Ford F-250 PTO for towing a fifth wheel

[DrLewie]

There are MANY F-250 and F-350 4x4s on the road pulling fifth wheels. In fact you can buy a preinstalled fifth wheel package directly from Ford and I don't think there's an issue with clearance, especially on an 8' bed. A non-scientific survey in the hundreds of campgrounds I've visited indicates to me F-250 is the most popular TV for fifth wheels, and many that I've seen are 4x4s. So in my humble opinion there's no issue here.

[joespring]

Please read #17 from Senior Member CedarCreekWoody.

Try a scientific survey. With your fifth wheel trailer level, measure the height of the overhang and add 5 inches for clearance. Take that measurement into a truck dealership and see how many trucks will or will not fit.

The length of the bed has nothing to do with the problem. It is the height of the trailer overhang and the height of the bed rails. The newer trucks are built taller than they use to be. People were buying trucks and adding big tires and lift kits. Now a lot come that way from the factory, with 20 inch rims and OEM lift kits.

I don't know if it should be an issue but I think it should be a consideration when you are going to pull a fifth wheel trailer. I have a 2005 2500HD four wheel drive Chevrolet that I was thinking about replacing in 2020. A 2020 2500HD four wheel drive Chevrolet would not fit. The bed height and overhang on my 2019 wildcat were the same dimension, as I recall 65 inches.

[D W]

Originally Posted by Grapehound

I own a 47 hp diesel cab tractor with a PTO. I have had travel trailers and fifth wheels for 16 years, now have a Class A.

On a farm a tractor PTO has many uses. I use mine to run a flail mower to keep the trails on my property clear of brush. They are used typically for harvesting equipment (cutting or bailing hay), manure spreaders and similar applications on a rural property or a farm.

On a truck they are more suited for commercial use and have little applicability for farming or camping. No one is pulling a hay bailing machine with a pickup truck. As stated, you could power a generator with a truck PTO or a water pump, but who does that while camping? It uses a lot of fuel and it's noisy in a campground.

Generally these are trailer mounted accessories for trucks, generators or pumps, for a truck mounted PTO, so you would not likely have a large trailered accessory like a pump or generator with you, along with your fifth wheel.

I guess you could add one to your build and have it as an added value to your truck when you sell it. I could think of a lot more popular things to add value to a truck than a PTO (payload packages, bedliners, wheel flares, fifth-wheel accessories).

Generally, while a PTO is a commonly used power source on a farm tractor, it is a very specialized power source accessory for a truck and has almost no use in RV-ing. (Hence no tractors with PTO's parked at RV sites.)

X2. Unless you have a definitive use for a PTO, it's a waste of money. Plus, all you're going to get is the PTO drive hanging on the side of the transmission. Whether you decide on hydraulic pump or shaft drive operation, that's all on you.