Hello all. My hubby and I are looking to buy a 5th wheel RV soon. We recently bought a 1993 F150 4x4 V8 Auto. At the time, buying an RV had not even crossed our minds. Now that summer is here, we want to get a 5th wheel. Does anyone know what the towing capacity is for our truck and can explain it to me in English? I don't know a whole lot about trucks and am new to towing and RVing, so any information is appreciated!!! Also, if anyone is an RV enthusiast, I welcome any and all suggestions on RV models, etc. that you think our truck would be capable of towing. We really want a 20 to 25 foot trailer with a slide out, if possible. Thanks!

TerriB

 

I have been towing 5th wheels for a while, and I have to tell you I have not seen too many F150's towing 5th wheels, travel trailers yes, but not 5th wheels. The truck is not heavy duty (HD) and that is what is required (engine torque, suspension, brakes etc.) On the insdie door jam on the drivers side, there should be a label which will tell you what your GVWR )gross vehicle weight rating is, probably around 6500 lbs. I have not seen too many 5th wheels under 24 ft, but maybe some of the older mfr's made them. The other problem is the length of your bed....6'or 8'. This will determine the type of 5th wheel hitch to use. If it is the shorter 6' bed, you have to use a "slider hitch" and it cost about $3000, pretty pricey. You really have the wrong truck for a 5th wheel set up. If you want to keep the truck, look at small tarvel trailers, with a weight distribution hitch these can be very easy to handle (like a 5th wheel) on the road. Good Luck! Larry

 

Almost every fifth wheel trailer out there will be far too heavy for a 1/2 ton truck. The pin weight is typically around 20% for a fifth wheel and a slide out adds a lot of weight. If you want a fifth wheel of that weight you'd be better off with a 3/4 ton truck or higher. Most serious RVers would recommend that you only tow a medium sized bumper pull trailer with a 1/2 ton truck. You should be able to find something within your weight limits with a slide in a bumper pull. It all depends on your GVWR, GCWR, rear axle ratio, and engine. If you provide this information, members of this forum could give you more specific information.

 

Thank you so much for your replies!!! My husband is helping me with this now. He said that it is a 5.0L 302 V8. The rear gear is 3.55. Also, it is an 8-foot bed. The front GAWR is 2950 lbs and the rear GAWR 3,776 lbs. The GVWR is 6,250 lbs. We found all of this on the sticker in the driver's side door. The owner's manual lists a max GCWR of 11,500 lbs. So, does this help us at all?

TerriB

 

I couldn't find exact information on the 1993, but I compared it to a new F150 configuration with a 3.55 rear end and a GCWR of 11,500 lbs, both the same as yours. Assuming your truck is a super cab and 4x4, the maximum fifth wheel limit is 6500 lbs. I doubt you will find many fifth wheels with a slide that weighs 6500 lbs or less. Your best bet for a fifth wheel would be to get one of the extra light models. The only problem will be that a lot of them don't have a slide in order to keep the weight down. Even then you probably won't be able to fully load the trailer to it's GVWR without overloading your truck.

My advice would be to either stick with a bumper pull trailer of medium size with a slide, or to upgrade your truck if you are really interested in a fifth wheel.

 

Check out http://www.scamptrailers.com/ They make a fifth wheel(19ft.) That you could tow. They're pretty light and slef contained....Just FYI.

 

I have the '94 version of your truck. There is no way, no how that I would tow a 20' travel trailer with it, fifth wheel or bumper hitch. The GCWR of 11,500 is a joke with that engine and gearing, unless you never go uphill. Scale down your idea of an RV or get an F-350. A friend of mine just got a new fifth wheel with all of the options. He tows it with a 2WD one ton crew cab dually with a big block.

Jim

 

I have to disagree with the previous post here. My 84 F150 King Cab, short box, 302, AOD, 2wd pickup towed a 26ft travel trailer thousands of miles in its long life and though it did not sprint up hills like a cummins would, it did just fine and never gave one bit of grief while doing it. The trailer had a load leveler on it and torsion bars ect and towed just fine, even in some high passes in the Canadian Rockies. Thought a 5ver would be a bit much you can get a nice travel trailer and pull the crap out of it with your little F150 - 302. Yours even has more power than my old 84!

Buy the best brakes availibe as the front rotors do warp a bit after a long haul with that thing, but comnpared to a new truck, they are a cheap thing to replace.

By the way - 225,000 miles later and the old truck starts every time, even after sitting for months on end.


Good luck!