Towing a fifth wheel

GODZILLA · Oct 27, 2022

donham1 said: ↑

Just stirring the pot a bit, but I spoke to this guy earlier this year, and he said he added airbags to his Tundra and had no problem and averaged 9mpg.
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No problems until there's an emergency stop...

Stumpjumper · Oct 30, 2022

GODZILLA said: ↑

I'm so confused right now. Name implies Massachusetts, but Utah plates on an F150 in a post on a Tundra forum.

If things change for me and I ever go to a camper I'll be shopping 20 feet or less and light weight. That one you have on your truck is about as big as I think I'd ever want, and it's what 22 feet? 24?
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That would be fine with me. If you are a weekend camper why do you need to tow your house around? When I camp it is to get outside. Different story if you are going to live in it for weeks at a time or park it somewhere for extended stays.

X42069 · Oct 30, 2022

texasrho83 said: ↑

I'd totally use this if I ever have a need for it

Made in TX too.
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People will do anything to avoid buying an appropriate sized truck or trailer

ColoradoTJ · Oct 30, 2022

X42069 said: ↑

People will do anything to avoid buying an appropriate sized truck or trailer
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I agree.

Interesting that some people will spend 10-11,000.00 on a hitch like this and still be over in GCWR. Now where this might make sense is if someone has an older 1 ton that is still in great condition but doesn’t have the axle ratings of today.

I had all plans of adding a SC, big brake kit, rear spring packs, and some other items. In the end it would have cost me around 10k. I decided to save the money and add it to the cost of buying the right truck for the job. After selling my Tundra and adding the 10k to the money recovered I wasn’t far off from buying my 1 ton.

Stepping back and looking at the big picture helps.

mass-hole · Oct 31, 2022

donham1 said: ↑

Just stirring the pot a bit, but I spoke to this guy earlier this year, and he said he added airbags to his Tundra and had no problem and averaged 9mpg.
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Some Toyota owners are so adverse to any other brand that they will do whatever needs to be done to make it work. I see it fairly frequently here. I don't see a ton of Tundra's towing, but proportionally the ones I do see are towing way more 5th wheels than any other half ton.

But some dude did this with his Raptor too and then posted videos about it on Youtube so it doesnt matter what brand it is. The thing is, there are versions of the F150 that can legitamately tow a 5th wheel and stay under all capacities.

I bet towing a 5th is not bad from an MPG standpoint since they sit so much closer to the truck.

sopranojam85 · May 31, 2023

I find it interesting that the Tundra has nearly double the towing capacity as the Tacoma, yet payload that is almost the same. Payload capacity of 2023 Tacomas is a few hundred pounds less than the Tundra. If towing something that is nearly 12,000 lbs, what are the odds that it won't far exceed payload at the hitch, even if you're driving the vehicle without passengers? I do not plan on towing anything that heavy though, and if it was a priority, I would certainly look for a different truck.

EddieBolt · May 31, 2023

sopranojam85 said: ↑

I find it interesting that the Tundra has nearly double the towing capacity as the Tacoma, yet payload that is almost the same. Payload capacity of 2023 Tacomas is a few hundred pounds less than the Tundra. If towing something that is nearly 12,000 lbs, what are the odds that it won't far exceed payload at the hitch, even if you're driving the vehicle without passengers? I do not plan on towing anything that heavy though, and if it was a priority, I would certainly look for a different truck.
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Yup a 3500 truck I would feel the most comfortable.

gdolb · Apr 17, 2024

JamesAZ said: ↑

Okay, so now that those useless comments are out of the way:

Towing capacity really doesn't matter when it comes to towing a 5th wheel. A 5th wheel pins a lot of weight onto the bed of the truck, so the number you should be paying attention to is actually your payload capacity, not your towing capacity. Sure, towing capacity matters, but you'll run out of payload loooonnngggg before you run out of towing capacity. There are a handful of 5th wheels that kinda maybe possibly be towable with a half-ton truck.

Take the Grand Design Reflection 150 278BH as an example. It's designed to be towable by a half-ton (Reflection 150, as in, you know, the F150):

https://www.granddesignrv.com/showroom/2021/fifth-wheel/reflection-150-series/floorplans/278bh

Scroll down to the "Specs / Features / Packages" section, and pay close attention to these 3 key specs:

UVW
8,345 lbs
Hitch Weight
1,321 lbs
GVWR
10,195 lbs

What does that all mean you ask? Well, UVW = Unloaded Vehicle Weight. So you pick up the base model 278BH from the dealership, and that's what it weighs right off the lot. You go home and add 100lbs worth of cargo, now it weighs 8,445lbs (8,345+100).

Hitch Weight is the most important component when it comes to a 5th wheel. That'll be directly equivalent to the payload. If your truck is completely empty with not even a single straw wrapper in it, and the truck is driving itself while you're sitting on the curb watching it drive away into the sunset, your payload needs to be AT LEAST 1,321lbs. You can find this information on the yellow sticker on your door. I'll get more into this in a bit.

GVWR = Gross Vehicle Weight Rating. Remember how I said the UVW is the base model weight with nothing in it? Well, this is the most the camper can weigh after adding everything to it. It's the rating that actually matters. UVW is there just for reference sake.

Now, back to the hitch weight/payload capacity. So, let's say you coincidentally have 1,321 payload capacity. Great! Time to load up that 5th wheel and take it out for a spin right? Wrong. Let's focus on the 5th wheel itself for a second. The general rule of thumb is to take 20-25% of the GVWR to estimate the hitch weight. So let's take the lower end of that range. 10,195 * 0.2 = 2,039. Uh oh, welp. Now you're 719 POUNDS OVER PAYLOAD. Or, to put it into percentages, 154.4% of your payload is being used up. So you'll need at least a payload capacity of 2,040lbs for that 5th wheel. See the problem?

"But @JamesAZ", you say, "As a matter of fact I do have 2,040lbs of payload!"

Great! That's wonderful! Now go ahead and load up that 5th whee- haha just kidding. Now the fun is getting started! Assuming you're an average man of average weight, with an average wife of average weight, and 2 average 10-year-old identical male twins of average weight, and the average weight of the average boy Golden Retriever that's driving in the truck with you.

Average male weight: 200lbs
Average female weight: 170lbs
Average 10-year-old boy weight: 70lbs
Average male Golden Retriever weight: 70lbs

So, now you've gotta take that ALL out of your payload. So 2,040 - 200 - 170 - 70 - 70 - 70. That makes your available payload now 1,460 pounds. Oof. That's only 100lbs over the hitch weight!

Okay okay okay, now, let's say you did find that magical 5th wheel that has a GVWR of 7,300 (1,460 x 5). Did you add any type of modifications or any accessories at all? Got the factory all-weather floor liners in your truck? Go ahead and knock off about 15 pounds. Running boards? Go ahead and knock off another 60lbs. Literally, anything that is considered an "accessory", take the weight of that off your payload, and that's what you're left with. So let's say you just have those 2 accessories I just listed. That makes your final payload a *drum roll* 1,385lbs!

Now, considering no Tundra has a payload capacity of 2,040lbs, and you said you have a 5.5ft bed Platinum, assuming it's a 4x2 and not a 4x4, that leaves you AT MOST a payload rating of 1,720lbs. So, taking all that math I did on our hypothetical truck and applying it to your hypothetical payload capacity which is probably 300lbs more than what you really have, that leaves you with 1,720 - 2,039 = -319lbs of payload capacity before factoring in for your accessories, weight of you and any passengers, and any cargo or anything you have in the truck with you.

Factoring in for all those exact same components, you're left with -319 - 200 - 170 - 70 - 70 - 70 - 75 = -1,374lbs.

So in conclusion, unless you can remove 1,374lbs worth of weight from your truck, you won't be able to tow that 5th wheel. You can find a handful of lighter 5th wheels, but your selection is extremely limited.
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gdolb · Apr 17, 2024

This was actually the most helpful post for my question! Since I'm a math guy - it made sence. I did the math on my truck and I would definately be over capacity with the Cougar Sport I'm looking at. I don't know how any half ton pickup could safely haul a "Half-Ton" fifth wheel. Sales people will sell you anything - buyer beware. Thank you!

surmichael · Jul 6, 2024

Yes, they do make one, it’s called a fifth wheel automatic slider. Also, you must know the weight of your fifth wheel. Mine weigh 16,000 pounds and it works.
Yes, they do make one, it’s called a fifth wheel automatic slider. Also, you must know the weight of your fifth wheel. Mine weigh 16,000 pounds and it works.

Rr2g23[OP] initial post: ↑

Hey guys. I'd like to buy a fifth wheel but in the rv dealership the salesman ask if my truck is build ready for it ( sorry about my lack of knowledge ). I know in the specs the tow capacity of a platinum is 11'120lbs. My third generation tundra has a 5.5 bed length. Can I install a tow hitch for a fifth wheel? I also concern the nose of the trailer touching the top rear of the crew cab.
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