PIN weight vs hitch weight……?

[Germanrazor]

Can someone advise if the “PIN” weight rating for a truck is different than hitch weight? Stupid question I know but in determining my F250 limits or range you might say, I cannot find a single published number for any difference.

I have a stock F250 7.3 liter FX4 with 3.55 gearing. Looking to see if a Fiver of 10,600 dry and is no more than 13,000 loaded would work. From all the numbers I can find, I think so.

 

[Gronk]

There isn't really any difference. Now, far as your truck, yes, it will tow the trailer. Will you like the way it handles that big of a trailer? Maybe...... The DRY WEIGHT means absolutely nothing far as towing. The GVW from the sticker on the left side is the number to look at. Take that number (13,000 pounds) and figure 20 to 25 percent for the pin weight. You are looking at between 2600 to 3250 pounds in the box. Now, add the hitch and everything you want to carry in the truck including you and anyone else in the truck. You are going to have in excess of 3,000 pounds in the box. Just as an example, my trailer at 14,000 pounds is actually really close to putting me over what my truck is rated for and I have a dually. I started out with this trailer like you, with a 250/2500. Yep, pulled it fine, but I broke the transmission three times and at the end of the day I was wore out from fighting it. After I got my dually it was pleasurable to tow, even with a side wind!

 

[Germanrazor]

There isn't really any difference. Now, far as your truck, yes, it will tow the trailer. Will you like the way it handles that big of a trailer? Maybe...... The DRY WEIGHT means absolutely nothing far as towing. The GVW from the sticker on the left side is the number to look at. Take that number (13,000 pounds) and figure 20 to 25 percent for the pin weight. You are looking at between 2600 to 3250 pounds in the box. Now, add the hitch and everything you want to carry in the truck including you and anyone else in the truck. You are going to have in excess of 3,000 pounds in the box. Just as an example, my trailer at 14,000 pounds is actually really close to putting me over what my truck is rated for and I have a dually. I started out with this trailer like you, with a 250/2500. Yep, pulled it fine, but I broke the transmission three times and at the end of the day I was wore out from fighting it. After I got my dually it was pleasurable to tow, even with a side wind!

So if I understand you correctly….lol, my payload is 3061 lbs if I recall. If I take the intended hitch weight of the Fiver which is 1665 dry….let’s say 1900 after adding a few things to the camper. Now we add the installed hitch and let’s just say 250 lbs. Let’s now add gear in the truck that will be on-board while towing to include me….let’s say that comes to 350 lbs.

So the arithmetic begins…..

1900 + 250 + 350 = 2500 lbs. Now let me even pad that 100 for good measure now I am at 2600

3061 - 2600 = 461 lb buffer?

So the weight into the bed is like payload and taken from that number? My hitch weight is 1500 lbs.as printed. So that rating has no input here?

So if this is true….the truck is weighted for such a camper I can only assume. Let me go further and do aftermarket springs or shocks to assist and maybe even airbags, this could make the ride even better and safer over what the manufacturer would already deem safe???

 

[Germanrazor]

So if my truck is also rated to tow 15000 then a Fiver which of the one I describe will never approach the maximum 13600 lb maximum would be within safe towing?

 

[Gronk]

Sorry, been gone for a couple of days...... Anyhow, the way you are looking at things is correct. EVERYTHING you put in or on the truck is to be subtracted from the payload. Far as adding to things to make it 'safer' to tow a larger trailer, TECHNICALLY there is nothing you could do for that "according to the manufacturer's specs". I would be really surprised to see your truck with a 15k fiver on and sitting level with stock suspension. Fivers generally run anywhere from 20% to 25% of GVW for pin weight. SO, that means a 15k fiver would have anywhere from 3,000 to 3750 pounds of pin weight WITHOUT even thinking of the weight of the hitch, passengers, and what ever else you want to put in the truck. Just to give you an idea what they are like, I have a one ton dually towing a fiver that weighs about 14,000 pounds. According to the numbers it just about maxes out the truck for weight. Going by the max tow rating is foolish in my opinion (and we all know what that is worth). After all Toyota showed their truck towing the space shuttle so it must be capable and safe, right?