Desperate for help

[Suzie Q]

!Help with towing question. I am purchasing a 2000 Jayco Eagle Fifth Wheel Model 269rd with arctic package 27 ft 5700 dry weight.

My current vehicle is a 2002 F150 XLT super cab 2wd 4.6 Ltr, 3.55 ratio automatic transmission with a 6 ft bed.

GVWR 6050 lbs. Front GAWR 3100 lbs Rear GAWR 3200 lbs

I have got conflicting answers from several different places. I'm afraid Maybe this is not going to work for me. Hoping someone can help me before I get too far into my purchase.

[ALJO]

Susie Q, leave worries for the worriers. Your truck will handle it power wise but your payload you have to watch. Try it for a while and if you're unhappy with the TV performance you always can make a different decision.

[Cosmik Debris]

You'll also want to consider a slider hitch with that 6' bed.
Drive slow and safely, no matter what you tow.

[LiftedAWDAstro]

I think with that anemic 4.6 V8 and 4 speed auto, you will be disappointed in the towing characteristics. Loaded for camping your 5th will be 6500# minimum. What is the pin weight? How much does the hitch weigh? How much stuff are you carrying in the truck? All this will add up to a most likely overloaded truck. You can always try it and see if you are satisfied. My guess is you will want to upgrade to a newer version of the same truck.

[Sundancer330]

After looking at the specs for truck and TT you are going to be over on payload. Pin weight on trailer shows almost 1200# empty, truck payload is 1600#, so that leaves you about 400# for the hitch, humans, kids, dog, luggage, and anything you place in the trailer. The truck will pull that weight of trailer but its not safe to overload on payload, some people seem to think it doesn't matter what the numbers say but they are published for a reason and I care to much about my family to do anything like this. If it was me I would not do it with that truck.

[Rustic Eagle]

Originally Posted by Suzie Q

!Help with towing question. I am purchasing a 2000 Jayco Eagle Fifth Wheel Model 269rd with arctic package 27 ft 5700 dry weight......snip

SuzieQ,

Welcome to JOF

The best thing to do before purchasing a 5th Wheel (or travel trailer) is take your F150 under loaded conditions (full fuel, passengers, etc.) to a CAT scale and weigh it...., takes only a minute and about $9. Subtract that CAT weight from the GVWR noted on your F150's door..., the remaining weight is your "available" payload capacity. This way your working with some realistic weight data.

Your "available" payload capacity is the weight limit you have for the combined weights of the "hitch plate" and 5th wheel loaded "pin" weight.

I assume that your 5,700lb UVW (dry weight) figure was taken off the white sticker located inside the FW....., and the best info I can find puts the 2000 269RD at a GVWR of 8,500lbs.

Based on loading the 269RD to the maximum 8,500lb GVWR (worst condition) the average loaded pin weight range would be 1,700lbs to 2,125lbs (20% to 25%). A conservatively loaded 269RD 5th wheel at 7,000lbs would have a loaded pin weight range of 1,400lbs to 1,750lbs.

One's personal loading habits plays a big role in loaded weight results.

I tend to agree that the 4.6L engine isn't the ideal engine for the Eagle 269RD under less then ideal conditions (hills, mountains, etc.).

Bob

[vcbice]

I have towed a fifth wheel with a 1/2T truck. Tundra 4.7L. Trailer was a 24ft with weight of 7500lb, pin weight around 1100lb (15% on the pin is considered minimum for a fifth wheel according to Ford). The truck payload was 1670lb so we were OK. When we travel it is just the dog, wife and I. My hitch was 75lb. Nope, nothing else. I did have to add overload springs. In my case it was airbags.

The truck did fine towing all over the country, including CO, WA, UT and NM mountains.

The only downside is that over time things will wear out sooner. At 90k miles (30k of towing) the transmission was showing signs of distress.

Would you be more 'comfortable' towing with a 3/4T truck? Probably. I certainly would not want to tow my current trailer with a half ton. Heck it is almost too much for the 3/4T as far as pin weight goes.

[kayakterp]

Welcome to the Forum Suzie Q.
One thing that helped me understand this forum is learning the terms & acrynoms. If you go to the HOME tab, then TOWING, HITCH & TOW VEHICLES then RV & VEHICLES WEIGHT TERMS & DEFINITIONS. Originally posted in 2011. As others have mentioned, it's not only what the truck engine can pull but also the overall weights of pin/hitch, all the cargo (camping supplies & gear, water, food, people, luggage, etc., etc.
One of the biggest things I noticed when I upgraded my truck was the braking power and suspension.
You usually don't want to take a "salesperson" word for it, whether it's the RV or truck seller, but do your own research.

[cariboocreek]

No it's not enough truck.

[Suzie Q]

Thanks. I will have to find out all the info about the hitch. I am new to this so I will check on all that.

[SkyBound]

This is a big NO. My previous truck was a 2003 F150 with the 4.6 and 3.55 gears. That engine is not meant for towing because it lacks torque. You will burn the transmission out of it very quickly trying to tow something that big because it will be screaming in 2nd gear with the torque converter unlocked just about all of the time, heating up the fluid to extreme temperatures.

I pulled my previous trailer with it for one season and then sold it. My trailer was under 5000lbs loaded, bumper pull.

HARD NO.