Buying 5er and need help asap!
08-26-2018, 07:15 PM
#1
Member
Thread Starter
Buying 5er and need help asap!
I have spent hours reading though this site and cannot figure out what is the max weight I can pull a fifth wheel. I am so confused on everything right now. I am going to contact the dealer tomorrow but thought I would ask here first.
I have a 2016 XLT Screw, 5.5' bed, 3.5 tt, tow package, 3.55, 20" wheels. I need to know what my max weight 5 th wheel I can pull. The 5er I am looking at is a 29' Keystone with an empty weight of 9050#, hitch wt 1970#.
Looking at Fords graph, my truck is either 8600, or 11,200?! Am I ok, or not???
Thanks a million. For those few that roll their eyes at this kind of question because it is so basic, I apologize.
I have the tow package with added 3.55 rear, but am adding the tbc (trailer brakes) so does this equal the Max Tow?
Troy
08-26-2018, 07:53 PM
#2
Dry hitch weight on the 5th wheel is 1970 your max payload on your F150 is 1965. So nope, not gonna happen. Take some time, read a ton on this forum then do some RV shopping. You actually have quite a bit of payload for an F150 - I would think a conventional trailer in the 26ft 7000lb loaded range would be much more realistic.
Last edited by Jeff1024; 08-26-2018 at 08:09 PM.
08-26-2018, 09:23 PM
#3
What Jeff Said. Simplistically, the weight of all people, animals and cargo in the truck + the weight of the fifth wheel hitch + the loaded pin weight of the 5th wheel needs to be less than the 1,965 payload of your F150 to legally roll down a public road. You can gain a little payload by removing unneeded factory items from the truck (like the tail gate for example). However, you're never going legally tow a 5th wheel with a 1,970 pound dry pin weight with your truck. Not even close. Ready to travel, that 5th wheel will likely have a ~2,500 pound pin weight. Add in ~200 pounds for a 5th wheel hitch, add weight of whoever will be in the truck and you are at / over ~3,000 pounds. You might be able to get away with something with a dry pin weight around 1,200 pounds if you're careful about how you load and don't have much in the truck.
For 5th wheels, you're GVWR will likely be the first legal limit you exceed. 1,965 pounds is Ford's calculation of what you could add to the truck (from how it left the factory) without exceeding your GVWR. Verify your actual curb weight at a CAT scale, then GVWR minus scale weight is how much you can use on pin / hitch / people / animals / gear / and loose change under the seat.
For 5th wheels, you're GVWR will likely be the first legal limit you exceed. 1,965 pounds is Ford's calculation of what you could add to the truck (from how it left the factory) without exceeding your GVWR. Verify your actual curb weight at a CAT scale, then GVWR minus scale weight is how much you can use on pin / hitch / people / animals / gear / and loose change under the seat.
08-26-2018, 09:42 PM
#4
Member
Thread Starter
Well damn, sure makes sense. Like many, the salesman bragged about 11,900 with the 3.5tt! Haha
glad i didnt buy it today then. Our second choice is a coleman 25' tt...5500 dry if i recall correctly. That should be no issue. toung wt of 550 i think. Guess we save some coin! Yaaaa, more beer!
thx again gents.
troy
glad i didnt buy it today then. Our second choice is a coleman 25' tt...5500 dry if i recall correctly. That should be no issue. toung wt of 550 i think. Guess we save some coin! Yaaaa, more beer!
thx again gents.
troy
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chimmike (08-27-2018)
08-27-2018, 01:17 PM
#6
Senior Member
and don't even look at dry weights. No one ever goes camping "dry".
Water weighs 8.34 pounds per gallon (so 83.4 pounds every 10 gallons) It adds up fast.
RV sales people love to talk about dry weights on trailers and use those to say, "sure You can tow this"
Use the Trailer's GVWR and dimensions for estimating what size of trailer.
estimate 10-15% for tag trailer tongue weight
estimate 15-20% for 5'er pin weight.
also keep in mind an F150 is a lightweight tow vehicle. Travel trailers (tag or 5'er) are big sails attached to your truck.
Crosswinds and passing semis can toss you around especially if overweight or over matched. IMO I would not pull longer than 25 ft on tag trailer or 30 ft on 5'er.
Water weighs 8.34 pounds per gallon (so 83.4 pounds every 10 gallons) It adds up fast.
RV sales people love to talk about dry weights on trailers and use those to say, "sure You can tow this"
Use the Trailer's GVWR and dimensions for estimating what size of trailer.
estimate 10-15% for tag trailer tongue weight
estimate 15-20% for 5'er pin weight.
also keep in mind an F150 is a lightweight tow vehicle. Travel trailers (tag or 5'er) are big sails attached to your truck.
Crosswinds and passing semis can toss you around especially if overweight or over matched. IMO I would not pull longer than 25 ft on tag trailer or 30 ft on 5'er.
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homeskizzle (08-28-2018),
Lostmybeer (08-27-2018)
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08-27-2018, 03:02 PM
#8
Well damn, sure makes sense. Like many, the salesman bragged about 11,900 with the 3.5tt! Haha
glad i didnt buy it today then. Our second choice is a coleman 25' tt...5500 dry if i recall correctly. That should be no issue. toung wt of 550 i think. Guess we save some coin! Yaaaa, more beer!
thx again gents.
troy
glad i didnt buy it today then. Our second choice is a coleman 25' tt...5500 dry if i recall correctly. That should be no issue. toung wt of 550 i think. Guess we save some coin! Yaaaa, more beer!
thx again gents.
troy
Compared to a 5th wheel, you are limited to 20% GVWR Plus hitch. This limits you to roughly a 6000 GVWR trailer at 20% pin plus 5th wheel hitch, and have enough left for a passenger, maybe.
08-27-2018, 03:04 PM
#9
Member
Thread Starter
All great info, and appreciated. Was at the dealer just now and according to Ford, my truck will tow 10,800. I am adding the tbc tomorrow. He said the only diff between what my truck has and the hd towing is beefier springs. Not sure I buy that. I cant find any documentation that says the hd tow pkg has diff springs.
Now wondering if I can just add stiffer springs and shick in the rear and be able to tow a 26'. specs are gvwr 10.1, hitch wt 1322. I am told the advertised hitch weights are posted at Gvwr. This gives me 600# of peeps, gas, gear et al which I would feel comfortable with.
Seems to me thisnis viabke. Yes, near the top of fords numbers, but I dont mind going over a small amount. Used to tow a 5000 lb boat with a 2010 wrangler that advertised 3k max for the 2 door. It did great, and I have a 5 in lift on 35s - but geared correctly!
So, whatchya think? The above 5er, or a 25' tt at 7500 max and 566 tounge wt? We like the 5 better, but the tt is 10 k cheaper, but very nice too. Coleman 2515rl.
thanks again,
troy
Now wondering if I can just add stiffer springs and shick in the rear and be able to tow a 26'. specs are gvwr 10.1, hitch wt 1322. I am told the advertised hitch weights are posted at Gvwr. This gives me 600# of peeps, gas, gear et al which I would feel comfortable with.
Seems to me thisnis viabke. Yes, near the top of fords numbers, but I dont mind going over a small amount. Used to tow a 5000 lb boat with a 2010 wrangler that advertised 3k max for the 2 door. It did great, and I have a 5 in lift on 35s - but geared correctly!
So, whatchya think? The above 5er, or a 25' tt at 7500 max and 566 tounge wt? We like the 5 better, but the tt is 10 k cheaper, but very nice too. Coleman 2515rl.
thanks again,
troy
08-27-2018, 03:38 PM
#10
That Coleman will be a perfect trailer for the F150. You have more than enough payload capacity for it and several passengers and gear. I have a 274BH which is very close to all stats of that one and pulled it with a 14 that had 1470 pound payload and stayed within GVWR of the truck. My new truck has 100 pounds more and a much better hitch so I have even more payload even with the trailer sitting at 6400 pounds wet. The Coleman is a safer choice in that it keeps the truck within manufacturer specs, no mods needed to compensate, and gives you your bed when not towing, unlike the 5th wheel where you have to remove it on order to use the bed for anything.
Also keep in mind that the 5th wheel hitch must be the sliding type or the trailer will hit the cab. Here is some reading for you, http://www.pullrite.com/content/3100_HIW. Keep in mind, this hitch which is probably one of the few that will work in the 5.5 bed, weighs 345 pounds.
Also keep in mind that the 5th wheel hitch must be the sliding type or the trailer will hit the cab. Here is some reading for you, http://www.pullrite.com/content/3100_HIW. Keep in mind, this hitch which is probably one of the few that will work in the 5.5 bed, weighs 345 pounds.