tow 5th wheel trailer w/ f250 short bed

jim372 · Feb 28, 2011

my son just got a older coachman 5th wheel and
the pin is under edge of camper about 6 inches
if i tow it with my 04 ford f250 short bed (6'11" )
with a slider hitch do i nedd to also extend out king pin

smokeonthewater · Feb 28, 2011

Re: tow 5th wheel trailer w/ f250 short bed

you don't need a slider OR a pinbox extension BUT either or both will increase the angle you are able to jacknife at before the camper contacts the cab

jim372 · Feb 28, 2011

Re: tow 5th wheel trailer w/ f250 short bed

ok , just trying to get some info , have to buy hitch anyhow think i am goung to buy slider type i can get it with everything need for $ 470. just need to know if tow with pin where it is at.

smokeonthewater · Feb 28, 2011

Re: tow 5th wheel trailer w/ f250 short bed

the pinbox will make VERY little difference but the slider will make a big difference.... If you are able to get the kingpin at a distance of a few inches more than half the width of the trailer you will be able to get a 90 degree angle between the truck and trailer although this is not at all needed...

FYI I pull a 38' 5er on a regular basis

rebars1 · Mar 4, 2011

Re: tow 5th wheel trailer w/ f250 short bed

I have an F250 short bed with a slider 5th wheel hitch and a smaller (25') Coachman. With the slider, you park/ position with it slid back, then tow with it slid forward. The slider was recommended because of the short bed. I did not need a king pin extension.

jim372 · Mar 5, 2011

Re: tow 5th wheel trailer w/ f250 short bed

rebar is your king pin back under tailer around 6-8 inches ,see pic on my first post , i got resse 15k pro slider ordered be here day or 2, around here i keep getting defferent answers to my question
anywhere from i can't to it even if w/ slider and king pin extended to all i need is slider hitch .
04 f250 4x4 4 door 6.0 diesel ,automatic, 3:73

rebars1 · Mar 6, 2011

Re: tow 5th wheel trailer w/ f250 short bed

No jim372, my king pin is forward of the trailer. Sorry, I did not notice your pic before. Don't think the short bed could handle that set up without some kind of extension. (It would only work if you never had to turn!)

smokeonthewater · Mar 7, 2011

Re: tow 5th wheel trailer w/ f250 short bed

it will be FINE!... I towed my first 38'er home and pulled it in the driveway with a shortbed chevy 6 1/2' bed. I had no extension, I also had no slider... I WAS limited on turning radius but I had a shorter bed and likely a bigger camper (how long is yours?) ..... With a slider you will be, again, FINE..... just pay attention to the clearance between your cab and trailer on very tight turns. Generally that will only be when parking or if you have been stubborn and pulled into a parking lot or gas station that is really too small for you.

FYI you also have choices on how to mount the fifth wheel in the truck.... You can choose to mount it a little further back then normal to gain even more room at the front.

smokeonthewater · Mar 7, 2011

Re: tow 5th wheel trailer w/ f250 short bed

Also you can figure all this out with a tape measure and actually visualize it for yourself.

measure from the kingpin to the side of the camper... bout 4 feet.. measure from the axle to the back of the cab.... less than 4 feet.... how far back does the slider adjust.... add the last two together and compare to the first

jim372 · Mar 7, 2011

Re: tow 5th wheel trailer w/ f250 short bed

trailer is 35 feet , from my cab to my center of axle is 38" and slider moves 10" for 48 ".
trailer is 7'8" wide

smokeonthewater · Mar 7, 2011

Re: tow 5th wheel trailer w/ f250 short bed

which means that if you turned a full 90 degrees the trailer would be 2" from the cab.... you should avoid turning that far because a bump could cost you but all you really need is about 45 degrees so you can relax and get some sleep

edit: If you want even more room mount the hitch so that the forward position is 4-6" behind the axle.
You will still be more than fine on the highway.... My powerstroke crewcab dually has 4700 lbs on the front axle empty and the shortbed chevy I towed the trailer home with only weighed 4700 for the whole truck.... the hitch in it is a few inches behind the axle and it was stable as could be at 70 mph towing the 38'er which weighed 10,600 lbs

bowman316 · Mar 11, 2011

Re: tow 5th wheel trailer w/ f250 short bed

the biggest problem you are going to face is making a u-turn. Eventually you will make a wrong turn, and have to make a fairly tight u-turn.
I can turn a 53' trailer around with prob less than a 60 ft circle.
Just don't get fuel anywhere but a truck stop. Don't go to regular gas stations. Only flying J's, Loves, pilots, or TA's. And think BEFORE you commit to turning into a place, to make sure you can get back out.

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