Near Future Reflection 303RLS 5th-Wheel Owner

[KENTMEZ]

Hello all. I'd love any tips on buying a used 303RLS. Looking at a 2018.

Kent

[Richter]

Well, you won’t be getting mine. I like it too much!

[KENTMEZ]

Thanks, Tom! Will I do OK pulling a 303RLS with a 2500 HD?

Kent

[John612]

We do just fine with our 2015 F250 diesel, run up and down hills all day long.
Manual/Auto transmission with Jake brake makes it a breeze.

[KENTMEZ]

John & Susan,
Thank you for the encouragement. My 2500 HD is a 6.0 liter V8, gas.

[Richter]

Thanks, Tom! Will I do OK pulling a 303RLS with a 2500 HD?

Kent

Many will say “yes”. I usually over-do, on the side of safety. We went with the 350. If you want to go with a 250, you’ll need to look at the payload sticker on the driver door frame. Don’t go by the published pin weight from GD, those are empty weights. Our max trailer weight is just under 12,000# and that’s where we are. Pin weight is about 25-30% of gross trailer weight. I don’t recall, exactly, what ours is.

You’ll also need to include passengers and cargo that you put into the empty truck (maybe fuel as well, I don’t remember if Ford’s payload number is with an empty or full fuel tank). Some 250’s will be okay, some may be marginal, and some may be over weight. I like to keep some reserve capacity, that’s why we went with the 350.

Either one can “tow” it just fine, they should have plenty of power. I don’t know about the gas engine, but my 6.7 is a hauler. No problem maintaining speed, event on a grade. I usually run between 60 and 65, and get a noticeable difference in fuel economy, as well as shorter stopping distances, etc, compared to 70. About the only time we do 70 is when I might be taking a run at a hill (which isn’t really necessary) or running out at the bottom of a downgrade.

[Johnww]

Hello Kent, we pull out 2019 303 RLS with a 2018 F250 PSD and I choose to use the Andersen 5th wheel hitch. I suggest you load the trailer with gear and supplies you would normally take and go to a CAT scale to get actual weights. Then compare the loaded weight with your truck capacity. My wife and I travel alone so my loaded weight will be different from those couples who travel with a family. I also recall some of the 2018 303 RLS models had a problem with the kitchen slide tearing the floor. I suggest you run the slideout several times to make sure it is adjusted correctly. Good luck with your purchase.

[avf100]

We do fine with our GMC 2500 6.0 gas...not the fastest going up long grades.
It has 3050# payload capacity

[KENTMEZ]

Thank you! My truck is showing a GVWR of 9,500 lbs and a cargo capacity of 2,700 lbs. Now I'm thinking it's not enough for the 2018 303 RLS that has a GVWR of 11,995.

[KENTMEZ]

Thank you John. This is very helpful!

Kent