'04 Short Bed QC 4WD,..need some advice

[OT-OF-HERE!!]

I have the 3500 QC 4WD Short Bed. I have a Reese 20k 5th wheel hitch for my 36' 5ver. My 5ver does not have the extend pin box for it to be pulled by a short bed. Where do I get the extended pin box? Approx. , what do they run? Anyone running a Gooseneck attachment off of the extended pin box and then the adapter for the rails in the bed for the Gooseneck ball? Can you recommend any brands for this setup and will the Gooseneck attachment for the bed rails work with the Reese rails? Seems like the rails all look the same.

I'm looking for more articulation without binding my rig and bending anything. Is this a good idea or am I off base. Thoughts??



Pat

 

[WRStrong]

I would think any good RV dealer could help you with finding an extended pin box. I have no idea what they go for. I wonder if you could find one in an RV salvage yard? (if not bent due to crashing). Probably looking at a couple hundred bucks with the current price of steel.



I have a Reese goose neck adapter that hooks to my Reese hitch rails. There is also a lower price off brand unit that also fits the Reese rails. I think you are right, the bed rails must be somewhat standard.



I use the goose neck adapter for my lowboy, and a 5th wheel for my 5th wheel TT. Is your 5th wheel hitch a slider? Even with the extended pin box, the front of our 5th wheel trailer gets mightly close to the cab in tight maneuvers. I have not been in a situation yet where I had to slide the hitch back, but it will happen some day.



Good luck.

 

[OT-OF-HERE!!]

Extended hitch pin

Just want to make sure I understand everything here. With my Short Bed QC I definitely need a slider type hitch even if I have an extended hitch pin? And that is the case if I pulling with the 5th wheel or a Gooseneck set up. Right?

 

[klenger]

See the drawing I have on my website at http://www.klenger.net/arctic-fox/short-5er-towing.pdf on towing a 5er with a short box truck. An extended pin box DOES NOT prevent hitting the cab in a 90° jacknife situation. Anytime the distance from the cab to the hitch on the truck is less than 1/2 the width of the trailer, the trailer will hit the cab in a 90° jacknife.

 

[rluft]

Get a copy of Trailer Life. There are several options advertised in the back.



Personally, I would not go with the gooseneck conversion since it seems that it would add 'points of failure'. I have the gooseneck ball plate adapter that attaches to the rails and since it is pinned there is always some clanking when pulling a trailer.



I would look at an extended pin box that will absorb road shock like Mor-ryde or an air bag supported model. 99% of the time that extended pin box is all you will need. Although a slider would certainly be handy in a pinch, I have never used mine and would not recommend spending the money for a auto-slider like Pullrite, buy an air hitch instead. I have been 90 degrees and the trailer does not hit, but it would if I went farther.



Try out what you have first to see if it will work. There are 5th wheel hitches that pivot in all directions, as mine does, so you should have plenty of options. This does make me wonder if having a sliding hitch and regular pin box would work okay and keep you from spending for both.

 

[GaryCarter]

With buying a pin box extender and goose adapter you've spent enough to get a manual slider, especially if you sell your existing hitch.

The extended pin adds leverage (more stress) on the trailer frame. As does the goose adapter. Maybe too much with both.



Remember the short bed is shorter on the third gen trucks than it was on previous trucks. You can make a cardboard or plywood template to model the front profile and pin on your trailer... set it on the truck bed and see what happens when you swivel. Then I think you'll want a slider.



Mike

 

[ramcam6]

I have the 3500 QC 4WD Short Bed. I have a Reese 20k 5th wheel hitch for my 36' 5ver. My 5ver does not have the extend pin box for it to be pulled by a short bed. Where do I get the extended pin box? Approx. , what do they run? Anyone running a Gooseneck attachment off of the extended pin box and then the adapter for the rails in the bed for the Gooseneck ball? Can you recommend any brands for this setup and will the Gooseneck attachment for the bed rails work with the Reese rails? Seems like the rails all look the same.

I'm looking for more articulation without binding my rig and bending anything. Is this a good idea or am I off base. Thoughts??



Pat

Pat, I would strongly advise you to check things out very thoroughly before you adapt a 5th wheel with an extended pin box and gooseneck adapter. See RustyJC's reply on the link below. He's exactly right!

https://www.turbodieselregister.com/forums/showthread.php?t=36346&highlight=Gooseneck+adapter

 

[lawdog]

try... ... . http://www.popuphitch.com/





And..... https://www.turbodieselregister.com/forums/showthread.php?t=108918&highlight=pullrite+chart

 

[GerryDrake]

Extended pin

When I got my toolbox, the wife asked if it would clear the nose of the Jayco, and my response was... absolutely... .



OOPS!!... It only sticks up a couple inches and is at the very forward edge of the bed, but I had not counted on the sideways tilt when pulling off a slightly crowned road into even a relatively flat parking lot.



Figuring an extended kingpin was the answer, I got out some graph paper and made a series of drawings (not as detailed as Klenger's) and figured how far forward I had to reach (set the trailer back) to miss the tool box. In my case it was about 14" as I recall. I went to an RV supply place that handled my brand of trailer and was told that they could order up either the 9. 5" or the 22" extender, but it had to be cleared by the trailer manufacturer as to which, if either, was structurally compatible. The long one, according to Jayco, would put too much stress on the frame of the trailer, so I got the shorter one. Now I only occasionally come close to my tool box... . I suspect in the case of the SWB truck, the sliding hitch is the best answer