BRUTAL TRUTH about Half-Ton Towable 5th Wheels 

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100% agree with you on this. The 1st thing our dealer did when we picked out a camper was pulling our vin number on our truck to see the payload and towing capacity. We were good so they sold us the camper. Told us they won't sell unless your tow vehicle could safely tow the camper we wanted. We had an older truck (F150) at the time of purchase. We eventually upgraded our truck anyways to a F250. We now have way more payload than we need.

Great video! We bought a 25 foot 5th wheel last year..several people told us we were "good to go with a half ton". One short trip & we knew different. Just bought an F350 diesel & are looking forward to peace of mind towing this season. Bring on summer!

People don’t realize that the highest tow rating for these trucks are the base trucks (2dr, smallest engine) because the of payload. Lots of numbers to consider. Good video, thanks.

People need to take into account it’s all about safety. The braking capabilities need to be heavy enough for the RV that’s being towed. If you have a 1/2 pick-up it’s a light duty.

You should also do a video on why you shouldn't tow a large (heavy) fifth wheel with a 3/4 ton SRW truck. I see so many m0r0ns using that setup and I know for a fact they are way overloaded. I know what the payloads are on 3/4 ton SRW (non-dually) trucks and it's obvious these geniuses towing 40' triple-axle toy haulers are grossly overloaded. I see guys with pin weights well over 2k lbs. They figure it's a diesel and since it can get uphill and downhill just "fine" it doesn't matter. Payload capacity doesn't mean squat, right?

Thank you for this video. I was a couple of hours from pulling the trigger on a 5th wheel to tow with my GMC 1500. I really liked the idea of towing a 5th wheel but couldn't sleep last night concerned I was #100 under my payload capacity with it. You confirmed my suspicions - tail dragger it is!

Great video. I personally would not even tow a bumper pull 8K trailer behind a 1/2 ton truck, let alone a 5th wheel weighing in at 10K. Common sense ain't so common I guess.

When I was out looking at fifth wheel two years ago, the first thing my salesman asked was what I will be towing it with. After I said I have a 1 ton Cummins then he started showing me the trailers.

This is the first video I've seen that gets to the point, and the first one,that at least I've seen, the guy spoke to a driver and learned something. I agree with the equipment aspect 100%, but nothing takes the place of safety and driving experience, experience being the key, and although theoretically a half ton can tow a 5th wheel it should not be done, even with an experienced driver.

Anything can tow anything...until it can't. And stopping it? Another story. I towed a 9,000 lb 5th wheel with two 2500HD's (a 2005 and a 2009) with the 6.0...I HATED EVERY MILE OF IT! To tow that much with a HALF-TON? NO FRIGGIN WAY! Thank you for speaking the truth. The manufacturers should be held accountable! I wouldn't tow more than 8K with a 3/4 ton gas engine truck let alone a half ton! Nuts! I tow my '21 Flagstaff 36' 5th wheel with a 2500HD diesel. NEVER would I even consider towing 12K even with a 3/4 ton gasser!

You are right, it's definitely a marketing ploy. I would never ever pull a 5th wheel with any 1/2 ton ever! We went from a F250 to a dually 3500 longhorn/long bed to pull our (GVWR)14K gross weight toy hauler. Why? it's all about the braking and surprise emergency situations. On one of our trips, Our F250 brakes were smoking in stop and go traffic on the mountains highways around Denver, after getting caught in rush hour traffic. Scared us to death. Yea we pulled over for a very long long time. We now have a dually and we upgraded our 5ver to disc brakes, and replaced the suspension components. People you cannot use the whole towing capacity of your truck. The road is not always flat! You need to be at least 20% under it. This will help you in emergency situations. Check what is the weight of the 5ver vs the weight of your truck. A heaver more tow capacity truck will have heaver tow components which includes the brakes. We can now at very slow speeds stop the truck with the 5ver disc brakes. Having a dually makes us feel more stable in towing, more in control. We are not even reaching half of the dually's tow capacity. Now we can over load the truck, and not the 5ver. We bring more spare tires, without any worry of having to figure out all the weight of gear and passengers. We also have weighed our rig/truck at the CAT scales as well. It's a great piece of mind that we are equipped with the best possible towing combination for us. We only buy G rated tires, and change them out every 5 years. We bring a mini air compressor with us, and always drive within the tires speed rating.

I'm a mobile rv tech, Great Dane RV, in Paso Robles,Ca and I agree 100% Cougar has it on their front cap, 1/2 ton towable. BS!

I. Have a one ton ford diesel duoly. With a exhaust brake , highly recommended for towing a big 5th wheel.

Great advice! You are a good man. Don't forget that the Tacoma/ F150 guys usually put 300-500lbs EXTRA on their trucks killer light accessories, upgraded bumpers, bigger tires and wheels, etc.....

Thanks Bro! You could have just saved my family because you just changed my mind on a new fifth wheel.

There’s some travel trailers that I sure wouldn’t put behind a half ton truck even if you do have the most expensive weight distribution out there.

Totally agree. I drove tractor trailers for 45 yrs. I've found (most) salesman either don't care or don't understand the dynamics of what there selling. I also feel new RV buyers sould have to take a course to learn how to operate there RV. Think about some of the monster rigs out there. Class A's with 600 hp engines and I've seen 50' 5th wheels. Just a thought

thank you very much we need more people like you

Totally agree. We are getting ready to get a 28 foot, 9995 GVWR 5th wheel. So we know we could end up with a 2 grand pin easy. First thing we did was go out and buy a 2024 1 ton diesel. IT has 4121 payload, heavy duty leaf suspension, high amp alternator, two batteries, engine brakes and axles that can carry it. No brainer. It cost just a little more than the 3/4 ton so was an easy decision.

Excellent video. More people need to know this as it is literally life and death. It saddens me when people get defensive and throw around the “tow police” label. We all have to learn about weight limits for any type of camper. Thanks for being ethical. 👍🏾

Absolutely right about the payload. We towed with a half ton and every time we had to stop quick we could feel it press down hard on the bed of the truck. So we decided until we could upgrade to a 3/4 ton that we would only take short trips and stay off the interstate. And thankfully where we are at, the terrain is relatively flat. I would strongly advise against towing a fifth wheel with a half ton truck. Those trailers should have 3/4 ton on them instead. The half tons should be used for the shorter lighter travel trailers.

I’m not a fifth wheel fan, but I do remember one guy in a campground hitching up his fifth wheel to a 3/4 ton truck and his exact words were “ watch it squat!” It dropped probably a good 6”!! No thanks!!😊

Thank you for your honesty. I have a F150 and was considering getting a 5th wheel trailer. Now i will stick with the other trailer. I didnt understand why, but now i do. So thank you for this advise.

The RV manufacturers may disagree with you. The truck manufacturers may disagree with you. But the half ton truck is saying; TOO MUCH WEIGHT! TOO MUCH WEIGHT! AAAAAAAAAAAAAH! LISTEN TO THE TRUCK!

Going down a steep grade at 50 was too fast for the conditions to begin with. Sorry to say this isn’t equipment failure. It’s user error!

I agree to an extent, but too you have to take into consideration how many people overload a trailer then think they're Lightning Mcqueen, Ive been passed in every state at least once by guys pulling RVs at over 75mph, and I have seen several on their top flattened out because of high winds or speeding, but in my opinion its more to do with how you drive the vehicle than anything, I guess because Ive pulled things they swear cant be done and learned when to slow down and not get complacent.

Excellent video, very informative explained very well.

I seen a salesman here on RU-vid saying a fifth wheel with a dry pin weight of 1,600 pounds was half ton towable.

After 45 years towing various and sundry trailers with various tow vehicles, I've learned some tough lessons. First, a half-ton pickup doesn't have the payload to handle a 5th-wheel pin weight. After you put yourself, your wife and kids, plus their stuff in, you don't have much left for payload. Half-ton trucks run out of payload long before they run out of tow capacity. The notion of "dry weight" commonly trumpeted is a dishonest marketing ploy designed to mislead the uninformed and the foolish. The GVWR is the only number to look at. Load up your tow vehicle like you are heading out to go camping and then visit a C.A.T. Scale. It will show you what you have left over and provide a shopping guide. Second, the actual tow capacity is the listed tow rating times 0.85. That gives you an upper trailer GVWR number to guide you through the shopping process. Third, just because you can tow it doesn't mean you can stop it. Half-ton trucks don't have the braking systems or engine brakes to stop a big trailer in an emergency or on a steep downgrade, much less a 5th-wheel. A 3/4-ton or 1-ton heavy-duty truck (SRW or DRW) with a diesel engine has more robust braking plus an engine brake that you can use to slow your rig down in a hurry. The story you told is quite poignant and very frightening. It clearly illustrates the "You can tow it, but can you stop it?" principle.

There are a few 1/2 tons that have a heavy duty packages, 2500 lb payloads capable of 22 to 25’ fivers. 17,800 gcwr. Special order only, and fairly rare.

My local Ford dealer told me that make my tow package f150 capable of towing a 5th wheel I'd have to spend more than buying a used 3/4 ton truck. Also the RV nerd channel agrees with you too!

I would think the brakes on the RV should be doing about 90% of your braking. When those brakes don't work, that's when you get into problems.

I back you on this! 100 percent on point!

There was two half ton trucks left that was fifth wheel rated. It was the HDPP F-150’s and Titan XD’s, however they are no more for 2024/2025. In certain configurations the HDPP f150 had more payload than a 3/4 diesel and the Titan XD was built like a 3/4 ton. However dealers rarely spec’d a f150 with HDPP. The older ford you speak of v10 with “bigger brakes” the older ford’s had a 13.5” rotor and braking distances were trash compared to a half ton because of the extra weight. Today’s f150 have 13” rear brakes and 13.5” fronts. The HDPP had 13.5 front and rear. The Titan XD has 14.2 front and 14.5 rear matching the heavy towing f-350’s and beating some f-250’s. From the get go the 3/4 ton to 1 ton have a 40-50ft braking disadvantage vs Titan XD or a f-150. Mind you the Titan XD weights 6700lbs just like a F250 and stops like an F-150. There are a lot of assumptions in your statements without a lot of data to back it up. Should you tow a fifth wheel with a half ton with 1,000lbs of payload? No. Can you tow a fifth wheel with a half ton that has 2400-3300lbs of payload? Yes.

Good for you! Awesome video!

I need to know where is your shop sir because I like honest dealership that care about customer life I own a 2024 3/4 Chevy gas and I’m in market to look for a fifth wheel for my family

What actual failed Driver error The hitch failed ,brake controller was after market, not installed right or wired incorrectly .The trailer brake them selves failed or just not big enough or too short of a distance to stop. My understanding the trailer should supply the stopping power for its GVW I am sure it was more than 1/2 ton pickup alone Thanks for this information. But not sure if the truck was a 3/4 ton S/A this could have been avoided

Just to be safe i tow my trailer with a kenworth w900. People go way to fast when towing. I think there should be a speed limit for cars and other vehicles not towing and a lower speed for trucks and vehicles towing and special licenses for towing travel trailers and fifth wheels or motor homes. You dealers are to blame also, someone will buy a travel trailer and you will just hook it up to the back of their truck and send them on their way. When you should take each person out on a test teaching drive.

Even a 10000lb travel trailer can be too much for a half ton truck if you have lots of things in the bed.

Sounds like a driver issue. A Peterbilt can tow 100,000lbs but no experienced truck driver bombs down the backside of a mountain full speed, or even they will burn up the brakes and run away. If the driver wants to drive their max weight combination like theyre an unloaded honda, thats on them, not you.

This guys very helpful!!

You have to read! And educate yourself before buying anything!

As a CDL driver, I disagree to a certain extent. This is all about the driver. Would I recommend towing a 5th wheel with a 1/2 truck to someone who has never towed at altitude? Hell no! You HAVE to COMPLETELY understand the physics behind the whole operation. Also, 55-60mph through the mountain passes? Are you in a hurry? SLOW DOWN!!!! I would only recommend this setup to the most experienced truck drivers and towing experts... But this is very possible to do...

Considering these truck manufacturers are lying about tow ratings. There is no way a half ton truck should ever tow a 5th wheel. Ford is the worst too. Its a joke what they claim the f150 can tow.

I would be interesting to compare a 2000 model year 3/4 ton vs a 2024 1/2 ton max tow. Are the brakes still stronger, frames, engines?

What about a nissan titan xd ?

Stopping weight (energy) doesn't change. That being said the man with the half ton truck going down a steep grade at 50mph was to fast, I've been towing for forty years and don't care about speed limits if i feel safe going down that grade at 35mph thats what I do and then locking the brakes is something that you should never do. I'm not saying towing a fifth wheel with a half ton is a good idea but don't blame the truck for speed or driver inexperience or error and don't believe what everyone tells you. You don't know how fast he was going.

I agree

You could tow the largest trailer with a bicycle or a horse...stopping it ? Well that's a whole other kettle of fish.

Nothing wrong using a half ton on lighter fifth wheels. Anyone who says it’s wrong is blowing smoke