RV Towing Newbie

[Irishthreeper]

I looked at a “half ton towable” 5W 3 years ago and the hitch weight alone
was listed at 1550 lbs. Fill you propane
tanks and you’re already maxing out most 1/2 tons.

 

[09SilverRam]

I looked at a “half ton towable” 5W 3 years ago and the hitch weight alone
was listed at 1550 lbs. Fill you propane
tanks and you’re already maxing out most 1/2 tons.

Half Ton Towable 5th wheel means you can pull it with with an F150 with the mythical heavy duty payload package that stickers 2500 pounds of payload on a super crew XLT and is impossible to find unless you special order it.

Same deal with truck campers like the Lance 650. It’s a half ton truck camper if your half ton happens to be the one unicorn that comes with the payload capacity of an F250.

 

[2003F350]

Half Ton Towable 5th wheel means you can pull it with with an F150 with the mythical heavy duty payload package that stickers 2500 pounds of payload on a super crew XLT and is impossible to find unless you special order it.

Same deal with truck campers like the Lance 650. It’s a half ton truck camper if your half ton happens to be the one unicorn that comes with the payload capacity of an F250.

I'm not even sure it's an XLT Super Crew, I think it might be an XL to get rid of a few options, I can't recall.

But there's a LOT of guys over on the Ford forums who are trying to find used ones...and it's like guys, good luck, the people that have them likely ordered them because they had a purpose, they're probably not interested in selling unless they can get another.

 

[09SilverRam]

I'm not even sure it's an XLT Super Crew, I think it might be an XL to get rid of a few options, I can't recall.

But there's a LOT of guys over on the Ford forums who are trying to find used ones...and it's like guys, good luck, the people that have them likely ordered them because they had a purpose, they're probably not interested in selling unless they can get another.

I have a friend with an XLT SCREW 4x4 6.5 bed and his sticker is 2500 with the heavy duty payload package. I think a 2WD XL is closer to 2700 or 2800. It’s more than a lot of diesel F250s.

 

[Random_Walk]

Either way, those are outright unicorns nowadays... I don't even want to know what the wait time (or price!) is on a factory order.

 

[DanEddy]

I'm skipping a lot of posts, because most of the smart guys have already chimed in, but there's ONE point that might not have been made that I'd like to make:

Figure out what trailer you want and will suit your needs before deciding on a truck.

If you're sticking with a travel trailer (some call it a bumper pull), if you stay under 35-ish feet long and under 8-9k GVWR you should be okay with a 1500. Might be pushing the limits but probably not illegal or unsafe. If you're going over those lengths and weights, you're likely going to want a 2500.

Unless you're getting a Scamp fifth wheel, there isn't a fifth wheel I'd put behind a modern half-ton truck, even if they claim they're 'half-ton towable'. The pin weight alone puts you over the average payload of most half-ton trucks, so forget about any passengers or gear in the truck. If you're looking at your average fifth wheel, you're going to be well-served to at least get a 2500, the 6.4 gasser is no slouch and gives you more payload because it's lighter than the diesel.

If you decide that an average camper isn't going to cut it for you, and you need to have all the luxuries and bells and whistles of a heavy 35-40' fifth wheel, you're going to want a 3500 SRW, the 6.4 will handle the job but if you plan to be on the road a lot then you may want the diesel for torque.

If you decide you have to have a top-of-the-line rig, 40+ foot long with all the bells and whistles, whether it be just a fifth wheel or a big, tall-sided toyhauler, you're getting into 3500 DRW or bigger territory (the Ford F450 is a popular choice for these rigs). These rigs come with pin weights approaching or exceeding 3k lbs that lesser trucks just can't handle, and the stability of the extra tires in the back of your truck is worth its weight in gold.

This is my two cents, take it or leave it.

 

[DanEddy]

I'm skipping a lot of posts, because most of the smart guys have already chimed in, but there's ONE point that might not have been made that I'd like to make:

Figure out what trailer you want and will suit your needs before deciding on a truck.

If you're sticking with a travel trailer (some call it a bumper pull), if you stay under 35-ish feet long and under 8-9k GVWR you should be okay with a 1500. Might be pushing the limits but probably not illegal or unsafe. If you're going over those lengths and weights, you're likely going to want a 2500.

Unless you're getting a Scamp fifth wheel, there isn't a fifth wheel I'd put behind a modern half-ton truck, even if they claim they're 'half-ton towable'. The pin weight alone puts you over the average payload of most half-ton trucks, so forget about any passengers or gear in the truck. If you're looking at your average fifth wheel, you're going to be well-served to at least get a 2500, the 6.4 gasser is no slouch and gives you more payload because it's lighter than the diesel.

If you decide that an average camper isn't going to cut it for you, and you need to have all the luxuries and bells and whistles of a heavy 35-40' fifth wheel, you're going to want a 3500 SRW, the 6.4 will handle the job but if you plan to be on the road a lot then you may want the diesel for torque.

If you decide you have to have a top-of-the-line rig, 40+ foot long with all the bells and whistles, whether it be just a fifth wheel or a big, tall-sided toyhauler, you're getting into 3500 DRW or bigger territory (the Ford F450 is a popular choice for these rigs). These rigs come with pin weights approaching or exceeding 3k lbs that lesser trucks just can't handle, and the stability of the extra tires in the back of your truck is worth its weight in gold.

This is my two cents, take it or leave it.

I have a 2013 Big Horn 2500 Diesel, and I tow an 8000 pound "1/2" tonner 4th wheel as they are called. At one time I had a 1500 Ram and towed a camper that was within the towing capacity of the trailer, however, when in hilly country here in California the truck down shifted and up shifted so much in the hills, I knew it was going to cause problems. So, I sold the 1500 and bough a two-year-old 2500 with only 13,000 miles on it, what a deal! The 2500 diesel down shifts once and pulls up the Sierra grades without any problem. I should say that the 68RFE trans it has been upgraded to a stage II, so it does not have the weaknesses of a stock 68RFE.

I think a RAM 1500 is a great truck but if you're towing a lot, you're going to pay a price for that sooner or later. My current trailer fully loaded with food, and supplies is about 8000 pounds, and I tow it around about 8 to 10 thousand miles a year. The only problems I've had are bogus exhaust after treatment system codes. I should tell you that I also have a Banks cold air system, Banks larger intercooler and of course the Monster Air Horn along with the Monster Gauge to monitor performance.