Can we tow our 1998 Cardinal 5th wheel with F350 FX4 DRW?
New to everything, did a ton of hopeful research and bought a 1998 5th wheel M28RKB and a 06 F350 FX4 DRW. We were shopping for a hitch (will need a B&W RVK 3000 or 3500 companion hitch since we have a turnover ball in the bed), when we realized we may have made a big mistake! Will we be okay with overpass height clearances?- our trailer seems really tall already. Sitting level it is about 11'6". AND we didn't know about bed clearance concerns... Until now. To get adequate bed clearance, we are guessing we'll need to adjust the hitch up, but then won't our trailer be way too nose-high for traveling?
The trailer came with a Reese hitch, which of course we found out we can't use with our turnover ball setup. But to experiment, we set the Reese hitch in the bed. The ground is not level where the trailer and truck are sitting, it slopes up towards the truck. But we can't move the trailer to a more level spot either with no hitch! So with that in mind, we lowered the weight of the Cardinal on the truck. The bed rail height was 53, changed to 51.5 with the weight. The pin box sits about 15.25 high and we have about 5" of space between bed rail and overhang. The nose of the cardinal is up, doesn't look terrible but it is up.
We originally looked at the B&W 3500 hitch but it's height starts at 16.25 and goes up to 18.25". Maybe we better go with the 3000? It's height is 14.25 to 16.25, to keep the nose from going any higher, but will the bed clearance work?? We've read that somewhere between 5 and 7" works, but then some say 7" is a minimum. Has anyone been able to go up a size on trailer tires with this Cardinal model?
We've read that many folks have had trouble getting the taller Fords to work at all for their 5th wheels and so we are wondering if we need to buy a different 5th wheel or if there is even one made that will work with our truck bed height. We don't have the budget for newer model trailers that might be more compatible with higher fords. Changing out the spring blocks in our truck with all of the other modifications that would be needed also sounds expensive. Not sure what to do or who to ask!!
The trailer came with a Reese hitch, which of course we found out we can't use with our turnover ball setup. But to experiment, we set the Reese hitch in the bed. The ground is not level where the trailer and truck are sitting, it slopes up towards the truck. But we can't move the trailer to a more level spot either with no hitch! So with that in mind, we lowered the weight of the Cardinal on the truck. The bed rail height was 53, changed to 51.5 with the weight. The pin box sits about 15.25 high and we have about 5" of space between bed rail and overhang. The nose of the cardinal is up, doesn't look terrible but it is up.
We originally looked at the B&W 3500 hitch but it's height starts at 16.25 and goes up to 18.25". Maybe we better go with the 3000? It's height is 14.25 to 16.25, to keep the nose from going any higher, but will the bed clearance work?? We've read that somewhere between 5 and 7" works, but then some say 7" is a minimum. Has anyone been able to go up a size on trailer tires with this Cardinal model?
We've read that many folks have had trouble getting the taller Fords to work at all for their 5th wheels and so we are wondering if we need to buy a different 5th wheel or if there is even one made that will work with our truck bed height. We don't have the budget for newer model trailers that might be more compatible with higher fords. Changing out the spring blocks in our truck with all of the other modifications that would be needed also sounds expensive. Not sure what to do or who to ask!!
