Semi to haul

Bradycall wrote:
I would really just need it to pull a trailer like 10 miles from the dealer to the farm.

Talk to local law and get permission and have wife or friend do an escort ! That should be doable!

I would really just need it to pull a trailer like 10 miles from the dealer to the farm.

SidecarFlip wrote:
Don't matter. a Class 8 fifth wheel and a 5er king pin are 2 different animals. You'll need to remove the fifth wheel and replace it with an RV fifth wheel. There are other issues as well. especially brakes.

The pin sizes are the same! We pulled our old Teton several times with our '96 FLD Freightliner (we were owner/operators for a brief period) However, to avoid issues with the DOT, the class 8 plate should be exchanged for a more " user-friendly" 5 re hitch. On the brake issue... we merely installed a "pendulum " brake controller tied into the brake-light wiring. Brakes applied... power to controller!

As a note of caution - class 8's are "very" light on the "driver's"and as 5 res have very little pin weight. traction on snow or ice is non-existent!!! You haven't lived until... you've slid "backwards" down a steep grade with your 5er in tow (or push)!!:o

I will agree about the HDT section an the Escapees board, also Google the HDT Resource Guide, plenty of info there. We tow our 5th wheel with a Kenworth T2000 and are very pleased with it. Good luck.

There's an HDT (heavy-duty truck) sub-forum over on the Escapees RV Club forums. Lots of guys over there have been pulling large (like 20K+ lbs.) fifth wheels with medium- and heavy-duty trucks for years. They are happy to share their knowledge and experience.

Rob

Neither did our older 5th wheel rv hitches. All we had was fore and aft articulation.
I've owned a couple of 5th wheel rv hitches with fore and aft only.

Side to side articulation 5th wheel rv hitches came around in the '90s era.

Some folks didn't like the side to side articulation.......so one mfg added a lock out device which IMO was silly to begin with.

JMO but there is no industry std 5th wheel hitch height over the years. Now one mfg may shoot for a particular height number.

Most of the ones I have seen the hitch for the 5th wheel is aft of the axle and lower between the frame rails. They did not use the standard semi hitch in the standard position.

chiefneon wrote:
Howdy!

The problem with a commercial class 8 hitch is it doesn't articulate side to side which can cause damage to the structure of the 5er.

"Happy Trails"
Chiefneon

Thank you.....

Howdy!

The problem with a commercial class 8 hitch is it doesn't articulate side to side which can cause damage to the structure of the 5er.

"Happy Trails"
Chiefneon

SidecarFlip wrote:
Don't matter. a Class 8 fifth wheel and a 5er king pin are 2 different animals. You'll need to remove the fifth wheel and replace it with an RV fifth wheel. There are other issues as well. especially brakes.

A fifth wheel RV can be pulled from a class 8 fifth wheel. I've seen it done numerous times. The brake issue is a simple one- install a brake controller just like you would with a pickup. The connector plug is different too, but it's not a big deal to either use a converter plug or install an RV-type 7-pin plug. Like Chris mentioned though, an air ride fifth wheel is a good idea if the truck itself doesn't have air suspension. An RV's very light pin weight on a spring suspension will give the RV one heck of a shaking.