Ok I have an axle concern. I currently pull a 9200# 5th wheel with 1600# tongue weight. We are thinking of going a little bigger. The new camper is about 12000# with a 2200# tongue weight. I have more then enough power to pull it, not worried there. I have an air bag suspension that with Firestones new 150psi bags installed should handle the weight.

now the axle..... Currently it has 4:11's,aurburn posi, 33" tires.
97 F-150 5.4 headers, K&N, computer reprogrammed.

Wiil the axle handle the weight??? Anyone with any ideas or experience?

 

Your joking right? Seriously say your joking. A 12000# fifth wheel is DEEP into 250 territory, if not 350 territory. Even for your current trailer you NEED a bigger truck, no question. Air bags DO NOT increase the payload of your truck, they only help you to better handle the legal limit of the truck. A 2V 5.4 has no where near enough power for 12000# IMHO. Any benefit of your 4.10 gears is null from the 33" tires. I would say to you, politely of course..... You need to buy a bigger truck, to even continue to pull your current rig, and forget about going bigger with an f150

 

9200# with 1600# on the tongue with a 14 year old 1/2 ton truck??????????

You are crazy. You are an accident waiting to happen. You are WAY over legal load. Sorry to be so blunt, and there's no offense intended, but that's just wrong.

 

You need to worry about more than just the axle. Transmission, brakes, u-joints, etc. The additional 2800 lbs has put you way over even with all of your modifications.

 

Trans, brakes and u-joints are all ready upgraded past what a stock F-250 would be.

Canadian screw you do realize that you can buy an F-250 or F-350 with a 5.4L in it right?

I do not question the power plant.

glc.... what does age of my truck have to do with it?

 

Yes I do. Modifications to your truck DO NOT increase what you can pull. You SHOULD be questioning the powerplant since 9000# is at the upper end of the 3V 5.4 capability. The older trucks are rated for towing less.

 

If you're tranny had eyes it would be crying right now... That's a ton of weight for a 1/2 ton. I pulled a little over 8,500#s with my FX4 around 75 miles and it had a little struggle getting going. I was at 45% APP (viewed on my edge) just to get the thing going good. Trans temp was good though. Never broke 165F. Towed around 6500#s over 300 miles through really steep graded highway hills and was a different story. Truck loved it. Averaged 14.5 on that trip.

 

Well, since a #5000 TT with only about #650 of tongue weight puts my 97 F150 over both it's GVWR and Rear GAWR, I'd have to wonder how much you are over yours??

All of those 'upgrades' are all fine and good, but you still have an F150 frame, axles, rear end, springs, bolts, shackles, etc....

Even if you swapped out for full floater 8 lug F350 rear axle, you still have to bolt it to an F150 frame... Rock crawling, mudding with 37" tires, it would be a good swap.... Thinking it's now an "F350" because it has F350 axles in terms of tow rating is not...

Mitch

 

Canadian screw i am not clueless... I am running 5.4L from a 2009 f-250... rebuilt before i installed it. I dyno'd at 380hp and 410 ft tq. So i dont question the power plant.
Trans was rebuilt as well with a TCI lower planatery first gear... 2:97 to be exact... i do believe the superduty has a 3:11 first gear??? not much difference
now please do not disrespect me in my thread. Its a simple question if you dont have an answer dont post.

And i have decided what i am doing. currie enterprises will build me a dana 60 with rear disc brakes. and i am going to 4:56 gears since the new tires are actually 34 1/2. I will also upgrade the rear leafs with general springs rated at 2200#.

But hey thanks for all the negative posts. I will post a picture all hooked up.

 

Sorry to come across as disrepectful, I'm not meaning to. You never mentioned you had a 'new' 3V 5.4. Thats a big difference from a 97 2V. While at the upper end I would agree the powerplant is 'minimum' for the current trailer weight. I get really nervous about people that dangerously overload their pickups having known an insurance guy and seeing the carnage from crashes. With all the money you've spent on your truck, you could have bought a 250 or 350 with a v10. Dont forget you still have a 14 year old half ton frame and half ton brakes. But hey I know nothing. Happy travels

 

Yeah, but you still have a #6250 GVWR F150 frame that all that stuff is attached to... And then you want to put #2200 of dry pin weight on it??

My Dad has a 5th wheel with the specs of the RV you are 'thinking about' and he tows it with a Dually and is pushing it on his weight ratings because it's not "dry" when he tows it...

Do what you want and you are right that there isn't going to be anyone who is going to 'endorse' your setup to tow what you want to tow with it...

Mitch

 

Your current 5er puts your truck about 1000 pounds over GVWR and you want to go another 800 pounds?

Have you weighed your current setup? I recommend that first.

The point about a 14yr old truck is important. The frame, wheels, axles, bolts, bushings, bearings, springs, shocks, are all designed to handle the trucks GVWR. All these things wear and fatigue. At what weight and for how long until anything breaks? Not one will know on your truck until you try it.

You sound like you are willing to fix/replace/upgrade anything possible on this truck. If you are willing to accept a broken frame, then try it. When it is time to replace the truck, please start with at least a SRW 1-ton.

 

And then there's this:



Does that not sound just a tad scary to anyone but me?

PLEASE - slow down. Thanks.

MGD

 

^^ Wow

I can't believe this thread was even started.

 

With the trailer you are looking at you are into F350 territory. We have a 11k 5er that I tow with my truck and I know it's back there even with the diesel and I really know it's back there driving into the smallest head wind. We are really not trying to be negative but you are towing with a truck that was never made to tow the kind of weight you are towing and something is going to fail and I hope for your sake and others it's not going down the highway at 65mph at rush hour because if it does you are going to make national news and not in a positive way.