Wheel Axle
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Fifth Wheel Hitches for Short Bed Trucks
If you want to pull a fifth wheel with a short bed truck, you have some limited options in hitches. It's important to put a great deal of thought into your set-up because using a flawed design could cause damage to your cab or RV when turning or even an accident if your rig isn't weighted properly.
So, what are the most common options for fifth wheel hitches for short bed trucks?
The traditional solutions include using a sidewinder hitch or attaching a traditional hitch farther back in the truck bed. The goal is to maximize the distance between the truck's cab and the front of the fifth wheel when making turns.
Pros and Cons of a sidewinder hitch:
A sidewinder hitch can fix this problem without moving the weight to a dangerous spot in the truck bed by pulling the nose of the RV to the outside of the turn, but many RV manufactures will void your warranty if you use one. Why is this? A regular king pin locks into a fifth wheel plate and turns around to the left and right in that plate. With a sidewinder hitch, it is locked into the plate and then turns at the front of the trailer. This activates a twisting force on the fifth wheel plate that it is not designed to handle.
Moving the hitch back: A recipe for disaster
Many RVers solve the short bed problem by simply moving the hitch to the back of the truck bed. This does create more room between the RV and the cab, but it comes at a hefty price. RV pin weight is designed to be balanced between the two truck axles. When you push the weight over or behind the rear axle, you are creating a severe imbalance which can cause an accident. This is such a dangerous set-up that it would be better to risk damaging your cab than to move the pin weight to the back of your truck.
Drop-Axles: The Safest Option
Using an auxiliary truck axle, like the Automated Safety Hitch, is definitely your safest and easiest option for towing a 5th wheel with a short bed truck. Essentially, you are extending the frame of your truck by attaching another heavy duty axle behind your truck, and the fifth wheel then attaches and sits on that axle. There are a few on the market, but the Automated Safety Hitch is your best bet; it uses a two-ton axle (so it can handle the pin weight of a 30,000 pound RV), has its own hydraulic brakes, and is fully automated in attaching and detaching. Many RV professionals believe that drop-axles like this one are the future for safe towing and they are the best option for short bed trucks and fifth wheel combinations. Check out the website for more information: www.safetyhitch.com
About the Author
Melaine McKenzie is an RV enthusiast having traveled 40 states in the continental United States in an RV with plans to explore Central America in a fith wheel.
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