thekevin

So how does all of this change if I put a fifth wheel hitch in my bed.

smokeywren

Hitch weight of a 5er is a lot more than the hitch weight of a similar size TT.

Average hitch weight of al TT is 12.5% of gross trailer weight. Average hitch weight of a small 5er is about 18% of gross trailer weight. So an 8.000 pound TT would have hitch weight about 1,000 pounds. But an 8,000 pound 5er would have about 1,440 pounds hitch weight. That 440 pounds difference in hitch weight is deal breaker for folks that want to tow with a half-ton pickup without being overloaded.

Plus a big differences in floorplan choices. A 5er with GVWR less than 8,000 pounds is a rare bird indeed. But there are lots of choices of TTs with GVWR less than 7,000 pounds.

SkiSmuggs

You need this site: http://fifthwheelst.com/
And that is my former F150 in the lower right corner.
Some info posted here is theoretical, but I can give you my real life experience. I bought the truck configured with Max Tow knowing that we would be getting a light weight fiver. The payload was 1850, I got a Reese 16K hitch as the SuperGlide is just too heavy and had the dealer install a Reese Sidewinder pin box to deal with the cab clearance problem in the short bed. We found a floor plan we liked in a Jayco HT series but the dry pin weight was 16-1700 lbs and I rejected it. We found the same floor plan in a Cougar High Country with a dry pin weight of 1410 lbs and a GVWR of 10K, within the 11K rating of the truck. Loaded, it came to 9500 lbs with a pin weight of 1660 lbs or 17% of the total. Anticipating I was going to be over the rear GAWR, I had installed SuperSprings and Bilstein HD shocks knowing that those would not change the door label, but also knowing that Ford did something similar for the HD Payload package. I ended up being either 550 or 650 over the rear GAWR so I never carried anything else in the bed and was very conscious of what I stored in the basement. In 3 seasons of camping, I towed my fiver about 15,000 miles with no handling or braking issues, but was always aware of the load I had. I kept the P-Metric tires aired to their max of 44 lbs, never exceeded 65 mph and kept my distance from vehicles in front of me.
Would I heartily recommend others do the same? No, but I wanted a commuter as well as a tow truck, knew the numbers and made educated decisions based on that. I think a lot of folks just hook up and hope for the best.
This spring I traded for an F350 Powerstroke as I felt that 70K miles on the F150 was all I could trust and I was tired of being limited in what I could carry and what fiver I could have. Had the HD Payload package been readily available for the 2011 model, I would have gotten it and certainly recommend it for anyone planning to do what I did.
The no-drama power of the PSD is the biggest towing difference over the Ecoboost and fuel mileage has increased 25%. Handling and braking feel similar considering the mods I had made, and the unloaded ride can be brutal on Vermont roads, but I avoid commuting with the Super Duty and have a winter beater to keep it from being eaten up by winter road chemicals.
Here is an excellent thread on fifth wheel towing with an F150: https://www.f150forum.com/f38/5th-wh...m-doing-52823/

SkiSmuggs

Anyone considering towing a fifth wheel with an F150 should look at the Cougar 27SAB as it only has a dry pin weight of about 1000 lbs.

canddmeyer

Per the Ford towing guide and your window sticker, you can tow a 7600lb trailer or 7300lb 5th wheel.


https://www.ford.com/towingguides/
https://www.ford.com/resources/ford/...0_r2_May19.pdf


Refer to the guide for additional info.
Other factors like tires & cargo capacity apply, so plan accordingly.
Good luck & happy trailering.

smokeywren

Those "tow ratings" published by Ford are extremey optimistic. They tell you only the weight you can PULL if the tow vehicle is hauling nothing but a skinny driver and has no options not required to reach the GCWR on which the tow rating is based.


But nobody tows a trailer with no options and nothing in the truck but a skinny driver. The tow rating (and the GCWR on which the tow rating is based) is rarely the limiter as to the weight of a trailer you can tow without being overloaded. Available payload capacity is usually the limiter. A wet and loaded TT that grosses 7,600 pounds and has average hitch weight percentage will have hitch weight of about 950 pounds. Will you have 950 pounds of unused payload capacity after you load the tow vehicle with people, tools and other stuff?


Available payload capacity is the GVWR minus the weight of the wet and loaded tow vehicle,. "Wet and loaded" includes a full tank of fuel, driver, passengers, pets, tools, extra fluids, jacks, spare parts, the head (shank and ball mount) of your hitch, and options on the tow vehicle, such as bedliner, cab steps, bed steps, tailgate step, tonneau cover or cap, and any trim level better than a work truck with XL trim.


Divide that available payload capacity by 0.125 (12.5%) and the answer is the max GVWR of a TT of average tongue weight you can tow without being overloaded. Divide that available payload capacity by 0.15 (15%) and the answer is a TT with the max tongue weight of a properly loaded TT you can tow.


But 5ers have a higher percentage of hitch weight than TTs. Smaller 5ers have about 17% or 18% hitch weight, and some have 20%. "Luxury" 5ers often have 24% or 25% hitch weight.

Feathermerchant

Hence the need for HD Payload package that significantly increases your payload carrying capacity.