Ford EcoBoost and Fifth Wheels

[Pnr]

Originally Posted by artgpo

Lloyd, do run to drink the EcoBoost Kool Aid. While not from Missouri I believe in "show me". No way, no how is a V-6 EcoBoost 1/2 ton going to tow anywhere near a 6.6 or 6.7literV-8 turbo diesel. Just the suspension on the 3/4 and 1 ton trucks make the 1/2 ton puny. Ok, maybe you can hitch up a very small 5th wheel to the F-150 but not any of the regular Cruisers no matter how carefully you pack.

Exactly !!

[Captain Mike]

Do a google search on Towing 5th wheel with F150. I saw a few sites that had good information; a Ford site, Good Sams, and Keystone.
I take it you already bought or ordered the TV. Now you are looking for a 5th wheel that will fall into your trucks rated capacity. Sounds like you will find a good rig.
As others mentioned before, watch your loading of the front bedroom and the trucks fluids. The diesels generally hold 12 to 14 quarts of oil. There is a reason for that.
Turbos generate a tremendous amount of heat when boosted and will break down the oil. The disadvantage to the Fiver is you are literally pulling a 12 foot tall block. You will be in the boost most of the time.
The advantages are tall ceilings, shorter length overall, and handling that can rival some motorhomes.
Good luck and please post your road test review when you get there.

[Doering]

Originally Posted by artgpo

Lloyd, do run to drink the EcoBoost Kool Aid. While not from Missouri I believe in "show me". No way, no how is a V-6 EcoBoost 1/2 ton going to tow anywhere near a 6.6 or 6.7literV-8 turbo diesel. Just the suspension on the 3/4 and 1 ton trucks make the 1/2 ton puny. Ok, maybe you can hitch up a very small 5th wheel to the F-150 but not any of the regular Cruisers no matter how carefully you pack.

I think you may have misunderstood my original post. I was asking if anyone had a Ford EcoBoost that is pulling a light weight Cruiser. We all know that a V-8 turbo diesel will out pull a V6. It does not make economical sense to be driving a 6.7 liter or a V-8 turbo diesel for a good 10+ months of the year with no trailer. Perhaps when I retire in 10 years and we decide to RV more than the usual 3-4 weeks of vacation/year, I will consider moving up to a full profile fifth wheel that will require more than a 1/2 ton. The way technology is moving however, the current truck classification may be totally obsolete in the near future.

[Doering]

Originally Posted by Captain Mike

Do a google search on Towing 5th wheel with F150. I saw a few sites that had good information; a Ford site, Good Sams, and Keystone.
I take it you already bought or ordered the TV. Now you are looking for a 5th wheel that will fall into your trucks rated capacity. Sounds like you will find a good rig.
As others mentioned before, watch your loading of the front bedroom and the trucks fluids. The diesels generally hold 12 to 14 quarts of oil. There is a reason for that.
Turbos generate a tremendous amount of heat when boosted and will break down the oil. The disadvantage to the Fiver is you are literally pulling a 12 foot tall block. You will be in the boost most of the time.
The advantages are tall ceilings, shorter length overall, and handling that can rival some motorhomes.
Good luck and please post your road test review when you get there.

Thanks for the advice Captain Mike! Regarding the 12 foot tall block, are the wind deflectors of much benefit?
http://www.icondirect.com/categories/RV-Towing-Products/Wind-Deflectors/

Unlike the many deflectors on the large transport trucks, I only see the occasional deflector for fifth wheels. Just wondering how effective they are on improving gas mileage.

[Dayle1]

Originally Posted by Doering

Regarding the 12 foot tall block, are the wind deflectors of much benefit?
http://www.icondirect.com/categories/RV-Towing-Products/Wind-Deflectors/

Unlike the many deflectors on the large transport trucks, I only see the occasional deflector for fifth wheels. Just wondering how effective they are on improving gas mileage.

I used several 1/2 ton short bed trucks with lite fivers over 15 yrs and lots of miles. I did try a wind deflector for some time and it made no difference in fuel consumption or towing ability, remember the front of a fiver is about 4 ft behind the truck cab, so there is still a large gap for turbulence. The only advantage is it did catch or deflect objects with some mass, i.e. bugs, so made cleaning the fiver front cap less of an issue.

[mbinohio]

I had an old style 5.4 in a 250 4x4 and at that time crossroads rated the cruiser line as a 5th wheel that ould be towed by a 150, and for what it's worth is was disasterous mistake, after the first pull I took the truck to a mechanic who was big inot trucks and he told me that I bought a big mistake, I had a 250 truck that looked real nice but was basically worthless, and yes it did have tow package, on flat ground with no wind it was passable at best, when you hit the hills it was really bad, it never overheated but a kid on a bike could pass you right by...and it literally just drank fuel, and I'm not kidding it was terrible, I know that they have changed the motor and all the weights but you'll be alot better off with more motor than not enough, we uded the 250 just 2 or 3 times and after one trip to myrtle beach thru the mountains I told my wife on the way home to empty the gloe box cause the truck was soon to be history, I bought a diesel that I only use for towing, infact because of health reasons it has sat covered in my garage for 3 yrs, I start it once in awhile and the rest of the time it sits, I assume by your post you have alreay bought the truck, they are really sharp but I think most people will agree that half tons are really not for 5th wheels, remember that even if you can pull it you have to stop...have you considered a year old bigger thruc ? I don't mean to tell you tht you made a wrong choice I'm just giving you the benefit of my experience, just be careful on your choice and take it from me it's a real expensive mistake...after we dumped the 250 and went bigger I then dumped the cruiser and went bigger...now were looking to dump both and go back to a motorhome...like a viscious circle...LOL.....good luck on your decision...

[artgpo]

My point is that there is no such thing as a "light weight Cruiser". Light weight when compared to what, a Mobile Suites or even a Montana? The pin weight of just about every full Cruiser precludes a 1/2 ton truck until the time that one of the big three puts a diesel and 3/4 ton springs on one. Wait, they already do and they are named 2500HD, Ram 2500 and Ford F-250 Super Duty.
If I were looking for a lighter bumper tow the F-150 you configured would be my first choice. Sure the big diesels are not economical as far as MPG but they make up for it in testosterone value! I get an average of 15 -16 mpg around town and 18 -20 on the highway. With the Cruiser hooked up it varies from 10 -12 at a constant 63 mph. Tromping down on the accelerator and blowning away the guy in the next lane is priceless. Chalk it up to a senior having fun.

[Livewire]

Well this should stir the pot!
Towing a 2012 305 skp with 2011 F-250 super duty 6.2l gas and getting 12-14 mpg imperial while towing.While most grades are 6-7% at most around here it handles them quite well.On a 6% grade close to my home I can top the hill 80-90 kms if I choose.In tow haul it will down shift to 2nd but can shift manually and do it in 3rd.
In Canada it cost an extra $10,000 for the diesel and for three months towing occasionally it would not pay.
Cost of the 250 gas is not that much more than the 1/2 ton and I can live with the mileage while not towing.

[beaker]

Having towed a roughly 5500 lb fifth wheel with a 2000 Silverado 5.3, I know that you will not have any problemspulling the trailer.

As far as "handling" the trailer I know that truck is "tons" better than my Silverado, which was an excellent match for the 5500 lb fifth wheel.

In your position I would be tempted to do it also.



But I think you need to stay a little lighter than a "factory" UVW of 8000 lbs.

11000 lbs sounds great but remember that is for a base truck. Read the weight ratings carefully to determine exactly what yours is. Stuff adds up quickly.



I have a 2008 Duramax with a 2200 lb payload. I am probably overweight pulling a 26 RK.

Throw in the wife, three dogs, hitch, stuff, and loaded 40 gallon tranfer flow tank and I would bet my truck that I am over the rated payload.



Let us know how things work out.

[BWS]

I have a F150 Ecoboost. I pull a 31RK 2011 Cruiser. Weighed trailer is 9500lbs loaded. Truck is the same as yours with E rated tires. While I am near the limit on most of the numbers, the truck is very safe. The engine pulls like a diesel. I drove all over Ontario and even went to the Crossroads Rally last summer. Sure did attract a lot of attention with the 150. Properly speced, this is a very capable unit. Do not be afraid of the truck to pull a fifth wheel.

[Hamops]

Originally Posted by BWS

I have a F150 Ecoboost. I pull a 31RK 2011 Cruiser. Weighed trailer is 9500lbs loaded. Truck is the same as yours with E rated tires. While I am near the limit on most of the numbers, the truck is very safe. The engine pulls like a diesel. I drove all over Ontario and even went to the Crossroads Rally last summer. Sure did attract a lot of attention with the 150. Properly speced, this is a very capable unit. Do not be afraid of the truck to pull a fifth wheel.

When you weighed the trailer, was the 9500lbs, axle weight or was it the combined axle and kingpin weight? Our30SK had a combined weight of 10800lbs. The axle weight was 8860lbs and the kingpin was 1940lbs.

[BWS]

The 9500 lbs is overall weight. 1650lbs on the pin and 7850 on the axles. One nice thing about the 31RK is the rear kitchen. It is one of the few with a lighter pin weight. That is why we chose that unit for the F150.