5th Wheel Tailgates
I have a F350 dually that I use to pull my 42' Columbus. This is my first fiver and I would like to hear from you about tailgates. We are not full timers and I would like to know whether folks like th...
Forum Discussion
Never had anything but a V tailgate. Bought the truck & trailer used as a package. Having the V gate does not mean that you never have to open the gate to hook up. It means that you have to know by looking in the mirror if the kingpin is high enough to clear it on upsloping sites.
I cannot see my hitch plate in the mirror properly, neither can I see the bottom of the tailgate notch at all, but I do know that as I get close to the kingpin, if I can see the whole kingpin it will not clear the notch.
Even with a notched tailgate you need to be familiar & careful. You learn stuff. In my case the leg buttons are under the 5er overhang left side. On level ground I know that if my nose touches the center of the marker light on the side above the leg switches, the trailer is just the right height to clear the V gate & pinbox hitting the center of the 5th wheel jaws.
I cannot see my hitch plate in the mirror properly, neither can I see the bottom of the tailgate notch at all, but I do know that as I get close to the kingpin, if I can see the whole kingpin it will not clear the notch.
Even with a notched tailgate you need to be familiar & careful. You learn stuff. In my case the leg buttons are under the 5er overhang left side. On level ground I know that if my nose touches the center of the marker light on the side above the leg switches, the trailer is just the right height to clear the V gate & pinbox hitting the center of the 5th wheel jaws.
