Anyone built a jig to movie a fifth wheel around the shop?

[Tryintoretire]

We're building a barn to house our fiver and would like to move it laterally while off the truck hitch.any ideas?

[PlayersZ28]

I use wheel skates to move cars around the shop but they wouldn't take that much weight. You'd have to build a frame for under the suspension to lift the wheels and one for under the front jacks. They'd also have to be completely parallel so they don't try to shift relative to each other.

If it's important there's certainly a way to do it. Won't be cheap though.

[oldmanAZ]

Do you want/need to move it sideways on concrete/asphalt or dirt/gravel?

[Tryintoretire]

Will Be smooth concrete .thanks for the input .ill post pix when completed. I did hope to raise A few inches and then come along over about five feet to get out of the middle of the barn ,off to one side. I thought about welding a dummy receiver for the king pin or salvalging a scrap fith wheel plate to a heavy table i have which is about 4' x4' with 3" steel pipe legs and steel wheels.
Raise the back and have heavy duty roller plates about 4000 # pound rating each

[ALJO]

Buy some pallet rollers or similar and jack the frame close to the axles or rig something you can but the wheels on. For the front you can use a pallet mover and rig something to fill the distance.


A creative mind can go everything. 'Create like the Creator does", harmonious.

[Scott91370]

Never mind. Not heavy duty enough.

[Donpop]

I'm sure most other readers are curious like me and are wondering what is the situation that will not allow you to move your trailer with the tow vehicle?

[Tryintoretire]

The camper is 41' and the covered area is 48'.I only have enough room to pull straight in and disconnect the camper ,pull truck out.The total length when hooked up is ,I think 55'.

[in the wind]

Originally Posted by Tryintoretire

The camper is 41' and the covered area is 48'.I only have enough room to pull straight in and disconnect the camper ,pull truck out.The total length when hooked up is ,I think 55'.

Put in a door on that side.

[Donpop]

Trytoretire I know I am a little slow in my more mature years but you still did not address why you want to move the trailer sideways. Is this just a one time thing or are you wanting to move it every time you unhook. There must be a simpler solution.

[PlayersZ28]

I'm going to guess that the door is in the center and he wants the trailer off to one side along the wall. Maybe no way to put a door right at the location where he wants it parked. Wouldn't be something you'd want to do very often.

If you had a big enough air compressor you could make some air skates that you could drive it onto then start the air and push it sideways.

[barryg]

There are some skates out there that can handle the weight but they are a bit pricey, such as below but surely others out there as well

https://djsfabrications.com/product/...CABEgLgT_D_BwE

However wouldn't the bigger issue be the front end of the trailer trying to figure out how to attach a skate to the pin somehow or other. Don't believe I would trust the landing gear to hold up to the task as htey arent really designed to do more than hold the front end up not move around on them, but some engineer type may be able to better answer that. Not to mention not sure you are just going to push 10k lbs around by yourself or stop it once you get it going.

An answer for the front end and no need for the skates which is good as the price is quite a bit
https://parkit360.ca/products/electr...over-5th-wheel

sounds like you have a bit of room to move forward and backward perhaps you could drive it over to the side with a few fore and aft movements

[Tryintoretire]

Players Z28 hit it
The doors are in the center and I would only move laterally during longer storage storage periods to make room for projects. Building is not long enough for a lot of jockeying

[PlayersZ28]

You can get a caster wheel that'll take 2000#. Don't know how much the trailer weighs but for 16k# you'd need 8 with 2 on the front legs and 6 on a frame under the axles. If you auto level then you could pick the whole trailer up and put a skate frame under the wheels then another under the front legs and tie them together so they stay parallel. A doable project but the casters are 150$+ ea. Add in 500-1000$ for steel and fab.

Look up "air casters". They'll move heavy loads but no idea on cost.

[billjmck]

Originally Posted by Tryintoretire

Players Z28 hit it
The doors are in the center and I would only move laterally during longer storage storage periods to make room for projects. Building is not long enough for a lot of jockeying

Maybe do the jockeying with a tractor or bobcat like they do at RV centers. Just a thought.

[Mach1tosh]

Originally Posted by in the wind

Put in a door on that side.

I agree, expand the doorway to the side to the side of the barn if possible.

[Tryintoretire]

I had planned on using the rear levelers to raise high enough for casters on all four rear wheels , then retract.Lowering the king pin down and retracting the front levelers to a height of a heavy welded table I have on wheels ,keeping a low center of gravity and tugging over.so I wouldn’t be straining any of the levelers.
Thanks for all the input
A bobcat ,forklift or tractor would be great the best but I can see the poor house from here 😂😂😂

[blammo]

Simple, make the door wider. and closer to the wall you want to park the trailer next to.

bobb

[michael.g]

I would be concerned about using something that would not allow you to stop the moving 5th wheel safely. What happens if you put just a little too much umpf into your push and the 5th wheel crashes into the side of the barn?

Since you are building the barn, I'd recommend building it the way you need it. It doesn't seem practical to me to build something that doesn't suit your needs. Seems a lot easier and safer to build to suite, then trying to move a 10,000+ lb 5th wheel with skates and winches.

-Michael

[Will P]

I agree 100% with build the barn to suit your needs.