5er with a F150 5.5' bed ?

[bean]

I guess the first question is "Can I tow a 5er with a F150 with a 5.5' bed ?"

The second question is "What 5er's can be towed by a F150 ?"

2012 F150 Ecoboost, Max Tow package, super crew, 5.5' bed.
1900 Payload
11,300 Tow

So far I have assumed that I cannot tow a 5er, so I haven't even been looking at them. But if I can, it will give me more options.

Anyone have a small 5er that they really like ?

Bean

[ryand]

I have seen more and more late model F150's towing 5ers. I am sure with the right combo its possible. I was shocked the first time I saw one back into the site next to us last year. Talked with him a bit.....the max tow package increases the payload to the point it can handle the pin weight of the lighter 5ers. The major issue is the legnth of the bed but apparently there are options with the pin box and hitch that help with this. In my opinion just towing our TT that is 30% under my tow cap I would feel better with any trailer over 7k behind a 3/4 ton truck.

As far as specific trailers that you can tow....Keystone is now marketing a 1/2 ton 5er. However....if the pin weight and GVRW are within specs pluss an allwoance for gear, passengers and fuel there are many possible combos I would assume. even at 1900lbs payload it will get eaten up quick with a family, fuel and a few coolers in the back.

In my opinion the all of the big three's 1/2 ton towing guides are a bit un realistic. My 2011 Ram has a 10K towing capacity with a 1400lb payload....IF I were to tow a trailer at the max capacity of 10K and load the trailer to have aprox 13% of the weight on the hitch that would leave me with only 100 lbs of payload. Un safe IMO.

Your numbers with a Standard 5er if properly loaded (20% on the pin) at 8k would result in a 1600 lb hitch weight not counting people, fuel and gear. So you would have roughly 300lbs to play with. However...people are doing it. I am sure others will chime in with their thoughts.

[fordmantpw]

Yes it is possible, but it depends on the weight of the trailer. Like ryand mentioned, I would look to stay under 7k lbs. Your payload is where you are going to run into issues. With 1k of pin weight, that leaves you 900 lbs for people, hitch, and gear.

Also, look into the Reese Sidewinder/Revolution (more info) pin box. We ordered it with our Flagstaff, and I love it! It moves the pivot point from the hitch back to the trailer, and eliminates (at least on 6.5' beds) the need for a slider.

Good luck!

[Derekcan]

Of course it can be done physically, but you need to constantly pay attention to the actual weights, but that it'll remove the fun of having a trailer. Transmission life will depend on where you are also. Check the laws of all the states you will ever visit too, the pin weight it self will be more than 1000 lbs which is over 1/2 ton already and the cops may not like that.

I recently purchased a 5er and already had an F150 with tow package. I ended up upgrading to an F250 so I can pull my Ultra Light 9500lbs fifth wheel. This is without any water, stuff to eat, wear, play with and of course the people that go with it...

In other words, it wasn't worth all the stress to keep what I had! Also, I was only going to get a 5er, so the choice was obvious.

[Twisty]

There is no way that I would haul a fiver with an F150. IMO, it is a ridiculous idea. I mean no offense to anyone.
My Dad has used 3 different 1 ton dually 4x4 trucks to haul a TT and 2 different fivers. None of which was over 29 feet.
My conventional tow rating is 7700 lbs. If I change to 3.73 gears the rating goes up to about 9300 lbs. No other changes to the truck would be required. How can that be? There would be nothing different about the truck that would make it more capable of handling and stopping another 1600 lbs at freeway speeds or winding mountain descents.
Some features of the truck would be different with the max tow and HD package.
Look at the tow ratings on the Ford website. Depending on the specific truck, an F250 will have a LOWER tow rating than an F150. The numbers for the F150 are reaching into 1 ton territory. Does that make any sense at all to anyone?

[11XLITE28BH]

If I had a 1/2ton I would feel comfortable pulling this 5er below. It's a Wildwood Model 19EX. Unit length is 25'Dry weight is 4391 lbs. Pin weight is 1041. Nice unit and I'm sure it wouldn't break the bank. Best of luck.

[buckeyefan]

Bean - read this thread over on the F150 Forum. I think he has a 5.4 with Max Tow.
5th wheel towing with F150- I am doing it!!!! - Ford F150 Forum - Community of Ford Truck Fans

His full set of pictures are here:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...8503.673820122

[dretired]

This is my rig ...it has a 6 1/2 box and did very well going from Michigan to st. Augustine Florida and back for 3 months... BUTTT>> If ..i had to buy a New F150 for a Fiver.... get either the super cab with a 8 ft box or a crew cab with a 6 1/2 foot box..then..you automatically get the MAX PAYLOAD PKG..also get the eco-boost engine... and...MAX TOWING PKG....3.73 limited slip...4x2...and have 2,650 payload and 11,300 lbs of towing

[camper_Lucy]

It may be possible, but you cannot get to 7K even. remember you want 20% on average to be you pin weight so 7K = pin of 1400lbs that is the max payload for the 150. and you have to figure in all the variables including rear axle load as well as max payload.

[dretired]

Originally Posted by camper_Lucy

It may be possible, but you cannot get to 7K even. remember you want 20% on average to be you pin weight so 7K = pin of 1400lbs that is the max payload for the 150. and you have to figure in all the variables including rear axle load as well as max payload.

Look at the 2012 Ford F150 towing capacity guide... on -line... look at the top of the page and see ...with the right wheel base ...engine, rear end ...and MAX PKGS available...you can have 11,300lbs of towing capability ..AND 2,650 lbs of payload... 7 lug steel wheels ..

[ragerjr]

Originally Posted by bean

I guess the first question is "Can I tow a 5er with a F150 with a 5.5' bed ?"

The second question is "What 5er's can be towed by a F150 ?"

2012 F150 Ecoboost, Max Tow package, super crew, 5.5' bed.
1900 Payload
11,300 Tow

So far I have assumed that I cannot tow a 5er, so I haven't even been looking at them. But if I can, it will give me more options.

Anyone have a small 5er that they really like ?

Bean

I have a 2010 F150 Ext. Cab with 3.55 5.4L 4x4, 6.5 box. I pull a 2012 Rockwood SUL 8265WS 5er. It 's GVW is around 9000 loaded. I pull it on a gooseneck hookup with a 5in offset on the pinbox. On the New Roockwood SUL 5ers they have the new Reece revolution designed for sb trucks. There are also many sliding fifthwheel hitches out there. My truck is rated by Ford to pull 9700 pounds both conventional and fifthwheel. The 5er that I pull dry weight is 7100 and some change. The pin weight is around 1200. I would not recommend going over 30ft in length. Mine is a 29 foot but overall length is closer to 32 to 33 feet. Look at the links below.

Rockwood Travel Trailers & Fifth Wheels by Forest River

Rockwood Fifth Wheel with Reese Revolution Pin Box - YouTube

The one thing you need to watch is the amount of clearance you have between the 5er and the top of the bed. The new F150s have a deep bed, so just set the height with the pin box.

[crocus]

It would seem like we have a whole bunch of "experts" giving their advice who have never checked out the new F150's.
The Ecoboost could easily handle ragerjr's 8265 Rockwood, as it is almost identical in weight and dimensions to my friends KZ fifth, and he pulls it with ZERO problems.
You could probably push it and pull one like mine, but the extra 1000 lbs of weight would definitely make a difference.
Of course it all depends on how far you will be pulling it, and in what kind of terrain. If you are going cross-country, some caution would be advised. But look at what dretired did!

[Dave_Monica]

As already mentioned, the Reese Sidewinder pin box or a Pullrite autoslide hitch will allow you clearance with the 5.5' bed.

In an earlier thread on here, owners were reporting the scaled weight of their F150 ecoboost. The weights were around 6000 - 6200 lbs with fuel and passengers. The F150 with the max tow package has a GVWR of 7600 lbs, therefore you have 1400 - 1600 lbs left for the hitch and pin weight. If you were to order the max payload package, the GVWR is 8200 lbs, and therefore 1800 - 2000 lbs left for hitch and pin weight.

Again, this is dependent on the cab config, bed length, trim level, number of passengers, etc. The only way to really know what payload that you have available, is the head to the scales and weigh your truck, full fuel, passengers, gear, ready to camp. Subtract that scaled weight from the truck's GVWR and that will tell you the maximum pin weight it can handle.

Dave

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by Derekcan

Check the laws of all the states you will ever visit too, the pin weight it self will be more than 1000 lbs which is over 1/2 ton already and the cops may not like that.

Gotta throw in a comment or two here.

1) Asking about towing a fifth wheel with a 150/1500 class truck is a poop fight waiting to happen. My input; yes you can with SOME newer trucks.
May not be the smartest move, but it can be done and done safely if you know the limitations of your combination.

2) There is no such animal as a "Half Ton" or "3/4 Ton" anymore. There are classes of vehicles that are separated by the old designations due to brand recognition. An F-150/ Chevy 1500 can carry significantly more than 1,000 pounds today. In fact, the HD variants are built on F-250 and 2500 frames.

So, whether you can carry the pin load of a particular camper on ANY truck requires some math skills today.

A "ROUGH" test has to do with the recommended pin load for a given camper MAX GROSS WEIGHT. NEVER use DRY WEIGHT or even Unloaded Vehicle Weight (UVW from the yellow sticker) as a gauge as to whether you can carry a 5th wheel.

If the maximum gross weight of a 5th wheel is 9,000 pounds, that is what you must use. The Min-Max safe pin weight is 15-25% of Camper weight. Ideal for balance and handling is 20%.

20% of 9,000 pounds is 1800 pounds. If your F-150/ Chevy 1500 has the PAYLOAD available to carry 1800 pounds you are "good to go."

Remember you will need to add weight for the hitch; passengers; dog; and in-truck/bed cargo to your base truck weight and subtract that from the Truck's GVWR to determine actual available payload.

[crocus]

"20% of 9,000 pounds is 1800 pounds. If your F-150/ Chevy 1500 has the PAYLOAD available to carry 1800 pounds you are "good to go."
=============================================
'Guessing' at the pin weight would not give proper numbers for many light-weight fifth wheels, as they vary quite a bit. Some in my weight class (9000lbs + GVWR) have pin weights as low as 1100 lbs. It all depends on the model.
The Rockwood 8280WS, rear kitchen model, or the Flagsatff equivalent, is 6800 lbs dry, 9077 GVWR, with a pin weight under 1100 lbs. Now as long as you don't fill that huge basement strorage area with rocks, the Ecoboost max-payload would handle that no problem.

[RonLynnJr]

I've been at home for awhile cooped up on the couch after my foot surgery, since then my mother-in-law has been in the market for a 1/2-ton tow-able 5er. Here is a spreadsheet of some of the 5er's that I found for her. Pay no mind to the row with the notes in it. Hope this helps you search.

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by crocus

"20% of 9,000 pounds is 1800 pounds. If your F-150/ Chevy 1500 has the PAYLOAD available to carry 1800 pounds you are "good to go."
=============================================
'Guessing' at the pin weight would not give proper numbers for many light-weight fifth wheels, as they vary quite a bit. Some in my weight class (9000lbs + GVWR) have pin weights as low as 1100 lbs. It all depends on the model.
The Rockwood 8280WS, rear kitchen model, or the Flagstaff equivalent, is 6800 lbs dry, 9077 GVWR, with a pin weight under 1100 lbs. Now as long as you don't fill that huge basement storage area with rocks, the Ecoboost max-payload would handle that no problem.

You have a valid point. Each camper must be assessed as a function of its fore/aft balance ratio. In the case you mentioned, the dry pin weight stated is from the brochure.

Rockwood 8280ws

With a dry weight of 6870 and a dry pin weight of 1134 the 1134 is 16.5% safely within the 15-25% range I mentioned.

If an owner loaded the camper with an eye to keeping the pin weight in the safe range, this can be done. The 9134 Max Gross weight (dry weight plus available payload) would work out to 1507 pounds on the pin at 16.5% weight to pin ratio. This particular 5th wheel could be towed by a F150/1500 class pickup provided the payload and tow rating was in limits.

[RonLynnJr]

Well Herk we can all definitely tell that your an aviator. You guys know a thing or two about weight and CG.

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by RonLynnJr

Well Herk we can all definitely tell that your an aviator. You guys know a thing or two about weight and CG.

I was trained by some very smart Loadmasters.
They told me so every time we flew.

[wayne anthony]

My first 5th wheel had a dry weight of 4100 lbs. No problem what-so-ever with a Chev 2500 with a 454. Second truck was a '06 2500 with the 6 liter (both engines about 300 hp I think). Still no problem towing. New trailer is about 6400 dry. No problems on the flat lands, but wouldn't want a heavier one in the Colorado mountains. Wayne