Hello, I do a fair amount of towing with my 1994 F250 supercab with 460 etc, fairly similar to yours. So I have a few recommendations after doing this for a few years, and more mistakes than I like to admit.

The tow weight ratings are in the user manual and off the top of my head I don't remember what they are, and I may get some of the names wrong but it will be clear from the manual. You need to take several things into mind when figuring out the tow rating. The maximum Gross Combined Weight Rating(GCWR), the maximum Gross Axle Weight Rating(GAWR)and the maximum Gross Tow Rating, I am not sure if this is right but it is the weight of the trailer. These ratings are in the manual and also usually posted on the door jam.

I tow a 30 foot travel trailer, not a fifth wheel, but the weight ratings etc I think still apply. You need to make sure the trailer does not exceed the towed rating, you also need to make sure the truck and trailer combined weights don't exceed the maximum GCWR, and lastly you need to make sure you don't exceed the GAWR or tongue weight, ie the weight in the bed of the pickup.

Your best bet is to check out magazines like Trailering and the Good Sam magazines, I am sure there are others, they all have good tips. I am new to this list and didn't realize when I reply to a posting I can no longer see your posting so I don't remember what you had listed so I will wing it, probably butchering the figures but just read the manual to be sure, or write me and I will get mine a day after hearing from you.

The tongue weight can be varied by shifting the load in the trailer, ie moving it around from front to back. The dry weight is exactly that, the trailer with nothing in it except the Standard trailer items. This means if you have the optional air conditioner, heavy insulation, optional furniture, optional whatever, you already have more weight than the dry weight on the trailer listing. Put water in the tank and have a full black and gray water tank and have some food and travel stuff, and you can easily have a lot more weight than you think. The dry weight is just a starting point and it is ALWAYS LOW.

If you put too much load on the hitch and in the bed, then you may exceed the GAWR. This can make the rig hard to handle, fishtail, hard to brake and may over time wear out that axle bearing set and brakes.

You need to calculate the total weight of the trailer with load and the truck with it's load(people, pets, stuff, gas)and check if that exceeds the GCWR. Exceeding that can also have similar effects as above plus put extra wear on the drive train.

For a travel trailer, you must use a good weight distributing hitch, I think it's the law. The bumper hitch is not adequate for the trailer you are thinking of. I think my bumper hitch is only good for 5,000 and in my opinion it would be hard to handle at that weight. The weight distributing hitch will equalize the load over the entire frame of the truck and trailer. If you have seen trucks that were dragging their tails, they needed a weight distributing hitch and or were over loaded. On an F250 it is hard to tell by eyeball when the GAWR is exceeded. I once accidentally loaded over 3,000 pounds in the bed of my truck and it looked fine. Only way to tell is to put it on a scale.

The fifth wheel hitch is something I have no experience with, so I can only generalize. The trailer will still have some kind of tongue weight and that weight must not exceed the GAWR, including any load in the truck. I think the advantage is that a fifth wheel hitch puts the load right over the axle instead of out at the tail end. I assume it helps make the ride more stable. The total GCWR limits would still apply for a fifth wheel.

Hope this helps, and I know it is too long, even so I have left out a lot.

Jim Henderson