Will It Tow?
2024 Ford F-250 (7.3L V8) with the 2027 Heartland Bighorn 31RL at its full GVWR of 16,000 lb, two adults and a dog aboard and a weight-distribution hitch.
To know for sure, enter the payload from your door sticker (the yellow Tire and Loading one).
- Tow rating: 0 lb to spare (16,000 lb camper, rating 16,000 to 19,500 lb)
- Payload: Not sure yet (3,700 to 4,820 lb used, payload ? lb)
- Truck and trailer together: 330 lb to spare (23,170 lb, GCWR 23,500 to 26,000 lb)
To settle it for your own truck: enter the payload from your door sticker (the yellow Tire and Loading one); measure your pin weight.
Check it with your own numbers- Fifth wheel hitch (needed): Rated for at least your camper's weight (16,000 lb) and about 4,000 lb of pin weight. That points to a 16K-class hitch or bigger. It mounts in the bed over the rear axle.
- Weight distribution and sway control (not needed): Fifth wheels ride on a hitch over the truck's rear axle, which makes them much more stable than a bumper-pull. These are for travel trailers.
- Short bed? (check): With a bed under 8 ft, use a slider hitch or a pin box made for short beds so the camper clears your cab on tight turns.
- Brake controller (needed): Your camper has electric brakes, and the controller in your cab runs them. Many newer trucks have one built in.
- Measure your pin weight (tip): We're estimating 2,880 to 4,000 lb. A CAT scale weigh, hitched and unhitched, gives you the real number. Enter it in step 2.
Hitches make towing steadier, but none of them raise your tow rating or payload. The hitch itself counts against payload.
Ratings come from manufacturer towing guides and spec sheets. These are planning estimates, not a safety guarantee. Your truck and camper stickers, your owner's manual and a scale always win.