New Superduty 5th wheel towing

[cwstanley]

okay who has 2017 or newer Ford superduty towing newer model 5th without flipping axles & etc.. I have '17 Laredo & looking at new trucks, currently have '13 350drw. I'm certainly not going through flipping axles & etc. but that bed height change certainly has me concerned. thanks

[ddown]

2017 250 6.2 crew pulling 32 fifth Wheel Sabre right at 10K loaded pulls level and great Companion hitch middle holes.

[Minddrifter54]

We have a 2017 F250 srw diesel and a 2018 Grand Design Reflection 303RLS. It is level with 6-7 inches of rail clearance.

[GMH]

I have a 2013 Keystone Cougar 26sab. I went from a 2006 2wd Chevy 2500HD with a cheapo Reese hitch to a 2017 F250 4WD with a B&W companion hitch. No issues!

[Retired_JSO]

From the 2016 Ford Fleet Towing Guide, old body style.

Model F-150 F-250 F-350 SRW F-350 DRW F-450 DRW
Max. Tailgate Height* 56-60 inches 56-57 inches 59-60 inches 56-57 inches 56-57 inches

From the 2017 Ford Fleet towing guide.

Model F-150 F-250 F-350 SRW F-350 DRW F-450 DRW
Max. Tailgate Height** 58.3 inches 59.8 inches 59.6 inches 58.7 inches 58.0 inches

2018 shows the same as above

My 2016 FX4 with loaded tool box and full 20 lb cylinder in the bed is almost 56"

[Cummins12V98]

The newer Fords DO set higher in the rear! Many think their rigs set level when they do not! Example is my new DRV without the 3" spacers later added. from ground to frame front and back there is 6" difference. Pic does not seem like that is the case but it sure was!

[alexleblanc]

I went from a 2013 to a 2017, my 5er already had taller profile tires (215/85r16 vs the factory 225/75r15) and the springs mounted to the lowest position on the hangers to level it out with my ‘13, the ‘17 being taller was a problem that was going to need some attention - I did a little research and found out you can swap over the rear lift blocks from a 2011-2016 F250 that are only 2” tall to replace the factory 3 3/4” lift blocks. I spent the 50$ at the dealer for the blocks and new u-bolts and voila, truck is now 2” lower out back. Still has a little rake and looks like I have a leveling kit, yet it’s lower.

Mine is on the left, next to it is my fathers and his is stock.


Don’t mind the mud, the campground at Watkins Glenn last weekend was a mess!

Moderator edit to re-size pictures to forum recommended limit of 640px maximum width.

[Campinghoss]

I went from a 2004 F-250 diesel to a 2017 F-350 dually. I did raise the pin box to the highest bolt hole and now I am slightly nose high but level enough to stay hooked up when travelling. I have 8 to 9 inches of clearance and could drop the hitch one hole and be perfectly level but prefer to have the clearance instead.

[AlaskaShooter]

Got a 2017 F-450 tows our 40' overweight 5'er great. Had to raise our B & W 5'er hitch as the bed rail clearance was very close. Before I adjusted the bed hitch, 15 mins and 4 bolts later it was only a couple fingers worth and going in and out of parking lots was dicey. Now have 6".

Our 12' truck camper on the other hand required that I build a 2" platform in the bed so the camper would not rest on the bed rails.

[slapshot12]

My set up below is very slightly nose high, but not enough that I'm concerned about it. The truck is level when it's hooked up, so I could probably raise the pin up one more hole and level the trailer. But, I have at least 6" of bed rail clearance and don't want to go any lower.

[4x4ord]

My 08 Citation sits nose high. It works but I should probably flip the axles.

[JTrac]

The only issue I had to deal with when I got our '17 last year was with the hitch. We had the standard bed rails in our previous truck and the new Ford has the puck system. We have a Trailer Saver BD3 air ride hitch and no way am I giving it up so I had to get an adapter. I bought the Reese without doing much research since I needed it quickly. I didn't realize it would raise the height of my hitch by 3 3/8" compared to the 1 3/8" of the old bed rails (measured from the bed floor). I was able to lower the hitch about an inch and a half to it's lowest setting which helped but still sit just a bit nose high, but not enough to be a concern. My pin box is already at it's highest setting so no help there.

Just something to consider.

[Lexx]

I have 7" clearance with our setup. Trailer is pretty level.

[JAC1982]

Here. *waving* Went from a 2015 F350 to 2017 last fall and while we had to get a new hitch (different bed system in the new truck), we didn't have to do anything else. We have around 6" of clearance.

[cwstanley]

Thanks Travlingman, hoping to hear that just looks so much dang higher...