What I saw at the campground.

[falconbrother]

Every Christmas we take two weeks to visit family at the coast and travel down the coast. This year we spent a few days in Myrtle Beach. We were cruzing around the campground and I saw at least two people pulling what I consider to be big fifth wheels with F-150s. Not being critical but, it did cause me to wonder. Most people were pulling the same sized fivers with diesel trucks. What's reasonable and what's overkill?

[Old-Biscuit]

[otrfun]

1320Fastback wrote:
A f150 ecoboost is LEGAL for 10,700 pounds and 1,400 pounds of capacity.

Not that I'd want to pull anywhere near those ratings with that truck.

A good friend of mine has a '15 F150 (aluminum) 4x2 with the V8. His door jam sticker payload rating is 2083 lbs. Tow capacity is approx. 10,000 lbs. with the 3.55 rear end.

Assuming careful loading and a lightweight hitch (Andersen?), he'd have enough payload and tow capacity to safely tow a very small 5th wheel.

Not saying I would do it (from a handling perspective), but IMO he'd be a lot safer doing so than the folks I see everyday pulling huge 5th wheels with pin weights in the stratosphere with a 3/4-ton.

[shinglers3]

I have a 30' 5ver with a base weight of 6600lbs and gross around 9100. I tow it with a Chevy 2500, only reason is because I prefer the heavier duty parts of the truck vs a 1500.

I was at a campground last spring and talked with an older couple with a new 5ver and a F-150. I was asking about the truck as it looked undersized for the camper. They said they get asked about it all the time and they couldn't be happier. They were experienced campers and apparently did their research telling me there was a certain package for the F-150 (maybe only available for a short time around 2012 because they had trouble actually finding the truck) that made the truck everything they needed. I am sure their camper was heavier than mine and we were camping on top of a mountain. They said they had no problems on the highway or going up mountains. So it's possible.

[falconbrother]

We were at Lakewood CG. I saw one of the fifth wheels towed in with an F-150. The other one was parked but the truck had the fifth wheel receiver in the bed of the truck. By big I mean what appears to be a full size fifth wheel, two axles, not three. Still, looked pretty heavy to me. God bless em..

The guy that stores his 5th wheel one over from my motorhome tows his with a 1500 Chevy truck. I have witnessed him back up and be gone in like, 60 seconds. In my opinion that fifth wheel is full size. I have never looked at the weight placard but, it's probably 31 - 33 feet long.

[MFL]

At start of camp season, I often times pull out to my city campground for a couple days, to check out all systems. I went home and later returned with my run around truck, backing it up to FW. It's a Ford Ranger with 4L V6.

A park guy working nearby, came over and said "thats a nice Ranger you got there, how does it handle that FW"? I told him, great, I can tow 80 on the interstate when wind is light. He suggested that may be a little hard on the truck, I told him, just joking, there is no hitch in that truck. 🙂

Jerry

[hotpepperkid]

RoyB wrote:
X2 on Myrtle Beach RV storage lot across the Bypass 17 road... We see them pulling the RV's across the road alot and setting for the folks that own them... They use almost anything they can get their hands on to pull one across the road into Lakewood...

Roy Ken

Pulling them across the street is a bunch different that towing one down the road with a 25 mph side wind

[RoyB]

X2 on Myrtle Beach RV storage lot across the Bypass 17 road... We see them pulling the RV's across the road alot and setting for the folks that own them... They use almost anything they can get their hands on to pull one across the road into Lakewood...

Roy Ken

[BB_TX]

"Consider to be big fifth wheels" of course is very subjective. You would have to know the actual weights of the 5ers and the ratings of the particular trucks to know any thing of value. Tow ratings and payload ratings of trucks of all sizes continue to rise every year. And most manufacturers are now making "light weight" 5ers for those trucks.

[Chuck_thehammer]

what size 5th wheel...

some 5th wheel companies advertise 150/1500 compatible.
mainly with V6 turbo engines.

many campground Mules are 450's without beds.. just 5th wheel hookups.

[1320Fastback]

A f150 ecoboost is LEGAL for 10,700 pounds and 1,400 pounds of capacity.

Not that I'd want to pull anywhere near those ratings with that truck.

[patriotgrunt]

I'd be curious to see their weights. I know a lot of manufacturers brag about their FWs being half-ton towable but very few actual half-tons have those capabilities.

[dmck413]

Ocean Lakes keeps folks campers in storage and sets them on the sites. Did you maybe see this?