Need hitch help with a 2015 Ford F-150 (5.5ft bed) and Reese Revolution

[silverback 35ts]

Originally Posted by leefl

Hi,

I'm new to fifth wheels (though I have done quite a lot of research), but not to conventional towing.

I just bought a 2015 Rockwood Ultralite Fifth Wheel, with the Reese Revolution hitch, which pushes the rotation point 22" back from the king-pin.

The problem is that my 2015 F-150 (Crewcab, 5.5ft bed) has a very short distance from the back of the cab to the axle center which, as best as I can measure, is 27.25".

That gives a total of only 49.25". Assuming that the king pin is centered exactly over the axle (and not 1.5" forward as some folks have suggested, and I'm not even sure if that's optional) that's only 1.25" of clearance if the trailer is at 90 degrees (96" width, so 48" half-width), but of course we need at least an extra inch since the distance from the revolution's rotation point to the front corner of the trailer is 49", leaving basically zero clearance.

So ... I have a couple of options as best as I can work out ...

1. Don't turn sharply (not liking relying on this one).

2. Use a manual slider, in addition to the Reese Revolution, so that I can slide the king-pin back behind the axle when making extra-tight turns, still using the offset of the Revolution. This seems like a viable option, tho' with the usual concerns about having to get out of the truck to manually move the slider back.

3. Lock the Reese Revolution 'arm' (what's the proper term for the arm between the king-pin box and the king-pin itself ?) to function as a regular king-pin setup, and use a Superglide 12K to handle offsetting of the rotation point.

This last one has both positives and negatives, and I'm not sure if it's even a real possibility.

The positive is that, although it's still tight, the fact that it adds 0.75" to the rotation offset at max helps. Additionally since the Revolution king-pin is 5" in front of the leading edge of the trailer (rather than the rotation point being 17" behind the leading edge) there's no concern with the extra distance from the rotation point to the front corner, so the max width of the trailer is worst-case, so with 22.75" offset plus 27.25" from cab to axle that gives me 50" offset, so 2" clearance at 90deg (assuming that the front of the superglide is exactly over the axle ... can anyone confirm this ?)

Of course there's the concern with moving the weight back off the rear axle, even when making gentler turns (I gather than the superglide moves backwards progressively, so the weight is back some even when only turning at say 20deg)

Next concern is whether it's even possible to use the Revolution with the Superglide. I've read folks suggesting that it's not recommended, and that it may not be possible to get a suitable locking plate for the Superglide that will fit with the Revolution.

I've also read concerns that, due to the shape of the Revolution's 'arm' it may interfere with the top of the truck bed when using it as a conventional king-ping arm, but I am a little skeptical of this since I'd have thought that Reese wouldn't have even made locking it an option if that were the case.

At the moment I'm leaning towards the manual slider (unless there's any powered sliders, rather than the superglide-style auto-sliders, which would eliminate the need for getting out of the truck), since it gives me plenty of extra clearance when really needed.

Hoping to order the hitch today or tomorrow, since I'm hoping to pick up the trailer in 1.5 weeks.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Sorry to tell you but from fords own spec sheet it says;

Vehicles equipped with 5.5' box will accept a 5th-wheel hitch, but current 5th-wheel trailer designs are not compatible with this model

So sorry for your choice but you will not be able to tow a 5er with that truck!

[leefl]

Originally Posted by silverback 35ts

Sorry to tell you but from fords own spec sheet it says;

Vehicles equipped with 5.5' box will accept a 5th-wheel hitch, but current 5th-wheel trailer designs are not compatible with this model

So sorry for your choice but you will not be able to tow a 5er with that truck!

Yes, I just saw that in the fine print. I think it's generally referring to the hitch setup rather than the payload capacity tho', and others have reported success with using a manual slider with the Revolution/Sidewinder on the 5.5ft bed, and Pullrite told me that they've just finalized (and have available) a superglide 12k mounting kit for the F-150 5.5ft, BUT unfortunately none of that helps me if it can't handle the payload.

Dealer is trying to "unwind" the sale (which was unfortunately already sent through to Ford), in order to allow me to switch to the F-250, so fingers-crossed.

[Bobisgolfing]

Ke5rbd

I do not have a slider, just 16K hitch. I have done some really sharp turns and even while going into stations etc all without any issue. I may have got within 6 inches of the cab but no closer than that. I know the numbers when you use the formula say it should not work but it does. I personally think that part of the difference is the curvature of the trailer cause it is rounded not square in front.

[leefl]

Originally Posted by Bobisgolfing

Ke5rbd

I do not have a slider, just 16K hitch. I have done some really sharp turns and even while going into stations etc all without any issue. I may have got within 6 inches of the cab but no closer than that. I know the numbers when you use the formula say it should not work but it does. I personally think that part of the difference is the curvature of the trailer cause it is rounded not square in front.

Having the rounded corners makes quite a difference I suspect, although with the 5.5ft F-150 it's still negative clearance.

BUT it seems like the dealer is going to help me out by "unwinding" the sale of the F-150, and selling me a 2015 or 2016 F-250 crew cab with the 6.75ft bed, so no worries with either payload capacity (it's listed as 3000lb, so even if it's a few hundred lbs under it should still be good), towing capacity, or trailer clearance.

Yes unfortunately the F-250 is much less fuel efficient than the F-150, for not much more power, and actually less torque, than the 3.5 ecoboost in the F-150, and lacks some of the nice features of the F-150 (dual moonroof/360 view camera/LED headlights), but at least I won't be continually worrying about whether my suspension is going to give up, or if I can make a turn.

[VinceU]

Originally Posted by leefl

BUT it seems like the dealer is going to help me out by "unwinding" the sale of the F-150

Great news! In a way the dealer owes you the change.

[leefl]

Originally Posted by VinceU

Great news! In a way the dealer owes you the change.

Well, the MSRP is higher on the F-250, but I know what you mean. They should have double-checked my requirements with me, knowing that I'm new to the whole truck ownership thing, and had specific towing requirements.

[strat56]

Originally Posted by leefl

Having the rounded corners makes quite a difference I suspect, although with the 5.5ft F-150 it's still negative clearance.

BUT it seems like the dealer is going to help me out by "unwinding" the sale of the F-150, and selling me a 2015 or 2016 F-250 crew cab with the 6.75ft bed, so no worries with either payload capacity (it's listed as 3000lb, so even if it's a few hundred lbs under it should still be good), towing capacity, or trailer clearance.

Yes unfortunately the F-250 is much less fuel efficient than the F-150, for not much more power, and actually less torque, than the 3.5 ecoboost in the F-150, and lacks some of the nice features of the F-150 (dual moonroof/360 view camera/LED headlights), but at least I won't be continually worrying about whether my suspension is going to give up, or if I can make a turn.

I'm glad it worked out for you.

[B and B]

Originally Posted by leefl

Well, the MSRP is higher on the F-250, but I know what you mean. They should have double-checked my requirements with me, knowing that I'm new to the whole truck ownership thing, and had specific towing requirements.

Lee did you get a Powerstroke, it kills the EcoBoost for torque and fuel economy! I know first hand.

[leefl]

Originally Posted by B and B

Lee did you get a Powerstroke, it kills the EcoBoost for torque and fuel economy! I know first hand.

the 6.2L V8

The Diesel was quite a bit more cost, and I'd actually read that folks were unhappy with the fuel economy of the diesel on the 2015/2016 F250's, since Ford changed the turbo from previous years, and because of that it was far less efficient than the 2011-2014s

(e.g.: looking at the comments here: - 2015 Ford F-250 Super Duty - Review - CarGurus )

[leefl]

Should be picking up the F-250 tomorrow. I'll post some photos to the towing photos thread in a week or two once I've got both the truck and 5th setup properly.

[leefl]

Picked up the F-250 earlier. Not as sporty as the F-150 of course, but it sure is a big-beasty (for someone used to a sports sedan, and my wife's SUV). Will start the bed-rail installation tomorrow