Looking for a F250 with 5th wheel pulling in mind. While towing numbers look the same, anyone have any thoughts on short vs long box trucks.

Thanks,

Jeff

 

The Ford Truck Bible recommends long wheelbase(usually this means long box) for towing. Longer trucks are supposed to be more stable and resistant to sway from the trailer trying to wag the dog. I do not know if the same applies to a 5th wheel, but would assume so.

I drive a 94 F250 supercab long bed 4X4 460 E4OD with 4.10 gears etc. I tow an 8,000+ lb trailer and it handles very nicely. Mine is a regular hitch trailer.

Be sure to pay attention to your Gross Combined weight and your Gross Axle Weight and gross Vehicle Weight. With a 5th wheel, it is easy to exceed one or more of these on a 250.

Good Luck,

Jim Henderson

 

It depends on the way the pin on the trailer is angled. With a short bed, you might not be able to turn very sharp without hitting the cab with the front edge of the trailer.There are a few companies making a sliding hitch for use with a short bed, Reese makes one called "KWIK SLIDE". That would be the way to go if you have to have a short bed. My 5th wheel clears the back of the cab by about 10" when turning a sharp corner, and that's with a long bed.
Best advice if you don't have the trailer already, is to buy the truck you want,and then get a trailer and hitch that will make the combo work..

John

 

>Looking for a F250 with 5th wheel pulling in mind. While
>towing numbers look the same, anyone have any thoughts on
>short vs long box trucks.
>
>Thanks,
>
>Jeff

You've got to be very, very careful with a shortbox and a Fiver. MOST of them will hit the corners of the trailer when turning sharp. There is a hitch manufacturer that makes and automatic hitchbox slide specifically for shortbeds. While some manufacturers make a Fiver hitch that slides back on rails, you have to get out and unlock it to get it to slide whereas this other one does it automatically. However, if it were me I would just buy the longbed. You'll get another 18" of storage places, bigger fuel tanks from the factory and won't have to worry about finding a sliding hitch. PLUS, a long bed rides better w/a Fiver in tow in my opinion. Now if you're going for a crew cab with a shortbox and trying to keep overall length down I would say that it may be worth it to find the sliding hitch because the frame w/the crewcab abd SB is pretty long, which will give you a decent ride. Ken

 

these guys are right, i have seen people with short boxes pulling 5th wheel trailers that have the hitch too far back to prevent hitting the cab, this can make it very unstable, and dangerous. Im not saying that you shouldnt buy a shortbox, just be careful in selecting your trailer and hitch.


Tony Warren
Nebraska

 

I have a long box CC, but my friend has a super cab shortbox with a hitch that can slide back on rails for tight corners. He has never had to use it, but it is there if he needs it. He tows a 32 foot trailer.

Some trailers have extended hitch pins giving lots of clearence, some don't. Ours do.

Just look at the combination. If you want the shortbox, get a hitch that can slide back on rails, or spend the extra money to get the automatic one. You'll be fine.

 

I tow a 35 1/2 ft fifthwheel (12,500 lbs) with a '99 F350 shortbox supercab. It's never been a problem. The others are correct, however, that you do have to be careful not to bang the trailer and truck together. My Reese hitch does have the Kwik Slide but I've had to use it just once. I don't even use it to get the rig out of my driveway and around a telephone pole, a right turn.
http://members.***.net/sreigle/3295rk/images/image013.jpg
shows what I'm talking about.

I think a far more dangerous situation is if you're trying to tow significant weight with a short wheelbase (rather than shortbed). A standard cab shortbed will have a short wheelbase that will be less stable when towing. My supercab shortbed has a longer wheelbase than even the standard cab longbed.

I highly recommend the slider hitch, like the kwik-slide, just for those occasional times you'll need it. But I would never shy away from towing a fifthwheel with a shortbed truck. Just be aware.

steve

 

oops. i pasted in the url for the picture but did not realize the picture would be integral to the post. sorry!
steve

 

Buy a long bed! Bigger is better.
You will find when shopping for used 5th wheels that quite a few sellers will include the hitch at no charge so you can save a few bucks and not ever have to worry about forgetting to release a slider.

 

Get the long box. Longer wheelbase will give you better stability and you won't have to worry about hitting the cab with the 5er on turns.

 

I agree with long wheelbase being better but don't make the mistake of assuming a shortbed means shorter wheelbase. For a given cab configuration, shortbed would be shorter wheelbase. But my '99 F350 supercab shortbed has a longer wheelbase than the standard cab longbed. Shortbed is not a problem IF the fifthwheel has the extended pinbox. I have a slider but have only used it once, other than to try it out. It's really not a problem if you're careful. I cannot turn as sharply as a longbed truck can but I can turn sharply enough. I've been towing fivers with a shortbed for a number of years. Occasionally I have to do an extra move forward and back, probably one more than the longbed trucks do but it's not a problem. For me, I wanted the supercab but the front of my garage has shelving and a supercab longbed won't go in the garage. I would recommend making the shortbed/longbed decision based on factors other than towing, then if you get a shortbed, get the slider for the peace of mind of knowing that if you have to you can pop the slider. As I said before, I've only had to do that one time to get into a particularly tight campsite. There are many, many people out there towing fifthwheels with shortbed trucks. In case anyone is wondering, my fifthwheel is not small. It's 35 1/2 ft long, 8 ft wide with slides retracted as in towing. Bottom line is go for the longer wheelbase but be aware longbed does not equate to longer wheelbase unless you're talking identical cab configurations. Hope this helps.
steve reigle

 

With the longbox the pin center should be directly over the axle and up to two inches forward of the axle centerline. The same is true of a shortbed. Most installations in a shortbox are directly over the axle to maybe an inch forward of the axle centerline. Any installation where pin center is aft of the axle centerline can cause stability problems regardless of box configuration. Hitch mfr instructions are pretty specific about this. FYI, sliders should be slid back only for low speed maneuvering, such as for getting into a very tight campsite. Towing with a shortbed CAN result in crashing camper into cab if one is not careful when turning very sharply. On mine I can turn roughly 75 degrees before that would occur. Many of us have been towing fivers with shortbox trucks for many years without a problem.
steve reigle

 

I vote for the long box...

1) 5th wheel towing is less of a pain.

2) You have a 38 gallon tank vs a 29 gallon tank. Doesn't sound like much, however when you are towing your mileage eater (read: camper), 9 extra gallons is a plus...

Edmo

 

i have to go with the others. for the most part the longer the wheelbase and the longer the bed the better. there does come a point at which the wheel base is too long and that impedes manuverability, but a 133-155" wheelbase truck, preferably with an 8' bed, tows a 5th wheel nicely.

 

The only advantage to the longbed is that there is little need to worry about a crash between cab and fiver. I would never recommend towing with a **standard cab** shortbed because of the short wheelbase. But keep in mind, the wheelbase on my supercab shortbed is three inches longer than for the standard cab longbed. 142" vs 139". I do agree that more gas is good but that really depends on the driver's desire to go more distance before stopping. I'm ready to stretch my legs after about three hours so 29 gallons is not a problem for me. Same for my wife. But, if we were in a desolate area where gas stations were far between, that's one scenario where more gas would be nice. However, after market bigger tanks are available for those who want them. I would never disagree with a longbed being a good choice. However, for most of us there are more factors than just towing. Like fitting it in a garage. Like parking it. Etc. Each of those factors has to be "good enough" or it's a no-go. For me, the supercab shortbed is the ideal setup. I've been towing big fivers with this setup for seven years and have never had a problem, and only used the slider one time and I could have just picked a different site if I'd not had the slider. In any case, this comes down to personal preferences and what meets the needs. What I take exception to is those who say you should never tow a fifthwheel with a shortbed pickup. That's plain wrong. The only situations where I'd agree it's correct is if the truck has a standardcab and shortbed OR if the fiver does not have the extended pinbox. I think what we have here is differing opinions, and that's ok. Just be aware many, many people successfully tow fivers with a shortbox and never have a problem.
steve reigle