5th wheel hitch hanging from king pin

laknox wrote:

Bob Vaughn wrote:
I would like to be able to use the bed of my truck but do not have the strength to remove the 5th wheel hitch. Is it a safe practice to hook the rv to the hitch, pull the bed rail pins and raise the front of the 5th wheel? Are the motors on the front landing jacks strong enough to lift the added 300 or so lbs ? I wonder what would happen when I go to reattach the hitch to the bed again?

I got a 2-ton engine hoist on sale for $100 (with an engine stand that I sold for $50) that I use to pull my B&W Companion. Harbor Freight has very similar lifts on sale near that price (though without the engine stand). I drop my hitch down onto a $20 1,000 lb furniture dolly and roll it around to where I need it. Hoist is about 2x3' folded up. I did modify my hoist by extending the boom about 3' to reach the hitch. All that being said, it should be no problem to hang the hitch from the king pin.

Lyle

X2 exactly including the furniture dolly for storage

6. Ratcheting (cable) hoist/"come-a-long".

My weapon of choice..

JIMNLIN wrote:

sidney wrote:
If you can't hang a 200-300 lbs hitch from the king pin... how could you expect to tow a 10,000 lb 5th wheel with a 2000 lb pin weight safely?

The concern isn't weight hanging from the pin box but rather the hitch jaws/pins holding the weight of the hitch according to hitch makers I've talked with. Others hitch owners may have a different input from their hitch maker.

If the hitch jaws/pins can not handle a static load of 300 lbs how in the world can we expect them to handle a 18,000 lb trailer going down a rough road and across railroad tracks!!! I used 18,000 lbs as that is the load rating of my hitch.

partsman01 wrote:
interesting answers, I have always pulled mine out and layed it down by myself, and lifted it back in, but now as of Jan 18th and being 58 and having a heart attack and two stents put in maybe I should not man handle it anymore.
anybody know if it is a bad idea to ever do heavy lifting with stents?

Can't answer the stents question (other than wishing you good health!).

Hanging on the pin is pretty much a personal choice.

However, a couple of options for you -and those who want an easy in and out, one person operation.

Handy for *heavy* hitch removal (like a PR SuperGlide)...PLUS the lifting tools are handy for other chores!
So, be creative for heart health as well as taking care of your back:

Lifting options:
1. The "one-finger lift".
Give the heavy hitch "the bird" while you push a button with the other hand to lift it..:W
Harbor Freight electric cable hoist. It's about the size of a lunch box, weighs about 25-30 lbs.
Hang it from a garage header, rafter, or on a 4 x 6 between two suitable supports. Drive under, lift hitch, lower onto a furniture dolly - roll somewhere out of the way.
Takes about 10 minutes total, in or out.

2. "Cherry picker" style engine hoist. HF or any auto parts store.
Just check in advance that the "reach" is adequate. I came up a few inches short (story of my life, LOL) but made my own bar for extended reach.

3. Chain hoist. Heavier than #1, noisy - but often available at garage sales - cheap! About $65. at HF.
Make sure you have the ability to lower the necessary distance.

4. Crane hoist - type advertised to put in the bed of your pickup.
Mount somewhere in your garage, outside, etc.

5. 110v or 12v *winch*.
Maybe you need/want a winch for something other than lifting hitches.

6. Ratcheting (cable) hoist/"come-a-long".
Slow, cheap, but light weight. Back to #3.

7. Of course - there's bound to be other methods.

Besides the obvious advantages of "mechanical leverage" -vs- being "macho" and manhandling the hitch -or- hanging it on the pin.....
You are able to *EASILY* maneuver the hitch (R-L, front to rear) to the desired location in the bed..:C

BTW - a "macho" poster here a few years ago, admitted to "manhandling" - - and dropping his PR SG on his foot.
Ruined the vacation he was about to take..:(

~

Cummins12V98 wrote:

JIMNLIN wrote:

sidney wrote:
If you can't hang a 200-300 lbs hitch from the king pin... how could you expect to tow a 10,000 lb 5th wheel with a 2000 lb pin weight safely?

The concern isn't weight hanging from the pin box but rather the hitch jaws/pins holding the weight of the hitch according to hitch makers I've talked with. Others hitch owners may have a different input from their hitch maker.

Look at the 1" thick jaws on the B&W they are designed to have a load in all directions.

Nothing special about the B&W or other hitch brands with 1" thick jaws other than for advertising or constant bragging.
The load when pulling is on the jaws but more importantly the jaws pins which are more of a concern than any certain jaw thickness.

Jaw strength is more to do with the type alloy/psi rating in the material.

JIMNLIN wrote:

sidney wrote:
If you can't hang a 200-300 lbs hitch from the king pin... how could you expect to tow a 10,000 lb 5th wheel with a 2000 lb pin weight safely?

The concern isn't weight hanging from the pin box but rather the hitch jaws/pins holding the weight of the hitch according to hitch makers I've talked with. Others hitch owners may have a different input from their hitch maker.

Look at the 1" thick jaws on the B&W they are designed to have a load in all directions.

sidney wrote:
If you can't hang a 200-300 lbs hitch from the king pin... how could you expect to tow a 10,000 lb 5th wheel with a 2000 lb pin weight safely?

The concern isn't weight hanging from the pin box but rather the hitch jaws/pins holding the weight of the hitch according to hitch makers I've talked with. Others hitch owners may have a different input from their hitch maker.

I store mine like that every winter. I do set a old wood table under the hitch to set it down on. That takes the weight off the jaws and I don't have to worry about the grandkids. Dropping it back down to insert the pins is not that big of a deal either.

I don't know if its a bad idea to lift anything heavy after stents. However, a diet of heavy camping must have positive benefits.

All the best partsmano1!

interesting answers, I have always pulled mine out and layed it down by myself, and lifted it back in, but now as of Jan 18th and being 58 and having a heart attack and two stents put in maybe I should not man handle it anymore.
anybody know if it is a bad idea to ever do heavy lifting with stents?