azjerry

So I've got a '13 Screw Ecoboost that came with the built in brake controller, hitch, etc. As near as I can tell it should be good for 9600-9700 lb. trailer weight. The space available for storage is a max of 26' long from the eves to the edge of the sidewalk. We're currently looking at a Jayco 20M/20MRB (has the features we want within the storage space available).

I happened to see an ad for a used Northwood Nash 24-5 fifth wheel that claims it's 25' long. This got me wondering if there's any fifth wheels out there that fit the space without hanging over the sidewalk and that is safely towable with my truck.

From what I can find, The Nash gross weight is 7000 something lb. I don't know much about 5ers but am concerned that it's hitch weight might be too much.

Looking for comments on the Nash or other more suitable 5ers out there.

Boulevard

I am really not familiar with 5th wheels but Keystone has an excellent Buyers Guide button top and center of their website.

azjerry

It turned out to be too long. Thinking about it, having that hitch sticking at chest level, head level for the kids in the neighborhood, and the loss of use of the truck bed due to hitch, we decided to stick with a conventional ball hitch.

Thanks anyway.

xcntrk

I'm currently TT shopping as well and would love to find a 5'er that's small enough to fit within the F150 towing specifications. The problem isn't what you can pull, instead it's the lack of available payload to handle the 20% pin weight of a 5'er. That 7k pound Nash you have your eye on probably has a 1,400# pin weight, which is very likely to quickly drop you over your GVWR for payload. What's your GVWR on the door sill sticker and how much payload does your model carry?

brulaz

I too was looking at 5th wheels, primarily 'cause of their maneuverability. A 28'er can be backed around a sharper corner in a narrower road than a bumper pull.

But like you, we wanted the truck bed free, in our case for kayaks and bikes.

Also, you can get bumper pulls with only 12% loaded trailer weight on the hitch. With the WDH some of that gets put back on the trailer axle so you end up even lower. This helps keep you under the truck's payload and rear GAWR limits.

With a 5th wheel's 15% and over pin weight, and their tendency to be heavier, you are pretty much guaranteed to be overweight unless you have the F150's HD Payload option.

Buck50HD

Just to give you an idea of what you're in for, I have a 5th that started out at 1400 pin/7750 dry and it's now 1800/8900 loaded. I've been to the CAT scale and it had my F150HD just over the 8200lb GVWR and right at the 4800lb rear axle rating. This was full tank of gas, basic(lightweight)5th hitch, two average weight adults, 2yr old and a 30lb dog. Tanks were dry on the 5th and we don't pack a lot. The truck does a great job and still sits with a slight rake but it has the HD payload package.

You're starting with about 1000 lb less GVW and 700lb less rear axle rating so expect to be over, with some sort of suspension add-on. If you insist on a 5th, I'd try to start with no more than 1000lb pin and the lightest hitch possible.

azjerry

Thanks all for the comments. We've given up on the idea of a fifth wheel for several reasons:
- the loss of the bed due to the hitch
- likely overweight for our F150 (confirmed above)
- unable to find any 5er that would fit our storage space (why are TT web sites so darn hard to navigate?)
- there's plenty of bumper pull TTs that fit our needs

Really, the Nash was a 2001 that looked like new at what seemed like a great price. This was the only reason we started thinking of a 5er.

brulaz

Yeh I can see why that would be tempting. Nash makes really good 4 season and off-road trailers that hold up well. One of the few brands I would consider buying used. Anything by Northwood Manufacturing (Nash, Artic Fox ...) and Outdoor's RV Mfg would be good.

But Nash also makes bumper pulls and have been for some time. So you might find good used ones around.

Good luck!

murf

I have a 26' Keystone Sprinter 5th. Pin weight of 1020. Pulls like a dream. Only reason I went with it was because it was a great deal. Otherwise I would have gotten a bumper pull.

Now that I have one I don't think I would do it any other way. The stability driving is beyond amazing. Plus I put a hitch on the back so I can pull the boat or atv.

Everyone complains about losing "bed space". Well you put a 1000lb pin weight TT on your hitch and you ate up as much payload as a light 5th. Your bed becomes empty space you cannot fill unless you want to go over on payload. There are way too many threads about how payload sucks and how to calculate. Find a 5th with around a 900-1200lb pin weight, load er up, have fun, and be safe!

Either way you go (5th or TT) just don't go hog wild. Generally anything over 30ft is off limits to us. Otherwise give er!