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A 3/4 ton is a good in between a half ton or a one ton dually. A f150, while it is a good pickup, isn't the best for long distance or heavy hauling of a 5th wheel.
Personally, I would only tow with a 3/4 ton + dually diesel, they are SO much more stable and suited for mtns.
If you are fixated on a F-150 (they are very nice and economical to service and run. Cheaper tires and brakes (but more often needing replacement)
I would concentrate to find a SMALL 5th wheel. Getting the hitch over the axle is a HUGE benefit, especially in a 1/2T.
The frames and sway bars and springs are VERY light on a 150 (car / van quality). Bumper pull trailers WHIP that frame and rear end around and add the weight and 'turning / handling leverage' 4-6 ft BEHIND the axle. Axle on 150 is totally different (car) than a 3/4 or 1T (full floating... ie. inboard and outboard Bearing housings).
Any bumper tow (even 1T) will do better with a Weight distribution hitch and sway bars.
W 1/2 T Consider a <4,000# bumper tow, 22-24' max, no slides. Be kind to your truck, it will reward you greatly.
Now, I believe that I can carry 5900lbs dry weight with my F150?
What do you think?
Your F150 will pull that fine.
As others have said, towing capacity is irrelevant. You will likely max out your payload with a towable long before you hit your towing capacity.
I would figure around 13% of the trailer's gross weight for the tongue. At 6,000 pounds, that is 780 pounds of tongue weight. That amount is subtracted from your truck's payload capacity, which is probably somewhere around 1,500-1,800 (if you have a newer truck, there will be a sticker on the inside of the driver's door that tells you the payload number). You also have to subtract the weight of the occupants, gear, anything in the bed of the truck, etc.
I wouldn't tow a 5'er with a 1/2 ton truck, although I see some people doing it. Unless it is very small, that is.
You will find plenty of travel trailers that have what you are wanting and can be easily towed by your F150.
I **think** you can get a new F150 heavy duty that has a cargo capacity greater than my 2000 F250, so if you're insistent on getting an F150, be sure to get the heavy duty one.
I was in the repair shop while the owner was trying (and failing) to find a hitch for a fifth wheel that would work in a short bed of some sort. He was spending a lot of time on the phone, complete with a bit of frustrated language.
He explained to me why the fifth wheel wasn't going to work with the short bed, but I didn't really understand it. At least, I think it was the hitch. It was something heavy that the trailer could not be connected to the truck without it
At any rate, it wouldn't hurt to ask the trailer repair shop about hitches before buying a vehicle that isn't standard every day commonly used for towing.
OK, with those numbers, you will be fine towing that trailer with that truck.
Anybody who tells you that trailer can't be towed with a 1/2 ton truck is from the old school and probably doesn't know what the new 1/2 trucks are capable of. Many can tow more and carry more payload than many 3/4 ton trucks could just 10-15 years ago.
I tow a travel trailer that weighs 7,000 pounds loaded with a 2013 1/2 ton Silverado. My numbers are lower than yours and my truck does fine. We are not over on any of the numbers for our truck that the manufacturer provides.
With that said, we have been sticking around the flat lands of the Midwest for now because our son is young. If you are in the mountains, your experience might be different. Our next setup will be a 5'er and a 3/4 ton truck but that is still several years down the road.
If you want to be certain, take your truck and trailer (fully loaded up) to a CAT scale at a truck stop and find out the exact numbers.
If you do go the travel trailer route, definitely get a good weight distribution hitch with integrated sway control. Your dealer will work that into the deal.
Check out the forums at rv.net if you haven't yet been on there. You will learn a ton about trailers and trucks. The posters there can answer just about any question.
Last edited by Knox Harrington; 11-27-2013 at 07:56 PM..
Now the hitch weight is 1125 lbs, so with my 2330 payload capacity, I should be fine?
Question : What is the Cargo Weight (3549lbs)? According to a site :
Cargo Weight is the actual weight of all items added to the Curb Weight of the vehicle or trailer. This includes personal cargo, optional equipment, and Tongue or King Pin Weight. What do you guys think?
Do I have to add the Cargo Weight (3549lbs) to the Dry Weight (6400lbs) to find out if my F150 can carry the total amount of weight?
Yes...the Cargo weight in this case is the maximum amount of weight that 5th wheel can support on its axles. The RV weighs 6400 lbs and you can put up to 3,549 extra pounds of stuff (food, clothes, water, toys, etc) into the 5th wheel.
The specifications provided at the link you gave do not supply enough detail to know if the listed PIN weight of 1125 pounds is based on the 5w curb weight of 6400 or curb+cargo 6400+3549 lbs.
A rough estimate is 20-25% of total weight. So, assuming you are max loaded at 9,949 lbs of 5w weight, 22% would be a pin weight of 2188 lbs.
Your F150 has a payload capacity of 2330 lbs. That weight does not include passengers, fuel, etc.
So you can probably do it, but its close.
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