question about king pins

[carey965]

ok so today was supposed to be new trailer day but even with the sliding hitch the 5th got too close for comfort to the back of my cab so i have ordered a king pin extension that gives me an extra 10in which should be good but the thing im concerned about now is when i turn will the pin box come in contact with the bed sides, the reason i ask is because my other option is a reese sidewinder but that is more then double the price and seeing is this is out of my pocket now i would prefer to try and keep as much of my money as possible

anyways here are a few pics with it hooked up




i know the ass looks low but it is partially where i am parked and partially the levelling kit, when i get some extra cash im going to add another leaf or buy a new truck depends on when i get a job

[carey965]

this is actually the piece they are ordering
http://www.adventurerv.net/popup-rv5...on-p-5307.html

looking at it in the pictures it looks like it should be fine but i am new to 5th wheel towing

[3'senough]

I think your unit is too close to the rails (at least the picture appears that way). If you go over any uneven roads you could slam your rails into the lower portion of the 5th wheel. Not to mention possibly punch a hole with one of your bed corners. There should be a minimum 6 inches clearance all around. You look level now so you might need to raise your axles on the 5th.

The extension you have above should raise your height if you leave the hitch height as is. If you lower the bolts you could still have the rail issues.

Hitting the side of the truck depends on the king pin length and you should measure it before making a hard turn.

[carey965]

actually i have been doing alot of reading, i think i am just going to bite the bullet and get the sidewinder, it give me a worry free tow experience where i will always be worrying about the extension, and i can adjust the bolts on the pin box to level out the trailer with less issues

[RVhiker]

The pictures look to me, as well, that there is not enough clearance between the underside of the trailer and the side rails of your truck. Six inches is the minimum; that's about what I have and that is just barely enough in some situations and really not enough in others. Most hitches are adjustable up and down so that this distance can be acheived

[Jmooney]

I also have a short bed on my Ram mega cab (6ft)

The pull rite super glide, centered over the axel, appears to leave a lot more room between 5th wheel and cab.

Also agree with observation about clearance over bed rails.



I also have air bags that help keep the truck level with tongue weight of the 30.5

[carey965]

so how do i go about doing that without lowering my truck>?

[Bad-Air]

I guess I just have to agree with most others on here. I have a Ram 2599 Cummings and a Pull-
Right slider with a Trail Air super glide, and have "dented" this truck and an F-350 Ford as well. It is going to depend on how up level the road you are traveling on is, but it sure looks like too little clearance between truck sides and trailed bottom in hitch area. I adjusted my the pinbox 3 times, and have now got it pretty good for now.
It certainly depends on how level the road you are on is, but I would not be comfortable having that small amount of clearance..
You may have to adjust both the pinbox and the trailer axles I would guess?
Just my 2 sense..

[Jmooney]

Between the mounting rails and the hitch, the total height profile of my super glide is 22 inches, and sits level with the bed of the truck

The additional clearance that you see in my photo comes from the pin profile itself.

How does you hitch compare?

[RVhiker]

Originally Posted by carey965

so how do i go about doing that without lowering my truck>?

--- I think referring to how to increase the distance between the bed rails and the underside of the trailer.

Most pins are adjustable in terms of how low the pin box hangs from the trailer by having multiple adjustment holes in the box. The lower the king pin box hangs, the more distance between the rails and the trailer. This makes your trailer ride higher, which can make it un-level when towing which is not good, either. This can maybe be handled by changing how the trailer axles are attached - not as big a deal as it sounds.

Where is your dealer on this? He should offer to help you get this kind of thing set up.

How much clearance do you have as is now?

[clubhouse]

Originally Posted by carey965

so how do i go about doing that without lowering my truck>?

Flip the axel on the 5er.

[3'senough]

Originally Posted by carey965

so how do i go about doing that without lowering my truck>?

First you need to confirm you can flip them. Simply look and see if your axles are mounted above or below the leaf springs. I am going to guess that they are already below as both my Eagle units have been below from the factory. If that is the case then you might be able to adjust the spring mounting holes down equally which you should have the dealer do to get this unit riding right on your TV.

Yes your tail seems low and some airbags, timbrens or a load leaf would solve that issue. Remember this unit is dry and when you start loading your stuff in it plus any cargo in the TV your going to keep sagging. With a squishy TV ride it's going to compound the seesaw effect on any bumpy roads and effect the steering possibly.

The easiest adjustment for bed rail clearance is the hitch. Then if the king pin can be dropped a hole (some can't), then the axles on the 5th. In that order for bed rail clearance.

Now after you have the proper bed clearance and if it riding nose high your only option is the 5th axles. You could go with spacers on the axles to achieve the height you require for level as some have done on this forum. I am going to guess based on the photos somewhere in the 3" range to get it close enough. I would not go any more on spacers than that personally as you will decrease your stability IMHO.

Finally I think you on the right path with the sidewinder instead of the extension.

[Will's]

I have the same trailer bought last year. I have the Chev Silverado 5.8ft box with the sidewinder. Towed over 5000km last year with no problems at all!! 90 degree turns a few times with clearance not being an issue with the cab.

[DJsFolly]

My 27.5 BH came with the extended pin. Have heavy duty tow package (3,250 lb. Load capacity and 11 K towing) Eco Boost F150 custom long bed. No problem tturning and no bed slides to worry about. Let us your solution. ☺

[carey965]

mine came with the extended pin but not long enough, i barely make it 70 degrees with the hitch in the manoeuvre position
just got the call my sidewinder is in stock so getting that on saturday, going to bring it home and take a look at the axles and see what i can do,