truckand 5th wheels


hillbilly

New Member
am a old country boy I know about trucks and such i have pulled goose-necks and those type but I speck hillbilly which is not always other folks English
looking at 2007 f150 5.4 tow pack extended cab 6.5 bed the BOOK and the SALESMAN says yes [by my cal.s 8600 is max weight to be safe i use 8000]
so with that said
CAN it pull a AVG 26 to 32 foot 5th wheel[2003 and newer]
notice i said AVG I do understand any reply is/will be based on that
PS hills will be in the routes taking as with other retried time is not as important as getting there[I am no speed demon]
:question:
 

Grandview Trailer Sa

Senior Member
Re: truckand 5th wheels

Man, IF you have to buy a Ford, and you are considering possibly a 32' fifth wheel, get at least a F-250.

I don't care what a salesman says, the 1/2 ton truck you are looking at was NEVER designed to tow a fifth wheel.

By the way, welcome the forum.
 

hertig

Senior Member
Re: truckand 5th wheels

Yes, the weight advertised that you can tow is with nothing in the truck - no cargo, no passengers, no accessories; just a 150 pound driver and a bit of gas. And it is a flat bed trailer, with 'no' wind resistance. So, to get your 'true towing weight guess', subtract anything which will be in or added to the truck (if you don't know, 1000 pounds is a decent guess). Then multiply the remaining weight by 80%. So the maximum travel trailer/fifth wheel you would want to tow would be around 6000 pounds.

Now there are trailers out there that weigh less than that, empty, but why would you tow an empty trailer? You need to have food, clothes, personal items, hook up supplies, and 'toys'. So you are looking for a trailer who's GVWR is 6000 and those are rare. My 24.5 ultralight Terry was about 7200 GVWR. So no, you can't pull anything longer than 25 feet, and probably not even that.

Another problem with fifth wheels and 1/2 ton pickups is that the fifth wheel puts 10 to 25% of its weight right on the rear axel (called the 'pin weight'), often exceeding the maximum rear axel weight of the truck even if the tow weight is not exceeded.

And Ford is a questionable purchase right now. There are claims that they are not fulfilling their warrantee responsibilities, and they are spending more effort on social change than they are automotive excellence.
 

SAM 23

New Member
RE: truckand 5th wheels

Hi hillbilly.........I now tow my 5th. wheel with a 1/2 ton Dodge Ram and before that with a 1/2 ton Chevy . I own a Shadow Cruiser ( 25' ) and they advertise it to be pulled by a
Chevy S 10 . No way would I ever recommend doing that . My 1/2 tons have been working perfectly for 14 years now and I do a lot of hill climbing . When in doubt go stronger ......HAPPY CAMPING :)
 

Grandview Trailer Sa

Senior Member
Re: truckand 5th wheels

Sure, but your 1/2 ton is towing a Shadow Cruiser. That is a very light trailer, designed for small trucks, and not a 32' long average built fifth wheel.
 

hillbilly

New Member
RE: truckand 5th wheels

known anything about 2007 nissen titams with 5.6 with a tow package
i am not sure how long of a trailer the MAX would be 30/32
but no shorter then 25/26ft
 

Grandview Trailer Sa

Senior Member
Re: truckand 5th wheels

I am not sure of the Titan's capacity. I do know the weights of the trailers you are talking about would be in the 7,000 - 9,000lb range.

We have installed a hitch in the new big Toyota truck, can't remember name right now. Hooked a 30' Fifth Wheel to it that weights about 8,600lb. They took it home from me in VA to their home in OH and have taken it to Colorado and back. They are very happy with the truck.
 
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