of principle. It's none of the dealers business what you choose to do with your truck.

One more thing-
I towed our 2016 Reflection (13,995lb) with a 2016 3500 SRW. It worked fantastic. No stability problems at all. I towed our 2019 Solitude (16,800lbs) with a 2019 F-350 DRW. It also worked great. I couldn't tell the difference between the two when towing.

[Jerryr]

Are they saying you need to be 1,867 lbs UNDER your payload?

Based on their numbers 12,450 lb GVW and 8000 lbs Curb weight gives you 4,450 lbs of payload.
My 2019 F-350, CCSB Lariat has 11,500 lbs GVW and 7,977 lbs curb weight.

[ThePearls]

The difference between the SRW and DRW is $2800 but it's not the money. We will be traveling maybe 4 or 5 months a year max. The rest of the time, it will be a daily driver for myself and my wife, towning nothing heavier than my fishing boat. If at all possible, I rather not go DRW. I do not deny that the DRW would be more stable but as long as the SRW is not unsafe, I'd rather stick with SRW.

[ThePearls]

Hi Jerry,
Yes, the yellow door sticker on a 2020 F350 in the configuration specified is 4,500lb payload. It has to be a 8ft bed, Club Cab and have the 18 or 20" All Terrain Tires.

[ThePearls]

Here is the Windows Sticker and Payload Sticker

[bertschb]

Good grief! 4,561lbs payload? That is a lot for an F-350 SRW. That dealer has no idea what they're talking about!

[Clanker24]

I have never had a dealer ask the weight of the trailer I plan on towing. There 25% pin weight is way too high. The last time I scaled my truck I had 3660 pin and trailer weight 19280. That’s around 19%