With a short box, there is not enough room between the 5th wheel and the back of the cab to "jack-knife" the towing unit and the trailer. The corner of the trailer will hit the rear of the cab and probably take out the rear window in tight turns. This can be remedied with a sliding hitch, though.
This was part of my reason for trading vehicles, as well as DRW. Duallys are long box.

 

I was aware of this from my research and will be going with an auto slide but thanks for the info. I have actually seen a rear window taken out.

 

There are DRW short beds too. Kind of rare, but they are around. They made them from 1999-2010.



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Wish they still made them - but they must not have sold enough....

 

I think that there are potentially a couple of factors to the kind of reaction that was expressed.

The first is an individual definition of what constitutes a comfortable towing experience. Each person will have their own idea of how a towing experience should feel and sound when approaching the manufacturer's specified tow rating for their vehicle and some people simply have a preference for the way a diesel engine pulls a trailer without much fanfare.

The second factor that I can think of, primarily from my own experience is going to be based on the location and terrain encountered while towing. My experience is with towing in the mountains of Colorado at elevations between 6,000 and 11,000 feet with grades that consistently range in the 6-8% neighborhood, at least for some portion of the trip. Earlier this year I took two separate trailers on the same route on different weekends. The first was a 5300 lb TT and the second was a 4300 lb TT. The tow rating for my truck with the stock gears (4.10:1) is supposed to be 8600 lbs. I have upsized my tires to a 315/75R16, but at the same time swapped gears to 4.88:1, making an overall ratio similar to stock tires with 4.30:1 gears. During both of my trips, the truck would not climb some of the steeper hills (~7-8%) at a speed in excess of 45 mph. I have the 6 speed manual and I was consistently running it at ~5,000 rpm in 2nd gear to maintain that speed. Each time I would shift to third gear, I would end up losing speed and soon shift back to second gear. On the flatter portions of the trip I was able to maintain 65 mph in 6th gear without trouble, but the hills make it a challenge to keep up with traffic.

I am looking at the high likelihood of purchasing a TT that weighs in closer to 8,000 lbs empty and as such, I just ordered a CCSB F-250 with the 6.2 and 4.30:1 gears last week. I just can't imagine trying to put another 2500 lbs on behind my current truck and then attempt the same route that I went on this summer.

Good discussion all around. Hopefully this helps provide an additional perspective.

 

subscribed.
We are looking at a TH and were wondering about a 5th wheel...

 

Does anyone have experience with the G2 chip?

 

Hi,

I have a 6.2 with 373s. The truck towing is not bad. Right now my trailer is 6000 pounds. When my wife and I decide on the next model we like, I have no doubt the truck will handle the next level. If needed, I will budget for a gear swap and put a set of 4.30s in the diffs. Personally, more I tow with the truck, the better feel I get for the ride. With my next long trip coming up, I am really looking forward to the drive. Less systems to keep an eye on. Just get the rig moving and let the truck do its thing.

As for the RPMs, my 5.4 would sing with the same trailer in the F150. To hear or see 4K on the tach when needed is not a problem for me especially in the mount. However, yes it would be nice to have some lower end torque but in the 2K range, the truck does just fine.