H/T Towable 5th Wheel

[jsmith032]

Whats the consensus on these? I went to my local dealer today and walked in a couple of the HT Towable 5th wheels. They're amazing... but are they smart? I dont want to be that guy getting pulled around by his Trailer.

I have a 2016 F150 Platinium 4x4, so my guess is the weight is OK to tow, but like I said, dont want to be that guy. Would rather be safe, than sorry.

[bikendan]

It's 5th wheel pin weights that rule out nearly all 1/2 tons as a tow vehicle.
Very few have enough payload capacities.

[jsmith032]

Even the ones "rated" a half ton towable 5th wheel? My question is why the push them when it wouldn't work for a majority of the 1/2 tons out there.

[WFD]

Simple...it's called sales...vast majority of dealers do not understand towing capacity vs payload capacity...they get hung up on..."this truck can tow xxx pounds and are oblivious to the rest...it's up to us as consumers to do our homework and not trust a sales person's opinion.

[Codz03]

We do it with a 2015 F150 properly equipped of course. Payload is 2350 Lbs, haven't had a problem.

[rockfordroo]

Originally Posted by jsmith032

Even the ones "rated" a half ton towable 5th wheel? My question is why the push them when it wouldn't work for a majority of the 1/2 tons out there.

Because they don't care if you overload your truck. That's your problem. And based on my 5 years on this forum, I'd guess that half the people buying these things are clueless about towing capability vs payload capability (I know I was, but I fortunately never exceeded anything! But I did end up with not enough TV.)

And the salesmen never ask you what the capabilities of your truck are. They just say, "Oh, a half-ton can pull this!" even though they have no clue what your truck is good for. Like every 1/2 ton can pull 12,000 lbs and has a 2,000 lb payload. Yeah, right!

Just looked at the smallest Jayco HT. My Silverado 1500 wouldn't have been adequate.

[jsmith032]

Originally Posted by Codz03

We do it with a 2015 F150 properly equipped of course. Payload is 2350 Lbs, haven't had a problem.

That looks good behind your F150 too. What model is that? What about your Ford? What year? Transmission, options?

[Time-Travelers]

ROCKWOOD 8289WS/FORD F-150

2016 Ford F-150 XLT 4X4 SuperCab, 3.5L V6 Ecoboost,
163.7" Wheelbase 3.73 Axle
Max. towing package; 11400
HD payload package; 2710
CCC 2642 (yellow door sticker)

2014 Rockwood Signature Ultralight 8289WS
Dry Weight; 8125
Cargo Capacity; 1754

[jsmith032]

I have a 2016 F-150 Platinum 4x4 SuperCrew 3.5 Ecoboost.
145 Wheelbase 3.31 Axle
Trailer Tow Package and the 4x4 Off-Road Package
Sticker says 7000# GVWR package

Im not sure I have the CCC 2642 sticker, mine is white, unless you mean the Tire and Loading Information sticker?

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by jsmith032

I have a 2016 F-150 Platinum 4x4 SuperCrew 3.5 Ecoboost.
145 Wheelbase 3.31 Axle
Trailer Tow Package and the 4x4 Off-Road Package
Sticker says 7000# GVWR package

Im not sure I have the CCC 2642 sticker, mine is white, unless you mean the Tire and Loading Information sticker?

It's the yellow sticker on the driver's door.
It says "Occupants and cargo should not exceed xxxxlbs."

[jsmith032]

Originally Posted by bikendan

It's the yellow sticker on the driver's door.
It says "Occupants and cargo should not exceed xxxxlbs."

Thats the "Tire and Loading" Sticker. Mine says 1571lbs.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by jsmith032

Thats the "Tire and Loading" Sticker. Mine says 1571lbs.

Obviously you don't have the HD Payload package.
Plus all the Platinum bling weighs a lot.

So you only have 1571lbs for the 5th wheel's pin weight, cargo in the truck and occupants.

So subtract the weights of everyone in the truck, then the usual cargo weight, then the 5th wheel hitch weight.
What's left over is what you have for pin weight.

With that low of a payload number, will have a hard time finding a 5th wheel that you'll be able to tow.
Your choices will be very few.

The lightest Rockwood ultralight 5th wheel has a DRY pin weight of 1134lbs and is only 27ft long.

Loaded for camping, the pin weight will be over your payload capacity before you even count the occupants, cargo or hitch weights.

[asquared]

Originally Posted by bikendan

Obviously you don't have the HD Payload package.
Plus all the Platinum bling weighs a lot.

So you only have 1571lbs for the 5th wheel's pin weight, cargo in the truck and occupants.

So subtract the weights of everyone in the truck, then the usual cargo weight, then the 5th wheel hitch weight.
What's left over is what you have for pin weight.

With that low of a payload number, will have a hard time finding a 5th wheel that you'll be able to tow.
Your choices will be very few.

This is correct. 1571 minus 150 lbs for the weight of the fifth wheel hitch in your bed leaves you with 1421 for passengers, pets and pin weight. Let's just say 300 lbs for 2 adults. That drops you to 1121 for pin weight. You would need to have a loaded fiver under 5000 lbs (dry weight around 3000-3500 lbs). You are not likely going to find that. In fact I would be looking for a TT with a dry weight under 6000 lbs for that truck.

[jsmith032]

Originally Posted by asquared

This is correct. 1571 minus 150 lbs for the weight of the fifth wheel hitch in your bed leaves you with 1421 for passengers, pets and pin weight. Let's just say 300 lbs for 2 adults. That drops you to 1121 for pin weight. You would need to have a loaded fiver under 5000 lbs (dry weight around 3000-3500 lbs). You are not likely going to find that. In fact I would be looking for a TT with a dry weight under 6000 lbs for that truck.

Im 6'5 225lbs... haha. My wife is tiny though, and I'd be bringing 2 kids and what not. Sounds like a 5th wheel isnt in my foreseeable future. Appreciate all the advice and feedback though!

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by jsmith032

Im 6'5 225lbs... haha. My wife is tiny though, and I'd be bringing 2 kids and what not. Sounds like a 5th wheel isnt in my foreseeable future. Appreciate all the advice and feedback though!

This is why the 1/2 towable marketing scheme is laughable.
Both codz and Time Traveler have relatively rare 1/2 tons, with those payload capacities.
As far as I know, the Fords are the only brand with 1/2 tons with those kinda numbers.

[rockfordroo]

Originally Posted by bikendan

This is why the 1/2 towable marketing scheme is laughable.
Both codz and Time Traveler have relatively rare 1/2 tons, with those payload capacities.
As far as I know, the Fords are the only brand with 1/2 tons with those kinda numbers.

And that's why those two guys need to be very careful when responding to threads like this one, so as not to mislead anyone. They need to make it clear how rare their trucks are.

[BandJCarm]

Sigh.

Global answers on this topic are about as meaningful as "Which RV insurance is best for me where I live?" questions.

This topic needs it's own Forum........... I'm sure the Motorhome folks are as tired of reading this as us 5th Wheelers are about stuff particular to them! LOL

[325BH]

I noticed that the reg F150 above has 6-lug wheels. Did Ford stop using those in the HD Payload package... or does that truck not have that?

[Time-Travelers]

Originally Posted by 325BH

I noticed that the reg F150 above has 6-lug wheels. Did Ford stop using those in the HD Payload package... or does that truck not have that?

Apparently they did. Our truck (2016) was ordered from the factory. It does have both the HD Payload Pkg and Max Tow and it only has the 6-lug wheels...

[325BH]

Originally Posted by Time-Travelers

Apparently they did. Our truck (2016) was ordered from the factory. It does have both the HD Payload Pkg and Max Tow and it only has the 6-lug wheels...

Now that I have reread my post, I see I said it wrong. What I meant to say was "Did Ford stop using 7-lug wheels on the HD Payload package?"

Apparently you understood what I was thinking though... LOL.

Good to know.