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Old 01-26-2020, 05:18 PM   #1
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Towing vehicle/truck bed rail height ??

Does anyone tow their 5.0TA with a F250 or similar tall truck? If so, did you make any adjustments to the trailer or truck? I was told that max height of the bed rails can be 58” with the 3” lift on the trailer. My F150 clears it without a problem but a friend wants to buy a F250. Thanks!
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Old 01-26-2020, 05:40 PM   #2
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Always best to check the measurement on the specific truck, but several forum members are using F250's with no problem.
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Old 01-26-2020, 06:15 PM   #3
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Every truck he’s measure so far is over 58”. Some only over by 1” or 2”. He wanted me to ask if others have used “taller” trucks. He may end up with a F150 like mine.
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Old 01-26-2020, 07:55 PM   #4
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5.0TA towed by F250 or larger - any issues?

Friend of mine is wanting to buy a F250 to tow a 5.0TA. Doable? If so, was there modifications to truck, hitch or trailer? What was the bed rail height on truck? My F150 is not an issue to tow my 5.0TA but he has his heart set on a F250. Any input is greatly appreciated.
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Old 01-26-2020, 08:06 PM   #5
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We're going to pull our 5.0TA that's a-building with our 2011 F-250 2WD. Our bed rail height was lower than what Escape Trailers says is the limit for a regular-height trailer. It's always a good idea to measure one's bed rail height and then contact Escape for confirmation.

In our case, we took David's advice and ordered our trailer with the extra height and the optional extra entrance step. Ground clearance and extra space is good! But we're used to climbing up into our pop-up Four Wheel Camper that currently sits in the bed of our truck, so an extra step up into the raised 5.0TA will hardly be noticeable.

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Old 01-26-2020, 08:57 PM   #6
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I can’t answer your questions but I just wanted to let you know your post made my day !!
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Old 01-26-2020, 11:00 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HLynnH View Post
Friend of mine is wanting to buy a F250 to tow a 5.0TA. Doable? If so, was there modifications to truck, hitch or trailer? What was the bed rail height on truck? My F150 is not an issue to tow my 5.0TA but he has his heart set on a F250. Any input is greatly appreciated.

He should measure the bed rail height from the ground to the top of the rails then contact Escape Industries to discuss. There is a lift option for the trailer that adds bout 2" of clearance.

Personally IMHO, that is more truck than is needed, but to each their own.
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Old 01-26-2020, 11:43 PM   #8
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My F250 4x4's siderails are about 54" off the ground with stock size tires and suspension, and the truck mostly empty (it does have a ~200 lb fiberglass longbed shell sitting on it). Mine is a 2002 SuperDuty 7.3 diesel extended cab (not crewcab) XLT, but the new trucks have approximately the same general dimensions.
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Old 01-27-2020, 01:02 AM   #9
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My 2012 F250 Crew Cab 4X2 bed rail height is about 53 inches.
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Old 01-27-2020, 09:26 AM   #10
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After near 30 years of owning F250's and F350's I was very glad to be able to go to an F150 for towing my 5.0TA, and even heavier trailers on occasion. My wife has grown to like driving it too, the larger pickups not very much at all.

I am curious to your friend's reason for wanting a larger pickup. If he regularity needs to tow other trailers over 10,000 lbs it would be a necessity.
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Old 01-27-2020, 10:05 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HLynnH View Post
Does anyone tow their 5.0TA with a F250 or similar tall truck? If so, did you make any adjustments to the trailer or truck? I was told that max height of the bed rails can be 58” with the 3” lift on the trailer. My F150 clears it without a problem but a friend wants to buy a F250. Thanks!
We tow our 2017 5.0 TA (3" Escape installed lift) with a 2003 Dodge 3500 SRW 4X4, side rail height 57"; using an aluminum Anderson Ultimate hitch that fastens over a B&W gooseneck turnover ball hitch. The ball height in the Anderson is generally left in the middle position, it can be raised if additional height or clearance is needed. The truck (bought new 17 years ago) is also used to haul 16,000 pound gooseneck trailer loads.
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Old 02-04-2020, 07:33 AM   #12
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Sorry I am a little late to the party here... But yes, I tow with a 2018 Chevy 3500HD. It's a Crew Cab Short Box (Standard 6'7") SRW. I pull with an Andersen, which is mounted backward on the 5.0TA. I can easily make a 90 degree turn. I did lower the Andersen Ball to its lowest setting, and Raise the Pin box to its highest setting to make the trailer a little more level. It is very close now, but still slightly nose high (about ½ inch). I have a good 5.5 inches of bed rail clearance with the Escape "High Axle" lift.

The Aluminum Andersen clamps to a Curt Double Lock Gooseneck hitch in the bed of truck. The hitch is really good, its quiet, and has done its job. The two things I am not super keen on, but deal with is with the Andersen you do have to jack the 5th wheel up over the ball, which is higher than normal, and more work on the jacks. Second, if the truck broke down it is a bit of an odd system, and it would be more difficult to find a replacement tow vehicle. That said, I do cary tools to remove it from the trailer and truck if needed.

Before we looked at Escape, we were leaning hard towards a truck camper, which is why we have this truck. While it does ride . a bit rougher than a 150/1500, I sure do love how it pulls like there is nothing back there.
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Old 02-04-2020, 08:51 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim Bennett View Post
After near 30 years of owning F250's and F350's I was very glad to be able to go to an F150 for towing my 5.0TA, and even heavier trailers on occasion. My wife has grown to like driving it too, the larger pickups not very much at all.

I am curious to your friend's reason for wanting a larger pickup. If he regularity needs to tow other trailers over 10,000 lbs it would be a necessity.
Bragging rights?? Mine’s bigger than yours😂
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Old 02-04-2020, 08:01 PM   #14
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... if the truck broke down it is a bit of an odd system, and it would be more difficult to find a replacement tow vehicle. That said, I do cary tools to remove it from the trailer and truck if needed.
As noted, the Andersen Ultimate coupler can be removed from the trailer's pin box, making it a very conventional fifth-wheel again... and that is easy to do.

Even with the coupler left on, while the coupler is too high for a typical bed-mounted ball, it probably matches some deck-mounted balls (on flat deck trucks) and the common setup of a ball mounted on the wheel lift of a tow truck as used for conventional trailers should work fine (assuming that is lifts high enough, which is likely).
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Old 02-05-2020, 10:34 AM   #15
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Potential Damage to Red Funnel on Coupler

Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian B-P View Post
As noted, the Andersen Ultimate coupler can be removed from the trailer's pin box, making it a very conventional fifth-wheel again... and that is easy to do.

Even with the coupler left on, while the coupler is too high for a typical bed-mounted ball, it probably matches some deck-mounted balls (on flat deck trucks) and the common setup of a ball mounted on the wheel lift of a tow truck as used for conventional trailers should work fine (assuming that is lifts high enough, which is likely).
A conventional 2 5/16" trailer ball, if mounted on a flush, flat plate (like a fork lift, some tow lifts, etc.), is likely to have a stem so short that the red funnel on the trailer-mounted coupler of the Andersen Ultimate Hitch will rub and be broken, if the trailer is lifted and towed. Presumably this is why Andersen markets a long stem ball to RV dealers to use on forklifts and tractors. Something to consider if one does not remove the coupler, and accepts a tow from a vehicle that does not have an Anderson hitch, or a long-stemmed trailer ball.
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Old 02-06-2020, 12:34 AM   #16
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A conventional 2 5/16" trailer ball, if mounted on a flush, flat plate (like a fork lift, some tow lifts, etc.), is likely to have a stem so short that the red funnel on the trailer-mounted coupler of the Andersen Ultimate Hitch will rub and be broken, if the trailer is lifted and towed. Presumably this is why Andersen markets a long stem ball to RV dealers to use on forklifts and tractors. Something to consider if one does not remove the coupler, and accepts a tow from a vehicle that does not have an Anderson hitch, or a long-stemmed trailer ball.
Good catch! Many of the Andersen Ultimates in use don't have the funnel, but it is now standard.
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Old 02-06-2020, 06:40 AM   #17
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Originally Posted by Brian B-P View Post
Good catch! Many of the Andersen Ultimates in use don't have the funnel, but it is now standard.
I bought mine in 2015 and it never had the cone, but they gave me one that easily bolted on for free. With the new units this cone is integral.

While not that tough to line up the connection before, being within 2" being good enough has made it a bit easier, for sure.
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Old 02-06-2020, 07:15 AM   #18
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When figuring your bed rail height don't you have to compensate for the weight which will be on the pin once the hitch weight is applied? Example: If your fifth wheel hitch weighs 700 pounds, placing 700 pounds of weight in the bed before you measure the rails? I too am considering going to the 5.0.

Also, I too have a 3/4 ton truck, which I need for the purpose of hauling water. I currently pull my Casita with it and get a lot of comments about it being larger than needed. I guess it's better to to have more tow vehicle than needed as opposed to not enough tow vehicle . I get basically the same gas mileage with the Ram, when towing the Casita, as I did towing it with the Tundra (13 mpg). Only downside is turning radius is wider with the Ram.
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Old 02-06-2020, 04:24 PM   #19
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I have a 250 and sent measurements to ETI and they replied that I would need to get the high rise axle to raise the trailer. So I ordered that and also the 2 steps instead of one. I don’t pick it up until March.
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Old 02-12-2020, 11:06 AM   #20
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I was concerned about the 57" of my 2016 Ram 4x4 LWB crew cab. With the lift on my 5.0 and the Anderson hitch in my truck I have plenty of clearance above the rails. And by dropping the truck ride height 1" the 5.0 becomes almost level. It is the dropped tailgate that is the "problem". When squarely aligned don't drop the tailgate with your fingers on the tailgate where the 5.0 front frame rises or they may get mashed. I'm single so if I ever have to connect/disconnect at much of an angle I'll need to rig up something to hold the tailgate partially up.

I do wish they offered the double step when I got mine. But, both me & my dog kinda like the large adjustable platform step that I put on the ground as the first step.
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