Long rambling question- ignore if it's too irritating

[Fox hunt]

Would there be any issues with using my super duty f 250 to tow a 5.0ta? It's kind of high 4 wheel drive. It has a goose neck hitch so I would need to get the 5th wheel hitch that attaches to it. also eventually I would like to trade it in and get a newer 150 but I'm wondering if one of the newer 150s could haul an aluminum two horse goose next trailer. Some of the new 150s seem to be able to haul a lot of weight. it's around 4000 pounds plus about a thousand pounds per horse. I would only haul horse short distances no mountains but it would be great to have a truck that could do both the 5.0 and occasionally haul a horse. I guess my concern is if the hitch placement in the bed would work for both trailers . My current truck bed is normal length not long works for the horse trailer but if I back in to tight a turn I have popped out my window

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by Fox hunt

Would there be any issues with using my super duty f 250 to tow a 5.0ta? It's kind of high 4 wheel drive. It has a goose neck hitch so I would need to get the 5th wheel hitch that attaches to it. also eventually I would like to trade it in and get a newer 150 but I'm wondering if one of the newer 150s could haul an aluminum two horse goose next trailer. Some of the new 150s seem to be able to haul a lot of weight. it's around 4000 pounds plus about a thousand pounds per horse. I would only haul horse short distances no mountains but it would be great to have a truck that could do both the 5.0 and occasionally haul a horse. I guess my concern is if the hitch placement in the bed would work for both trailers . My current truck bed is normal length not long works for the horse trailer but if I back in to tight a turn I have popped out my window

Kate, I tow my 5.0TA (certified scale weight loaded with personal possesions 4,400 lbs) with a 2015 6 cylinder 2.7L EcoBoost and get anywhere between 13.8 to 16.6 mpg depending upon the conditions (terrain, wind direction, etc.). Prior to the 2.6 I had a 3.5L EcoBoost. I typically averaged 13.9/14 mpg with it, but it was @ 700 lbs heavier than my current aluminum truck because it was steel. The 2.7 is rated to tow 7,800 lbs and if memory serves me correctly, the 3.5 is rated at 12,200 lbs. When I had the 3.5, it was rated higher than Ford's V8s.
The 2.7 will easily handle the TA. Not sure I would want to constantly haul 6,000 pounds of horse and trailer with it but I wouldn't personally be concerned if it were not really long distances and/or lots of/steep elevation changes. Incidentally, if I jump on it towing the 5.0TA, the little 2.7 has enough power to accelerate when going uphill. Not towing, I get around 25 mpg on the highway, and I ordered it with the 35 gallon tank which provides an extended cruising range.

[padlin]

I've got the 3.5 EB, 4x4, 8' bed, with the heavy payload package, over kill for the Escape but maybe not for the horse trailer. Mine is 2200 lbs total payload. As the tow capacity is somewhere up over 11k that shouldn't be an issue, and the motor has plenty of power, I'd check on the tongue weight of your horse trailer and see if it'll work.

No idea about making both the gooseneck on the horse trailer and the conventional 5th wheel hitch on the Escape work on the same hitch in the truck bed.

You might have to look into being able to adjust the trailers, or the truck hitch, if there is much difference in bed heights between the 150 and 250.

As far as the bed length, folks are towing the Escape with the short bed and getting away with it, haven't read about any broken windows yet.

[rbryan4]

With the weights you've given, even a 2WD 2.7L Ecoboost F150 could haul the horse trailer easily. You'd just need the payload and towing package. As for your current truck, provided you're not "too" high, maybe it could be adapted to tow a 5.0TA? The pin on the 5.0 has been modified before.

It's not just about HP, but power to weight.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-n2uEx8CojE

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Fox hunt

Would there be any issues with using my super duty f 250 to tow a 5.0ta? It's kind of high 4 wheel drive.

This is the usual concern with heavy-duty pickups and Escape fifth-wheels: the height of the sides of the box, because the loft area needs to clear the top of the box sides.

Originally Posted by padlin

You might have to look into being able to adjust the trailers, or the truck hitch, if there is much difference in bed heights between the 150 and 250.

The frame of an F-250 4WD will usually sit higher than an F-150, but the F-150 box sides got very tall a couple of generations ago - there might be very little difference in height of the top of the box between the trucks.

The 5.0TA suspension can be adjusted to at least two different heights to accommodate different trucks; if you measure your truck's top-of-box height, that can be checked against the 5.0TA height. Adjusting the hitch can't do anything to help this clearance.

With the trailer pin box over the truck, both the pin box and the hitch can be adjusted in height to suit the vertical space between the box floor and the trailer. Any stock pickup box should be readily accommodated.

Originally Posted by rbryan4

As for your current truck, provided you're not "too" high, maybe it could be adapted to tow a 5.0TA? The pin on the 5.0 has been modified before.

I wouldn't call it a "modification", but the pin height is changed by removing a bunch of bolts (while supporting the bottom section of the pin box!) sliding it up or down, and bolting it back in.

There are also modifications such as extension devices, but the F-250 shouldn't need that for a 5.0TA.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Fox hunt

It has a goose neck hitch so I would need to get the 5th wheel hitch that attaches to it.
...
I guess my concern is if the hitch placement in the bed would work for both trailers . My current truck bed is normal length not long works for the horse trailer but if I back in to tight a turn I have popped out my window

At least the window just popped out!

Assuming that "normal length" means the roughly 2-metre or 6.5 foot box, this shouldn't be a problem. Long ago there were only "short" and "long" boxes, but now there are many lengths. The F-150 comes with three lengths (availability depending on cab choice) from about 5 feet to about 8 feet, and the 6.5' length in-between is perhaps the most common; it looks like the F-250 only comes in 6-3/4' and 8' lengths.

As Bob noted, people are towing the 5.0TA with the 5.5 foot box (which has a foot less distance from cab to axle), but to get enough clearance the hitch needs to be mounted rearward from the normal location. With the 6.5' box a hitch using commercially available mounting brackets is usually centred just ahead of the axle, which is far enough from the cab for a 5.0TA. Depending on the hitch design, there can be some opportunity to shift the fifth-wheel back from that.

At least one Escape owner has hit the truck cab with a fifth-wheel Escape (with minor damage), but not with a 6.5' box.

If it is a 6.5' or so box, the same hitch position for both trailers should be no problem at all.

Originally Posted by padlin

No idea about making both the gooseneck on the horse trailer and the conventional 5th wheel hitch on the Escape work on the same hitch in the truck bed.

There are multiple ways to do this:

1. If the "gooseneck" hitch is a B&W Turnover Ball, use B&W's Companion fifth-wheel hitch. The Companion position can be set slightly behind the turnover ball location if desired for cab clearance.
2. With any brand or type of ball mounted in the truck bed, convert the trailer to the Andersen Ultimate 5th Wheel Connection (an adapter bolts onto the Escape's pin). The Andersen Ultimate frame anchors to the ball in the bed floor for towing the Escape, and readily completely removes to use the bed-floor ball for the other trailer. The Andersen Ultimate frame can be placed with the ball for the trailer ahead of or behind the ball in the bed, allowing the Escape to be set back for more clearance if needed.
3. Add conventional mounting rails for a fifth-wheel hitch, while leaving the existing bed floor mounted ball ("gooseneck" hitch) for the other trailer. Since the rails are ahead of and behind the hitch centre, there's a good chance both sets of frame brackets (for the 5th wheel rails and the existing ball) could be in place at the same time. This is definitely a last resort.
4. Replace the current bed floor mounted ball hitch with another system that works with both fifth-wheel hitches and floor level balls. There are floor level balls (usually called "gooseneck" hitches) available for both conventional mounting rails and the four-pad system from Reese. For a truck already equipped with a bed floor mounted ball hitch, this is another last resort.

Details depend on the specific hitch currently used for the horse trailer, but accommodating both hitch types shouldn't be a problem at all.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Fox hunt

.. also eventually I would like to trade it in and get a newer 150 but I'm wondering if one of the newer 150s could haul an aluminum two horse goose next trailer. Some of the new 150s seem to be able to haul a lot of weight. it's around 4000 pounds plus about a thousand pounds per horse.

My immediate reaction was that horse trailers and light-duty pickups are not a workable match, but then I realized that we're only talking about two horses here... no problem!

A total of 6,000 pounds of trailer can be handled by just about any properly equipped pickup truck, as long as the truck is not also carrying too much weight of passengers and cargo. A suitably equipped F-150 can handle the 6,000 pounds even when loaded up with passengers and cargo, as long as weight the trailer puts on the hitch is not too high.

Originally Posted by padlin

As the tow capacity is somewhere up over 11k that shouldn't be an issue, and the motor has plenty of power, I'd check on the tongue weight of your horse trailer and see if it'll work.

I agree... there enough total weight capacity, and tongue weight is the key. Fortunately, gooseneck trailers typically have relatively low tongue weight compared to other types of trailer that hitch in the truck bed.

Originally Posted by rbryan4

You'd just need the payload and towing package.

Yes, selecting the right configuration is important. An F-150 equipped as a luxury sedan (yes, a common choice) isn't much good for towing horses or travel trailers.

[Fox hunt]

Thank you for all the advice I have a lot to think about!

[James Gang]

Charlie and Lucy tow a 5.0TA with a F250 with (if I remember right) four wheel drive. Send them a PM. They were more than happy to answer all my questions about Escape and I know they will do the same for you.