I am new to 5th wheel trailering. I am purchasing a 28' 5th wheel camping trailer at 7200# GVW. I have an 02' SuperDuty w/ 7.3 Stroker and a 6' bed. I am looking for any suggestions for any needed additions to my ride (i.e. sway control, added leaf springs etc. no chip suggestions please). Thanks!!!

 

You'll need to get one of those sliding 5th wheel hitches to provide clearance for the cab on tight turns. With a short bed you have to be careful because the trailer will hit the cab of the truck on a jack knife maneuver.
You don't need any additions to the suspension with only 7200lb, that will be a very easy load to pull with your Superduty.
You specify no chip suggestions, that's fine these trucks are great in stock form.
I recommend getting some guages: minumum transmission temperature, they can get overheated very easily pulling a trailer. The other popular ones are Boost and Pyrometer.

 

Also you might want to consider getting a better valve body.
There's one from BTS that's all the rage over in the 7.3 diesel forum.
And another one that comes to mind is the Transgo Tugger.
I don't recommend the Sonnex due to several guys installing them and then thier transmission went out.
Me, I have a six speed stick so I am only going on what the others have said in the diesel forum.

 

I've got the Pull Rite Super Glide hitch and love it. Like Kwik said you'll need some kind of slide or sure trouble. The Super Glide is very cool, but pricey! Good towing mirrors are a must too. C-betr's are a nice way to go. Good luck and have fun!

 

I have a stock trans temp gauge, is it enough. Also, I was camping recently and I saw a short bed Dodge and it looked like thet just put the hitch closer to the rear of the bed? I was also going to leave it up to the RV dealship to provide me with the right hitch. Is this good or bad.

 

I've never heard of anyone putting a non-slider hitch behind the rear axle. You have to have the weight centered over the axle or it will unload the front axle and make all kinds of steering problems. The sliding hitch temporarily moves the load to the rear to deal with the clearance problems so you can park the trailer without damaging anything. But while you are underway the pin needs to be centered for safety reasons.
If you want accurate temperature readings, get an aftermarket guage. There's lot's of guys that have both the factory guage and an aftermarket and they say that the aftermarket guage is showing a lot of movement up and down and the Ford guage just sits there, giving you the illusion that everything is ok.
You have a 7.3 diesel truck, I invite you to come and read about all this stuff in the 7.3 diesel forum. I joined nearly three years ago now to learn about how to fix my truck. IMO it's the best collection of knowledge anywhere on the internet that you can find.
Here's a link to the forum.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/f...splay.php?f=31

You'll find that a lot of guys will "recommend" that you get a chip to add power. Just ignore that part, but all the rest of the advice that they give, if you choose to do so, will greatly enhance your truck's ability to handle the job of towing.

 

Kwik's dead on. You'l definitely need a slider of some sort or you WILL damage your cab!! There are cheaper units that you can stop and drop the jacks and slide with. A real pain even if you can predict when you're going to have to turn sharp. Make sure you get the right hitch, it can make your towing a pleasure or nightmare!!

 

Get the sliding hitch no mater what the dealer says. You will be glad you did.

Get the trans temp gauge also .My 01 7.3 got the tranny too hot when pulling my fiver in GA. and if I had a gauge I could have stopped before being stuck on the side of the hiway. I got the one you can mount on top of the steering colum in the center of the dash. Any of the sponsors here can help you and get a good price.

E-trailer.com and get the wiring harness that tee's into the factory plug and runs up into the bed for your 7way plug. Don't let the dealer hack into the wiring harness. It will give you problems down the road.

The biggest thing is going to be keeping the trans cool . The factory set-up isn't all that great. Get the gauge and don't rely on the factory one. When it shows hot its too late.

Good Luck and see ya on the road.

 

As mentioned already, you will need a slider. There are several out there in the $600 range. Make sure you get one that has rollers for the slide. It makes it real easy to move. Just stop, move a pin, get back in, hold the trailer brake and slowly move until it relocks in the new position. Takes 15 seconds. I mounted mine 4" in front of the rear axle while in the forward position. I rides like a dream. I am pulling a much larger 5er than you, so I know it works. Here is a link to a pic.

http://community.webshots.com/user/westpsd

 

The slider hitch is the way to go if you are buying a new hitch. I got a steal of a deal off e-bay on a non sliding hitch and it works just fine. We stay in about ten different campgrounds throughout the summer and I have never had a time where I was not able to turn the truck and trailer tight enough to fit it in the site. I can probably turn about 75-80 degrees before I get nervous about hitting the cab window.
I would recommend you look for some mirror extensions or power mirrors so you can see past the 5er better.
I also have an exhaust brake that saves the brake pads a little.
Have fun!

 

I'd recommend guage, large cooler, and trango tugger kit for the tranny. Mirrors that you can actually see around the trailer. And a good brake controller, Prodigy rings a bell, I am sure others will chime in with what they like.

 

Everybody has given some good info but I would like to add to hitch set-up. Everyone is saying to get a slider, and I agree but not 100%. The only reason I say this is if the pin on the fifther sticks out to the front of the fifther at all you'll more than likely not need a slider. The short box SD has a 6.75' box so it doesn't take much to offset the difference that you need and all it takes is an extend pin box. Now if the trailer is more of the standard with the pin undernieth the fifther then you'll most definitly want to invest in one. Like someone else already mentioned they can be had for $600 but those of course are the manual sliders and will be a bit of an inconvience at times, the automatics are great but you'll need a fat pocket book if you don't want to feel the pain of a $2k+ dollar hitch! If your truck has factory towing mirrors I would't worry much about them but the C-beters are a nice addition. The truck itself won't have anyproblem and I would only add a real trans temp gauge, the factory one is poor at best as it works more like a light with large increments and doesn't nessessarly tell you it's to hot untill it's to late. Congrats on the new camper!

 

Even with an extended hitch you still can't clear the cab with a shortbox. To turn a full 90 degrees you will need a slider. The thing is you really don't ever need to turn a full 90 degrees.

 

RougeDoc: you are doing the right thing to ask a lot of questions ....but be cautious what you act on. For example....our experience tells us there are a lot of dealers that will say anything to sell the product they have. Second...I had one dealer install a hitch incorrectly and I had to have my new truck re-cut by someone else . We don't have fith wheels, we have goosenecks...different animal. We've been using F-250 super crew cab short beds since they first came out very successfully....but I suspect many fifth wheel trailers have a more protruding and boxier nose than we deal with .....requiring the slider everyone is recommending. Personally, I'd opt for a long bed for a fifth wheel. With goose necks, we have a neat option....a drop back nose to gain another 9 inches.
We have also enjoyed the C-betr mirrors ....really help with the blind spots.
Kwikkordead: ques...if you can't put a hitch behind the rear axle because it will " unload the front axle"....then why aren't all the trucks pulling trailers from their bumper....BEHIND the axle....not raising up ?? We've been installing ball hitches at or behind the axle for eons....not one problem. I'll agree it's not the best for novice drivers....and likely impossible for fivers....but certainly helps allow us to enjoy the preference of a short bed. In addition, most installers won't make any alterations due to warrantee issues.

 

My 5er has a tongue weight of about 2,000 pounds. The difference between my slider being in the front position (4" in front of the axle center line) and in the back position (4" behind the axle) is night and day. In the front position, it rides and handles like a dream. In the back position, it bucks like a bronco. It is unbelievable how much difference just 10" makes in how our trucks ride. I have tried to pull in the rear position, but it rides sssooooooo bad that every time I have tried, I made it less than 2 miles before I switched it back. For those that can't compare, you don't know the difference. Just like performance chips. Until you get a really great chip, you will be very happy with the common tuners. Once you experience the comparison, you wonder how you were ever satisified.

Don't EVER put your fifth wheel behind the axle. You won't be satisified with the ride!