User Tag List

Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 12
  1. #1
    Left The Driveway
    Join Date
    Sep 2018
    Posts
    6
    Mentioned
    0 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)

    F250 payload + 150 Series 5th wheel

    Hey guys
    question for you. So my wife and I are looking to get our first 5th wheel and I want to make sure I have done this math correct or if I am over compensating and we could get a larger 5th wheel.

    We have a 2017 F-250 diesel. We recently sold our F150 and got the 250 to get more power and payload. Our 150 payload was like 1600. When I look at the payload on the door of our F250 it says 2272. We are looking at the 150 series 5th wheel 268BH with a dry hitch weight of 1274. So my question is... if our payload is 2272 - 1274lbs (pin weight) - 35lbs hitch (andersen 5th wheel hitch) - 400lbs (family in truck) that leaves us about 563lbs for supplies, water, propane, and anything else we wanna take along.

    Does this math seem right and is there anything I’m not thinking about here... is that really the heaviest hitch weight 5th wheel we can get with this truck without pushing our payload to much? Just wanted to get your thoughts.

    We were leaning toward a 5th wheel because of the ceiling height, what we have heard about better towing control and less sway, layout and general feel. We could do a travel trailer, but I really didnt wanna tow a trailer more than 30 ft and most of what we like with front bathrooms and a bunk room area for kids seems to be in the 35ft range.

    thanks curious on your input.

  2. #2
    Paid my dues 😁 FT4NOW's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
    Posts
    4,570
    Mentioned
    136 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    Keep in mind the published pin weights are low, they dont include battery, propane bottles and whatever stuff gets loaded to the basement or front area of the RV. Also anything you've added inside your truck gets subtracted from the available payload (tools, toolbox, etc.). Your RV will have it's own available cargo weight it can carry, depending how its loaded will affect the pin weight differently. Items loaded behind or near the axles will have less affect on the pin weight compared to items loaded all the way up front. Other than that it seems like you are on the right track.

    Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
    Last edited by FT4NOW; 05-09-2020 at 05:45 AM.
    2023 Momentum 398M-R
    2023 Ford F-450

    SOLD - 2021 Reflection 311BHS
    SOLD - 2017 Momentum 399TH

  3. #3
    Site Sponsor sande005's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2017
    Location
    White Bear Lake, MN
    Posts
    1,483
    Mentioned
    21 Post(s)
    Tagged
    1 Thread(s)
    A lot of "rules of thumb" calculators out there say you should assume at least 20% of the 5ths weight to be on the pin. Some go up to 25%. The dry weights that GD state are just a hair over 16%. IF the GD published ratio holds, and you load the 5th to the max, that puts you at 1,550 pin weight (16% of the GVWR). Using 20% puts you at 1900.
    All companies show a substantially lighter pin/tongue weight than people experience in real life. Best to find owners of the model you are interested in, to see what their actual weights, loaded for camping, turned out to be. Using the worst case above, that puts your payload about 60 lbs over. But you'd have 1,700 lbs of extra "stuff" in the trailer.
    The very best thing you can do is to load your truck with all the stuff that would be actually in it for camping, including kids, dogs, snacks, tools, etc. and get to a truck scale and weight it. Then subtract that from the GVWR rating on the door sticker, to see how much margin you really have for the hitch and the pin. The sticker weights are based on what the truck weighed coming off the assembly line, and do not include after production add-ons like better floor mats, bed liners, running boards, etc., etc. Then see if you can find real world numbers from owners. There's probably a Facebook group, if no where else...

    My F-150 has a sticker of 2166. I knew from scales that my old Jayco fifth, loaded for camping, put us right at the limit. As much as I tried to fudge the numbers, it looked like GD's that were available at the time would put us about 2-300 lbs over. Just wasn't willing to do that, so we went with an Imagine instead.
    2017 Imagine 2670MK
    2012 F-150 SCrew, Eco, 4x4 6.5 box
    Max. Tow, HD Payload, Airbags, ProPride hitch
    (Previous: Jayco 26.5RLS Fifth, Revolution Pinbox)

  4. #4
    Site Team xrated's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2019
    Location
    "Murvul", TN
    Posts
    3,357
    Mentioned
    135 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    If the 268BH, with a GVWR of 9500 lbs is loaded to near that capacity, that will likely put right at 1900 lbs of pin weight on your truck, which has a payload capacity of 2272, which leaves you a margin of approx. 375 lbs. Adding up the weight that you listed, 400 lbs for family in the truck, 35 lbs for the hitch, that puts you in the negative numbers....just slightly. And as someone stated, anything and everything that goes in/on the truck counts against the available payload. If you've added a toolbox with tools in the truck bed, a bedliner, firewood, anything and everything that wasn't on the truck the day it was built, counts against that 2273 number. Did the truck have a 5ver prep package in it when it was built? If not, the framework under the bed of the truck and whatever it weights, counts against that 2273 number. I'm not trying to "nitpick" with numbers here, but you certainly need to know what all is involved with making a good decision and one that you won't regret AFTER the purchase.

    That trailer, if loaded correctly and maybe not to the full GVWR on it (9500 lbs), could possibly be an option for you. The reason that i keep mentioning the 9500 lb number is that many folks think that they will never load that much stuff into the trailer that they have and eventually, they keep adding more and more stuff and pretty soon, the trailer is over the GVWR and sometimes, when the truck payload numbers are right on the edge of being overloaded, then the truck also becomes overloaded. So, there ya go on a quick summary of how this stuff all works out. And only YOU know how much or how little you will add to the truck/trailer combination as far as weight.
    2016 F350 CrewCab Dually
    2018 Momentum 394M...Heavily Modded!
    2023 Suzuki GSX-S1000 GT+
    Excessive Payload is a Wonderful Thing

    "If it ain't fast....It ain't Fun"

  5. #5
    Big Traveler Grandesigner's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2020
    Location
    Central NM, USA!
    Posts
    1,044
    Mentioned
    14 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    Problem is most of us don't really know how much they load into trucks and trailers, am I right? lol
    We are considering the 268bh also, but it only has like 1784 lb CCC, which is less than the 240rl and 260rd, but it has more closet space for longer trips.
    Any 268bh owners here with advice and stories?

  6. #6
    Site Team Second Chance's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2014
    Location
    Wherever...
    Posts
    9,016
    Mentioned
    187 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    Both of our GD fifth wheels have put 23% of the loaded weight on the pin. Use the GVWR of the trailer to estimate loaded weight and you'll have a max number for pin weight to be safe. To get the true payload for your truck, load it with passengers, fuel and stuff and take it to the nearest CAT scale to weigh it. Subtract that weight - and another 150 lbs. for a fifth wheel hitch - from the GVWR on the truck's door sticker. That's your true payload. Working backwards with that number, take the truck payload from the CAT scale calculations and multiply that by 4.35 and that's the GVWR of a fifth wheel you can consider.

    Rob
    U.S. Army Retired
    2012 F350 DRW CC LB Lariat PS 6.7
    2020 Solitude 310GK-R, MORryde IS, disc brakes,
    Sailun LRG tires, solar, DP windows, W/D
    (Previously in a Reflection 337RLS)
    Full time since 08/2015

  7. #7
    Big Traveler Wicked ace's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2018
    Location
    Southeast PA.
    Posts
    1,411
    Mentioned
    20 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    That 268BH is just like the 260RD I have with a few feet tacked on the rear to accommodate the rear bunks. Practicality speaking you will have a hitch weight north of 1500#, I weigh in at 1525#-1550# on the hitch. Comparing 1/2 ton towable trailers a common theme I found is 18% is the number to use to approximate hitch weight. I.E. weigh your trailer loaded and multiply by .18 and you'll be close. I'm nearly dead on at unloaded weight, loaded and GVWR when calculating that way. So if you use the GVWR of 9500# x .18 you could be looking at 1710#.
    My truck has a sticker payload of 2461# after I put on some suspension aids, an Andersen hitch and accessories to make the truck mine I loaded my dog, a cooler to keep cold drinks and a few sandwiches and filled up with gas and after weighing I'm left with 2050# of usable payload (7850 GVWR - scaled weight). I figure I have a 300 - 350# cushion once I'm loaded and ready as sometimes, not always, I'll carry firewood or a generator. If you want to abide the payload you would be cutting it close due to family members in the truck.
    BTW if you want any chance of making it work a traditional fifth wheel hitch would be too heavy, a slider out of the question. If you don't have a gooseball already look at getting a Curt Double Lock or B&W turnoverball with an Andersen Ultimate hitch.
    Last edited by Wicked ace; 07-03-2020 at 04:42 PM.
    2018 F150 XLT 301a, Screw, 4x4, HDPP, Max tow, Andersen Ultimate w/ Curt Double Lock hitch.
    2019 Grand Design Reflection 150 series 260RD.... SOLD!!!!.

  8. #8
    Seasoned Camper Big Blue's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2018
    Location
    Florida
    Posts
    213
    Mentioned
    3 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    Paralysis by Analysis.... is what I suffer from.... That said, IMHO towing a 5th wheel is always better.at least, when crossing the Great Plains in the spring... I lost my slideout cover in North Dakota this year... I find these "payload" threads tedious... yet I can't stop reading them...... A few years ago I had a Class C, that was unmanageable in a heavy cross wind.. Aftermarket overload springs and swaybar fixed it completely..... Lots of aftermarket options for a F250... Lots of info on other forums on how well they work.... or just get an F450
    2019 230RL Reflection ..... 1996 Dodge 2500 Cummins still pulling just as hard as the day I brought her home November 1995...3.6 Onan. 2 battleborns 300 watts solar, 1500 watt aims inverter....(Convictions are a far greater foe of truth than lies) {Nietztche}

  9. #9
    Left The Driveway
    Join Date
    May 2020
    Posts
    9
    Mentioned
    0 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    I see many people using the manufactures weight numbers to determine their proper tow vehicle. I wanted to ad some real world numbers to that. I have a 2020 Reflection 230RL and Grand Design lists the weights as 6,888 lbs UVW and a hitch weight of 1,195 lbs. I have weighed my truck and trailer on CAT scales twice. Once with my 2017 F250 and once with my 2020 F350. The first time it was packed for camping and I had around 25 gallons of fresh water. My 2017 F250, me and a full tank of gas weighed 7080 lbs. I had a 50 lb generator and some misc. stuff in the bed so maybe 150 lbs. Per CAT scale my pin weight was 2,020 lbs and my trailer weight was 9,100 lbs. Again I had some stuff in the bed so maybe deduct 150 lbs from those numbers to get the actual trailer weights. I weighed my F350 and trailer packed for camping but without the generator and the numbers were almost exactly the same if you factor in the 500 lb. heavier truck. I have not weighed my F350 without the trailer yet so I don't have exact numbers. So for the people who want to tow a 150 series Reflection with an F150 or even an F250 deisel...don't use the Manufactures numbers... And this is with one of Grand Design's smallest 150 series fifth-wheels. Im not trying to payload shame people, I just think everyone should see some real world numbers.
    2020 Reflection 230RL
    2020 Ford F-350 CC Lariat Ultimate with 7.3ltr.

  10. #10
    Seasoned Camper
    Join Date
    Nov 2019
    Posts
    368
    Mentioned
    3 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    I’m a huge believer in sticking within the numbers for safety. However, you have to understand what an F250 is - a truck with a GVWR to keep it as a class 2 vehicle for registration. This does NOT make it exactly the same as an F350 except springs (as often claimed), there are usually other small differences that matter. But it does lend some debate as to how much payload it can handle safely. In my opinion, the RAWR is your most important number. Closely followed by gross combined weight.

    I say all this to state that I would not sweat trying to be exactly at or under the payload number with an F250. If you went on a trip with extra stuff in the bed or water in the tanks and ended up slightly over .. long as you didn’t overload the axle or bottom out the springs it really shouldn’t matter from a safety or capability standpoint.. That truck, more so than just about any other except maybe a 450, is limited primarily for registration purposes vice actual capability. So don’t go crazy. But no need to overthink here. It’s plenty of truck for the trailer used as an example by the OP.

    Not starting a legality debate. Different question entirely. Good advice above on using trailer GVWs and percentages when doing math vice published ‘dry weight’.
    2022 Transcend Xplor 240ML
    2019 Imagine XLS 17MKE (sold 8/22)
    2017 Ford F-150 XLT 5.0 Fx4
    Blue Ox WDH

Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

DISCLAIMER:This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Grand Design RV, LLC or any of its affiliates. This is an independent site.