Considering change to 5th wheel - ? on load balancing

[suzhou]

We've had our TT for a year now and are considering trading up to a 5th wheel. Knew it might be an option when we bought it but wanted to be sure we would use it without spending a lot of money. We have a cross country trip planned later this year so want to get started and practice with it before we take off.

Question that someone here is surely to know - how does the load get balanced from front to back on the TV? I know the pin is right over the rear axle but does that mean there is no load balance needed from front back of the TV? I've never towed a 5th wheel rig before but everyone tells me it's easier to maneuver and a better tow on the open road.

[Bookemdanno]

We had a Jayco TT for 2 years (about 30' or so). We loved the TT, but like you, realized how much we enjoyed the experience. So we upgraded to the 5er (377). I can tell you that as long as I'm able, I don't foresee us going back to a TT. For me, the best part is the towing experience. So much nicer than pulling the TT...especially when being passed by big trucks. The maneuvering did take some getting used to, but practice will get you used to it. Most of the pin weight will be over the rear axle, so make sure you have a TV with enough payload capacity. I wouldn't say that there is no load balance needed, as I notice a difference when I have our 4 bikes on the back of our 5er, but it's mainly more having to do with porpoising (bounce after hitting a bump). I've found that if I just slow down a bit, the porpoising goes away. With the basement storage, most of your weight will be up towards the front...I have BBQ, fans, chairs, etc... stored in there.

[DMRGMC]

The attachment point stops all the sway issues, the pin weight determines the load balance, anything in the basement storage adds to the pin weight. I chose to have Firestone Ride Right air springs installed with an on board compressor. Our Mor Ryde pin box stops the front to back bucking, air springs smooth out the thumps in the rough roads and the air springs raise the rear of the TV levelling the TV and 5er smoothing out the ride. You can raise and lower the king pin by increasing or decreasing air pressure, to hitch and unhitch to the pin box once the jacks are lowered. Wouldn't be without the air springs.

[RedHorse1]

We upgraded to a 5th about 3yr ago and love it. I find pulling the 5th much less stressful than the bumper-pull.
But IMHO, many folks make the upgrade and discover the TV isn't up to the task. The Jayco HT line don't really seem to be suitable for a 1/2 ton truck tho many use them successfully.
To me I t's not a question of "can it tow" but "should it tow".
Roughly 25% of the 5th GVW will be on the pin. Almost all that weight goes on the rear axle.
So, a 10K 5th will have 2500# on the pin. If the TV Rear GAWR is 3500# and the scale says it weighs weighs 1500# that would mean the rear axle is over its rated load by 500#.
Can it tow? Sure. Should it tow? I wouldn't be comfortable, but that's just me.
When we started shopping 5er's I knew a TV was needed (the current TV was an Expedition). After we found a couple of units we liked I started looking at the weights I'd expect and what TV would I be comfortable with.
I pretty quickly decided a 1 ton was in order and since I bleed Ford Blue an F350 was my obvious choice. I chose a diesel because "in for a penny, in for a pound".
Our 5er weighs 12,700# and has 3020# on the pin with about 600-800# of rear axle cargo remaining (that last # is from memory and may be off a bit).
My point is, do your shopping and do the math.
The CAT Scale is your friend.

[suzhou]

Had already decided that moving from current F-150 Platinum to an F-250 was a given. That said, the door sticker load capacity on an F-250 diesel runs about 2,000 lbs. Some slightly under, some slightly over. It seems the typical dry hitch weight for a reasonable sized Jayco 5th wheel runs around 1,700lbs yet I see many many 3/4T F-250 trucks pulling good sized 5th wheel rigs. That leaves almost no load cap overhead for hitch plate, people or other stuff. Moving to a 1T TV is not something I want to do so will do some more research on 3/4T and 5th wheel towing and load capacity.

Want to do my research since my first experience was with an F-150 2014 model and current TT. Realized (too late) that I was over on load capacity and could not get the front end to feel solid on the road while towing. I moved to the 2016 F-150 which gave me back 600lb of load capacity and took care of the front drift issue. Don't want a repeat.

[jsallman1]

Originally Posted by suzhou

Had already decided that moving from current F-150 Platinum to an F-250 was a given. That said, the door sticker load capacity on an F-250 diesel runs about 2,000 lbs. Some slightly under, some slightly over. It seems the typical dry hitch weight for a reasonable sized Jayco 5th wheel runs around 1,700lbs yet I see many many 3/4T F-250 trucks pulling good sized 5th wheel rigs. That leaves almost no load cap overhead for hitch plate, people or other stuff. Moving to a 1T TV is not something I want to do so will do some more research on 3/4T and 5th wheel towing and load capacity.

Want to do my research since my first experience was with an F-150 2014 model and current TT. Realized (too late) that I was over on load capacity and could not get the front end to feel solid on the road while towing. I moved to the 2016 F-150 which gave me back 600lb of load capacity and took care of the front drift issue. Don't want a repeat.

Just for comparison, you may want to check the unleaded 3/4, not that you may not want a diesel but I found the diesel extra weight chewed up a lot of payload and was surprised at the differences. When I was shopping a 3/4 powerstroke lariat I found was not much more payload than my F150 maxtow lariat. There are a few posts on here about payload comparison on different models and the diesel vs unleaded weight.


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[suzhou]

That's exactly my dilemma. My current F-150 has a max payload of 1,515lbs. The same truck as an F-250 with diesel engine is only 1,914lbs. I only get another 400lbs of load capacity and not enough to put me within range of the specs for a 30' 5th wheel trailer. That's not a big trailer by most comparisons. The pin and hitch weight alone put me close to the max, without people or other items. Can't justify the upgrade and find myself right back where I started. I'm still perplexed that I see so many 3/4T trucks hauling massive 5th wheel trailers around. Is everyone out there just ignoring the payload specs? Am I missing something?

[Bookemdanno]

Originally Posted by suzhou

That's exactly my dilemma. My current F-150 has a max payload of 1,515lbs. The same truck as an F-250 with diesel engine is only 1,914lbs. I only get another 400lbs of load capacity and not enough to put me within range of the specs for a 30' 5th wheel trailer. That's not a big trailer by most comparisons. The pin and hitch weight alone put me close to the max, without people or other items. Can't justify the upgrade and find myself right back where I started. I'm still perplexed that I see so many 3/4T trucks hauling massive 5th wheel trailers around. Is everyone out there just ignoring the payload specs? Am I missing something?

For just a little bit more money (sometimes same price), just buy the single rear wheel 1 ton.

[jsallman1]

Originally Posted by suzhou

That's exactly my dilemma. My current F-150 has a max payload of 1,515lbs. The same truck as an F-250 with diesel engine is only 1,914lbs. I only get another 400lbs of load capacity and not enough to put me within range of the specs for a 30' 5th wheel trailer. That's not a big trailer by most comparisons. The pin and hitch weight alone put me close to the max, without people or other items. Can't justify the upgrade and find myself right back where I started. I'm still perplexed that I see so many 3/4T trucks hauling massive 5th wheel trailers around. Is everyone out there just ignoring the payload specs? Am I missing something?

I think the 3/4 tons are restricted to 10000lbs gvwr to stay within a certain class of vehicle, 1 tons are a different class. so when a crew cab with a diesel comes in north of 8000lb curb weight, thats where the problem is. From reading, I am not sure there is a lot of technical difference, maybe suspension and brakes. Still, the legal specs are the specs and maybe could cause grief in the future?

I would buy a 1 ton if I went diesel, but in my state the registration fee is comparable, only think you add is inspections and possibly some commercial use restrictions. I think state by state however this varies.


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