Who is hauling a 5th wheel travel trailer ?

[brroberts]

Regarding size, storage, boondocking and weather. We have an Escape 19. It’s smaller than an Escape 5.0TA, but larger than any Scamp or Casita. It does have outside storage, can be equipped for fairly cold weather, and we boondock all the time with temps routinely in the low teens F.

I understand some folks not wanting small trailers, but we couldn’t do what we do with a large one and average 150 nights a year in our RV’s.

It comes down to finding something that works for you.

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[Grumpaw]

I'm leaning toward a lightweight slide-in camper and if necessary, Firestone airbags.

As long as we are looking at what we can and can’t do, here’s what Ford says:

Using a Slide-In Camper
We do not recommend using your pickup for carrying a slide-in camper

Beef up the rear suspension and a set of higher rated tires and you shouldn't have a problem.
Good set of shocks and either a rear sway bar or Roadmaster Active Suspension set up, to get rid of the sway, higher load range tires with a bit stiffer sidewall.

 

[brroberts]

Yes you can beef things up, just mentioning what Ford says.

My 98 Chevy 2500 was bought specifically for hauling an Alaskan slide in camper. The truck and camper were a good match, but we moved to a Bigfoot 9.6 basement camper. It was a superb 4 season camper. I had to stiffen the front and back springs on the truck, and we were overloaded for factory payload. No problem for engine or tranny, but mileage was bad. We travelled 1000’s of miles with that rig up to 6 months at a time. It was great, but decided we wanted a travel trailer for a variety of reasons. We have also never wanted a 5th wheel or motorhome for a variety of reasons.

I’ve been in some scary winds with the Ranger and Escape trailer, but with my Equalizer sway controlling WDH, the truck and trailer always move as one. The only time the trailer moved a little was in an all out emergency stop and it still didn’t move much.

 

[Jerry B]

So what about a 5th wheel that has a dry weight of 5,900 lbs and pin weight of 800 lbs. Hitch can be right over axle.

 

[Msfitoy]

Why not?

https://www.motor1.com/news/580827/custom-vw-beetle-pickup-camper/
https://jalopnik.com/someone-found-and-restored-that-amazing-beetle-camping-1844000749

 

[brroberts]

So what about a 5th wheel that has a dry weight of 5,900 lbs and pin weight of 800 lbs. Hitch can be right over axle.

If the hitch, hitch attachment, trailer design, bed rail height, and turning radius work with the truck and trailer combination, then the weight limits should be fine for most Ranger configurations. There are lots of measurements to make a 5th wheel work well with any given truck and hitch combination. What works with one hitch setup in a specific truck may not with a different hitch or truck.

Ford does not address 5th wheel towing in their Ranger towing guide. I just know there are some towing 5th wheels. You will be over the 55 sq ft frontal area measurement, but many towing combinations are. Trailer brakes will be a must, and towing mirrors will likely be needed.

It also matters how much and where you will tow. Weekend trips to the local lake put far different conditions on the truck than cross country trips through the mountains.

Personally, for my less than 5000lbs trailer and 1600lbs of payload with tongue weight, I wanted a minimum of 7K towing, and 1800lbs payload. 8000 of the 11,000 miles on my Ranger are towing. For most, that’s not the case, and pushing the trailer weight up a bit will still be fine. It really also depends a lot on the driver.

Can what you propose be done, likely, but as I said do your homework to make sure your combination works for you.

I don’t have a 5th wheel or gooseneck, but have been around, and used both much of my life. Hope that helps.

They are capable trucks, but are not SuperDuty.

 

[Jerry B]

Thanks brroberts for the reply. Back in the late 80s and 90s I owned an RV dealership. Set up a lot of 5th wheel systems on 1/2 ton ,3/4 ton, and one ton trucks. I know what my Ranger is capable of towing weight wise and how I need to do the hitch on it. I was just looking to hear from anyone that was hauling one close to the load limits and if the had any concerns with towing it. Thanks again for the reply.

 

[J Haggerty (RADAR1)]

this might work. 5500 GVWR and 630 lbs pin weight.

Escape 5.0 - Escape Trailer

I seriously thought about that particular camper when I ordered my camper. I ran the calculations using an Anderson hitch in the bed, and it would have worked, but my turn angle would have been limited to about 67 degrees if I recall based on their configurator.
I ended up sticking with a pull behind since I also tow with my SUV.

 

[Jerry B]

26 1/2' Terry. 5,900 lbs dry. Reese slider hitch. About 750lbs tongue weight empty.

 

[Jerry B]

The second pic of the Cougar was just a joke not hooked up.

 

[AdamHarris]

I like backin up to Cougars and snappin pics as well.. What are we talking about..?

 

[Jerry B]

Just replying to J Haggerty's post. Showing the Terry 5th wheel I tow with my Ranger.

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