A true 1/2 ton fith wheel?

gbopp wrote:
You never see someone complaining because they have too much truck.

You usually don't see people towing fifth wheels with half-tons complaining either.

I tow a fifth wheel with a half ton. Yes there are many fifth wheels that will work with many 1/2 tons, especially the aluminum F-150s. Mine has 2019 pounds of payload. The GM trucks are also good if they have the max trailering package. For some of the big half-ton towables you'd want a F-150 with heavy duty payload package (4800 RAWR).

Modifications don't actually increase your payload rating of course.

I've been towing a fifth wheel with a half ton for 17 years. My father in law did it for many years before that. There used to be a lot more small fifth wheels that worked with the half tons of the day.

With my 1st 5th wheel the dealer told me that I could tow it with my 1/2 ton Chevy Gasser. I towed it once and when we came home I told my wife we either sell the 5th wheel or get a bigger truck.

It did tow it BUT I had to be aware of hills and get sort of a run at them and the stopping factor was not good either. I was white knuckled the whole time and not a pleasant experience.

I upgraded to a 2500HD Gasser and it was like the trailer was not even back there.

I have since upgraded to a 2500HD Diesel and also my 5th wheel which is heavier. It has three slides where the old one had only one. Same length at 31 foot. The diesel handles it BUT when it comes time to upgrade I'll be looking at a 3500 or F350 for sure.

The daily driver is not an issue for me as I have always enjoyed driving a truck over a car although there are times such as WalMart I wish I had a shorter bed than the 8ft back there but I get by.

I wish you luck in finding the right solution for you!

Dave

gbopp wrote:
You never see someone complaining because they have too much truck.

You know there's just got to be one out there.

Personally, after having one undersized truck, I will never let it happen again.

Add the weight of the hitch in bed, anything carried inside the bed like what is loaded inside the tool box, etc, your weight, wife, dog, gas and then your hitch weight. Some of what you load into the front storage bins of the 5th wheel: propane, plus added batteries will be transferred to your hitch weight. Even a 2500 truck would be close or over its max when truck and trailer are fully loaded for all but the very lightest 5th wheels like a quantum for example or Scamp 19 ft'er. Don't do it. Get a TT instead.

I remember a 1/2 ton pickup pulling the space shuttle and said it would do it. CAN it? yes SHOULD it? probably not.

Each truck is spec'd differently and the setup of each fifth wheel is also different. Those need to be taken into account.

I had a 2012 Ford F-150 that I had spec'd and ordered. It had the 3.5 Eco-boost, the max tow package AND the Heavy Duty package. It had a higher payload than most SuperDuty F-250s that were on the lot when it was delivered. We did pull a fifth wheel with it - a 2008 Wildcat 32QBBS. It did great and we never lost power going up mountains, etc. It's dry weight was less than 9K.

We were limited in what we could take with us and when we wanted to upgrade the fifth wheel, we went with a larger truck.

I see a lot of fifth wheels in parks being towed with F150 trucks (two last week). I don't know how well they perform or if they are within specs but they are there and the owners are enjoying themselves. You probably need to consider the specifications of your own truck then make a determination for a trailer.

The Escape 5.0TA would certainly be legit.

troubledwaters wrote:

gbopp wrote:
You never see someone complaining because they have too much truck.

Actually some do. When a truck is also used as a Daily Driver (DD) and only used 10% ± as a Tow Vehicle, a 1/2 ton can make sense. A 3/4 ton can make a terrible DD for many reasons, and if its a diesel it can be even worse. So if a 1/2 ton can be used within it's ratings as a Tow Vehicle, it's a win - win when also used as a DD.

Well I DD every day not that bad only as bad as you make it, newer will suffer with short distance commute, but if longer than that and highway travel they are fine.

I know of several folks who pull fifth wheels (under 10K GVWR) with late-model F150s equipped with the 3.5 EcoBoost, max payload, and max tow packages. They are within specs and the rigs perform well. However, the trucks aren't your "every day" F150s, either. Each truck is different and it's all about equipment, options and ratings.

RV sales people have a lot in common with politicians... do you know how to tell when they're lying? Their lips are moving.

Rob

gbopp wrote:
You never see someone complaining because they have too much truck.

Actually some do. When a truck is also used as a Daily Driver (DD) and only used 10% ± as a Tow Vehicle, a 1/2 ton can make sense. A 3/4 ton can make a terrible DD for many reasons, and if its a diesel it can be even worse. So if a 1/2 ton can be used within it's ratings as a Tow Vehicle, it's a win - win when also used as a DD.

It's true sorta. Most 1/2 tons can tow most 1/2 ton rated 5th wheels only if the 5th wheel is empty and hardly anythings in the truck. Since no one actually uses them like that then it's a lie.
You have a door sticker on your truck that shows the cargo carrying capacity. Thats the key number you need to work with. If you can hitch up the 5th wheel and load everything else in the truck that you normally would and be at or under that door number then, yes you can tow it.