New 5th wheel adjustment

A couple of questions. Is it sitting level and below 13’6” high. If so keep all the clearance you can. My 5th wheel is 42’ long and on uneven ground I have had the 6” of clearance I have drop to less than an inch as the truck tilts one way and the trailer the other.

As for which to adjust I would raise the hitch to allow for more clearance of stuff in the bed.

If just a tad nose-high, I'd lower the hitch just enough to make the TH tow level. If you can keep 8"s, maybe even 7"s bed rail clearance, you should be good for moderate off-road use. IMO, it is easier to adjust the hitch, than to move the pin box.

Jerry

I run mine on the bottom setting and full forward.

I would try to keep at least eight inches clear.

To adjust the pin box:

1. Hook up to the truck and use the landing gear to set the pin so it is just touching the hitch plate.
2. Remove the bolts from the pin box.
3. Using the landing gear, lower the nose until the next set of holes line up and reinstall the bolts.

No manual lifting of parts involved.

Check the torque after the first couple of hundred miles.

If the nuts are inside the pin box and hard to reach, you can remove them before hooking up and reinstall after unhitching and moving the truck out of the way.

A

MUCH easier to lower the B&W !!!

Its easier to lower the hich than the pinbox Lowering the hitch also adds to handling by bringing the pivot lower, closer to the axle. Gooseneck users can verify that.

Downside, is less height room for cargo in the bed , behind and around the pinbox.

I'll lower the hitch this weekend and check it again. It don't think it's actually off as much as it looks like from a distance. We put a level on it at the dealer and it was about a half bubble off. I haven't actually pulled a measurement. But stepping back at looking at it in a parking lot it looks waaaay off. I'll try to post a pic soon.

If your truly nose high that tends to throw more weight on the rear axles, so level is best. We go out to the desert a lot and at 7" bed clearance haven't hit yet(see my profile), but have been puckered a few times. If you put cargo in the truck bed keep it level or below the bed rails.

Lower the hitch, but not so low that you can't see to hook up. Especially if you are looking over a bed mounted tool box.

F-TROUP wrote:
If your truly nose high that tends to throw more weight on the rear axles, so level is best. We go out to the desert a lot and at 7" bed clearance haven't hit yet(see my profile), but have been puckered a few times. If you put cargo in the truck bed keep it level or below the bed rails.

Unless it's excessive, the amount of weight shifted between axles is negligible. 2-3" likely wouldn't even be measurable. Moving 100lbs from the front to the back of the trailer would likely have as much or more impact.

If the OP is going off road, 8-9" is nice to have.

As far as pinbox vs hitch, again, technically there is a difference but not enough to matter. Do whichever is easier to get the bolts moved.