boarderline towing

[my01xc700]

Hello
After many days of looking at different RV forums it looked like this was the only one that I could get good sound advice to my situation.

I have been camping for many years and for the last 4 it has been in a TT, (upgrade from the joys of a tent). Now I?m looking to upgrade to a 5W. I?m looking at a 02 Keystone Springdale 249 BH with 12? slide out. This is where I?m unsure if my truck is the right one for the job

  It?s a 99 f150 with a max trailer towing weight of 7700# and a GCVW of 12700# the 5w has a GVWR 7880. We travel light just enough clothing and food for the weekend and bathroom stuff. I never travel with any fresh water and the holding tanks are always empty. We only go about 7 times a summer and drive about 3 hrs away max, most of the time only an hour. I live in southern Minnesota so hills are irrelevant.

I do understand that technically I?m over my max trailer weight by 180#  unless I was to calculate it by using the 90% rule of your max tow capacity then I would be over by770#. If I travel light would this be a problem or could I be headed for trouble?

Thank you for all of your help in advance!!!

 

[Carl L]

You could be headed for trouble.

An F150 is a light weight tow vehicle.  That were true if it were a 2007 F-150.  you have an 8 year old F-150.  I guarantee that it aint hauling like it did 8 years ago.  We routinely recommend allowing a 10% safety margin with tow vehicles, hills or no hills.  One reason for that is getting old as yours has done.  That amended tow rating would be only 6930 lbs, putting you almost a half ton over.

By the way that 5er is going to drop 15-20% of its weight on your rear axle as pin weight.  What is your rear axle GAWR?

Time for a new truck.

 

[my01xc700]

The GAWR is 3550

I was kinda thinking the same, that I was going to be pushing the upper limits, just thought I would get some advice from people that have been towing a lot longer that I have.

The wife and kids will be a little unhappy but safety first.

Thanks for the reply.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

We all think we travel light and are inevitably surprised at what the Rv actually weighs when we finally get it on a scale. But let's asume this Keystone does indeed end up at somewhat less than its max of 7880 lbs. How "light" are we talking? 7500" 7000? As 2006 Springdale 249BH weighs in at 5950 without any options such as a roof a/c unit, spare tire, microwave, etc., so I'm guessing you are looking at something close to 7000 lbs when on the road.  That leaves you with 5700 lbs of your 12,700 GCWR to cover the truck and all its contents. I don't know what your 99 F150 weighs - maybe 4500-4700?  That would leave you about a 1000 lbs of GCWR for passengers and gear carried in the truck, which probably is OK.

Figure that the kingpin weight is 17% of the 7000 lb trailer weight and there's 1150 lbs on your truck's rear axle right there. Then you have to add the weight of the hitch (200 lbs?) and a portion of whatever else you carry in the truck (passengers, gear). Most F150's have about 1500 lbs of total payload rating and are maxxed out with that kind of weight. The rear axle GAWR is probably even less, since the payload rating is spread over front and rear axles. I suspect you will be over the limit on this aspect.

You didn't mention your engine size, rear axle ratio, etc. but most F150's don't have a lot of extra power for heavy loads. Ford knows that most 150's are used essentially as passenger cars and they are configured for economy rather than heavy hauling.  I'm sure it will pull what they say it will, but don't expect great performance when it gets near those limits.

 

[FleetProwl]

My01, I'm basically in the same situation you're in.? We pull a 21' light weight 5th wheel (5,600 GVWR) with our '06 Chevy 1500 Ext. Cab.? and the truck pulls it fine.? But we want to upgrade to a little larger 5th wheel with a slide out for more room.? I've been researching what 5'ers that's out there that we can pull safely.? There are some ultra light weight units available, but you still have to be careful with the weights.? Basically you need to look for a unit with a dry pin weight under 1,000 lbs.? The biggest problem with half tons is the pin weight.? If you look at the tow ratings for Chevy ext. cab pickups for example, the max rating, given the same gear ratio, is the same for the 4.8, 5.3, & 6.0 liter engines.? This is because of the pin weight of a 5th wheel.? There are a few 5'ers in the 22-28' range with pin weight's less than 1,000 lbs., but most are fairly new to the market, and if you're looking for a used unit, they're probably not that many out there in the market yet.

 

[SCOTT JORDAN]

Mr. Boarderline

Another item to consider.

If your truck bed is less than 8 feet, you may have other things to consider.  Some 6.5 ft beds paired with the wrong 5th wheel can cause problems when turning.  The front of the camper could hit the back window of the truck.

Sliding hitches can help with this but add to the cost and are inconvenient to some.

Scott