# Towing 5th Wheel Problem...Help



## wbs4010 (Nov 21, 2016)

Hereâ€™s my situation, 32â€™ 5th wheel, 8050 lbs, 1400 lb tongue weight, 2017 F150 V6 3.5 EchoBoost, short wheel base, Anderson ultimate 5th wheel hitch. No problem at all pulling this trailer. Rear springs inadequate to maintain level ride to keep lights on the road so I installed Air Lift bags and solved this problem but created a bigger one. The ride sucks! I have tried anywhere between 5lbs to 45lbs air pressure and the truck has bad porpoise problem when pulling this trailer on uneven roads. Smooth black top roads are no problem but in and around cities where there are cement highways that are the slightest uneven is where it really gets bad. Asking for suggestions on what to do or who to call. Thanks.


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## bwguardian (Aug 30, 2005)

Probably in your tires. I would really be looking at the load rating is, especially with that amount of tongue weight.


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## SSST (Jun 9, 2011)

Call the nearest Ford dealer and get an F250, just too much trailer for that truck, period. I know it's probably rated for that, but a 5th wheel has too much tongue weight.


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## SSST (Jun 9, 2011)

Sorry if I came off as a smart***. My father-in-law went thru the same deal, dealer sold him a 30ft, 9k lb. 5th wheel, and even installed air shocks on his 1/2 ton. It did ok when everything was rosey, but throw a 20mph wind in the mix, and things got shady real quick. The mother-in-law had him at a dealer after 3 trips, and now his 3/4 ton doesn't break a sweat pulling it.


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## dk2429 (Mar 27, 2015)

SSST said:


> Call the nearest Ford dealer and get an F250, just too much trailer for that truck, period. I know it's probably rated for that, but a 5th wheel has too much tongue weight.


x22222

A 32' fifth wheel, with a short base half ton with a V6..?? lol

Pulling may not be a problem, but stopping and handling that thing is. Any kind of good wind will mess that rig up quickly with that kind of a trailer.. You'd rather have a 10,000lb flat bed on the rear, than an 8,000lb fifth wheel/rv.. The wind resistance is where soooo many people mess up I think..

The other place they mess up is really believing their 1/2 ton manufacture weight ratings.. Just because Ford says "it can pull 12,000 pounds" doesn't mean you should.... Yeah, it'll pull a 12,000lb flat bed down the road with brakes I'm sure.. but will it pull a 12,000lb parachute on wheels safely down the road...? It's lack of common of sense, and that's the sad truth.


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## sand storm (Mar 15, 2012)

You need a bigger truck sir. F150 short wheelbase wont cut it.


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## DEXTER (Jun 28, 2005)

X5.. You need a 3/4 ton to safely pull that rig. Sorry, but that is the truth.


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## Reloading (Oct 27, 2014)

Is the hitch position behind the rear axle?


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## wbs4010 (Nov 21, 2016)

Reloading said:


> Is the hitch position behind the rear axle?


Actually yes, because of the short wheel base. The Anderson hitch is over the rear axle but has a offset of about 7â€ toward the rear so the trailer front does not hit the truck cab during a tight turn.

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## SeaIsleDweller (Jun 27, 2013)

X6 you need to get a 3/4 ton just because manufacturers say it can pull XXX lbs does not mean it is a good idea. Stopping that trailer and dealing with cross wind is a huge issue with Campers plus if the trailer brakes donâ€™t engage can your truck safely stop the load?? My camper weighs around 8500 and I used to tow it with my old f150 5.0 but anything more than a flat road under 55 mph and it would get squirmy hauled it to Dallas once and after dealing with trying to maintain speed on 45, wind, and 18 wheelers passing I was more than happy to buy a f250 diesel. Yes the truck is over kill for the camper and my bay boats but I feel a lot safer and can handle the loads in the case of an emergency. 1/2 ton v6 should not have a 5th wheel behind it. 


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## redexpress (Apr 5, 2010)

Go weigh the truck at a CAT scale, usually a truck stop. Go Hitch up the 5th and re- weigh the truck, front axle on the first scale pad, rear axle on the next pad, trailer axles on the third pad. Do the math....how much did your rear axle weight increase and how much did the front axle decrease. Then look at the yellow tag in your drivers side door frame. You will see how much payload the truck has and what the rear axle weight rating is (RAWR). Check your tires for what they are rated for. You are likely over a couple of these limits. 
And lastly, go back to the RV dealer and beat the @@[email protected] outa that lying salesman. 
You need at least a 3/4 ton and if your buying that you may as well get a one ton single rear wheel. Before you buy anything look at that yellow sticker for those numbers. Many 3/4 tons don't have much payload either.
The airbags are causing the porpoising. They have unloaded the truck springs and the load is riding on the bags. They are too soft for this and are not designed to carry the full load. 
If you are close on the yellow tag limits, I doubt it, maybe look at Torklift Stableloads.


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## wbs4010 (Nov 21, 2016)

redexpress said:


> Go weigh the truck at a CAT scale, usually a truck stop. Go Hitch up the 5th and re- weigh the truck, front axle on the first scale pad, rear axle on the next pad, trailer axles on the third pad. Do the math....how much did your rear axle weight increase and how much did the front axle decrease. Then look at the yellow tag in your drivers side door frame. You will see how much payload the truck has and what the rear axle weight rating is (RAWR). Check your tires for what they are rated for. You are likely over a couple of these limits.
> 
> And lastly, go back to the RV dealer and beat the @@[email protected] outa that lying salesman.
> 
> ...


Thanks, this seems to be an excellent explanation of why this is happening. I just checked, the RAWR is 3800lbs, and the tire ratting is 2500lbs each. Per the trailer manufacturer the tongue weight is supposed to be 1400 lbs. I can get the weight checked but it sounds like the air bags are the porpoising problem. In your opinion, without weighting as you suggested, do you believe I am close on the limits and if so, would backing off on the air bag pressure help with the problem? Also, with the weight behind the axle, does that contribute to the issue? Thanks for picking your brain.

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## Reloading (Oct 27, 2014)

wbs4010 said:


> Actually yes, because of the short wheel base. The Anderson hitch is over the rear axle but has a offset of about 7â€ toward the rear so the trailer front does not hit the truck cab during a tight turn.
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


You're not getting any of the trailer weight on the front axle, might as well have a ball on the bumper. :wink:


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## redexpress (Apr 5, 2010)

You can't believe what the manufacturer says the pin weight is anymore than you can believe a RV salesman. I'm about 1000 over what is advertised. 
The only way to know what you have is to weigh it. 
A half ton supposedly can be ordered that will handle a light 5th wheel. You are not likely to find one sitting on a lot though. There is very little demand. Most folks go 3/4 ton minimum and like I mentioned before that ain't a slam dunk. 
It's all in the numbers and we are all just BS'ing without knowing what the weights are. 
If you haven't used a CAT scale before just lay back a little and watch what the truck drivers do. You can enter from only one end. Should be an ENTER ONLY sign. Before you drive on it walk up to it and look at it. They are designed for 18 wheelers and have a button to press to call the cashier in the store. The button usually is designed to be high for a truck driver in his cab. So take a stick or broom handle or something so you can reach the button from your truck cab. Usually only costs $11. Off hours like Sunday morning would be a good time. You pay after you weigh. The cashier will take your money and print the weights. Cashier will ask your truck number or unit number. Just make one up, #1 or 69 or whatever.
Just generally speaking a 3/4 ton will be 2800-3300 payload, a 1 ton SRW 3200-4100 and a 1 ton dually 5500. Ram is usually the highest.


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## redexpress (Apr 5, 2010)

Is that weight you listed in your first post the unloaded weight (UVW), or the gross weight (GVW)? There should be a decal on the trailer about eye level on the drivers side. It will list the weights, including cargo capacity, tire specs, date of manufacture, etc. 
A 5th wheel will have 20-25% of the loaded weight on the pin, versus a bumper pull that is 10-15%. Assume a gross weight of 8000# and you could have a pin weight of 2000#. 
The manufacturers calculate weights with no options. Some of these options are in the mandatory "packages" that add unlisted weight. They are devious about how they do that and the dealers are downright fraudulent regarding weights. Unfortunately there is no way to tell what a trailer really weighs when you buy it, unless the dealer weighs it, and they sure aren't going to do that and risk losing a sale. "There oughta be a law".


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## easoutdoors (Jun 4, 2004)

*towing*

A 5er hitch for a short bed should be adjustable or on a slide rail. It should be in the forward position over the axle when towing. It should never be used in the moved back setting unless when trying to park. 
You need a 250 or 350 to pull anything that big or heavy safely.


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## wbs4010 (Nov 21, 2016)

Thanks guys for all your help and advise. Consensus seems to be I have too small a pickup for my trailer. Donâ€™t know what Iâ€™m going to do though, really canâ€™t afford a new truck and just bought the trailer this spring. Thanks again to the 2Cooler brain trust. 


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## dk2429 (Mar 27, 2015)

wbs4010 said:


> Thanks guys for all your help and advise. Consensus seems to be I have too small a pickup for my trailer. Donâ€™t know what Iâ€™m going to do though, really canâ€™t afford a new truck and just bought the trailer this spring. Thanks again to the 2Cooler brain trust.
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


Don't need anything brand new... A well taken care of 7.3 F250, '06-newer Silverado Duramax, and any of the Ram diesels.

And to be real about it, it's not even the fact of having a diesel.. Just a 3/4 chassis or more is what you'd need to haul that thing, gas or diesel.


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