Will It Tow?
2025 Ford F-250 (6.7L Power Stroke HO V8 diesel) with the 2027 Heartland Bighorn 38DS at its full GVWR of 18,800 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: 100 lb to spare (18,800 lb camper, rating 18,900 to 22,300 lb)
- Payload: Not sure yet (4,204 to 5,520 lb used, payload ? lb)
- Truck and trailer together: 130 lb to spare (28,170 lb, GCWR 28,300 to 31,000 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 (18,800 lb) and about 4,700 lb of pin weight. That points to a 20K-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 3,384 to 4,700 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.