Recommended 5th Wheel Hitch for a 2017 Ford F-150 6.5 Bed

Question:

Recently purchased a Grand Design 260 RD 5TH wheel . Weight of 7650, advertised pin weight 1325. My truck is currently a 2017 F150 3,5 Ecoboost 6.5 long bed, tow rating at 10,500 , payload of 1917. Will this be acceptable as a tow vehicle and if so what hitch system light weight? would you recommend? Other options would be find F 150 with Max payload 7850 or upgrade to F250 ,which I prefer not to because of stiff ride, poor gas mileage.

asked by: Alan C

Expert Reply:

I do have some great fifth wheel hitch options for a 2017 Ford F-150 but because of the short bed you have to use a sliding fifth hitch which creates turning clearance between the cab and trailer. The fact of the matter is that sliding fifth wheel hitches are not light. That said, the B&W Patriot 5th Wheel Trailer Hitch part # BWRVK3270 isn't too bad and the head can be removed to help with some of the weight since you won't have to lift the whole hitch up at once. In order to use this hitch you will also need the B&W Custom Installation Kit w/ Base Rails for 5th Wheel Trailer Hitches part # BW39FR. B&W hitches have outstanding quality, are made here in the USA, and have lifetime warranties which are usually no questions asked.

In regards to capability, if the towing capacity exceeds the loaded trailer weight and the payload exceeds the pin weight then you'll be good to go.

expert reply by: Conner L