A true 1/2 ton fith wheel?

I got the greatest need covered, and I can do it with a truck that performs excellently as a Daily Driver.

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.

I love when this topic comes up because its gives each of us the chance to chime in and talk about how we know more than anyone else.

FWIW, I've never heard of anyone saying they had too much truck FOR THE PURPOSE WHICH THEY HAVE THE TRUCK FOR. I've heard plenty of people complain about the difficulties of DD'ing a dually. But I've never heard of anyone complain who has a short bed 3/4 ton (unless its not enough truck).

All sensible logic suggests that you should plan for the greatest need in terms of your purchases. Decisions based on the "common" need will feel quite foolish when your need is greater (even if only for a short period of time).

Over on the Grand Design forum, there is a person who came on there with a F150 EcoBoost and "1/2 ton towable" 5er...and he said that it was not enough truck. Even admitted that he was wrong and others were right. He stated that the truck had the power to do the job, but it performed poorly in cross-wind conditions.

Get the bigger truck or a smaller trailer.

Before I recently bought my 18 Ram 2500 6.4 (2970 lbs CCC) I found a new 2018 F150 HDPP XLT about 40 miles from me. Marked down considerably. A rare find so I called the dealer to get the CCC. It was around 2300+ IIRRC. Figuring what I have for pin weight (1800 lbs), that would leave me 500 lbs and change. 280 lbs for the DW and I only leaves 220 lbs for water jugs, gas can, firewood, etc. I'd be maxed out. I went back and forth between the two trucks. I really wanted to give the F150 a shot but in the end I went with the 2500. More up side with the axle ratings. Downside is mpg's. Since I'm retired I don't do a lot of driving for work so buying gas doesn't hurt that much.
1/2 tons do work as long as you watch your weights.
Plus I got a crew cab and an 8' bed, something you can't get in an F150.

The FW in my signature has 1100lb dry pin weight. It's 1370lb ready to camp. My reese hitch weighs 120lbs. ~1500lbs is about as low as I can get.

This setup tows great, I enjoy every minute of it.

On Edit: I do not use the SuperGlide any more. Hated it

I can't confirm any new models but my old set up had a lot of safe miles under her belt and new trucks are certainly stouter than the older.

Pulled our Fleetwood wilderness 25 foot lite fifth wheel for two years with a 1999 chevy s10 4.3 litter v6 and only issues were distance because of the small fuel tank and lack of a back bench for the dogs.

2001 traded up for a 1/2 ton chevy 4x4 with the 5.3. Truck handled the fifth wheel with no suspension upgrades. Towed this way for two years and then decided we wanted to take toys so added a hitch to the FW and hooked on a 20' flatbed trailer and towed doubles for over 30,000 uneventful miles.

Currently have a 2015 Ford F-150 and only reason I would not tow a FW is due to the little 5.5' bed. If it had a 6+ foot bed I would feel comfortable with any FW in the 10,000 lb. range and would also not hesitate to hook up a second trailer. These newer 1/2 tons are impressive.

kennyd63 wrote:
I have seen on you tube dealers trying to sale fifth wheels and saying that your 1/2 ton TW can tow it without any modifications is this true? I have a 2014 F-150 super crew 4X4 with a 5.0L

Thank you all in advance

5th wheel trailers run from around 5k GVWR on up to 24k GVWR. So what size trailer is being the dealer being talked about.

1/2 ton trucks come in various sizes.
F150HD 8200-7850 GVWR and 4800 RAWR and 2400-2500 lb in the bed payloads with the 5.0 or 3.5 EB engine.

Newer 1500 GM has a 7600 GVWR and 4300 RAWR can have around 2000-2200 lb in the bed payload and can be had with a 420hp/460 torque 6.2 engine. Older '00-'06 1500HD GM have 8600 GVWR and 6000 RAWR 6.0 engine with over 3000 lb payloads.

Mid '00s 5.7 hemi Dodge Mega Cab has a 8510 GVWR and 6000 RAWR with 2600-2800 lb in the bed payloads.

So sure the dealer is correct a 1/2 ton truck can safely tow a 5th wheel trailer.....as long as the numbers match up.
How much will your truck tow ?? Without any numbers we have no idea.

There are those on here who immediately discount any 1/2 ton truck as ever being a proper truck for a 5th wheel. Just not true. It all come down to weights. The GVWR of the trailer, the loaded pin weight of the trailer, and the payload capacity of the truck. There are some very light weight 5ers that are certainly 1/2 ton towable. There are some “lightweight” 5ers that are borderline. But 1/2 ton truck load and tow ratings have increased a lot in recent years. Don’t automatically discount the possibility, but don’t take a salesman word for it either. Check all the weight numbers for yourself and make a wise decision.

Your 2014 ratings may be quite a bit less than the new trucks.

easycamper wrote:

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.

I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around the half ton truck towing a 5th wheel. Even with the Aluminum body F150 with 2,019 of payload. Most 1/2 tons have several hundred fewer pounds of available payload because of the steel body. So, using 2,019 pounds of payload as an example, subtract 200 pounds for the hitch, that leaves 1,819. Now subtract your weight and a spouses weight. Lets say that's 350 pounds. Now you're down to 1,469. Now subtract 60 pounds for 25 gallons of gas and you're at 1,409. Now subtract the weight of propane tanks, batteries and camping stuff in the 5th wheel. Most people guestimate they put 700-1,000 pounds in their campers. Lets say the Propane, batteries and gear adds 400 pounds to the pin weight. That leaves 1,009 pounds to work with. Now maybe you have a spray in bed liner or a fold up tonneau cover or a dog and you throw a few camping chairs in the back seat or a few other things. Lets say that all adds up to 150 pounds. Now you're at 859 pounds left before going over available payload. How many 5th wheel campers being sold today have a 859 pound or less dry pin weight? There might be a few very small 5th wheels but the vast majority aren't anywhere near a dry pin weight of 859 pounds. Now imagine it's not a F150 with aluminum body and the available payload is 1,590 pounds like it was when I owned a 2015 F150 with Ecoboost. No way I could tow a 5th wheel and be within specs. I have a sticker on my new Salem Hemisphere that has all the buzz words and stickers. Half ton towable, Ultralight, etc. I tow it with a one ton Ram with 3,900 pounds of available payload. Yes it's more truck than I need but I don't worry about whether I can throw a camp chair in the back seat either.

I towed with my Dodge 1/2 ton for years, no troubles really but was always aware that I was overloaded. After being forced to replace my tow vehicle because of an accident I can say that a 3/4 ton is much more stable with better stopping power as well.

"I have a 2014 F-150 super crew 4X4 with a 5.0L"

These are not the numbers you need to disclose! What is your payload? What is the expected pin weight?