Hello fellow F-series enthusiasts. I'm new to the forum and I'm a proud owner of 2013 F150 super crew XLT with 5L, V8, 4x4, 3.55 axle ratio and 6.5 ft bed. My truck's payload on the door is pegged at 1,500 lbs and towing is at 7,500 lbs. I'm planning to buy a 5th wheel Puma 253FBS with tongue weight of 1,100 lbs, UVW of 6,700 so axle weight of 5,600 lbs. So the worry is payload, passengers and full tanks of 33 gal will be about 600 lbs, reese pro 16k hitch with rails is 200 lbs. I'm over the payload by about 300 - 400lbs. I plan to drive about 3k to 4k a year out west so through some mountains. My truck has 62k mile and I'm the original owner and have taken good care if it, the truck has dunlop tires with 3600 lb rating. My question is that is this gonna be safe long term or do I need to buy a new truck? Any insight would be greatly appreciated

 

You need a F250 with a 6.2l v8.

 

5th wheels and 1/2 ton trucks do not mix well. Buy a smaller conventional trailer or upgrade the truck.

 

I understand that ultimately I might have to buy a bigger truck or a smaller TT. I have been looking for a 5rh wheel for almost a year and this is the lightest I have come across so dont want to give up too quickly. My question is that the GVWR of my truck is 7650 lbs.... an extra 350 lbs is only about 5% of the rated capacity. I understand safety factors as a part of my job so how come Ford or any other company calculate the towing capacity and install a label with zero safety factor (lawyers would never allow that). A factor of +10-15% would make perfect sense to me and still be safe. I'll even take the tailgate off when towing and save about 50 to 60 lb.

 

I'm no lawyer or vehicle engineer, but you *can* go over, but if you get into an accident, boy o' boy they will try everything to make it your fault. Remember young man -- those folks that pull people over aren't your friend when it comes to finding violations, especially in an accident.