F450 tow truck tow capacity

The limit is 26,000. Any single or combination above that requires cdl.

If you don't want a cdl. Your total weight needs to be below 26000.

That includes vehicle and whatever is being towed.

 

Don't know the how much it will tow , but it'll be the stopping that'll give you trouble.

 

@Dino soar you have a few different things going on here. First, the CDL rules are the same for tow trucks as any other truck so you have to stay 26,000 pounds on the tow truck and cannot tow anything that has a gross weight, or weight rating, over 10,000 pounds.

This means, when on a scale your two axles on the tow truck can't have more than 26,000 pounds (or whatever they are rated for if less) and the towed vehicle can't have a weight rating over 10,000 pounds.

Tow trucks distribute weight different than pickup trucks because the tow bar is behind the axle so unlike hotshots (pickup and trailers) I can't give you a simple answer like truck rated at 14,000 pounds can tow a 12,000 pound trailer and still be legal, safe and non-cdl.

Further limiting tow trucks is the specific tow body and what it is rated to lift and tow.

Now, flat towing with a towbar would be about the same. Stay under 26,000 pounds and hook to nothing rated or actual weight over 10,000 pounds and you will be good provided the towing truck doesn't exceed its axle or gross weight ratings.

 

By that logic.
You wouldn't need a cdl to drive a semi with an aluminum flatbed.

Or maybe you would.

How much does an empty 48 ft weigh? 9200 pounds for a reitnour according to google?.

The combined weight used to be around 30k with a Volvo.

 

You will exceed your rear axle weight rating extremely quickly. You also don't want to lose more than 1/2 of your static front axle weight or you lose your ability to steer and stop.

 

I was speaking about wreckers, you won't have the steer axle problems with a rollback because your load should be centered above or forward of the rear axle. With a wrecker you are creating a teeter-totter at the center of the rear axle(s). But you also won't be able to put a 12,000 lb truck on a 26k gvwr truck without exceeding the gvwr. Most of our 21ft steel rollbacks on a 26k chassis weigh between 17-19k empty, so you can really only load 7-9k on them legally.

 

2018 F650 Extended Cab 6.7 Powerstroke - 21ft Steel Jerr-dan - Air Brakes - Air Ride - 19.5" - 26,000 GVWR


2021 Freightliner M2 Extended Cab 6.7 Cummins - 21ft Steel Jerr-dan - SRS10 - Air Brakes - Air Ride - 22.5" - 26,000 GVWR


2014 Ram 5500 Crew Cab 4x4 - 6.7 Cummins - Chevron 408


--

If you are towing anything much larger than a 1 ton pickup you are going to want/need something larger. We had a 12 ton wrecker on a 26k chassis that did great for like F550/5500s and school buses/box trucks stuff that size. Ended up replacing it with a 20 ton and use that for almost everything besides loaded tractor trailers.