Towing a 5th wheel concerns

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Oct 8, 2009 | 08:58 AM

TractorM3

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Towing a 5th wheel concerns

I just bought a camper and had it moved to my place and I am starting to set my truck up with brake controls as well as the 5th wheel hitch

my truck: 2006 F250 SD with the 5 speed auto tranny, triton v-8, 3.73 rear axle, 2wd, 8 foot bed, extended cab.

the trailer is a 5th wheel 10k lbs. tandem axle.

any concerns about theis being too big for that truck? i know short trips are nothing but im planning on going from Boston, to orlando FL pretty much every year.

any and all wisdom on this would be great. I dont want to kill my truck with this camper. The camper will be very loaded on such a long trip since we are goign to be down there for weeks at a time.

Oct 8, 2009 | 09:57 AM

edjunior

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From: Roman Forest, TX

Well, by the book (http://www.trailerlife.com/images/to...ngs_p20_33.pdf), yes, you are too heavy. The books says 9,800 lbs max 5th wheel towing (11,800 with a 4.10 rear end). In reality, yes, you are too heavy. What is the GVWR of the trailer? Is the empty weight 10k? If so, you probably really bit off more than you can chew. There will be some folks here that will tell you it will pull the trailer with no problem, but the facts are, from your description, you have too much trailer for your truck. If you are planning on pulling it from Boston to Florida pretty much every year, and it's going to be "very loaded", you are almost certainly asking for trouble. The 5.4L (triton v-8) is a great engine, but it does have its limits. And you are most certainly pushing them. YOu really need to get the 6.8L or diesel. That's all there is too it.

Oct 8, 2009 | 12:18 PM

TractorM3

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no, the full gross weight is 10k. so unless this camper is packed fully with all of the water tanks full and what not I am fine. the dry wieght of this camper is unknown but i imagine its around 8k, maybe a bit more.

very rare would i have the water tank full in transit so I guess I am safe unless I have it fully loaded with everything.

and also i plan of doing all the mait early as well, tranny flush, oil changes rear end oil. stuff like that and I drive very easy on the truck when I tow fifth wheel, i wont go faster then 55, 60 down hill.

how easy is it th change the gearing on the rear end?

Oct 8, 2009 | 12:29 PM

bpounds

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From: Whittier, CA

The truck handles that weight fine, in all regards except the motor. You'll be underpowered, but you can deal with that by driving smart.

I think you will want to change the gearing. But I suggest you make the trip once first, and then decide if you want to spend the money on gearing. Maybe you will decide it's good enough. Maybe you will decide to regear. Maybe you will decide it's not enough motor and trade up. Either way, have the trip experience under your belt first.

Oct 8, 2009 | 12:59 PM

Ace!

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From: So Oregon

Looks like with 4.10 gearing it goes up 2000 lbs. That's pretty significant.

I'd say, like bpounds, that you should try it and see what you think. The truck can handle it, it's just a matter of the drivetrain, and the only difference between 9800 and 11800 ratings is the 3.73 to 4.10 gearing. If you don't like the way it pulls you can change the gearing, and since you have a 2wd it shouldn't break the bank...$1000 more or less.

Oct 8, 2009 | 01:29 PM

jaybread

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From: Albuquerque

Towing anywhere close to the weight rating is painful. I hope you have a quiet exhaust, because your engine will be pinned the whole trip.

Try it once and see, maybe it won't bother you?

Oct 8, 2009 | 01:34 PM

senix

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Joined: Aug 2008

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From: Frederick, MD

Here is your towing guide for a 2006. Hope this helps as well: https://www.fleet.ford.com/showroom/...06_default.asp

Oct 8, 2009 | 05:10 PM

suzuki0702

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im gonna have to agree with above posters, i havent driven a 3v 5.4 (05 and up) but with my 2v ive pulled 12k and it wasnt easy. engine revs but you will be traveling through some decent hills going south. id upgrade gears to 4.56 minimum or trade in on a v10, or wait for the 6.2

Oct 8, 2009 | 05:45 PM

#10

chazworth

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My 5ver is 8k lbs dry, and around 9.2 loaded to camp. The truck does have to rev on the hills, but on fairly level ground, it pulls the load fine. Your fuel mileage will really suffer. I get 7 to 7.5 towing at 55 to 65 mph. Ford lists my truck as having a 31 gal. tank, but that is an out and out lie. This past weekend I had to pull my tank and only had 2.5 to 3 gals left in the tank. When I re installed the tank I went 1/2 mile to the gas station and was only able to put in 24.5 gals. This really limits you to safely towing about 150 miles between fillups. Pull it and let it rev, you'll be fine.

Oct 8, 2009 | 06:10 PM

#11

Lubbockguy1979

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From: Lubbock

the truck is capible of pulling the weight. the engine is designed to rev and the engine running a 3000-4000rpms shouldnt alarm you it is just what it was designed to do. mpg will suffer with 8-10k reguardless what you drive v10, 5.4, psd. if you plan to regear the truck look at 4.30 gears they seem to really help out the 5.4 when towing. you wont win a race with that 5.4 unloaded but it will work. if you want more power though you gonna want to look at a different engine. tuning can be done to the 5.4 to get more power and some claim it helps alot but starting with a more capible engine will yeild better results when you do mods