Just for fun, I'm looking at 5th wheels to upgrade to from my conventional...

have a question or two about weights, and pulling them...

I can take up to 2,700# of tounge weight on my GVWR, and most of the ones I've found are sitting around the 2,400# mark

The F250 with a 5.4 has Ford's blessing up to a 12,100# trailer, but I don't mind breaking that every once and again. The trailers that caught my attention are just under the 15,000# mark GVWR.

I know what this truck feels like pulling a 10,000# "bumper pull" and it does just fine. Won't win any races, but the job gets done.

Has anyone pulled both a 10,000# and a 15,000# travel trailer with the same pickup? How much discomfort does the extra weight add? Can you even tell the trailer is heavier with the wind effect that TT's have?

 

Not exactly the compaisons you specafied but I will share my observations while towing. I have towed many 8 to 12k bumper pulls and several Gooseneck/5th wheel loads up to 18k. Overall,I would rather tow 15k 5th wheel than 10k bumper. I tend to load a tad heaver at the bumper and tounge both than reccomended and get better side wind ,uneven lane and sway handleing with both,but far and away,the 5th wheel handles much better. I notice as much difference with fuel consumption between trailer hights as with wieghts. 90% of my towing has been with diesels so I will let someone else tell you the gaser pulling difference between waights. A few comments about 5er hitchs. I like the 4 way pivot(smother hook-up)adjustable hight hitch and pin box to level up and tweek tounge waight. I presently have a short box and the slider hitch is great in tight spots. If you decide to take the plunge and want to talk trailers,speak up.

 

I think you will find your answers here, if you will go over there and ask. Jim


http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fu...s/forum/24.cfm

 

I towed a 9k bumper pull and a 14k fifthwheel with the same truck. The fifthwheel was a lot nicer to pull down the highway. The truck rode better and there was no wind buffeting from cross winds or passing trucks and buses. And yes, you could feel the difference in weight.

Down side - mileage dropped 3.5 miles to the gallon.

Stepped up to a newer diesel and gained 2 mpg back towing the fifthwheel.

Personal opinion - it will be a cold day in h&** before I would tow a 14k fifthwheel with a 5.4. You might be OK in you don't travel anywhere with hills and mountain passes.

Good luck

 

It's not enough truck for that heavy of a 5th-wheel. I have a 37ft 5th-wheel camper that weighs in around 13,500 lb. With my F350 DRW 6.8L V10 and 3:73 gears I do fine on flat interstate towing in OD, but as soon as I get into that up and down action due to overpasses, etc I take it out of OD and it does pretty well. Your problem is going to come when you are on 2 lane roads and hit a real incline or have to start from a stop on a hill. I hit a hill recently on a back country road with mine. The 2 lane became 4 lane at the bottom of the hill and back to 2 lane at the top, and now I know why, I barely made it to the top in 1st gear with the gas pedal on the floor, and I had a running start. And this is with 5-Star's 93 Oct Tow Tune which is a monster compared to stock. I actually had a brief thought that I would have to back it down that hill. Lucky for me I made it. I decided to weight it at a CAT Certified scale for ****s and giggles, but I wasn't laughing when I saw the weight sheet. How does a GCVW of 20,520 lb sound?? That's right, 20,520 lb, and that's with 1/2 tank of gas.

With 5th-wheel:
Steer Axle: 3620 lb
Drive Axle: 5820 lb (2280 lb pin weight)
Trailer Axle: 11080 lb
GCVW: 20520 lb

My F350 DRW weighs 7340 lb with a full tank of gas and the 5th-wheel hitch installed, but no trailer attached.

If you add the truck and trailer weight you should be +/- within 1000lbs of my weight if you get the trailer you are describing and that truck will not handle it well at all. And you haven't even loaded the truck yet with the wife, kids, dogs and luggage, etc yet. Check into what the GCWR is for the truck and you'll be looking for a smaller 5th-wheel or a bigger truck.

You will have higher wind drag because most 5th-wheel campers sit up higher compared to travel trailers.

This what I'm talking about.

 

1) I'm not trying to pull too much with a slusher. I have a low gear.

2) a pin weight of 2500# will not excede my gvwr.

3) I have 4.10s behind a 5.something "L"

4) I can't lose 3 mpg as I doubt I'd go from 8 mpg to 5 switching to a 5th wheel

believe it or not my pickup is set up to take more weight than a diesel

 

Just some generalities here from a diesel guy.
I tow my racecar in an enclosed trailer and it weighs about 10K. I also tow my CAT skidsteer on a gooseneck dump trailer that weighs almost 15K.

The tag trailer does not tow as well as the gooseneck but I can definitely tell the gooseneck is back there

^^^I'm suprised that the V-10 couldn't pull that weight effectively. You may have other issues...

I've never been impressed with the 5.4 in a super duty. My personal opinion is that you'll be under gunned trying to tow anything heavier than a bass boat.

 

12,000 pound TT I've gone coast to coast twice with is this year, I wouldn't go heavier but a 5er in that range is fine.

I pulled Loveland pass both ways twice at better than 40, didn't have much peddle left but how in hell fast do you HAVE to haul 3,000 miles each way?

bottom line, the truck will do it no problem, but you'd be slap happy if you either kept the weight around 12k or went to a Duramax, I dont have enough heavy towing with a Ford diesel to say what they are like but have used duramaxs alot, while i dont liek the trucks they tow 14k 5ers like a dream over the divide

I'd try it and you can always upgrade the truck if you have to

 

My V10 pulls it just fine, but that weight adds up on a steep incline.

 

No one mentioned that even tho your truck (whatever it is) can PULL a certain trailer/load, that can it can STOP it safely? These 250/350 diesels can probably pull the Empire State Building if it were on wheels..... stopping that sucker going 50-70 MPH is quite another story!

Please don't forget this basic thought in your planning.

 

Keep those trailer brakes in working order and the truck doesn't have to stop a trailer that stops itself.

Unfortunately, electric brakes are a fail-unsafe setup... but just about any of these trucks will stop something up to 20,000# ONCE. ...and if the trailer brakes fail, that's all you need.

The difference between a 15k travel trailer and a 15k utility trailer is a whole lot of wind resistance. Wind adds weight faster than weight itself.

 

My $.02 worth:

If you stay on flat roads, it will likely do "OK". Stay wellll away from the Rockies or Sierra Nevadas!

Ultimately, it is YOUR truck, your life, and your decision. I respect your asking questions, and trust you will make the right decisions for you. Pushing limits will not guarantee the truck will blow up within 5 minutes... Ratings are a funny thing. Every pound you add increases loads and increases the risk something will fail. Published ratings are determined by the manufacturer. How?
Start with engineering estimates on when loads get to the point of increasing risk to an unacceptable level as defined by the original product manager. Like, say, 10% chance of failure within 50K miles is OK, but 15% is not. Design and specify accordingly.
Then Marketing demands engineering go back and "review their numbers" (aka, increase them an arbitrary amount) because they really want them a lot higher because the competition has high ratings.
Then Legal demands they review their numbers because there have been too many warranty claims and want them lower them to reduce risk.
And of course, there is no time or money to re-engineer. Lots of talk and lip service about "shared risk" and "business decisions" ensue.
Final number depends on who has the most clout at that time. And that person will never be held accountable.... They'll blame it on the engineer they over-ruled.
Ooops, didn't mean to get on that soapbox. But that is how it works.

Basic physics says the additional wind drag and frictional losses of a heavier 5er WILL be noticeable. It will take a lot more power to maintain the same cruising speed.

More power means more fuel. I think it very well could cost you 3 mpg if you try to maintain the same speeds.

More power also means more HEAT and more wear on all driveline components. Engine cooling may start to become iffy on hot days. Watch carefully and maintain religously. Transmission temps are worth monitoring, as is diff temp. Gauges are cheap insurance. Tires, U-joints, and bearings will wear faster. Maybe not enough to affect you much, but please don't blame Ford if a u-joint fails at 75K miles.

If I am reading your numbers right and making the correct assumptions, it sounds like you will be exceeding at least some of the vehicle ratings. If one of the mythical weight police catch you, the naysayers say really bad things will happen to you! I say mythical because I have never heard an actual first person account of legal issues because of exceeding ratings. Especially in Texas!
But if I were your insurance company and found out you had an accident in which the excess weight COULD be considered a factor, well..... you wouldn't like me much after all was said and done.

 

Isn't a 15,000 lb 5er more than the maximum rated capacity for your truck? The capacity for your truck is probably around 11,000 lbs.

 

Oh, and I'm toying with doing the same. But since we haul over Donner and Siskiyou summits several times each year and up some 15%+ grade forest roads, I am much more weight limited. 10K (REAL weight, fully loaded) is the absolute max I will consider - even with my modified and tuned V10. Quite simply, I am uncomfortable crawling along at 15 mph on a 4 or 6 lane freeway....
I love pulling the current trailer (Nash 22H) at about 6500 lb fully loaded, but we would like a little more space to allow more visitors.

 

My father just moved up from a 32' 10K bumper pull Cedar Creek Silverback to 5th wheel 40' 14K Cedar Creek. The driving and handling is night and day...5er all the way! Driving with the load centered over the rear axle makes the hauling so much easier.

Just my .02