That's bogus! If HE wants to repect it (or dis-respect it), then that's fine. But barreling down the highway like that is not a matter of respecting/disrespecting HIMSELF... He's disrespecting EVERYONE ELSE on the highway too! Disrespecting as in endangering everyone else.

Simply respecting or disrespecting himself would be doing 90mph down a deserted road with nobody else in the way.

 

That is just stupid to say that somone shouldnt tow a fifth wheel with a half ton because a 3/4 ton can do it easier and better. The guy said that the truck is usually driven unloaded so why would he spend the extra money on a 3/4 ton to occasionall pull a trailer that is within the 1/2 tons specs. Thats like saying that someone is dumb for cutting their grass with a regular lawn mower because a 90 hp tractor could do it easier with less stress on the machine.

Also, bamorris, a 5th wheel pulls much better and is safer than your bumper setup. You shouldnt be criticising him when you are much more unsafe than he is.

I hate it when u go down the interstate and some idiot city slicker is driving a brand new f-350 drw and is pulling a sea-doo that a ranger could handle. I guess some people just dont know any better.

 

X2 especially with 13k

 

If you read all of bamorris's post then you would have read that he knows he's towing too close to the max. rating for his truck, and would feel much better doing it with an F350.

The general rule of thumb for towing is to not pull more then 80% of the max. rating for the truck. This leaves room for those situations that add load to the vehicle, such as towing up/downhill, or through a crosswind/headwind. This prevents the tow vehicle from exceeding it's weight rating and becoming a hazard due to the inability to stop or steer in an emergency.

 

This really comes down to experience and knowing what you r doing. I feel comfortable pulling at close to my trucks max ratings but im not going to do it while running 70 down the interstate. I have pulled a bobcat on a bumper hitched trailer at 55 and did not get too close to anyone and felt fine. Im not sure how much it weighed but im sure it was pretty close. Im not talking about a 300 miles trip, maybe 50. I dont know maybe im just an idiot that uses his truck.

 

This is just out of curiousity, but how on earth could 2 quads and a trailer weigh in at 13,000 pounds? What's a quad weigh, 1500 max, if that? No way the trailer alone weighs in at 10k.....

 

I have said it before and I will say it AGAIN, why does everyone think that you have to have a 3/4 ton truck or larger. Nobody ever gives any credit to the 150. I know what the guy was doing with his alleged 13000 pounds was wrong but the majority of people that tow with a f150 know what they are doing. Walk around any campground here in KY and try to tell people that they should not be towing what they are towing with a 1/2 ton. See what the response is.
Obviously times have changed, I remember when my grandpa used to pull his Holiday Rambler TT with his big huge car. Years ago campers weighed just as much as they do now if not more. That is all that was known then. Was it the safest thing to do, NO, but they used what they had. I would bet you that if you compared the 3/4 ton trucks of the late 80's, early 90's to todays 1/2 tons you would be suprised. Todays 1/2 tons are as strong if not stronger than those trucks were. I bet there was no argument that they were to small to pull the loads that they were pulling then.

 

yeah, i am pretty sure my honda weighs 600lbs. So that would have had to have been one heavy freakin' trailer.

 

I agree with you about the 3/4 ton trucks of yesteryear versus the 1/2 tons of today... Some time last year I was looking up some random spec's from older F250's. The cargo and tow ratings were surprisingly low compared to the newer 1/2 tons of today.

Example: 1996 Ford F250 LD, reg cab, auto tranny, 4x2, 5.8L, 4.10 gears = max GCWR 13,000 and max tow rating 8,200.

 

Who cares?

Hope that he still has his warranty (stupid insurance).

 

I am glad you looked up that information, that is really interesting, and proves what I was thinking.

 

What should or shouldn't I be towing. What is my max. Im looking at buying a 6X14 Haulmark trailer to tow my two quads. The GVRW of the trailer is 2980. What is my max tongue determined by?

Someone please help me understand some of these things a little bit better.

Here are my Specs.

2007 F-150 FX2 Sport (SCREW) with towing package
Factory 20" wheels
5.4 V8
3.55
5.5 Bed

THANKS ALOT

 

Haha I tried to point that out earlier. As said in a few posts down a good sized quad weighs about 600.

If this guy really did have a trailer that weighed over 13,000 lbs (which I am far from believing), he wouldn't be pulling it at 90mph with a 150. We tow a 36 Yellowfin with 525 gallons of fuel and triple Mercs that weighs around that with all the other gear. Pull it with a 350 dually and it even makes it work hard. So all I am saying is that the trailer weight is BS. The dude with the broken truck was lying.

If I had to guess, I would say that 90% of the people posting on this thread never even pull a trailer. However, no matter what the trailer weighed, he should never be towing it at 90mph.

 

I raise the royal B.S. flag on this one... I think RockPick or someone should move this to the GD.

Making outrageous claims with no proof.

 

If you can read your truck's manual, then you can figure out how much you can tow or haul. There are very few 5th wheel trailers out there that are able to pulled by a 150, period. If the weight is OK, then go for it. I have found that pulling a 5th wheel with a half ton can be tricky even if the weight is well under the limits of the truck. This is due to the high connect point of that weight in the bed. There is more rolling of the truck in corners due to the softer rear springs, which leads to an unsettling feeling for the driver. We added air bags to that 150, the pull felt much better. Another thing about towing that many people overlook is stopping. The brakes on these 150s can handle their respective max towing capacities but start to fade away with heavy loads. Most towing accidents that I have been witness to happen by not being able to stop in a quick reaction situation. Anyway, towing beyond any truck's capability is just a bad idea.