Hope you all can help.

Presently have a 2004 F-150 Lariat Super Crew Cab, 51/2 bed, 2WD.
Has 130 thousand on the truck, about 40 thousand on a new 4.6. (long story, short ending)
It has the towing package, I guess that is what its called, bigger radiator, and hitch, plug.

I want to buy a used 5th wheel, around 20 to 25 foot.
Will this truck be up to it?

Is there stuff you can do to improve it, like a trans-cooler, better brakes, etc?

The truck is a runner, but I am hankering a 4x4 used F-250 5.4.

I would be greatly appreciative of any input, advice, etc......

You can even call me an idiot, it will be OK......
I'm married and use to it!

 

I highly doubt it will have the power to pull a 5th wheel. That is a lot of trailer for a 4.6. Also having a 5.5 bed doesn't give much turning room, and being a Lariat, may not have enough payload. If it had a 6.5' bed and a 5.4 then I would say give it a try, but I think you will be disappointment trying to haul a 5th wheel with that truck.

 

What he said.... Not enough truck all the way around.

 

even f250, with a 5.4 is not going to be the most enjoyable. a 6.0 PSD or the v10 in a 250 wood be a better tow

 

There are a couple of unique fifth wheels you could probably pull with that truck: the 19 foot Scamp fifth wheel and the 21 foot Escape 5.0 TA. Both of these trailers are molded fiberglass models, which tend to be a lot lighter than traditional trailers. And like other molded fiberglass trailers, they are on the pricey side. The Escape is the more deluxe of the two, you can find them by googling Escape Trailer.

The Escape is nearly impossible to find used. Not many are made. The Scamp is more available on the used market, but harder to find than a traditional trailer. Neither brand uses dealers, they sell factory direct.

We pull a 19 foot Escape trailer with our F150 (not a fifth wheel, but we came close to buying one).

Even with either of these two trailers, check your payload.

 

What the truck can tow and what it can haul are two different limits. The loads on the truck should not exceed either limit. Most F150s of that era usually run out of hauling capacity before they run out of towing capacity. You should become familiar with the sticker similar to this one on the edge of the driver's door on your truck. Particularly pay attention to the number listed as "The combined weight of occupants and cargo should never exceed XXXX lbs.". This is the load carrying capacity of the truck and is also known as the "payload". The best way to determine the remaining payload of your truck available for carrying the pin weight is to load it up for camping with people and cargo and weigh it. This is the first measure to check before purchasing a trailer. An estimate of the "pin weight" of a fifth wheel trailer is up to 20% of the loaded weight of the trailer.



The "towing capacity" can be determined by checking your truck's specs against the Ford towing guide.
http://www.fleet.ford.com/towing-guides/

 

My father-in-law had a 4.6 F150 of similar vintage as yours. Last thing I'd want to do is tow a 6000lbs trailer PLUS the frontal area of a 5er with it. Thing was a dog practically unladen. I'd consider a small TT for that truck.

 

Does an 04 even have payload tags? I don't recall my 01 or 99 having them, just he GVWR white one.

 

As stated above, 5th wheel will likely be too much for that truck. I would seriously reconsider an F250 with the 5.4 also. My family had one a while back and was a dog under load.

 

No. Not enough power and torque, and too short a bed.

The best improvement would be to jack it up and run a more capable truck under it.

My 2003 SuperCrew Lariat 4x2 with 4.6L V2 engine was a dog. I inherited it from my brother who didn't tow. All he wanted was a luxury grocery getter that could haul a few pounds in the bed, so that's what he bought. That pickup was unacceptable for dragging even an empty 7x14 "bumper pull" cargo trailer from Phoenix back to Midland. So I got rid of it and bought a real trailer toter - an F-150 3.5L EcoBoost.

My F-150 is barely adequate for towing my 25' Sprinter 5er that has near-empty weight of 8,160 pounds. The 3.5L EcoBoost drivetrain is plenty to PULL the 5er over the Texas Hill country, but the pickup is overloaded over the payload capacity of the F-150. GVWR is 7,100 but GVW with the near empty 5er was 7,980.

I would not even think about trying to tow that trailer with my 2003 F-150 that had the 4.6L V8 engine. Not only would the suspension be overloaded, but so would that weakling 4.6L engine and drivetrain. So if you intend to tow even a small 5er, trade for more truck.

Back in the day, I towed that 5er with a '99.5 F-250 diesel. Even that drivetrain was challenged when the 5er was loaded to 9,000 pounds, so I hot-rodded the engine with a mild towing tune and then it was fine.

With your 5.5' bed, you probably can't tow any 5er without a sliding 5er hitch, preferably a PullRite SuperGlide hitch. Those are heavy and would cause your F-150 to be even more overloaded. Or maybe an extended pinbox, such as a 5th Airborne on the 5er. But an extended pinbox would void the warranty on the trailer because it puts too much strain on the frame of the trailer.