5th Wheel and 5'6" Truck Bed?

[mr dually]

Originally Posted by Martz11

I have a F150 and tow a 37 ft. wildcat no problem

Your just being funny right?

[Martz11]

heavy duty brakes 5000 lb air shocks

[davel1971]

Originally Posted by Martz11

heavy duty brakes 5000 lb air shocks

neither of those add any capacity. You are an accident waiting to happen.

[asquared]

Let's keep on topic, if we want to discuss Martz setup further, that can be done in another thread or pm.

[itat]

Thanks for all the feedback. Please keep it coming.

Interesting... I just noticed that my truck's yellow sticker says the "combined weight of occupants and cargo should never exceed 1385 lbs.". The GVWR is 7200 lbs. so that suggests the truck weight is something like 5815 lbs.? I seriously doubt that. Also the front GAWR is 3750lbs. and the rear GAWR is 4000 lbs. giving a total of 7750 lbs. based solely on the axles which suggests that the frame has a rating of 550 lbs. less than the axles?

Given my family of 4 and sometimes 5 campers (all 3 DSs are teenagers), the 1385 lbs. CCC pretty much eliminates any chance of towing a 5er within the specified limits. Even ignoring that and using the GVWR it's still very limiting if not impossible.

Sounds like the good news is that the 5'6" box isn't a significant problem.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by itat

Interesting... I just noticed that my truck's yellow sticker says the "combined weight of occupants and cargo should never exceed 1385 lbs.".

wow! i thought my Avalanche had a really low CCC of 1357lbs. and it's way heavier than a F-150.

[davel1971]

going by your new numbers you found, by the time the family and stuff is in the cab and bed, 5th wheel hitch in the bed, you have about 200lbs left for pin weight.

[KyDan]

Originally Posted by itat

The GVWR is 7200 lbs. so that suggests the truck weight is something like 5815 lbs.? I seriously doubt that.

Truck stops around here almost all have scales. Getting weighed is easy
and it KEEPS YOU FROM GUESSING what this truck or that trailer actually weighs. Get weighed!!

[itat]

Originally Posted by KyDan

Truck stops around here almost all have scales. Getting weighed is easy
and it KEEPS YOU FROM GUESSING what this truck or that trailer actually weighs. Get weighed!!

You're right, of course.

I did go to the local CAT scales when I had my Toyota Tacoma 4dr 4x4 TRD and the Roo, but I haven't taken the F-150 there yet since it was more than capable of handling the Roo.

I've taken many loads of garage to the local "waste transfer station" and got the weight from the scales there. IIRC it was a lot less than 5815 lbs. with 4 passengers. I'll take it to the CAT scales so I can get weights on both axles.

[Scootdawg]

I have an F150 with the 5.5 bed, with the reese revolution there is plenty of clearance to tow certain 5th wheels.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5I6w04tAnm8

[taken]

Originally Posted by itat

You're right, of course.

I did go to the local CAT scales when I had my Toyota Tacoma 4dr 4x4 TRD and the Roo, but I haven't taken the F-150 there yet since it was more than capable of handling the Roo.

I've taken many loads of garage to the local "waste transfer station" and got the weight from the scales there. IIRC it was a lot less than 5815 lbs. with 4 passengers. I'll take it to the CAT scales so I can get weights on both axles.

Forget the yellow sticker and go the scale route. Take the trucks GVWR and subtract the actual scaled weight and you have your real payload. I'd do it with a full tank of fuel.

As to the hitch, I agree with everyone and would get the sidewinder pinbox. Much easier than a manual slider and you can't forget to engage it. Great setup!

[Long Leaf Piners]

We purchased a SuperGlide for our first fifth, a 2001 Alpinelite 29RK. Our TV is a 2007 F250 diesel quad door cab with the short bed (somewhere around 6+ft.). From the very first time we used our SuperGlide, it worked perfectly. We put 9400+ miles and 2 1/2 months on the road with it from NC to CA. It continued to be an excellent rig, easily hitched, backed, and maneuvered without a worry. It always kept the 5th well away from my cab and since the SuperGlide is totally automatic, you never worried about it.

We traded for a new 2014 Forest River 8529IKWS last May. It came with the Revolution (Sidewinder) pin box. So we traded hitches for the Reese 16K-a lighter hitch that is easier to take in and out of the bed.

The hitch installers at FR dealer Tom Johnson's (Marion, NC) gave me a great hint for hitching with the new Revolution: you must be straight lined up-hitch to pinbox-and it can be frustrating. They suggested marking a line straight up the centerline of the pinbox. You can see it from the cab and improve your chance of backing up in alignment.

Even with this marker, I've had to re-align 3 or 4 times on some occasions because the pinbox was unhitched just slightly at an angle. Once mounted, it pulls well and never comes close to the cab. But the Revolution is a bit more difficult to get hitched immediately, than the SuperGlide.

Both the SG hitch and the Revolution pinbox allow totally automatic, tight turning and reversing. Too many rock and roll campground roads and pads, or tight turns getting in and out make these valuable.

[taken]

Originally Posted by Long Leaf Piners

We purchased a SuperGlide for our first fifth, a 2001 Alpinelite 29RK. Our TV is a 2007 F250 diesel quad door cab with the short bed (somewhere around 6+ft.). From the very first time we used our SuperGlide, it worked perfectly. We put 9400+ miles and 2 1/2 months on the road with it from NC to CA. It continued to be an excellent rig, easily hitched, backed, and maneuvered without a worry. It always kept the 5th well away from my cab and since the SuperGlide is totally automatic, you never worried about it.

We traded for a new 2014 Forest River 8529IKWS last May. It came with the Revolution (Sidewinder) pin box. So we traded hitches for the Reese 16K-a lighter hitch that is easier to take in and out of the bed.

The hitch installers at FR dealer Tom Johnson's (Marion, NC) gave me a great hint for hitching with the new Revolution: you must be straight lined up-hitch to pinbox-and it can be frustrating. They suggested marking a line straight up the centerline of the pinbox. You can see it from the cab and improve your chance of backing up in alignment.

Even with this marker, I've had to re-align 3 or 4 times on some occasions because the pinbox was unhitched just slightly at an angle. Once mounted, it pulls well and never comes close to the cab. But the Revolution is a bit more difficult to get hitched immediately, than the SuperGlide.

Both the SG hitch and the Revolution pinbox allow totally automatic, tight turning and reversing. Too many rock and roll campground roads and pads, or tight turns getting in and out make these valuable.

I'm having a hard time figuring out what you were having trouble aligning. One of the huge benefits of the Reese Revolution/Sidewinder is that you can hook up or release at any angle as show in this video at the one minute mark...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6Xer_5x9NY

[RhoZeta]

Originally Posted by elind

That is correct about clearance issues. Pulling my Wildcat with a GMC 6'6" bed and I dented my box. It happened when I was pulling up an incline and turning right onto a road. The truck front end was tilted up and the corner of the 5er caught the truck box during the turn. It pushed down the edge of the box but didn't touch the cab.

This would have happened even if you had an 8' bed if you do not have proper 5th to bed rail clearance or were in an unusual situation like you said.

[Jjsav]

I have the Reese Revolution on my Rockwood and I have a 5.5 foot bed with a regular R16k hitch and it works great, been pulling for two years with it and no issues.

I did have a manual Slider hitch also, but took it out, realized that I did not need it.

It does take a little practice hitching up, but once you do it a couple of times, its not bad.

Good luck.

[Long Leaf Piners]

We have a lot of experience to date, hitching and unhitching our fifths since 2007, and as many years prior successfully hitching TTs. We have found that while the Revolution 'forgives' slight pitching as you angle in, the alignment of the actual hitch slot and the 'line' from the pin to the 5th swivel point is more critical than it was on the SuperGlide.
When those three points--hitch slot to pin to swivel point--are aligned, hitch lock (including the green tab in front popping out) is pretty clean. The tell-tale is when you attempt to close the handle down on the hitch. If it drops down fully, then great. But if the handle drops then stops about 2 or 3 inches tilted up, you cannot force it down.
If you force that handle down, there's a good chance that it will crack and break the handle collar under the front of your hitch. We were shown 3 examples of this on broken hitches; this collar is plastic! The hitch specialists at Tom Johnson have contacted Reese and are still awaiting a fix for this weak point on the hitch--preferably a metal collar. Until then, you cannot force the handle down--or ultimately the collar will break.
We have seen a handful of both Revolution (or aftermarket, older, SideWinder) pin blocks that have adapted a form of the alignment marks with drivers saying that it helps them, too.
Aligned cleanly, the Revolution's green tab 'pops', the handle easily drops, jaws are cleanly closed (always check), lock the handle, and you're good to go.

[dustman_stx]

Originally Posted by itat

Thanks for the quick replies. You are confirming my concerns. I know payload will be my biggest shortfall.

I upgraded to LT tires and added a leaf spring on each side of the rear which made towing the 5200# Roo much more solid, but that doesn't change the max. payload that's still limited by the stock axles, bearings, wheels, etc.

By beefing up suspension, you have a truck that is 100% as capable in terms of LOAD CARRYING as the MaxTow. This has been debated ad nauseam on the forums- with about 90% of the "facts" being hear-say and opinion. You are missing 3.73 gears, tow mirrors, integrated brake controller, 51 tube vs 41 tube radiator and an "upgraded receiver hitch." None of those have any bearing what-so-ever on load carrying. I have attached a file from Ford that you can read through to confirm this if you wish. Therefore, IMHO, even though the sticker won't change, a simple upgrade in suspension makes your truck 100% as "SAFE" as the MaxTow is to carry 7700#. With that being said, I would approximate that you can carry in the neighborhood of 1750 pounds and stay under the 7700# mark. Load the truck as light as possible- put everything in or on the camper- and you should be able to manage a small FW with a pin weight in the 900-1000lb range.

[Witch Doctor]

That's a great video post 33, but it just BS. In 1 min in, it tells you to spin your revolution to hook up sideways. Well I will tell you while it is new you can do that but once it tightens up the average person can not move it, that will happen after about 6000 miles. ( at least on mine ) Only person that I know of is Bama Bob, He states he can push it with one hand. Which I do not doubt when new but use it awhile and it will tighten up and you will not push it by hand this is correct by the Resse design team. You have to back into at the same angle that you dropped off at. With saying that during the winter I can push it. The only reason I see that happening is because the cushion or rubber plate freezes between the 2 sections.

[RhoZeta]

Originally Posted by dustman_stx

By beefing up suspension, you have a truck that is 100% as capable in terms of LOAD CARRYING as the MaxTow. This has been debated ad nauseam on the forums- with about 90% of the "facts" being hear-say and opinion. You are missing 3.73 gears, tow mirrors, integrated brake controller, 51 tube vs 41 tube radiator and an "upgraded receiver hitch." None of those have any bearing what-so-ever on load carrying. I have attached a file from Ford that you can read through to confirm this if you wish. Therefore, IMHO, even though the sticker won't change, a simple upgrade in suspension makes your truck 100% as "SAFE" as the MaxTow is to carry 7700#. With that being said, I would approximate that you can carry in the neighborhood of 1750 pounds and stay under the 7700# mark. Load the truck as light as possible- put everything in or on the camper- and you should be able to manage a small FW with a pin weight in the 900-1000lb range.

Interesting info on the HD package about the rails being thicker, (.150") and about the 20" wheels limiting the RGAWR to 4050Lbs on all models. I guess that is why the HD F150's have those wheels that are not so good looking...

Thanks for the PDF Dustman! Is there something similar for the F250/350's?

[dustman_stx]

Originally Posted by RhoZeta

Interesting info on the HD package about the rails being thicker, (.150") and about the 20" wheels limiting the RGAWR to 4050Lbs on all models. I guess that is why the HD F150's have those wheels that are not so good looking...

Thanks for the PDF Dustman! Is there something similar for the F250/350's?

Actually, you are getting a slight increase in RAWR with the 20" wheels- you automatically get the same springs with 20's that the MaxTow has. Don't confuse the MaxTow with the HD. HD GVWR is 8200. Comes with 7 lug wheels and, as you noted, there are some structural differences in the frame and axles. I agree that the HD wheels looks are "lacking" and there are almost no aftermarket options. The few options you have in aftermarket are uglier than the stock wheels, too.