I have a 2000-F150 - 4.6L - 4x4, with 8' bed that I had bought new. Since then I have added extra rear left springs & trans cooler. Now thinking of buying a 5th wheel or gooseneck RV. Any ideas on what weight limit I should stay within? Thanks.

 

Is it too late to find a Ford towing guide for that year of truck? The F-150 in my sig with 3.55 rear was rated 7,000 max towing, the 4X4 version a couple hundred pounds less.

 

Happy you ask the question because the answer is very important.
....At the top of this page, find the box with 'articles/specs'.
Click on it and go your year as 2000 F150.
....The next page comes up with a small grey box. Click on 'specification'.
On the next page that come up, drop down to Trailer towing specs listing.
....Find you motor size and rear gear axle ratio under automatic transmission.
The next column is headed as 'Gross Combined Weight rateing.
....I assume you have a 3.55 rear axle ratio.
If so, your GCWR with 16" tires is a total weight of 11,500 lbs.
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....To find out the max loaded weight you can tow, subtract the trucks [loaded} weight from 11,500 and you get the max weight you can tow according to the trucks rateing.
....Now that still does not mean you can overload the box weight with that type trailer so keep that in mind with the box hitch and trailer weight.
....As an (example), if your truck weighs 5200 lbs, 11,500 - 5200 = 5300 lbs left for towing capacity to not go over the max gross combined weight rateing.
....Legally, the weight on your registration can be used as the trucks weight to subtract from the GCVW of 11,500 lbs.
Lots of owners ask about this and are not awhere of how it's figured.
Good luck.

 

Thanks for the info guys!!

 

i dont know if bluegrass touched on this, but if you go with a 5th wheel, you need to know your trucks payload (in the bed weight) and make sure your pin weight doesn't exceed that. this is where lots of people go wrong trying to pull goosenecks with half tons. sure, you can tow 5300 lbs, but if your pay load is maxed out, your still looking for bad things to happen. and at this point, your springs have nothing to do with it. you could have 1 ton springs, but you still have a half ton axel.

 

Yes, see the part on not overloading the box weight.
Box weight can be figured by using the actual trucks weigh minus the 'Gross Vehichle Weight' only,, not the GCWR rateing.
Good luck.

 

Thanks again for the feed back. I have pretty much settled on a 5th wheel RV with a weight of 4,900 lbs and a bed weight of 840 lbs. I'm hoping the truck will handle that okay. Regards!!