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Old 07-20-2010, 05:26 AM   #1
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Okay, everyone posts towing questions and it is beat to death. I am going to make the jump this fall/spring to a travel trailer. I have searched the web and the Zingers seem to be a lot for the money. I have yet to lay eyes on one in real life, but it seems Crossroads has a great reputation as well, plus you guys all seem to be fans!



I have a 1997 F350 4WD crew cab with an 8 ft bed, 5.8L V8 and 4:10 rears and 62,000 miles. She is mint and maintained!



According to the manual I have a GCWR of 13,000 pounds witha maximum recommended trailer weight of 7000 lbs. Now I see people posting they are pulling the 32QB with 1/2 tons! I have a 1 ton and figure the ZT30KB will be on the ragged edge of my capacities!



I get how the GCWR works; my crew cab loses capacity because it's got two rears and eight foot bed and a crew cab. It adds weight! A regular cab, 2WD 8ft bed F350 has a 13,000 pound GCWR, but gets an additional 800 lbs trailer capacity because the weight is removed from the truck.



Iwanted a fifth wheel for tow quality, but I can not get similar ammenities and stay under 7000 lb DRY. With the ZT30KB I will still have to watch what I put in it; mostly it will be just myself, wife and son. If he brings friends, it'll increase.



I have wheelbase, serious brakes and suspension and I am worried. Why does it even cross people's minds to pull these things with 1/2 tonners? Am I too conservative? Am I thinking too big? I like the outside kitchen and plan to spend two weeks continuous on the road each summer; bigger will equate to a happier family.



Input would be appreciated! We want a safe towing rig because we plan on putting some miles on her, including mountains.
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Old 07-20-2010, 06:13 AM   #2
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The good? You have the wheel base, brakes, frame, suspension etc to handle the Zinger handily.

The bad? 5.4L v8. If you pull flat lands like the Great Lakes area or the Plains you'll be fine. Tow in the mountains you will be under powered IMHO.

Because of this I moved up from an F150 5.4L to an F250 v10.
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Old 07-20-2010, 06:29 AM   #3
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Hey newton2, i have the ZT31SB and i pull it with a 1/2 silverado 5.3 with the towing package (trans cooler, oil cooler etc). And in my opinion it does just fine. Does it strain a little on a steep incline? sure. Does it sag a little all hooked up? sure. But I would NEVER tow this trailer with this $20000 truck if I truly felt it would do any damage.

I have trans temp guage, oil temp guage and coolant guage, all of which stay well within normal operating ranges going down the highway at70mph. (or up a hill for that matter)

If I'm doing a lot of hill driving I take more frequent breaks in driving, just to give the engine a break. I would probably do this on bigger truck as well, just the way I am about taking care of things.



I understand why the industry puts the recommended numbers out there, butI also feelthere is some allowancein that as well.



Use common sense, which it definately sounds like you are by talking this through and you will be fine.

By the way.. you will love the zinger!



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Old 07-20-2010, 10:09 AM   #4
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keep in mind if in an accident and you get weighed (they will if its bad enough) or in some canadian provinces you could be weighed not a bad idea to stay within mfg reccomendations. I towed with a f150 my trailer was at the top of the weight limit and it wasnt any fun and didnt feel safe so I got a 2500 hd w/6.0l and I dont know the trailer is behind me. just use the charts they make for deciding how much you can tow and remember to add at least 1000 pounds to trailer weight for stuff.
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Old 07-20-2010, 11:50 AM   #5
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Do you guys know if the weights on the Zingers are accurate? I read that most manufacturers understate the actuals.



It sounds like Imay be underpowered; at the bare minimumZT30KB will bethe absolute largest tt possible for my truck. All the dealers say I can tow anything. Do dealers allow you to have the rigs weighed before you buy?
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Old 07-20-2010, 12:04 PM   #6
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Newton2, there is a sticker on the upper cabinet door inside that is an actual weight. Its a hand written weight done at the factory. Check that, cause mine was about 200# more than what the brochure said.
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Old 07-20-2010, 12:06 PM   #7
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the sticker is the unloaded vehicle weight no clothes food propane batteries water just the trailer as it comes off the assembly line all trailers have this .
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Old 07-20-2010, 12:24 PM   #8
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read this

http://crossroadsrv.com/owners/tips.aspd
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Old 07-20-2010, 12:42 PM   #9
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Greg, thanks for the info. I didnt know the nature of that sticker
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Old 07-20-2010, 01:19 PM   #10
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I have a 2003 Navigator that has a towing capacity of 8900# my cruiser is about 7400# loaded with everything we carry, weighed at the scales by my house. I have the 5.4L motor and it pulls well. I also found out that my Navigator also has the 3/4 ton trans and rear end in it too, so it does good because of that. Not as good as a diesel but it does pretty good. Im close to the range allowed on my set up and I dont have any issues at all. Id say stay within your weights and you will do fine, even close to the edge of the weights you should be ok as long as you arent out trying to go to the races with it.
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Old 07-20-2010, 01:53 PM   #11
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I do not get how a Navigator can have a higher tow capacity then my 1997 F350 CC. I have the 10.75 Sterling rear and a Dana 60 front rear, t-case and 4.10's. A Navigator probably weighs as much too! Did thet revise how they derive GCWR on vehicles? There may be a small hp advantage, but not a torque advantage. I know which I'd feel more comfortable with in front of a 35 foot long trailer (wheelbase adds a lot of stability).



I guess this is why I am baffled by what I read what people are legally towing with. In no way am I criticizing the Navigator, but a 1 ton with leafs and solid axles is way more equipped to tow a load than a shorther wheelbase, IFS SUV.



The same truck, with a 460 gets 3,000 pounds more capacity, the diesel a whopping 7,000 pound increase; the difference being motor only. I believe it's even the sames trans on the 460(I believe both run the 4 speed OD-A40OD).



It doesn't make sense to me!
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Old 07-20-2010, 04:02 PM   #12
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Yes I know the Nav. has a large towing capacity, I think it is because it has the 4R100 trans and the 9.75 rear end in it. The motor has 300hp and 355ftlbs of torque, and the rear end is the 3.73. It also has the 4 valve engine. All this was the same engine trans and rear end that they put on the 3/4 ton trucks in my model year.



It tows great with my trailer. I have a Drawtite hitch also that I set up pretty good too. It took me about a week to get it just right.



The Nav weighs in at around 6000# with me and a large tool box and other gear in it too. My GCVWR is 14500# on the Nav. too which is quite a bit more than your 1 ton. I dont get it either, but it works great for me.



I also did a few mods to mine to get a bit more hp out of it as in I removed the clutch fan and added a '95 3.8L Ford Taurus fan with fan controller, and cut off the air chambers on the intake cowling and opened up where it goes through the fender to 3" dia. so it breaths alot better now, it is what I call the poor mans cold air intake,but that is it for the mods. (the cutting off the air chambers, and taking off the clutch fan made a difference to it, I can feel it when I take off) It had 2 large air chambers on the cowling to reduce noise and probably for emissions.



So I dont know why yours has the rating that it does, maybe the frames are beefier now, I dont know.Edited by: fixit5561
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Old 07-20-2010, 08:51 PM   #13
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I checked the numbers with Ford and in '03 the expedition has a higher GCWR then the F350CC with the same motor and gear ratios. It's also higher then the Excursion with the same engine/gear ratio combination. It's consistent. Maybe they are more conservative with the truck numbers due to likliehood of commercial use, or maybe the driveline/weight combo just pushes the small block too much.



I will do a cold air intake, headers and possibly evenan Edelbrock upper and lower intake to improve breathing. I think the electric fan may not be a bad idea either.



I will be fine with ZT30KB if I do not bring too much stuff; maybe I will go with a smaller trailer. We'll go to the RV shows this fall and figure it out; I think I'll only be Zinger shopping!



Thanks for all your help. You confirmed what I already knew, but I wanted someone to tell me I can exceed my GCWR, no problem! It just can't happen. I also am shocked an expedition can out-tow a F350; it can!





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Old 07-20-2010, 11:50 PM   #14
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Don't know if this applies to your F350, but my '97 F150 with 5.4L was rated as less hp then the 2000+ F150 w/5.4L. They did something in 2000 which changed increased the hp.
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Old 07-21-2010, 12:27 AM   #15
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I have a 5.8 Windsor, not the modular motor; I have an early '97 F350-the old body style.That is interesting though. Wonder what they did?



I have to say, I have always felt my truck is under-powered with the 5.8. When towing my boat through the mountains the mileage drops dramatically and out of OD she goes. The rest of the experience is fine; braking, stopping etc.



When I bought her, the 460 was not something I wanted to do, that is a killer motor but it is truly criminal how much gas it needs. A Powerstroke was too much additionalmoney for an occasional tow vehicle/camper/work truck. The truck is a '97 and just truned 60,000 miles. A diesel would not like that-they need to be driven.



Now that I am going from small truck camper to towable, I may have re-thought that. Two weeks a year and a few weekends of towingshould be fine, even if I am slow through the mountains. I will just watch my gauges and my weight!



Hey, the RV dealer was telling me some crazy stories about what people show up with trying to buy big fifth wheels and/or travel trailers. He told me one guy showed up with a Japanese truck (maybe that Honda SUV with the little bed in it) wanting a fifth wheel; it had a plastic bed!

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Old 07-21-2010, 12:57 PM   #16
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It always been my understanding that trucks series F150, 250, 350 and 1500, 2500, 3500 isn't so much about towing capacity as it was more about payload.

I'm sure your 350 can carry a lot more bed weight than a 150.


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