Anyone Use F-150 Ecoboost to Pull a Fifth Wheel
04-01-2012, 02:41 PM
#1
Anyone Use F-150 Ecoboost to Pull a Fifth Wheel
I have read a few posts about F-150's pulling fifth wheels. Wondering if anyone with an Ecoboost has had any experience pulling a fifth wheel? If so, what model fifth wheel are you pulling and what are it's specifications and hitch type?
04-01-2012, 02:55 PM
#2
There is a whole thread on this with many pictures but idk with the ecoboost. I'm on my phone and can't paste the link but try the search. Even on fords site they show f150 fifth wheel towing in the gallery.
04-01-2012, 03:04 PM
#3
Senior Member
I'm pulling a "special edition" Flagstaff 2012 8528BHSS with my EB. I'm saying special edition because this is a 2012 8528BHSS but with the same floor plan as the 2009.
It weights 6721 pounds dry with 16% of this weight being on the hitch (1075). Those are the numbers I took at a public scale but they were right on (+/- 40 pounds) the manufacturer numbers.
The EB does great pulling this, can even use the 6th gear no problem. Gaz mileage sucks but it sucked even with my old trailer that was only 4500 pounds.
The truck doesn't squat but I'll be installing air bag suspension helper this year for a better ride.
Just keep one thing in mind. You can pull a big trailer with a MaxTow EB but you can't put the weight of a big 5th pin in the bed. This is the problem with a non HD pickup. You have to find something with a pin weight being under 1200 pounds or otherwise you'll end up exceeding the GVWR of the truck.
I'll post pictures when I go get my trailer in a couple of weeks. We still have snow here ;-
It weights 6721 pounds dry with 16% of this weight being on the hitch (1075). Those are the numbers I took at a public scale but they were right on (+/- 40 pounds) the manufacturer numbers.
The EB does great pulling this, can even use the 6th gear no problem. Gaz mileage sucks but it sucked even with my old trailer that was only 4500 pounds.
The truck doesn't squat but I'll be installing air bag suspension helper this year for a better ride.
Just keep one thing in mind. You can pull a big trailer with a MaxTow EB but you can't put the weight of a big 5th pin in the bed. This is the problem with a non HD pickup. You have to find something with a pin weight being under 1200 pounds or otherwise you'll end up exceeding the GVWR of the truck.
I'll post pictures when I go get my trailer in a couple of weeks. We still have snow here ;-
04-01-2012, 04:45 PM
#4
Grumpy Old Man
GVWR is 8,200 pounds. 2012 F-150 SuperCrew Lariat EcoBoost 4x4 is going to weigh about 7,000 pounds or more when loaded with driver and one adult passenger, full tank of gas, and 5er hitch. So that leaves about 1,200 pounds max hitch weight. 1,200 divided by 0.16 = max trailer gross of 7,500 pounds if the hitch weight (kingpin or "pin" weight) is 16 percent of gross trailer weight. Most smaller 5ers with a GVWR of 7,500 pounds will have a pin weight of 16 or 17 percent. But there aren't many 5ers on the market with a GVWR of only 7,500 pounds.
I had a Keystone Sprinter 25RK with a GVWR of 7,900 pounds. But now the lightest Keystone Springdale 5er has a GVWR of 7,980 and the Sprinters are a lot heavier. I thought perhaps the 5er brother of my "ultralight" Skyline Nomad Joey TT would be a lightweight, but the smallest one has a GVWR of 9,600 - guaranteed to overload the F-150 HD.
Way back when, I had a Thor Wanderer low-profile 21' 5er with a GVWR of 6,000 pounds. "Low profile" means you must crawl around on the bed in order to make the bed - compare to the "bedroom" in a truck camper. Darling Wife with arthritic knees finally insisted we trade for a mid-profile 5er.
Thor no longer sells the Wanderer brand, but before they stopped production a coupla years ago they had two 5ers with GVWR of 7,000 pounds: models 240RK and 251MS. So maybe look for a used late-model Wanderer 5er and you can find a 240RK or 251MS that won't overload your F-150 HD.
But probably a better idea is to invest in a ProPride WD hitch and then get a TT instead of a 5er. The difference in sizing to a half-ton pickup is the 5er has 16% to 18% hitch weight while the TTs have 12% to 15% hitch weight. With the ProPride hitch, the TT will tow as good as a 5er. And a TT with the ProPride hitch will cost about the same as a similar size and quality 5er with a Reese 16K fifth wheel hitch.
http://www.propridehitch.com/product...ol-Hitch-.html
And with a max of 1,200 pounds hitch weight, at 12 percent hitch weight you could have a TT with a GVWR up to 10,000 pounds without overloading your F-150 HD. It's easy to find a TT with a GVWR of 10,000 pounds or less, and numerous floorplans to choose from. It's difficult to find a 5er with GVWR of 7,500 pounds or less, and even if you would order one and wait three months for delivery, almost nobody makes them any more. So you can't even order them.
Last edited by smokeywren; 04-01-2012 at 05:01 PM.
04-01-2012, 05:14 PM
#5
Senior Member
It's also a problem with the F-150 EcoBoost with the HD payload pkg.
GVWR is 8,200 pounds. 2012 F-150 SuperCrew Lariat EcoBoost 4x4 is going to weigh about 7,000 pounds or more when loaded with driver and one adult passenger, full tank of gas, and 5er hitch. So that leaves about 1,200 pounds max hitch weight. 1,200 divided by 0.16 = max trailer gross of 7,500 pounds if the hitch weight (kingpin or "pin" weight) is 16 percent of gross trailer weight. Most smaller 5ers with a GVWR of 7,500 pounds will have a pin weight of 16 or 17 percent. But there aren't many 5ers on the market with a GVWR of only 7,500 pounds.
I had a Keystone Sprinter 25RK with a GVWR of 7,900 pounds. But now the lightest Keystone Springdale 5er has a GVWR of 7,980 and the Sprinters are a lot heavier. I thought perhaps the 5er brother of my "ultralight" Skyline Nomad Joey TT would be a lightweight, but the smallest one has a GVWR of 9,600 - guaranteed to overload the F-150 HD.
Way back when, I had a Thor Wanderer low-profile 21' 5er with a GVWR of 6,000 pounds. "Low profile" means you must crawl around on the bed in order to make the bed - compare to the "bedroom" in a truck camper. Darling Wife with arthritic knees finally insisted we trade for a mid-profile 5er.
Thor no longer sells the Wanderer brand, but before they stopped production a coupla years ago they had two 5ers with GVWR of 7,000 pounds: models 240RK and 251MS. So maybe look for a used late-model Wanderer 5er and you can find a 240RK or 251MS that won't overload your F-150 HD.
But probably a better idea is to invest in a ProPride WD hitch and then get a TT instead of a 5er. The difference in sizing to a half-ton pickup is the 5er has 16% to 18% hitch weight while the TTs have 12% to 15% hitch weight. With the ProPride hitch, the TT will tow as good as a 5er. And a TT with the ProPride hitch will cost about the same as a similar size and quality 5er with a Reese 16K fifth wheel hitch.
http://www.propridehitch.com/product...ol-Hitch-.html
And with a max of 1,200 pounds hitch weight, at 12 percent hitch weight you could have a TT with a GVWR up to 10,000 pounds without overloading your F-150 HD. It's easy to find a TT with a GVWR of 10,000 pounds or less, and numerous floorplans to choose from. It's difficult to find a 5er with GVWR of 7,500 pounds or less, and even if you would order one and wait three months for delivery, almost nobody makes them any more. So you can't even order them.
GVWR is 8,200 pounds. 2012 F-150 SuperCrew Lariat EcoBoost 4x4 is going to weigh about 7,000 pounds or more when loaded with driver and one adult passenger, full tank of gas, and 5er hitch. So that leaves about 1,200 pounds max hitch weight. 1,200 divided by 0.16 = max trailer gross of 7,500 pounds if the hitch weight (kingpin or "pin" weight) is 16 percent of gross trailer weight. Most smaller 5ers with a GVWR of 7,500 pounds will have a pin weight of 16 or 17 percent. But there aren't many 5ers on the market with a GVWR of only 7,500 pounds.
I had a Keystone Sprinter 25RK with a GVWR of 7,900 pounds. But now the lightest Keystone Springdale 5er has a GVWR of 7,980 and the Sprinters are a lot heavier. I thought perhaps the 5er brother of my "ultralight" Skyline Nomad Joey TT would be a lightweight, but the smallest one has a GVWR of 9,600 - guaranteed to overload the F-150 HD.
Way back when, I had a Thor Wanderer low-profile 21' 5er with a GVWR of 6,000 pounds. "Low profile" means you must crawl around on the bed in order to make the bed - compare to the "bedroom" in a truck camper. Darling Wife with arthritic knees finally insisted we trade for a mid-profile 5er.
Thor no longer sells the Wanderer brand, but before they stopped production a coupla years ago they had two 5ers with GVWR of 7,000 pounds: models 240RK and 251MS. So maybe look for a used late-model Wanderer 5er and you can find a 240RK or 251MS that won't overload your F-150 HD.
But probably a better idea is to invest in a ProPride WD hitch and then get a TT instead of a 5er. The difference in sizing to a half-ton pickup is the 5er has 16% to 18% hitch weight while the TTs have 12% to 15% hitch weight. With the ProPride hitch, the TT will tow as good as a 5er. And a TT with the ProPride hitch will cost about the same as a similar size and quality 5er with a Reese 16K fifth wheel hitch.
http://www.propridehitch.com/product...ol-Hitch-.html
And with a max of 1,200 pounds hitch weight, at 12 percent hitch weight you could have a TT with a GVWR up to 10,000 pounds without overloading your F-150 HD. It's easy to find a TT with a GVWR of 10,000 pounds or less, and numerous floorplans to choose from. It's difficult to find a 5er with GVWR of 7,500 pounds or less, and even if you would order one and wait three months for delivery, almost nobody makes them any more. So you can't even order them.
Also, a 5th wheel with 30 feet of living space will stick 26 feet behind your truck, a TT with 30 feet of living space will stick 34 feet behind you truck. That makes your rig 55 feet long.
From my experience, you can stay within the limit of a F150 with the right 5th wheel and proper loading of your trailer. You have to drive smart of course but you have to drive as smart with a 8000 pounds TT with any WD and antisway hitch.
Just my opinion
04-01-2012, 05:20 PM
#6
I will be I have a Arctic fox 21-5r pin weight of 770 dry with a total weight of 7500 dry. I put air bags on to help out and have sliding hitch. It's all about how much you tow and for how long. Yes 1200 is about max on pin weight but I know of at least 4 different 5th wheels that would work and towing a 5th wheel is dream compared to a bumper pull. Good luck.
04-01-2012, 05:35 PM
#7
Senior Member
There is a yellow sticker in your door. This will tell you how much weight you can carry in your truck. The weight of a full tank of gas and a 150 pounds driver is already included.
This is what is left that you can put in the truck. Don't forget the weight of the hitch itself, do not get a 24000 pounds rated hitch as it can weight over 250 pounds!
Yes, 5th wheel pulling is a dream vs bumper pulling in my opinion, will never go back.
This is what is left that you can put in the truck. Don't forget the weight of the hitch itself, do not get a 24000 pounds rated hitch as it can weight over 250 pounds!
Yes, 5th wheel pulling is a dream vs bumper pulling in my opinion, will never go back.
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04-01-2012, 05:41 PM
#8
Grumpy Old Man
True, the 7,000 pounds is an estimate, and it may be a few pounds high. But better to be high than low. The only way to be closer is to load the truck and trailer for your third long camping trip, stop at a truckstop with a CAT scale, fill up with gas, then weigh the rig. That is a very inconvenient time to find out you underestimated the weights of your rig. Been there, done that.
04-01-2012, 05:45 PM
#9
We are close on weight
I have not been to the scales yet, but based on my calcs after accounting for people personal items, tank of gas and a hitch, I would have about 1290 lbs of payload capacity available for a fiver. I have found several models that have a dry pin weight around 1000 lbs. Based on out current cargo in our bumper pull we come in at about 1100 lbs, including holding tanks. I used 1500 lbs for cargo for the fiver. At that, we come in at 1345 lbs of about 55 lbs over weight. Is that anything to worry about? What components (springs, axles, tires, etc.) are most affected by the over weight condition?
Last edited by Ranchwoo; 04-01-2012 at 08:43 PM.
04-01-2012, 08:14 PM
#10
Senior Member
Is yours a 4x4? Add about 400 pounds for 4x4. Did you have your floor jack in the bed? If you ever have to change a flat trailer tire in a muddy bar ditch, you'll never again be caught towing without a floor jack, along with a 2'x4' piece of plywood to use as a jack base. Was your toolbox full of tools in the truck? I don't go anywhere without some tools and extra fluids and parts, just in case. Was the 5er hitch installed? Those puppies weigh almost 200 pounds.
True, the 7,000 pounds is an estimate, and it may be a few pounds high. But better to be high than low. The only way to be closer is to load the truck and trailer for your third long camping trip, stop at a truckstop with a CAT scale, fill up with gas, then weigh the rig. That is a very inconvenient time to find out you underestimated the weights of your rig. Been there, done that.
True, the 7,000 pounds is an estimate, and it may be a few pounds high. But better to be high than low. The only way to be closer is to load the truck and trailer for your third long camping trip, stop at a truckstop with a CAT scale, fill up with gas, then weigh the rig. That is a very inconvenient time to find out you underestimated the weights of your rig. Been there, done that.
I do not carry a floor jack, I just tend to stay on the road when I have the trailer... haha ;-)
Yes, getting all the family in the truck and the trailer behind just to go weigh it is a pain!