Towing a 5'er with an F150??

[cattflight]

There's a guy in the site next to us today with a 33-35' Grand Design Reflection 5th Wheel. I know that's not the heaviest 5er out there, but he's got it hitched to a factory F150 Lariat! Yikes! That trailer has got to be at least 10k lbs empty and the F150 would be lucky to have a towing capacity higher than 8k lbs. I have to imagine his dealer was like "oh, sure. That truck will tow this no problem!" 

[SWharton]

It can tow it, stopping is always the question...................

[I'mdonewiththis forum]

I just sold a trailer that had a GVW of 10,500 pounds that was advertised as 1/2 ton towable. I seem to remember it had close to 1800 pounds of pin weight. Without knowing the cargo carrying capacity it is hard to say if it was overloaded or not.

[Wayfarer]

The issue is hardly ever how much weight it can tow. It is all about how much carrying capacity the truck has.  That little yellow sticker inside the driver's door will tell you that.

[Star Dreamer]

At least he is not driving it at the moment. Suggest you wait at least a day after he pulls out to leave so he will have a head start!

[trailertraveler]

20 hours ago, cattflight said:

...There's a guy in the site next to us today with a 33-35' Grand Design Reflection 5th Wheel. I know that's not the heaviest 5er out there, but he's got it hitched to a factory F150 Lariat! Yikes! That trailer has got to be at least 10k lbs empty and the F150 would be lucky to have a towing capacity higher than 8k lbs...

How sure are you of your guestimates? The Reflection 150 has a GVWR of 9495#. The tow ratings and payload capacity of the F150 have changed a lot in recent years. Depending on the model, engine and other options the towing and payload for a Lariat  can be a little over 11,000# and close to 3,000#.

He is likely very close to his max ratings, but Is he over weight? As said: 

18 hours ago, nineback said:

The issue is hardly ever how much weight it can tow. It is all about how much carrying capacity the truck has.  That little yellow sticker inside the driver's door will tell you that.

You would also have to look at the DOT sticker on the trailer for the GVWR or actually weigh it as loaded. The Gross Combined Weight Rating of the truck could also come into play, so the total weight of both rigs is needed before the weight police can make a valid determination.

[Second Chance]

The lightest current Reflection fifth wheels have a GVWR of 10,995. There are several folks over on the Grand Design forums towing those small ones with F150s with the larger EcoBoost engine with Max Tow and Max Payload packages. Properly equipped, the new F150 has the capacity for these smaller fifth wheels - and the trailer brakes are for stopping the trailer.

Rob

[Hot Rod]

All those cute little numbers that add up to "sure, the truck will just barely tow the trailer" don't help a bit when you have to swerve because some numbnut car driver cuts you off on a downhill curve or in a cross wind and you end up upside down because the trailer is driving the truck.

[the ol farm boy]

I just bought a 2500 Chevy 2014 with a 6.1 engine.  29' 5th wheel that weighs 10,000 empty.  I don't think that I will have any problems.  Thanks for all the info.

ruee

[JPL]

When crunch time comes and it will I just hope he can stop it!   Pat

 

 

The Old Sailor

[Pat & Pete]

5 hours ago, JPL said:

When crunch time comes and it will I just hope he can stop it!   Pat

 

 

The Old Sailor

There's usually a wall of some sort or a tree , maybe a mountain , around when needed .

[whj469]

They will be over the truck weight limit, no way around that. If they are ok with that, then hope that they have no issues with the stopping!

[gjhunter01]

I don't understand the concern of stopping. The trailer axle brake is designed to stop it's max carry weight and the brakes should be inspected to make sure they are 100% operational. Even an overweight rig will still stop, just 3' further, (so don't tailgate, problem solved). What am I missing here with all this concern of stopping?? Before you challenge my experience, I have been towing for years and some commercially and have experienced failed brakes before and always managed, but no brakes is still a rare event.

Greg

[Av8r3400]

1 hour ago, gjhunter01 said:

 Even an overweight rig will still stop, just 3' further,

That is one of the most ridiculous things I have ever read on this forum.

[gjhunter01]

22 minutes ago, Av8r3400 said:

That is one of the most ridiculous things I have ever read on this forum.

So if I'm overweight, I can't stop?? Here in Michigan, we can haul 80 tons in the gravel trains, those drivers don't tailgate.

Greg

[Av8r3400]

Sure, but it will take you at least 4'.

The stopping is not the ridiculous part.  The idea that only an additional 3' is needed is.

 

I've towed trailers for over 30 years.  I have experienced electric trailer brake failures.  They do happen.  If you are reliant on electric trailer brakes to control your vehicle, you are gambling not only your life, but the passengers with you and all of the other lives around you on the highway.  If you're comfortable with that gamble, that's your choice.  I'm not, so I chose another option to handle my heavy trailer, something that will control the trailer without the need of brakes in the event of a failure.

I've towed my current 5er with 3 different trucks.  My modified '94 Ram 2500, my father-in-law's '16 Ram 3500 dually and my '12 Volvo.  Both Rams are easily over powered by my trailer without the use of the electric brakes.  The Volvo isn't.  For me that makes for an easy choice.  Not to mention I have less than half the cost of my FIL's dually in my Volvo.

[gjhunter01]

Ok, so In was wrong and 4' is needed for the stopping distance. For a tow vehicle and trailer where both units have brakes, if one units brakes fail, then the other unit should be able to stop the rig and yes it may take 4' longer to stop. The situation where a units brakes fail should not happen very often, like I said a rare occurance at most. Last weekend I was driving my fathers 18 year old P/U truck and a rusted brake line broke, but I was still able to stop using the emergency brakes, first time in my life that ever happened. I would not consider a brake issue to be the sole reason for a vehicle upgrade, but at the same time if you want to own a HDT, that should be good enough of a reason on it's own.

As far as a HDT cost being cheaper, that is false information. You need to compare a same model year P/U to a same year HDT including luxury options. Then you need to compare maint cost for the HDT, like tires, oil, batteries, everything is a $500 cost/more + labor. Two of my family members are owner/operators and I'm very in-tune to the maint cost for HDT's. There are a couple of HDT's for sale on this forum, the maint items listed as being done add up to more than the sale price of the HDT if you do the math. HDT's are money pits if you keep them maintained properly.

As far as safety, lets compare a P/U truck to a HDT on safety features, the P/U wins hands down for being safer in an accident with it's air bags, safety bumper, collapseable steering wheel, cab design, ABS brakes, the list goes on. In a HDT frontal crash, the main benefit is you can grab a drink from the refrig as it crashes through the front window.

Greg

[avvidclif]

I call Bologna. In a wreck between your PU and an HDT guess who's going to lose? Maintenance is cheaper also on a per mile basis. An O/O has to be moving to make money and will put more miles on a truck in 6 months than the average RV'er in 6 years.

[Alie&Jim's Carrilite]

We had our 19500lb Carrilite push us 1/2 mile down an interstate during a panic stop... Panic stop was induced by a car that was barrel rolling in front of us.  Ripped out the brake lines on the RV by debris flying off the rolling car- and the surge forward bent the pins that held the hitch to the truck bed rails.  Dodge dually- Pac Brake- Powerslot rotors- Geen Stuff brake pads-  all worked according to the book.... the trailer didn't read the book and just pushed us down the interstate

[Kirk W]

While I don't own and have never owned a fifth wheel, I do own and have owned several travel trailers and have also towed many cargo trailers of various types so have some experience in dealing with many of the same issues. Stopping the combined vehicles is an important part of picking the right tow vehicle but it really goes far beyond that issue. The ability to handle the load while traveling under less than ideal conditions is of nearly as great importance and if you travel much, the difficulty of driving the combination is also a serious issue as you work harder to maintain safe control if you have a minimum of tow vehicle for the weight of the trailer, whether fiver, TT, or a cargo trailer.  More truck usually means better stability and easier travel. It is far more enjoyable to travel when the tow vehicle is loaded to 80% rated capacity or less. That becomes even more important if the driver has limited experience or if age is beginning to impact his driving skills. 

[Ray,IN]

Four extra feet??? Stopping distance is relative to speed, as is braking capacity to gross weight.

[Av8r3400]

Ray, you are very much correct.  I was being a smart a$$ with the 4' remark, to show how ludicrous Greg's 3' comment was.  I think (hope) he knows this. 

From his pervious comment history, it can be inferred that Greg hates HDTs and is a staunch advocate that a pickup can do the same job only better and cheaper.  My opinion and experience differs greatly from this position.  To each, their own. 

[Big Greg]

The last sentence in the above post says it all......"To each, their own". 

I do believe our truck is very capable of safely towing and stopping our fifth wheel and this and the previous F350 has for over 10 years.  I understand that many want a HDT for towing because of their reasons and experiences.  We each have what we want and need, life is good.  Regarding a F150 towing a fifth wheel, not so sure that's a good fit.          Greg 

[pinger]

On 6/28/2017 at 7:59 AM, SWharton said:

It can tow it, stopping is always the question...................

I thought that the trailer brakes are supposed to stop the trailer.

 

[Five Wood]

Rather than buying the smallest truck I can to legally tow my RV. . . I go the other way and want a large cushion of extra capacity on the tow vehicle.  It makes for a much more enjoyable towing experience.  And I just can't imagine trying to live with myself if I had an accident because I couldn't stop or lost control and killed a family, simply because I was trying to save a few bucks on the truck.

 

Jim