pwedd

Hi all. New to site. Just bought a F150 XLT 4 x 2, 3.5 L, 6.5 foot cab. I was going to buy a TT but then read some things that suggested I would feel better pulling a Fifth wheel ( I am new to towing, and I am a woman with 2 large dogs). Just talked to a Salesperson who told me the F150 wasn't designed to pull a FW. So now I am confused. I know I have a tow capacity of 5000 pounds which I thought I could pull either a TT or FW. Does anyone have any experience with this Truck towing a FW. Or TT? Any advice for me?

Thanks all

130428

there are quite a few members who pull a 5'er around here, especially with a 6.5' bed.

Sounds like you have a lot of reading to do about payload and all that lots, lots of info in that Towing section, have fun!

tsigwing

somebody better tell Ford you can't pull a fiver with an F150

pwedd

Just talked to Ford Canada. See if I have this correct please. F150 tongue load capacity is 15-25% of total weight. So if I have a 5000 pound tow capacity, I need to know the tongue weight of the FW is no more than .25 x 5000 = 750 pounds.

Next question - is the tongue weight of Fifth wheelers available? Is that part of the specs that you can find on a Fifth Wheel spec sheet.

Thanks all - I'm a real newbie!

Trailbreak74

Payload is the limiting factor in most cases. This number varies widely among models. Payload includes the tongue weight of the trailer, passengers, gear, everything in the truck except fuel.

Look in your door jamb it should tell you the max payload. Do some math, and estimate how much cargo you are carrying. Weigh it if necessary.

Now you will know if your truck can tow a fiver or not. Most F150's can't really tow a fifth wheel and stay within payload, but some can.

Towing a travel trailer with a quality weight distribution hitch isn't really that bad. And some people say a bumper towed trailer is easier to back up and maneuver than a fifth wheel!


Good luck and have fun. Also never trust a salesman to tell you what you can tow! They will almost always lie!

BRUTE448

what year!?? 2015 3.5 ecoboost or 3.5 n/a..or 2011-2014 3.5 eco?

brulaz

Sounds like you have a 3.5L V6 non-turbo (not the Ecoboost).
That truck with that engine can't tow much.
5100# according to the 2015 catalogue.

Don't think there exists a fifth wheel that light weight.
Many are more than 10,000#.

Think you will have to limit yourself to a small bumper pull trailer.

smokeywren

Your salesman was mostly right. Most F-150s cannot tow most fifth wheel RV trailers WITHOUT BEING OVERLOADED.

Available payload capacity is your limiter. Available payload capacity is the GVWR of your F-150 minus the wet and loaded weight of your F-150. 5ers have a higher hitch weight than conventional (so-called bumper-pull) RV trailers.


My F-150 Supercrew with 6.5' bed is overloaded with my small 19' travel trailer (TT) that has GVWR of 5,600 pounds and weighs only 4,870 when wet and loaded on the road. There is no such thing as a normal small 5er with GVWR of only 5,000 pounds, and very few TTs with only 5,000 pounds GVWR.

So if you don't want to be overloaded, then forget about a 5er and look for a very small TT with GVWR of not more than 5,000 pounds. With an expensive ProPride hitch, any TT will tow as good as a 5er. Yes, I own both, right now.

TTs cost less than similar size 5ers, so a good TT with ProPride hitch should cost less than a small 5er with good 5er hitch.



You can, but you probably won't find a suitable 5er with GVWR less than 5,000 pounds. And even TTs with GVWR less than 5,000 pounds are rare finds.


Hundreds of thousands of miles towing both TTs, 5ers, and pop-up camper trailers. If your truck is not an EcoBoost, then I have to think back to my 2003 F-150 with 4.6L 2V engine that was a dog when towing my enclosed cargo trailer that grossed about 5,000 pounds. I quickly tired of that weakling and moved up to a new EcoBoost, which is a powerhouse towing machine.


I have towed my 25' 5er with the F-150, but I was severely overloaded. So now when I need to tow a camper trailer, I tow the TT with ProPride hitch. Even that small trailer slightly overloads my F-150.

RedOne

Look at your trucks GVWR, don't overload the rear axle (too much) and put "E" rated tires on it. The more options and load IN your truck the less you will be able to put on the back of your truck. A Platinum F150 will not have as much payload capacity as a XLT will so if ordering watch those option packages. Check the pin weights of extra lite 5ers, it just might just surprise you. Mine had 1190 empty/1400 loaded, allowing me 500 more in payload. We are at the limit, don't get in a hurry and have well over 12000 of safe and enjoyable miles towing this 5er around the country.