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Re: Modern 1/2 ton tow vehicle question
RV.net is still a great place to come if you'd like to show your wife pages of opinions about why you need an HD truck to tow a trailer or fifth wheel of any size. :) Glad OP has made a decision. Some of us have plenty of experience towing with half-tons, no burned-out rear ends or accidents. Not a triple-axle Mobile Suites, mind you, but there are suitable choices at the smaller end. Many factors go into a safe and enjoyable towing experience.540Views0likes0CommentsRe: Tow vehicle F150
For used trucks, the aluminum-body F-150 is a good choice. My average SuperCab has 2019# payload. There’s the Heavy Duty Payload Package, if you can find one used. You can also look at the GM trucks with the Max Trailering Package. Titan XD has 2000-2500 pounds.452Views0likes0CommentsRe: Towing - TT vs 5er (here we go again!) - sorry folk!
I agree that no one should ever have a bad travel trailer towing experience. With rare exceptions, dealers do a terrible job of setting people up to tow. So people come to the forums looking for help. Fifth wheels on the other hand are kind of idiot-proof, so they’re a good match for me. It’s really hard to set it up wrong.428Views0likes0CommentsRe: F150 ECO vs F250 for lighter 5th wheel
Okay that’s the Reflection 150 295RL. My fifth wheel is 8200 pounds loaded. As much as I’m normally a proponent of fifth wheels for half tons, in this case I think the F-250 might be a better fit for you. Real-world pin weight on that trailer when loaded will probably be 2000 pounds or more. A hitch including mounting rails is 150-200 pounds (the Andersen system is lighter).323Views0likes0CommentsRe: A true 1/2 ton fith wheel?
thomas201 wrote: Now has anyone tried towing right at max, under the new J2807 spec? How do the newer trucks perform against the spec? This is me. Max fifth-wheel weight rating is 9100 pounds by J2807. I'm at 8200 pounds. I use tow-haul mode and lock out the overdrive gears (5th and 6th). No problems whatsoever. But I should say I haven't towed it in any extreme conditions. I typically travel at 55-65 mph. Largest climb has been from home into the Grey Highlands which is 1000 feet total elevation change. Temperatures in the 90s at the most.478Views0likes0CommentsRe: A true 1/2 ton fith wheel?
RobWNY wrote: 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. The factory spray-in bedliner and the full fuel tank are accounted for in the payload figure printed on the door sticker, so you don’t have to subtract those. Now if you’re worried about the weight of a camp chair in the truck, then I agree you should probably have something bigger than your typical half ton. We bought our current truck and trailer from my brother in law, who’s a professional truck driver. He towed it for two years with a Ram 2500, then replaced that with the F-150.478Views0likes0CommentsRe: A true 1/2 ton fith wheel?
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.229Views0likes0Comments
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