New to fifth wheels PLEASE HELP!!

[SoTexSmokin]

Ok I have a quick question, my copmpany tells me to go ahead and purchase a trailer and they will raise my daily per diem substantially. I have a mega cab dually and every day im home I use my goosenck ball and dont have time to always hassle with putting a fifth wheel hitch in and out. Can you leave the actual 5th wheel hooked to the trailer and just pull the pins on the rails and lift the whole thing out? Also they tell me my bed too short to put a 5th to goose adapter on but could you put on a king pin extension and then also your 5th to goose adapter have an extension also? any help would be greatly appreciated

 

[B.G. Smith]

I have the Reece Signature hitch and have left it hooked to the trailer, have to raise the front of the trailer about 3" to drive out. Mine is longbed though. In my last ruck I had the old style Reece with rails and the pins were a real pain to remove/install. The extension route might work but you should check with the trailer mfg. to see if it is ok. bg

 

[SoTexSmokin]

thanks B. G. im at a loss here trying to figure this out.

 

[RVTRKN]

Have you considered a travel trailer instead of the 5ver. My brother has a TT he uses on his job sites and his company did the same for him. It is rather comfortable due to the pullouts and I even stayed with him for a couple of days without feeling cramped. His truck is a 03 2500 Hemi Gasser and except for the poor MPG does the job OK.



The 5ver and short beds are a problem but not impossible, and if you don't mind the rails in your bed you can leave the hitch on the pin. I have seen this before but the type of hitch (slider) you will need will be a hassel and I would recommend the TT, the company is indirectly paying for it any way. These issue's are why I don't own the Mega, There is a couple of company's that can stretch the bed to a 8' bed for $5000. 00. Can you imagine that, the company will pay for your conversion indirectly. :-laf

 

[SoTexSmokin]

lol yeah i have thought about that also humm what to do id love to have a long bed mega but the 5 grand part is hard to come up with at the moment though im only 23 and just bought my first house in march so savings is rather small at the moment. I though about a tt but ill spend 20 days a month average if not more in it and i just wanna make sure im never feeling cramped also if a trainee or something is staying with me.

 

[jkidd]

slider hitch if you have a short bed. or just get a really small 5ver

 

[RVTRKN]

Like I said in my last post they do have the room if you get it with pullouts, as far as your trainee goes, he can sleep on the sofa bed. It would be a great test for your trainee to see if he will keep the space neat and clean when not in use. If he does, than he should prove to be good employee for he knows how to respect other people and property and if he does not, well you know what I'm getting at. My brother's trailer is not a large one (26' I think) and I stayed with him for a week, it didn't seem to cramped and I was amazed at the room due to the pullouts. My 5ver is 26. 5' long with no pullouts and has less room than his. You can buy a lot larger TT now than last year, now that fuel prices have killed the RV industry and prices are way down.

 

[hilda]

We install offset gooseneck adapter on short beds a few times a month, and no complaints. Some even have internal air bags. You just have to be careful with bed height. A lot of the adapter are long and not adjustable so the back of the trailer is low, and if you go this way make sure the installer bolts or welds the adapter to the kingpin box!!!



Jim

 

[SHobbs]

RVTRKN is correct on slides. If you are going to spend 20 days a month slides will make alot of room. I am full time in my 5er and I could not imagine being in it without a bedroom slide. I also have two slides in the LR/Kitchen area. It's amazing how they open up a floor space. They do make a few floor plans with an additional private room in the back ( 2 bedroom ) for that "incase" trainee but those RV's are not small. The 2 bedroom floorplan would elimnate a guest in the LR on a fold out couch though and their own bathroom



Do yourself a favor and shop around, know what you want and need. Don't rush into a purchase you might regret or feel cramped in.

 

[kschitoskey]

5th wheel with Mega Cab

Lots of info on this forum about a 5th wheel trailer on a 6' bed. I have a Mega Cab with a B&W gooseneck hitch. I recently bought a 32' Keystone Cougar with a gooseneck adapter; the trailer has a front cap with indents at the edges to maximize tourning ability with a short bed. I did buy a 4" offset gooseneck ball; between the two, I have plenty of room to turn. Just have to pay attention, as if you're not careful you WILL cause substantial body damage to truck and trailer. Lots of folks will disagree; but most folks I talked to with sliders only used them once or twice a year. I'll play the odds. No problems thus far.

 

[CDonaldson]

I converted my 5th wheel to a GN using a Pop Up conversion with a 9" set back offset. I have had NO problems with this setup pulling, turning, backing or cab clearance issues with the Mega Cab. I bolted it together as per Pop Up's instructions, then welded some tack beads for extra insurance. I've got tons of miles on my 5er with the GN hitch conversion.



You can google for Pop Up's website, lots of great information to be found about their setups. They have some really nice choices.



CD