Safe to tow?

[jmlocklin]

I am looking to upgrade my camper to an Outback 330RL. My truck is a F-250 Diesel. Before I buy I would like to make sure my truck can pull it safely. I am attaching pictures of the stickers of the truck and camper. I am no good with numbers so asking for a little help and advice. Any thoughts are welcomed.

[JDDilly]

You have a cargo capacity of 1750 lbs and the hitch weight of that camper is 1100 lbs (from online search). That leave you with 650 lbs for fuel, DEF (if needed), people, pets, tools and any other items you carry in your truck. IMHO, it is too close to going over the cargo capacity of that truck.

[wiredgeorge]

Take a picture of your yellow/white PAYLOAD placard in your door frame. I couldn't read much on the pictures you posted anyway. Example of payload placard:

[flybouy]

You need to post the yellow/white sticker from your truck with the payload number. Your deisel will "pull" anything but the truck's limitation is how much it can "carry". The listed trailer at gross weight will have a tongue weight close to 1,400 lbs. Add another 110 or so for a good WDH and you'll have a 1,500 lb load before you climb in.

The truck sticker you posted is fuzzy so I don't know what model it is. The diesel, crew cab, 4x4 , and higher end models all reduce payload. If you look at my sig MY F250 is under with a tongue weight around 1,000 - 1,100 lbs., me the DW and dog. That's MY setup, your's WILL BE DIFFERENT.

The best advice I can give you is to load up your truck just like your going camping with ice chest, food, fireworks, firewood, whatever you normally take in the truck. Also place your hitch and WDH bars in the bed of the truck and go to a CAT scale or other scale. Take that scale weight and subtract it from that 10k gvw and you'll find out what's left of your load capacity. Use the gvw of the trailer to calculate the tongue weight. Take that number and multiply by .13 (13%) for a realistic approximated tongue weight. You won't know the ACYUAL tongue weight until you load it up and weight it at a scale.

[flybouy]

Originally Posted by JDDilly

You have a cargo capacity of 1750 lbs and the hitch weight of that camper is 1100 lbs (from online search). That leave you with 650 lbs for fuel, DEF (if needed), people, pets, tools and any other items you carry in your truck. IMHO, it is too close to going over the cargo capacity of that truck.

That cargo capacity is from the trailer NOT the truck. The hitch weight you site is an unrealistic weight of an empty trailer from the factory and should never be used to calculate the actual hitch weight.

[jmlocklin]

Here is the other sticker from the truck.

[jmlocklin]

Truck is an F250 Crew Cab, 4 wheel drive, long bed

[jmlocklin]

Forgot to add that it is only my wife and I and a fat yorkie in the truck. We never carry anything else in the truck when we go camping. The main reason is that the truck bed is too high for me to easily climb into it to unload something out of it. That plus my age, 71, means I should not be climbing on anything anyway.

[Roscommon48]

you'll do fine.

[jmlocklin]

GVWR from trailer sticker is 10500 lb.

[JDDilly]

My mistake, didn't look close enough at the image. I know the 1100 lbs is not realistic, I just wanted to show that it was too close using the cargo capacity I read, witch is wrong. I should have said that in my original post!

[flybouy]

Originally Posted by jmlocklin

Here is the other sticker from the truck.

A load rating of 2,233 - 1,400 = 833 lbs. Remains of your load capacity. That 833 get's reduced by the weight of you, DW, the Yorkie, fuel, and anything else you have put in the truck since you bought it including floor mats, bed liner, tool box, tools, etc.

So no, I don't see that "you'll be fine". That's very poor advice in my opinion. Is it doable? Yes, if you constantly manage the weights. If you start loading in a couple hundred pounds of stuff for the grandkids, grandkids themselves, generator, etc. then you will have a balancing act.

My truck is a low end super cab not crew cab and has several hundred more pounds of payload than yours. I also have a fiberglass cap so I keep a close eye on the weights myself. I use a Sherline tongue scale to monitor the tongue weight if I'm adding things to the trailer say for a long trip.

I will just add this. That's a very long trailer and I can tell you from experience that there will be some places that can be a challenge to get into. The advantage of a travel trailer over a fiver is less weight on the truck. The disadvantage is less maneuverable and overall longer. I haven't found a cg that I couldn't maneuver in hut have found some very challenging ones if there are tight turns with obstacles like trees or large rocks. It can require some extra effort in pre planning your trip.

Hood luck and travel safe.

[wiredgeorge]

Your tongue weight will be about 1300 lbs with the trailer loaded so as far as payload, you should be OK. I personally would never want to drag around a 37' bumper pull but my driving stinks on the best of days. Make sure you have a real good hitch to limit sway and such. And quit spoiling that Yorkie by feeing it table scraps and that will keep you within your payload limit.

[sourdough]

Just thought I'd add the link to the trailer;

https://www.keystonerv.com/product/o...oorplans/330RL

This has been said before in this thread before as I recall so it is probably a repeat but with a 1750 payload (per truck sticker) and a 1365 tongue weight (13% of 10,500 trailer gvw) plus a 120 lb. wdh/sway (equalizer) you have 1750 - 1485 (1365 + 120) = 265 lbs. for you, your family, your puppy, tools, bottle of water etc. - and NO safety cushion. That's cutting it pretty thin.

The above has been said previously. Payload on the trailer is 1781 and you said you travel light BUT I guess I don't know what "light" is in an RV. Once you put in bedding, food, cookware, load the fridge, propane tanks, toiletries etc., "light" went out the window somewhere back there. Just keep those things in mind.

[Canonman]

You could look at a similar trailer with a smaller footprint. Maybe 2 slides instead of three. Each slide is about 1,000 pounds. Or perhaps you're just being a good chess player, having the DW find the floor plan she absolutely LOVES; then have the forum recommend a (new) bigger truck. She can't blame you, it's the forum's recommendation, and you'll be the hero with "whatever makes you happy sweetheart". Sly dog

[wiredgeorge]

Originally Posted by sourdough

Just thought I'd add the link to the trailer;

https://www.keystonerv.com/product/o...oorplans/330RL

This has been said before in this thread before as I recall so it is probably a repeat but with a 1750 payload (per truck sticker) and a 1365 tongue weight (13% of 10,500 trailer gvw) plus a 120 lb. wdh/sway (equalizer) you have 1750 - 1485 (1365 + 120) = 265 lbs. for you, your family, your puppy, tools, bottle of water etc. - and NO safety cushion. That's cutting it pretty thin.

The above has been said previously. Payload on the trailer is 1781 and you said you travel light BUT I guess I don't know what "light" is in an RV. Once you put in bedding, food, cookware, load the fridge, propane tanks, toiletries etc., "light" went out the window somewhere back there. Just keep those things in mind.

Not sure where you got the payload number; his Payload Placard says 2233 lbs combined.....

[rhagfo]

Originally Posted by flybouy

A load rating of 2,233 - 1,400 = 833 lbs. Remains of your load capacity. That 833 get's reduced by the weight of you, DW, the Yorkie, fuel, and anything else you have put in the truck since you bought it including floor mats, bed liner, tool box, tools, etc.

So no, I don't see that "you'll be fine". That's very poor advice in my opinion. Is it doable? Yes, if you constantly manage the weights. If you start loading in a couple hundred pounds of stuff for the grandkids, grandkids themselves, generator, etc. then you will have a balancing act.

My truck is a low end super cab not crew cab and has several hundred more pounds of payload than yours. I also have a fiberglass cap so I keep a close eye on the weights myself. I use a Sherline tongue scale to monitor the tongue weight if I'm adding things to the trailer say for a long trip.

I will just add this. That's a very long trailer and I can tell you from experience that there will be some places that can be a challenge to get into. The advantage of a travel trailer over a fiver is less weight on the truck. The disadvantage is less maneuverable and overall longer. I haven't found a cg that I couldn't maneuver in hut have found some very challenging ones if there are tight turns with obstacles like trees or large rocks. It can require some extra effort in pre planning your trip.

Hood luck and travel safe.

Payload on sticker allows 150# for driver and a full tank of fuel.
DW and are not small, we have a 30# Beagle and her bedding in the back seat. I also have a in bed tool box full of some heavy and not so heavy stuff AND a 5th wheel hitch and adapter frame and we used 1,411# of our payload. I see it as doable within numbers, but likely close.

[flybouy]

Originally Posted by rhagfo

Payload on sticker allows 150# for driver and a full tank of fuel.

The sticker in the photo does not state that.

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by flybouy

The sticker in the photo does not state that.

Marshall,

The yellow sticker in Post #1 is the trailer sticker. The yellow sticker in Post #6 is the truck sticker. I did the same "double take" when I first read the initial post.

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by wiredgeorge

Not sure where you got the payload number; his Payload Placard says 2233 lbs combined.....

George you're right. Looked at the first placard and thought it was from the truck...my bad - and I am now past my bedtime....and puppy wants to go out...