What are the options for a 5thWheel Hitch for 5.5ft truck bed

[GiddiYup]

Hi,
We are stoked...We have taken the 5th Wheel plunge (from a travel trailer) and just bought our first Jayco (2015 - 29.5 BHDS)!

Now we need to gear up my truck for the 5th wheel hitch for when we take delivery in the Spring.

I have a 2014 F150 SuperCrew Ecoboost >> with 5.5ft box << the kicker!

Anyone have any experience with the F150 short box set up? What type of hitch do you have? Does it have Sliders? a Sidewinder?

From what i gather i have a couple of options (please correct me if i am wrong):

#1 - 16K Fixed Head (looking at Reese Pro) with BedRails and Sidewinder
#2 - Reese Elite Head (think its called Signature now!?) with only under bedrails (non visible in box) - not sure if i need sidewinder????
#3 - 16K Fixed head with Elite adapter plate which would allow bed undermount similar to Elite but maybe $400-$500 less of cost

My main question is do i need the sidewinder with the Reese Elite/Signature or can i do without in my 5.5 Short Box?

Anyone have this set up or seen it?!
Can you recommend any other set up?

Is it Spring yet? Thanks in advance for your help!
Much appreciated!
Steve

[poohbear]

I would make sure that the 5er has the "extended pin box" just to get that little extra space.No experience with such a short bed but would say "slider" required.

[gtsum2]

slider or sidewinder required with that short bed. If slider, I would go with a pullrite, as manually getting out of the truck to slide it would be a PITA imo..not to mention if you forgot about it or thought "I think I can make it". Curious, What is your payload sticker on the door jam say for your truck?

[Clayton4971]

I started out with a husky 16k slider hitch but found it to be a pain in the butt to have to get out and adjust the slider every time I got into a tight spot. I then added a fifth airborne sidewinder this was before Reese bought them out . Made it a lot better not having to worry about tight spots . Only thing I didn't like about the sidewinder if you adjust it too tight it hooked up and unhooked hard. If it was too loose you could feel the slack in the corners when driving. I think they have pacific wedges now for the hitch you have. I would still check to make sure you can still make a 90 degree turn 5.5 box is pretty short . Good luck !

[Wrascal]

I always thought 6 3/4 feet was the very minimum for a FW hitch, regardless of a slider. Guess y'all are implying I'm mistaken (once again). Don't tell my bride.


What is the allowable cargo weight on that TV? And what's the pin weight on that trailer?

[Mustang65]

If you are unsure of your TV towing limits, here is the official Ford engine/body cross reference chart for towing/5er (2012). I believe that the 2012 through the 2014 F150's have the same towing capabilities. You do not want to be to close to the max.

Don

[Wrascal]

I will admit - I don't know these new F150's but I find it hard to accept that they'd have the payload capacity to carry the weight of people/fuel/baggage plus that of the camper.

My current F250 meets my needs but I'm looking for an F350 - just for a greater safety margin. Cargo adds up quickly.

[Mustang65]

Originally Posted by Wrascal

I will admit - I don't know these new F150's but I find it hard to accept that they'd have the payload capacity to carry the weight of people/fuel/baggage plus that of the camper.

You need to head over to the Ford dealer just to take one for a test ride. They are GREAT, but as with any other truck, they have their limits.

Don

[Bassdogs]

In my mind, you are trying to put 10 lbs of Stuff in a 5 lb bag. Guess you can make it work, but have to ask. Why did you buy a shortbed 1/2 ton if you were thinking about a 5er?

Admit I'm a Chevy guy, but all this eco-bust stuff is starting to sound like fantasy football. I'll give you that these engines can buck up some pretty impressive tork but asking it to pull a 5er after equipping it with a short bed sounds like putting the cart before the horse.

Good luck

[Wrascal]

Originally Posted by Mustang65

You need to head over to the Ford dealer just to take one for a test ride. They are GREAT, but as with any other truck, they have their limits.

Don

I still ask, of the original posters F150, what is its empty payload capacity? What would be his typical cargo load weight before adding a FW? What is the pin weight of his trailer.

I like the F150s, and I'm speculating, but I suspect that he has too little truck for this cargo load; it's better he determines these points before attempting to hitch up and go.

[Wrascal]

In my mind, you are trying to put 10 lbs of Stuff in a 5 lb bag. Guess you can make it work, but have to ask. Why did you buy a shortbed 1/2 ton if you were thinking about a 5er?

I suspect (like many others have erroneously done) that he's only focused on the weight that his F150 can PULL and/or a salesman told him it could.

[carey965]

well i can tell you i was towing my 27.5 BHS with a 2006 f150 with a 5.5 ft box

i had the reese pro series 15k sliding hitch with a sidewinder and i like it the best because i never have to worry about taking the adapter off when i drop it off at the dealer

as for actually having to get out and slide it, on flat level ground you never really have to worry about it, the only time i ever had to slide it was when we were pulling it out of the driveway and parking it in the campground and that was more for piece of mind then anything else, the only downfall with the sidewinder and the slider is it is easier to take the tailgate off for your trip because it can get in the way

and as far as ability my 06 with a 5.4 and 35's with 3.55 gears towed great, i just upgraded cause i also have a boat that i want to double tow and she did not have the ability for that, if you have any questions about it shoot me a PM

[carey965]

also what gears do you have? if you have the 4.10's you will be in the best shape with 11,000+lbs towing capacity, and i believe the payload on them is above 2000, which would be close but should be ok

[Wrascal]

OK, this got to bugging me so I've chased down a few specs.

According to this http://www.fordf150.net/2014/2014-f150-tech-specs.pdf this F150 Eco has a payload range of 1750 to 2080#, depending on cab size and number of drive wheels. The very max is 2080# IF equipped with tow package on a 2wd SuperCab .

According to this http://www.jayco.com/products/fifth-...le-ht/295bhds/ his trailer has a dry hitch weight of 1500 pounds.

Assuming that he carries no cargo in the camper, the math (2080-1500) shows at best it will have less than 600 pounds for fuel, people, pets, clothing, etc. These are best numbers. With a different config TV and/or cargo in the camper this allowance goes down as the hitch weight goes up.

This truck will pull it, but ...

[carey965]

he can put stuff in his camper, he just needs to load it more to the back to take some weight off the pin, yes he would be better off with a 2500 but if he only plans to tow within a few hours and maintains both properly he should have no issues till it is a reasonable time at which he can upgrade his truck

[DJsFolly]

Please check your driver door stickers, then go to your Ford Dealer/competent truck salesperson.
I have a 2011 F150 EcoBoost XLT 4 wheel drive, long bed. I anticipated a 5th wheel - 3.73 axle, 8200# package, Max Tow (11,200) and Heavy Duty Payload Package. All that and the door sticker shows my max combined (in the cab/bed) should be less than 2,393 pounds. My Reese hitch weighs 90# and the tongue before cargo is 1,340#, leaves me 963# cab/bed. All said and done the 8,200# minus the public scale 6260# = 1,940 Cab/bed. Think that leaves me 600# in the cab/bed, (2 adults/2 kids). Am I close to right?

[Wrascal]

The pin weight of a properly loaded FW should be a Minimum of 15% - while 25% is generally the proper target. Example: a loaded 10K pound FW calls for a 1500# minimum (2500 pounds recommended) pin weight.

That weight (when placed on the FW hitch) is directly loaded to the TV as cargo.

Placing cargo behind the trailers axles will reduce the load of the pin but will also shift the proper 25% balance necessary for safe towing.

[Wrascal]

Cargo weight of the tow vehicle is basically dictated by axle capability. Just pulling make believe numbers here but lets say the axle/tire is rated for 8000 pounds max.

Even within the same basic model tow vehicle, there are hundreds of different possible weights as some people order them with oversized tires, some add full size spares, some want power seats and windows, some delete radios, some add Ham gear ... you get the idea?

But lets just say this vehicle stands on the scales at 6000#. Your available cargo weight is the 8000 - 6000, or 2000 pounds remaining. Once you add gasoline and your fat butt you've just subtracted from that 2000. Add the wife, her laptop, and a lap dog? More subtraction. Remove your loaded toolbox and you've regained some capacity. The idea is not to overload the axle, it dictates the cargo restrictions.

Adding a fifth wheel hitch (someone earlier said 90#) and 25% of a properly loaded FW quickly adds significant weight to the axle.

[rbintheup]

I have a Ram 1500 and I pull a 27.5 RLTS HT without any problems. My setup is a 16K Husky fixed with a Reese Revolution. It gives me 22" and I can spin circles. Look at the YouTube video under Reese Revolution. By the WY I don't have a problem pulling in the mountains

[gtsum2]

^^^that is amazing to me as I had a 2013 ram 1500 Laramie and with a kids quad in the bed and a utility trailer with two full size big bore quads, my ram sagged in the rear and steering was compromised a good bit. My payload sticker was only 1061lbs...I wouldn't have trusted that truck to pull a whitehawk tt, let alone anything heavier