Towing a small 5th wheel with a 1/2 ton truck

goducks10 wrote:

texasdiver wrote:
I think this is a reasonable topic and actually quite timely for me in that my wife and I want to upgrade from a popup to a 5th wheel. For us this means getting both a new camper and a new tow vehicle.

There are a growing number of 5th wheels that are advertised as 1/2 ton towable. The Light models from Open Range, for example. There is one we like, the BHS305 model that for which the specs are dry weight of 7900 lbs and dry pin weight of 1400 lbs.

At the same time, there are some 1/2 ton trucks at the upper end of the payload range that are clearly capable. For example, a 2014 F150 Ecoboost 4x4 Lariat with the crew cab and payload package has a max payload rating of 2300 lbs. And the new 2015 F150 is supposed to have increased payload ratings due to the lower body weight.

If I am in a position of buying both a new truck and 5th wheel I can probably save $10 grand on the truck by going with a 1/2 ton model over a big diesel. And I can probably save $10 grand or more by going with a smaller and lighter trailer. So it comes down to a question of whether it is worth it to us to go big and expensive when we really aren't full timers and the truck is going to be my daily commuting vehicle.

Now one obviously isn't going to want to pair any old 1/2 ton with any of the lighter 5th wheels. But if one is carefully shopping for both a truck and trailer at the same time I do think there are reasonable combinations that can be put together if one is mindful of payload.

You're on the right track. Only issue with 1/2 ton/5'er towing is you limit yourself to certain models. Buy going to a 3/4 ton you can really broaden the selection. Only draw back is the 3/4 ton will get less mpg while not towing. Depending on how much DD you do it may or may not break the bank. Towing wise both will get nearly the same mpg. To really do it right and be able to get in the better selection of 5'ers you need the HD F150. Which you will have to order. Even finding just a Max Tow version will be tough without ordering. The ride won't be much different than a 3/4 ton. Also it needs to come with the 3.73 gears. So mpg will be closer to the 3/4 ton. Not knowing you situation very well it's really hard to say what would work best.
1/2 tons and 5'ers are always a give and take situation. Usually not enough truck to do what you want. You usually have to get a smaller 5'er than what you may really like. Not always but more than likely.
I would suggest doing a build out with the HD F150 and a 3/4 ton. probably a lot closer than $10,000. In fact by doing a build out the HD F150 Super Crew 4x4 Lariat 6.5 bed came out to $47,065 and the same in a 3/4ton 4x4 Lariat Crew Cab 6.5 bed came out to 47,315. I added no options, I just put in Lariat for each. I'm guessing other options would be similarly priced.

I was talking about going diesel. Seems like the majority of folks who dive 100% into buying a dedicated 3/4 ton or 1 ton tow vehicle end up going with the diesel. By the time you are done spec'ing out a diesel F250 or F350 with a Lariat level trim it seems like you are more into the $60,000 range or at least $10 grand more than an equivalent-trim level F150. Same goes for RAM and GM trucks.

I suppose one could indeed get a 1-ton gas truck for 5th wheel towing. However if one is buying a truck for the purpose of towing a large 5th wheel it seems that the pretty universal recommendation is diesel for the low-end torque and performance in the mountains.

At this point we are just starting the shopping process but I will look long and hard at how much camper we really need and give serious thought to a smaller and lighter rig paired with a new 1/2 ton that is set up properly for towing and payload. Especially something like the Ecoboost which should perform better in the mountains than the traditional gas V8. But that is a lot different than thinking any random 10-year old 1/2 ton is ready to do the same.