Forum Discussion

mmanske's avatar
mmanske
Explorer
Sep 28, 2015

question about clearance on new 5er

Hello all. I just bought a new 2016 Crusader 32' 5th wheel. My previous 5er was a 34' Cruiser that had plenty of room between the rear of the truck and the front compartment of the trailer when connected. I now have very little room in that area, although it is enough to clear when making turns. I'm a little uneasy about this tight clearance. I emailed Prime Time Mfg about getting an extended pinbox to allow for more clearance and asked if this would void the warranty or create any structural problems. A rep responded that "Adding an extension may cause issues, we would recommend that you work with the dealer as they know more about the aftermarket products." I have yet to get with my dealer (heading there tomorrow) but wanted to ask someone that has had experience with this.
My question is has anyone run into this and if so, what was the outcome. I don't want to have to spend $1500 on an automatic sliding hitch. My TV is a 2005 F250 CC with a ProSeries 15k sliding hitch (manual operated).
Also, I have searched the Forum and read thru 17 pages and found nothing on this.
Any input would be appreciated. Thanks, Mike
  • Probably the best thing for you to do is find an open parking lot. Back up the rig and turn until you are just about to jack-knife into the cab. If this angle is insufficient for your normal driving, you either need to extend the hitch or get an automatic slider. If you can live with it and only engage the manual slider when needed, so be it.

    As for the extended hitch. I'd call the frame manufacturer (Lippert?) and discuss it with one of their engineers. If the RV manufacturer won't commit to an answer, I'm doubtful if the dealership will either. I believe the frame manufacturer is the best one to make this decision.