Towing 5th wheel

[wademartin]

Camper is a Gulfstream Innsbruck M-26FRBW 28’ 5th Wheel, dry weight 7297 lbs. Truck is a 2008 Ford F-250 XLT Super Duty 6.4L Diesel Crew Cab short bed with trailer towing package and Reese 15K hitch. I have towed with the hitch in tow and maneuver positions and cannot notice any difference in handling. Comments or opinions welcome.

[Slownsy]

sory dobel post

[Slownsy]

Lary it doesn't replace all and I have newer used one and not sugested till over 500 lbs, wher are ouer matematitians 500 lbs at 4' or hove much at 8" to remove equal eight from front.
Frank.

[Allworth]

To everyone other than the OP:

Why is there always someone who thinks they are smarter than the engineers who designed the equipment???

To the OP:

Just use the way it was intended!

[jtobbe]

I have seen 2 front rails get bent by towing in the manuvering position. It puts a lot of upwards force on the front rail that it can't handle.

[Dayle1]

Slownsy wrote:
I think 500-1000 lbs on rear hitch takes mutch more weight of front axle than 2000 lbs 8" rear of axle.
Frank.

But that rear hitch (aka bumper hitch) also has the option of WD that puts weight back on the front axle.

[kaydeejay]

Cool Canuck wrote:
........... Might sound like it, but it's not gonna tear the rails out of your truck.

That depends on how hard you were stopping. Routine stop, I agree with you, panic stop, not so much.

[Slownsy]

I think 500-1000 lbs on rear hitch takes mutch more weight of front axle than 2000 lbs 8" rear of axle.
Frank.

[Cool_Canuck]

My 2,500 lb hitch weight puts a whole 10 lbs on the front axle with the hitch in the tow position. Never weighed it with the hitch moved the 9 inches back. With that diesel engine up front, I doubt it will get too light. I just went some 500 miles with it in the maneuver position. Never notice it until I got to destination and Opps. Guess I forgot to move it forward. So no big deal for me.

I've also had the hitch slide while towing. I had the rail pins in backwards and the hair pins prevented the hitch from fully locking. Gets you attention, but no damage. Might sound like it, but it's not gonna tear the rails out of your truck.

[Old-Biscuit]

IF you have the owners manual for your model of hitch you will find the following

WARNING:
Never tow trailers in highway or high speed conditions with PRO Slider in the Maneuvering Position (rearward of the rear axle)!
Towing with the trailer king pin rearward of rear truck axle can affect weight distribution and may interfere with the towing vehicle’s handling and response characteristics.
Poor handling and response characteristics could result in death or serious injury.

IF you do not have the owners manual....look it up on-line and print out copy.
That way you will have the proper instructions and not have to figure out differences between 'Maneuver' and 'Tow'

[Cummins12V98]

BAD IDEA!!!

Go to a scales and weigh the front TV axle with hitch full forward and then back. Notice you just removed weight from the front axle????

[phillyg]

There's a reason the hitch decal clearly shows the "tow" and "maneuver" positions, so no, you should never tow in the maneuver position.

[N-Trouble]

The reason you don't feel a difference is due to how light that 5er is. With a heavier 5er it would likely be noticeable.

[schlep1967]

Oh and then there is the funny answer. Obviously you are over trucked. You should trade your F-250 in on an F-150. Then when you move the hitch back it will be obvious to you why you should not tow in that position.

[schlep1967]

I think the answer is clearly explained in your original post. You towed with the hitch in the "TOW" position and with the hitch in the "MANEUVER" position. There is a reason why they are not called "front tow" and "rear tow".