Extended King Pin

[OL RATLR]

Hello I need your expertise. I am looking at a 30' Fifth Wheel Camper

and it has a extended king pin from the trailer manufacture will that take the

place of a slider hitch on a short bed 2500 Dodge 2001 QD as I already have a Reese non slider Fifth wheel hitch? When I measure it it looks like it will work.



Any help for this old man? :{



Thanks

Norm

 

[jelag]

I have a neighbor who has a short bed... twice he's banged the cab and dented the cab and didn't do a bit of damage to the fiberglass front of his 5er... he finally got the slider hitch for when he backs up... .

My only suggestion is to take the truck and trailer to a parking lot and let someone drive the truck into a tight turn forward, and look for your self...

I built and installed an air bag in my hitch on my 5er to give it a little movement up and down... and at the time we moved the 5er back 4 inches, just so it was easier to fit between the box and the trailer...

I'm guessing your going to be close to 15K lbs... Your right on the edge and might wish to consider a set of air bags for the rear to level the truck...

 

[HBarlow]

For others who may read this I personally don't think it is wise to pull a fifth wheel with a short bed truck. I would not do it.

However, having issued the disclaimer above, an old Navy buddy of mine does exactly that with a Ram 3500 SRW SB. He has done it successfully for several years now using this: PopUp RV5 King-Pin Extender for Fifth Wheel Travel Trailer

If the trailer you are considering uses the above Pop Up RV5 product above or something like it you should be okay.

 

[ScottLewis]

I've towed fifth wheel RVs for 12 years with short wheel base trucks. First a 98 and now for the last 4 years, a '06. While I do have a manual slider I've used the slider probably a dozen times in that 12 years. I've never hit the cab although it got close a time or 2.

Is it good to have the slider option in reserve? Absolutely. Can you get by well without one? Yes. You just have to be aware of the limitations in turning, both forward and back and watch it when you make a sharp turn. In the best of worlds an automatic slider would be substantially better.





Dan

 

[JJPage]

Hello I need your expertise. I am looking at a 30' Fifth Wheel Camper

and it has a extended king pin from the trailer manufacture will that take the

place of a slider hitch on a short bed 2500 Dodge 2001 QD as I already have a Reese non slider Fifth wheel hitch? When I measure it it looks like it will work.



Any help for this old man? :{



Thanks

Norm

I pull my 30ft Ragen 5th wheel toybox with my short bed quadcab. The trailer has the extended factory pinbox, and I also purchased a 16k slider(Reese). I wish I would have kept the extra dollars I spent on the slider.



I do not need it with my trailer, in fact, if I slide it back, when I turn the pinbox is into my bed side rails and tailgate, it's worthless for my setup. It is also darn near too heavy for me to lift in and out of my box, it is a struggle.



All truck and trailer setups are somewhat different, you need to hook up and see where you are at. My trailer has an extremely short front overhead, so with the addition of the extended pinbox, I have no clearance problems with the slider locked in the forward position. If someone has a fixed 16k Reese, I may be willing to swap.....

 

[surfbeetle]

For others who may read this I personally don't think it is wise to pull a fifth wheel with a short bed truck. I would not do it.



However, having issued the disclaimer above, an old Navy buddy of mine does exactly that with a Ram 3500 SRW SB. He has done it successfully for several years now using this: PopUp RV5 King-Pin Extender for Fifth Wheel Travel Trailer



If the trailer you are considering uses the above Pop Up RV5 product above or something like it you should be okay.

My truck is a long bed originally, then I added the sleeper. My 5vr that I had when the sleeper was added had an extended pin but was a smaller trailer. I changed to a 32' trailer and added the RV5 mentioned above. It worked great at getting me the needed clearance, I rarely had to use the slider hitch. What it was bad at was the added stress on the frame causing roof leaks and such. I would not recommend the RV5, but if you are still wanting to get one, I have one for sale... JMHO!

 

[TMRoper1669]

It depends on who you ask, I have a Mega Cab and I use a B&W Companion Hitch with no Hitch Extension and the Mega Cabs are shorter then regular short beds, I can almost make 90 Degree without hitting the cab

 

[HBarlow]

My truck is a long bed originally, then I added the sleeper. My 5vr that I had when the sleeper was added had an extended pin but was a smaller trailer. I changed to a 32' trailer and added the RV5 mentioned above. It worked great at getting me the needed clearance, I rarely had to use the slider hitch. What it was bad at was the added stress on the frame causing roof leaks and such. I would not recommend the RV5, but if you are still wanting to get one, I have one for sale... JMHO!

Your problem is related to the Keystone trailer. The RV5 creates a lever effect but a trailer with a strong frame won't be affected by it. It's no different than a factory extended kingpin assembly which many manufacturers offer as an option.

My old friend has been using the RV5 product on his Monaco fifth wheel since 2006 which he has towed many thousands of miles.

I wouldn't use a shortbed pickup or the RV5 product but my friend stubbornly insisted on a shortbed truck and has experienced no problems with the combination.

 

[rainfly]

Yeh, I tow my Komfort 25' 5th wheel with a short box, no problems. Like the gentleman above said, you need to get outside the truck and have a friend drive slowly around in a circle while you check the clearance to the back of cab. Have the windows open so he can hear you yell stop if there's a problem developing. You won't be able to jacknife in like a longbed truck can, but the functional turning radius is surprisingly compact with a shortbed truck.



I have a Reese 16K manual slider but have only used it once in four years. That time a steep drop down into a primitive camping spot nearly caused the bed rails/tailgate to contact the underside of the RV as I was backing in... by sliding the hitch rearward, clearance was maintained and no contact occured.



Good luck.

 

[surfbeetle]

Another issue to consider is the distance from the actual pin on the pinbox to the leading edge of the trailer. Some are out in front while others are even with the front of the trailer. This can definitely impact whether the trailer comes close to hitting the cab. My Sprinter has an extended pinbox and the pin is even with the leading edge of the trailer because of the shape of the trailer arcs out and then back to the roof.

 

[EricBu12]

Here is what I have done with a trailer I have . . I had a 2001 2500 with a short bed.

Got the RV5 extension. This helped some but I still hit the front of the trailer with my wind deflector frame. This was a $500 fix



Then I bought the 5th Airborne Sidewinder. This has a pivot back where the unit mounts to the trailer. Enabling my 2500 SB to do a 90 deg turn.

 

[EricBu12]

You see the whole unit moves with the truck, this is done by isolating the kingpin pivot with a wedge in the 5th wheel throat so that the pivot at the turret does the turning. I still have this hitch even with my new 09 beacuse of the air ride bag it has.

 

[Riverboy]

All I can say is that is one monster 5er... Great explanation and pics too.

 

[EricBu12]

Thanks. look at this when I need more toys to take along. .

 

[Riverboy]

Haa haa that is what I need. I don't think the DOT will let me tow doubles around here. Just curious what does your 5er weigh in at. I think my truck could pull it. I am going to look at the Raptor I think, I am betting I could sleep my family of 5 pretty easy in that thing... I think i would pull a hot tub if I was going to pull doubles. . hee hee. Nice work... Sweet Utility rig too. I think you win for the most toys behind a Cummins!

 

[EricBu12]

The Raptor is a pretty good trailer. . If you are not concerned about too much heat as you are in Washington, no problem there. yeah your truck can pull it. It is a 36' toy-hauler and it is gross at 15,500# There are some Raptor and other models that have the rear power beds... They motor up to the roof to allow toy storage. and the couch hide-a-bed so yeah, sleep 5 no problem there. I fabbed a hitch to the rear bumper that is molded to the coach. . not too bad of a job.