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Crawlers, Dozers, Loaders & Backhoes Discussion Forum

How much can an F250 tow safely/legally?

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seann

02-03-2006 14:56:27




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I'm thinking about getting a trailer for my old (1990) F250 w/302 (gas) motor and manual shift. The truck is already equipped with a class three hitch and runs pretty good, although the clutch might need a refresher. How much weight can I safely and legally tow with this setup without having to buy heaps of insurance and still be free of excessive taxation/regulations? And when I say how much can it tow I mean how heavy can the equipment by itself be without including the trailer. And what are the best recommendations for the right kind of trailer? Thanks in advance for any help!

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Leland

02-07-2006 08:40:12




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 Re: How much can an F250 tow safely/legally? in reply to seann, 02-03-2006 14:56:27  
with a 302 I would not push my luck and stay on flat ground anything over a couple of tons and you will fall flat on your face and hills will kill you been there done that .



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jdp

02-04-2006 18:37:31




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 Re: How much can an F250 tow safely/legally? in reply to seann, 02-03-2006 14:56:27  
Lets just stick to safty A RIDING LAWN MOWER is about all you need to be hauling with that antique its 16 years old give it a rest



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john_bud

02-03-2006 20:09:13




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 Re: How much can an F250 tow safely/legally? in reply to seann, 02-03-2006 14:56:27  
Seann,

The upper limit based on your parameters of taxation/regualation is 10,000 pounds. Any trailer (except an RV) requires you to have a CDL or Commercial Drivers License.

Your state may have additional regs on trucks towing. Some are real nasty and $$$ . Go on your state DOT web page and look around.

jb

jb



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Bret4207

02-07-2006 14:57:32




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 Re: How much can an F250 tow safely/legally? in reply to john_bud, 02-03-2006 20:09:13  
Each state has different requirements as to licensing. For instance, NY doesn't require a CDL until you break 26K or hazmat or over a certain number of passengers. We need to stop making blanket statements and advise folks to see what their State requires.



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bcPA

02-03-2006 18:05:15




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 Re: How much can an F250 tow safely/legally? in reply to seann, 02-03-2006 14:56:27  
I would call 1800weaverd and ask for a free catalog. Much good info in it. Check owners manual for weight ratings and catalog for hitch rating. Then you must find out weight of empty trailer. Subtract that weight from lower value of truck or hitch rating. Also must be at or below loaded weight rating of trailer. 10% of trailer weight should end up on ball hitch so that throws classroom calculations off a bit but that 10% could be your fudge factor or safety margin.

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chip man

02-03-2006 15:04:53




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 Re: How much can an F250 tow safely/legally? in reply to seann, 02-03-2006 14:56:27  
Usually the weight rating of the weakest link. Class 3 hitch is usually 5000#



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seann

02-03-2006 16:13:10




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 Re: How much can an F250 tow safely/legally? in reply to chip man, 02-03-2006 15:04:53  
Thanks chipman. Actually I'm not sure if I have a class three hitch or not, some guy from a local rental company said I probably have a class three if the ball isn't simply connected to the bumper alone. But he didn't actually see it, so I'm wondering if what I have is capable of towing more than 5000lbs. It looks pretty solid and is bolted to the frame with a heavy 2x2 steel box tubing structure. Below are a few pics of it. I know it needs a receiver of some type but I'm not sure what type and I'm unclear on how much it can handle. Can some of you guys look at these pics and maybe give me an idea of what it looks like I have here? Thanks again...


third party image

third party image

third party image

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chip man

02-03-2006 20:07:02




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 Re: How much can an F250 tow safely/legally? in reply to seann, 02-03-2006 16:13:10  
I see that your hitch is a bolt together design. they are usually rated at 5000# with a straight hitch, and 7500# with a wieght distributing hitch. a class 4 hitch (all welded) usually is rated for 5000# on a straight hitch and 10,000# with a weight distributing hitch. I have a class five hitch on my 3/4 ton gmc, it is very heavy, weighs more than double what a class four does. Its rated at 7500# with a straight hitch and 14,000# with a weight distributing hitch. I have never seen a receiver that is rated more than 10,000# I have towed a 9500# trailer with a straight hitch with my truck, with good brakes on the trailer, and I would not want to go down many hills with it.

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seann

02-04-2006 16:07:47




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 Re: How much can an F250 tow safely/legally? in reply to chip man, 02-03-2006 20:07:02  
Thanks to everyone for their helpful suggestions. There's more complexity to this towing stuff than I had anticipated. I looked in my F250 owner's manual and it has information on how much my truck can haul. You have to read off of the sticker inside the driver's door jamb and it has axle, engine, spring etc codes that you cross reference to a chart in the operator's manual to compute your total max towing weight. If I'm reading it correctly it says that my truck is only capable of pulling around 4000 lbs total (F250 with 302 gas engine and 3:55 gears). That surprises me, I thought a V8 F250 could pull quite a bit more than that, but I guess that's reserved for the larger engined/diesel models with super towing packages. So at this point it looks like the limiting factor isn't my hitch, but my truck not having enough a$$!

Oh well, back to the drawing board, thanks again for everyone's help.

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Stickler

02-04-2006 22:13:47




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 Re: How much can an F250 tow safely/legally? in reply to seann, 02-04-2006 16:07:47  
I've got the same truck, but an F150. let me tell you, when they say 4000 lbs, they are OVERrating it! With the 302 and 3:55 gears, the thing will barely stay ahead of its own shadow empty! Towing a 3500 lb trailer it is impossible to even get up to speed limit. The slightest hill means lots of downshifting. The 302 is the real weak link, same truck with a 351 is MUCH better.

Age of a truck has no bearing on its tow capability, that truck was never any good to tow with, even brand new.

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jdemaris

02-04-2006 17:35:52




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 Re: How much can an F250 tow safely/legally? in reply to seann, 02-04-2006 16:07:47  
My receiver hitch on my 3/4 ton Chevy Suburban has an 11,000 lb. rating, but the receiver hitch on my Ford F250 is only marked 5000 lbs. The hitches both look the same to me, but I assume there's a differece. I think your concern shouldn't just be what the truck can pull, but also how much it can stop in an emergency situation, unless you want to trust your life to the trailer brakes and controller. Ford makes the F250 with various ratings. My 6.9 diesel 1985 F250 has a GVRW of 8600 lbs. I live in the hills, not flatland. When I pull a ball-hitch trailer weighing 7000 lbs. I don't feel very safe. My Suburban handles it better. On the other hand, I've moved my backhoe with a gooseneck trailer with a total weight that's probably over 12,000 lbs. and I felt safer than with the lighter trailer with the ball hitch. Climbing steeps hills was at 35 MPH though, and if my trailer brakes had ever failed coming down a hill - I think I would of been in deep sh*t. For myself, I'll never chance moving my backhoe again with my F250 in the mountains, but I'd be fine with it on flat roads. I am getting older and perhaps a bit more cautious (or chicken?). 20-30 years ago, I would've put a six-pack of beer next to me in the truck, and towed just about anything, anywhere.

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seann

02-04-2006 19:56:39




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 Re: How much can an F250 tow safely/legally? in reply to jdemaris, 02-04-2006 17:35:52  
Interesting story jd, thanks for sharing it. I thought I was going to have to tow a ~7,000lb backhoe that I was going to look at today, so that's why I was looking into this whole towing thing. I spoke with the local rental agency guys in my town and they had a tandem wheel trailer that would have handled it and they said the brakes on it worked really well. They were mechanically operated, if the truck brakes the trailer bears down on the hitch and applies a force to a mechanical mechanism inside the trailer's hitch, which in turn causes the trailer brakes to activate. That surprised me because I worked on some trailer brakes (once) a long time ago and they were electrically activated. Plus he said that if the trailer broke free the trailer brakes would activate too. Overall it looked pretty good, plus the trailer was professionally maintained and insured.

And personally I wouldn't mind towing a little more than what the manufacturer says it's considered capable of towing (powerwise), as long as (1) I knew the truck and trailer brakes were excellent and (2) it was on pretty flat ground. My truck brakes are good, but it is a 15 year old truck. Last year I already had one of the rear brake lines rust out on me which caused the pedal to go straight to the floor one day. It was pretty scarey, the only brake action I had was the emergency brake. Fortunately it was offroad when it happened, but that sure would be an unwelcome surprise with several thousand pounds behind me in traffic!

Oh and the backhoe I went to look at turned out to be a full size JCB (the lady thought it was a "JD" because "it was yellow"), probably on the order of 7 tons or so. Now I have to find a trucker to get it home, can't wait to start checking it out.

Thanks to all again...

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