Tow 5th wheel with Service body truck?
Cliffs Notes- Anyone tow a 5th wheel travel trailer with a service body truck? Novel- As my business grows I am finding myself in need of another work truck. I have a 2004 GMC 2500hd with a Harbor ...
Forum Discussion
My service body is over 14 yrs old, on the second tow vehicle and it is still in great shape. I had it made specifically for towing a fiver. Top of the sides is 50" off the ground. Where a stock bed would be 20+" deep, mine is only 13" due to the reduced height plus taller cross-members under the floor. With the reduced height, there is no compartment over the wheel wells, just some hidden storage areas for misc. items. The compartments in front and behind the wheels are full height.
The biggest issue you face is with the interior width of the utility bed, it is just 50" and an extended pin box will hit the sides during turns. This is the reason mine is lower than a stock utility bed, the pin box swings over the top of the utility bed. Owners of the Ram Box have the same problem, it is a normal height truck bed but also 50" wide. There are really just 2 solutions. With an 8 ft bed, you can use a straight drop pin box rather than an extended pin box. Or you can use a Sidewinder pin box.
Besides the handy storage, there are several other pluses with the utility bed. I stand on the sides while washing the front cap. But the biggest is that the tailgate is never in the way as it drops down to the bumper. There are a few pics in the link in my signature.
The biggest issue you face is with the interior width of the utility bed, it is just 50" and an extended pin box will hit the sides during turns. This is the reason mine is lower than a stock utility bed, the pin box swings over the top of the utility bed. Owners of the Ram Box have the same problem, it is a normal height truck bed but also 50" wide. There are really just 2 solutions. With an 8 ft bed, you can use a straight drop pin box rather than an extended pin box. Or you can use a Sidewinder pin box.
Besides the handy storage, there are several other pluses with the utility bed. I stand on the sides while washing the front cap. But the biggest is that the tailgate is never in the way as it drops down to the bumper. There are a few pics in the link in my signature.
