website for determining vehicle's towing capacity?

[ILoveDisney&Cruising]

We are getting closer to biting the bullet and getting a new tow vehicle. DH would like it for our November trip to WDW.

I know there is a camping website that lists a vehicle's towing capacity as well as other peoples experience towing with said vehicle. Can anyone help me find it?

DH is considering a 2008 Ford F-350 diesel dually 4x4 with 6.4 engine (I think)

I believe the salesman said it would tow about 15,000 lbs, but you know how salesmen are ...... so I just want to be sure.

Thanks!!!

 

[poohbearwithme]

We are getting closer to biting the bullet and getting a new tow vehicle. DH would like it for our November trip to WDW.

I know there is a camping website that lists a vehicle's towing capacity as well as other peoples experience towing with said vehicle. Can anyone help me find it?

DH is considering a 2008 Ford F-350 diesel dually 4x4 with 6.4 engine (I think)

I believe the salesman said it would tow about 15,000 lbs, but you know how salesmen are ...... so I just want to be sure.

Thanks!!!

To be honest there are not many things to can be towed that a F350 Dually can't tow. It can also tow a few that aren't meant to be towed. But for your peace of mind here is a pretty good "Tow Rating Database". It does not have 2008 info yet but it should soon. But GVWR don't usally change too much from year to year so you can get a general idea.

 

[bradisgoofy]

Go to http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/listings/forum/41.cfm and post your question there. There are lots of "Weight Police" there that will help you.

 

[Claymax]

We are getting closer to biting the bullet and getting a new tow vehicle. DH would like it for our November trip to WDW.

I know there is a camping website that lists a vehicle's towing capacity as well as other peoples experience towing with said vehicle. Can anyone help me find it?

DH is considering a 2008 Ford F-350 diesel dually 4x4 with 6.4 engine (I think)

I believe the salesman said it would tow about 15,000 lbs, but you know how salesmen are ...... so I just want to be sure.

Thanks!!!

I'm a car and truck nut and research everything. I like Edmunds.com for research. Good reputation and thorough specs.

Here's a link to their Ford page below but it will take a few clicks. They don't have 2008 specs up yet either but you can get to it from here when it does.
http://www.edmunds.com/used/ford/index.html

Here's a link to the 2007 F-350 review page;
http://www.edmunds.com/used/2007/ford/f350superduty/100728324/review.html?pop=1

They say the 2007 6.0 liter diesel would tow 15,000 so I don't see why the new 6.4 wouldn't. (If that's what's coming.)

Anyway, I really like Edmunds' site, hope it helps.

 

[Shorty82]

To be honest there are not many things to can be towed that a F350 Dually can't tow. It can also tow a few that aren't meant to be towed.

I thought the same thing after reading the OP but before reading your post.

Regular F350s are HUGE. 4WD Dually 350s are even bigger and with the large diesel engine they are quite powerful. With the right towing setup I'm betting one could tow the some of the largest travel trailers out there with ease.

 

[MS_mom_1965]

We have a 3/4 ton diesel (an F250) with 4 wheel drive, and it pulls pretty darn good. I would imagine a full ton dualie would pull the front off whatever you needed to be towing!

 

[auntie]

I think with a 350 you can forget about a TT or a 5th Wheel...you can just tow your house where you want to go.

 

[ILoveDisney&Cruising]

I think with a 350 you can forget about a TT or a 5th Wheel...you can just tow your house where you want to go.

That's what I want to hear! When we bought our current vehicle (2002 E-250 conversion van) WAY before the thought of a travel trailer even entered our minds, the salesman told me it'd pull anything. Reminds me of the schpeel my dad gave me 15 years ago when buying a computer "nobody will EVER need more than 170k of hard drive. DH is a self-employed contractor and occasionally needs to tow a trailer. The conversion van IS a nice, comfy ride - but struggles towing over the hills of PA - I can't even imagine trying to head west to the Rockies one day with it.

Just wanted to make sure the new truck will do the job - 'cuz if I know us, one day we'll want one of those heavy ole 5th wheels. Looks like we should be ok. THANKS for all the help, everybody!!!

 

[HappyDznyCamper]

My dad tows the 38p fifth wheel (http://www.kz-rv.com/sp_sportster/specifications.html) with his f350 dually
He had no problem with the trip from FL to Knoxville to DC this summer.

 

[des1954]

There is a lot of information on towing capacity of vehicles out there...some good, some not so good.

The best bet is to check the vehicle owners manual. If it doesn't give the specifics...or if you have questions, e-mail the manufacturer. The information you receive from a non-authorized source will not be considered by your vehicle's manufacturer if you've been given bad info.

Motor Home magazine published information about 3-4 years ago regarding towing a dingy vehicle and stated that a certain model of Jeep could be towed 4 wheels down without modification to the vehicle's tranny. BAD, BAD!!! Chrysler made MHM print a retraction the following month.

Now, I know this is a reference to towing a pull-behind, but the same principle applies.

When in doubt - check with the manufacturer. Even better, get it in writing in case you have a problem!

Better to be safe than sorry!

 

[LarryJ]

I've been towing TT since the early 70's and the same 26' 6K TT since 1982. I've towed coast to coast and border to border including the Rockies and Cascades. My two tow vehicles were a 1978 E-250 with the 460 V8 and since 2001 with our E-350 with the 7.3L PSD with a 4.10 rear end. My recommendations are:

1. Go not by what trailer sales"people" say, but use the GVWR of the trailer as your starting point and use 10% tongue weight for TT and 20% pin weight for 5er's.

2. Get an engine combo and rear axle ratio that gives you at least a 2 to 3K safety margin over what the tow vehicle manufacturer's list it can do. In my case our E-350 has a 10K GVWR and a 20K GCWR. Loaded for bear and with almost 60 gal of fuel and our Van packed to the gills with the TT axles weight being within a couple of hundred pounds of the GVWR for our trailer I run right close to 16K GCWR. I want never pleased with the towing performance of our 1978 Van and often found myself shifting into second even on some of the larger interstate hills such as found on the souther portion of I-81. My current Van tows what I have like a dream plus I'm no getting close to 12mpg vs. the 7 to 8 with the gasser.

3. A really big issue for you is that I would definitely get the F-350 and the question you have to ask is if you really in fact need the dually or not. With your family you will probably have to get a crew cab. If you're buying new you're looking at a $50K+ investment in a tow vehicle. You need to really consider if you think you're going to stick with a TT or go with a 5er. With the proper hitch setup (i.e. either a Hensley, or DrawTite) the sway issue is nil but those are $2 to $4K hitch setups. I personally don't think if you go much above a 32' 5er would do that with a SRW vehicle because of the stability and extra heavy duty rear end in the dually offers. However, really consider how you will use this vehicle when not actually towing. A Dually Crew Cab is not a grocery getter and even around town you will still only get around 15mpg.

4. As recommended sign up and start reading sites like RV.net and if you're serious about a Ford setup a great site with an excellent Towing and Hauling forum is "thedieselstop.com".

5. When reading doing your research cull thru and use sites like mentioned in #4 above and throw out what sale people and manufacturers say except for things like GVWR, GCWR, RAWR, FAWR.

6. Finally get your tow vehicle first and load it up with full fuel and anything else you plan to carry including passengers and then get it weighed at a set of scales for each axle and use that to determine how much trailer and type you can tow.

Good luck

Larry