Which F350?

[ironheadchop]

Hello all. We are in the market for a new 5th wheel camper and truck for a family of 5. I am looking at a few that are 42-43’ and around 12-14k lb. I do not want a DRW truck as when not pulling a camper I will still be driving it daily. I originally wanted the 7.3 but I keep having people tell me if I’m pulling something that big, I should get the 6.7. I don’t know much about weight laws when pulling but I’m trying to make whatever setup I get legal. I know that payloads and GCWR can vary depending on trim levels so I’m trying to find a SRW with the most payload to help with that.

I’m looking for options or opinions for which truck to go with.

The Tremors look nice, but it also looks like with that trim the payloads are lower?

7.3 or 6.7?

Will I still be under the weight of CDL requirements?

[Lord of Lights]

Ford has a Towing guide available for all their trucks.

You can find the difference between Gas and diesel engines and different gear ratios.

I have a 2022 F350 6.7 diesel, SRW, 8 ft bed. I pull a 5th wheel that ways 12,000 lbs empty.

In my opinion, 6.7 diesel is the only way to go.

 

[Mylriahd]

A lot to unpack here, and for what it's worth I'm on the cautious side because the whole point of camping is to relax, not spend 3 - 5 terrifying hours trying to keep the rig upright with a back seat of screaming kids 

* Diesel. Gas is a great engine if you want to tow around a ~30ft bumper pull, but at the size you're looking for you will want diesel if only to reduce the amount of engine noise -- the gas engine is likely to stay at higher RPMs trying to tow around a huge 5th wheel like that. 42' fifth wheels get heavy fast. More so for toy haulers. Gas is not the best tool for that job.  * EDIT TO ADD -- Also, diesel so you can go through the truck stops to refuel. I would never in a million years want to pull a 42' 5th wheel through a corner Shell station on a Saturday with a million blind minivans trying to end my vacation early.

 

* CDL question: That is entirely dependent on the state you are in and how loaded your trailer is. I don't know if CDL requirements are on max weight or actual weight, but you'll want to become an expert on those laws rather than trust some random folks on the Internet. 

 

* "the most payload", you are going to want to get a bottom of the line trim with no extras if you want the highest payload. I have a Platinum SRW F350 and my payload is "only" 3920; but while towing I am riding very comfortably with massage seats. I think the sweet spot if I wanted toys and payload would be a Lariat, but I'm not sure how much more payload I would get. 

 

* This is the big one: You said that your target length is ~42', and in that case I really really think dually is your only realistic option. You don't say how much towing experience you have, but at 42' 5th wheel is a HUGE amount of wind surface, and you'll want those extra wheels helping keep your rear under control. I'm not trying to be the tow police here, but this is a huge investment for you and I only see white knuckle buyers remorse if you spend any real time in a SRW with a 40+ foot 5th wheel. But again, I lean on the cautious side because I'd rather cruise listening to music, not fight the rig.  I probably wouldn't go over 38 feet if I wanted to stick with my SRW setup and stay relaxed, but to be fair I haven't towed that long before. My current trailer is only 28' and low profile and even with that I only know it's back there with a strong gust hits it. I can't imagine a much taller, much longer trailer going gentle when a shear hits it. 

 

Good luck on your research!

Edited April 28 by Mylriahd

[ddb]

I have both a 2024 Platinum F350 SRW and a DRW.  We pull a 42' toy hauler at 21k lbs when loaded.  Pin weight is usually around 3800-4000 lbs.  Both trucks pull it fine.  But I can say with certainty, I ain't pulling the toy hauler on trips with my SRW.  The difference the DRW provides (along with being well within all payload and axel limits), is night and day.  It's just a much more solid and stable ride.  And, the dually is my wife's daily driver.  She loves it.  There is no harm in daily driving a dually.  But having the added stability while towing far outweighs any hang ups about having to drive the dually when not towing.

[road turtle]

I know the post is a bit old, but you're looking at empty weight, not GVWR.  you're not going to find 42' 5th wheel in the wt range you're quoting.  Quite frankly, at 40' you should be looking at a dually, especially with  the number of passengers.  You'll quickly run out of payload capacity.  If you plan to do the mountains out west, diesel will be your friend... but you lose payload capacity.  If you decide to go to dually, just step up to the F450.