Ask TFLtruck: Can I Tow a 5th-Wheel Camper with a Ford F150 Half-ton Pickup?

ford f150 towing 5th camping trailer

We recently received the following question from Gerard D. He is upgrading his 2012 Ford F150 EcoBoost to a newer truck and would like to continue towing a 9,000 lbs 5th-wheel camping trailer. The question is: which truck to get, and can he tow a slightly heavier 5th-wheel with a half-ton F150? Here is the question.

I have à 5th-wheel that weighs 9,000 lbs loaded, and I am considering to upgrade to a little bigger that would maybe weigh between 10 and 11,000 lbs loaded. I plan to make a trip to west Canada and heard that they have long high altitude hills and want to choose the right truck. Would the F150 v8 5.0 or the F150 3.5 Ecoboost V6 be a good choice, and which one is the best choice? I might just keep the same fifthwheel of 9,000 lbs but not sure yet. Should I wait for the new F150 diesel or look into the F250 gas or diesel which is more expensive? The payload on the v8 5.0 is higher with a 3.73 differential or is the 3.53 good enough? In this case is the differential ratio important or not?

Presently, I have a 2012 F150 3.5 ford ecoboost with a 3.73 differential and added an extra loaded blade and have not made trips on roads like the ones in western Canada. Presently I don’t have any problems hauling my 5th-wheel here in Quebec. If you suggest the ecoboost 3.53 differential would you suggest adding an extra loading blade and would you suggest the 2017 or 2018 10-speed versus the V8 5.0 6 or 10 speed?

The final decision has to do with the truck’s payload rating, and the tongue (or kingpin) weight of the trailer. Generally speaking, 5th-wheel camping trailer are set around 20% tongue weight. This means a 9,000 lbs loaded trailer could be pushing onto the truck with about 1,800 lbs of weight. Can your truck handle this much trailer weight and carry you, your friends, family, and/or additional cargo?

You need to carefully pick the truck configuration that matches your need, keeps the truck and trailer level, and provide a safe and comfortable towing experience. I would also look at the Ford F250, as the 3/4-ton truck provides for a bigger and a more stable towing vehicle platform. We have not tested the 2018 Ford F-150 trucks in Colorado yet. However, the a 5.0L V8 10-speed truck should also be near the top of your list, a crew cab 4×4 with 5.0L V8 can be configured at 2,640 lbs of maximum payload capacity. However, it requires a heavy duty payload/suspension package. Check out the truck specs on Ford’s website.

Keep in mind, the maximum ratings are listed with a maximum towing and payload packages. It’s very difficult to find a truck like this on the dealership lot. You may need to order it. Towing and payload rating varies for each truck, please check the sticker inside the truck’s door jam for actual payload capacity of the truck you are looking at.

Ford F-150 XLT

5.0L V8 Crew 4×4 6.5-foot bed: max towing (w/ 3.73): 11,600 lbs; max payload: 2,640 lbs

3.5L V6 EcoBoost 4×4 6.5-foot bed: max towing (w/ 3.55): 13,000 lbs; max payload: 2,620 lbs

Ford F-250 XLT

6.2L V8 Crew 4×4 6.5-foot bed: max 5th-wheel towing (w/ 3.73): 12,800 lbs; max payload: 3,450 lbs

Here is our first detailed look at the 2018 Ford F-150.