[rhagfo]

Originally Posted by schwalbach

e purchased a laredo 1/2 ton towable, when we got ot all filled up for a trip I scaled it and I had 4250 on the drives, exactly what my 3/4 ton is rated at!

If you want a 5th wheel you need a 3/4 ton to do it safely!

Well you suffer from owing a truck built before the "ratings Wars", that 12 valve is capable of a lot more with a little work to the injection pump. With a camper package you have one ton springs, most likely doesn't squat at all.
If you were to look at your GAWR for front and rear and compare to your GVWR there would be a sizable difference!

Originally Posted by JeffS

We have a Cougar 26SAB 5th Wheel which we tow with a 2003 F150 7700. To date we have towed the 5er all over the Smokies, Rockies, & San Juan's with no trouble. Granted, at 12,000 feet I'm down to about 35 mph but we are never in a hurry and it seldom takes more than 15 - 20 minutes to get over a mountain pass. Our opinion is that the journey is 50% of the enjoyment of RVing so why rush. Put on 4,000 plus miles in September on a trip from Michigan to the San Juan Mountains, Colorado with an average of 10.0 mpg.

To be fair I do need to say that my F150 7700 is what Ford used to call the "Light Duty 250". It has the 5.4 V8, 3.73 gearing, heavy duty frame, springs, transmission, and 7 lug wheels - 2,670 Lb. payload.

Since we don't do any boon-docking we travel light. Therefore we don't tow with more than 5 -8 gallons of water and utilize local grocery stores rather than hauling a lot of food.

This is towing a 5er correctly with an F150, get the big payload and watch your weight. Your 5er is at max a 10,000#, but more likely about 8,000#, really a nice fit.