Towing 5th Wheel Trailer Using Lifted 2011 Ford F250

Updated 06/16/2016 | Published 06/15/2016

Question:

Can a 5th wheel trailer be towed with a 2011 f250 that has a 6inch Suspension Lift on 37 tires?? I just recently bout a Heartland Sundance what or my options?

asked by: Jesus

Expert Reply:

Lifted trucks aren't good tow vehicles for fifth wheel trailers for a couple of reasons. Adding the lift kit could have an impact on the towing capacity of the vehicle. I'd recommend contacting the manufacturer of the lift kit to find out what adding the kit has done to the truck's towing capacity.

Secondly and probably more importantly, the stock tires on your truck were about 32 inches in diameter. Your 37's have added 5 inches in tire height or a 2-1/2 inch increase in ride height. To that add 6 inches of suspension lift, which raises the ride height a total of 8-1/2 inches. This will cause your fifth wheel to tow high in the front. Towing the trailer so it's out of level causes all sorts of issues including trailer sway, uneven tire and suspension wear and in the worst case scenario, the rear of the pin box could strike the sides of the bed during turns because the pin box would be low in the rear instead of parallel to the bed of the truck.

Honestly, the best bet is to return the truck to its stock ride height (or very near the stock height) or to get a different truck.

expert reply by: Mike L