Can't See to Hitch Up

[CarnationSailor]

New to 5th wheeling.

Just got hitch installed in 2015 Chevy 2500HD, Crew Cab, Short Bed. When sitting in driver's seat and looking in either mirror or directly out back window I cannot see the hitch. So how do I hitch up?

Anyone have a recommended technique or alignment aids you use to overcome this?

Thanks

[CarnationSailor]

To those who provided all of the positive, helpful responses, thank you very much.

To those who provided the negative, useless responses (including a seriously insulting private message), well, there isn't much you can say about them.

Leaving thread.

[CarnationSailor]

avvidclif1 wrote:

N-Trouble wrote:

jalichty wrote:
My first thought was, how tall are you? I'm also around 5'10" and have no problem seeing my hitch and the pin when it gets close. However, I think I have my hitch pretty high. With your hitch as low as it is, how close does the FW come to your side rails? If I had mine down so far I couldn't see it, the trailer would be about 2-3" from the side rails and too close. As it is, my FW rides a tiny bit nose high, but nothing out of the ordinary as far as I can tell. Hope you get your problem fixed.

I asked the same question and he got all bent out of shape and I think felt insulted. Whatever...

Agree though, left hand on the sterring wheel at 12 o'clock, right hand on back of passenger seat, turn head and reach head towards headliner and BAM there's the hitch head. No second guessing. Mines in lowest position with 5-6" bed rail clearance.

Either raise your seat or hitch head or both.

Sheesh, all bent out of shape and never even hooked up yet. Talk about trying to cross bridges before you get to them.

It's what they call "being proactive".

Definition of proactive: Creating or controlling a situation by causing something to happen rather than responding to it after it has happened.

For example, "be proactive in identifying and preventing potential problems".

[avvidclif1]

N-Trouble wrote:

jalichty wrote:
My first thought was, how tall are you? I'm also around 5'10" and have no problem seeing my hitch and the pin when it gets close. However, I think I have my hitch pretty high. With your hitch as low as it is, how close does the FW come to your side rails? If I had mine down so far I couldn't see it, the trailer would be about 2-3" from the side rails and too close. As it is, my FW rides a tiny bit nose high, but nothing out of the ordinary as far as I can tell. Hope you get your problem fixed.

I asked the same question and he got all bent out of shape and I think felt insulted. Whatever...

Agree though, left hand on the sterring wheel at 12 o'clock, right hand on back of passenger seat, turn head and reach head towards headliner and BAM there's the hitch head. No second guessing. Mines in lowest position with 5-6" bed rail clearance.

Either raise your seat or hitch head or both.

Sheesh, all bent out of shape and never even hooked up yet. Talk about trying to cross bridges before you get to them.

[Racine96]

I has the same truck. I do it alone, so I go down three or four times. After all, I will be situated for some hours.

[2oldman]

Camera.

[Coach-man]

Point is unlike bumber pull you do not need to be exact, close is good! I too am 5' 10", I painted a white stripe down the center of the hitch plate, I can just see this stripe in the center rear view mirror, I get close using the tow mirrors,make sure tail gate is down, then lign up the stripe with the pin and back. One advantage, my GD 5 wheel has a feature that positions the height of the 5th wheel to the last drop off point, so I can just back into the pin. If you do not have this you may have to stop and get out and checkpin height when you get it close. And as withh all things practoce will give you confidence, sooo please do it right, make a check list if posible, when you get your confidence you will be doing it right! Good luck!

[bilmarde]

I have a crew cab and could not see either until I folded down the back seat. Now I have a clear view out the back window with my mirror.

[N-Trouble]

jalichty wrote:
My first thought was, how tall are you? I'm also around 5'10" and have no problem seeing my hitch and the pin when it gets close. However, I think I have my hitch pretty high. With your hitch as low as it is, how close does the FW come to your side rails? If I had mine down so far I couldn't see it, the trailer would be about 2-3" from the side rails and too close. As it is, my FW rides a tiny bit nose high, but nothing out of the ordinary as far as I can tell. Hope you get your problem fixed.

I asked the same question and he got all bent out of shape and I think felt insulted. Whatever...

Agree though, left hand on the sterring wheel at 12 o'clock, right hand on back of passenger seat, turn head and reach head towards headliner and BAM there's the hitch head. No second guessing. Mines in lowest position with 5-6" bed rail clearance.

Either raise your seat or hitch head or both.

[CarnationSailor]

jalichty wrote:
My first thought was, how tall are you? I'm also around 5'10" and have no problem seeing my hitch and the pin when it gets close. However, I think I have my hitch pretty high. With your hitch as low as it is, how close does the FW come to your side rails? If I had mine down so far I couldn't see it, the trailer would be about 2-3" from the side rails and too close. As it is, my FW rides a tiny bit nose high, but nothing out of the ordinary as far as I can tell. Hope you get your problem fixed.

I haven't actually hitched up yet as I am waiting for a capture plate from Demco that I need to mount on my Trail Air Tri-Glide pin box. However, by my calculations I expect the 5th wheel to be about 10 inches above the side rails of the truck, and ride significantly nose high. With hitch installed at the lowest setting, there is nothing I can do about that except flip the axles. I probably won't do that.

[jalichty]

My first thought was, how tall are you? I'm also around 5'10" and have no problem seeing my hitch and the pin when it gets close. However, I think I have my hitch pretty high. With your hitch as low as it is, how close does the FW come to your side rails? If I had mine down so far I couldn't see it, the trailer would be about 2-3" from the side rails and too close. As it is, my FW rides a tiny bit nose high, but nothing out of the ordinary as far as I can tell. Hope you get your problem fixed.

[Veebyes]

Everyone has a little trick for some part of the hitching process.

For trailer height when the tip of the nose touches the center of a marker light above the leg switches it is just right.

[Cummins12V98]

CarnationSailor wrote:

N-Trouble wrote:
OP never even says what kind of hitch he's running...

I have same truck and unless he's 4ft tall or using a GN adapter am not following how he can't see the hitch out the back window. I can see mine plain as day and it's in the lowest position.

Lots of good recommendations here but let's figure out what's REALLY going on.

Where does the arrogance come from with people like this that assume they know better than the OP?

Probably not worthy of a response, but I'll try to provide "what's REALLY going on".

I'm 5' 10' tall and the hitch is a Demco Hijacker Auto Slide mounted in the lowest position. (And no, it is not mounted too far forward.) I had a friend place a tape measure on top of the hitch and the lowest mark I can see is the 5-inch mark. So the hitch would probably have to be 6 inches higher for me to see it when hitching up.

On a more positive note, thanks to all who contributed useful suggestions. I'm sure I can develop my own method from the inputs received.

I think YOU are a little thin skinned if you feel he was being arrogant! I took it as he wanted more info to help with your problem.

The problem lies with people on there that ask questions and don't provide enough info to get a good answer.

Lighten up! There are a lot of people on here that truly want to help.

[Cummins12V98]

Shepherd wrote:
Install a cam at the third brake light.

I have one so far not impressed!

[cbshoestring]

Veebyes wrote:
Truckers can't see either. Take references from what is seen in the side mirrors. Get out & look. Get the DW involved. Simple hand signals work.

Agree. :B Can't look thru the sleeper, so backing is done strickly with mirrors. As long as the trailer was not dropped high, simply line up, the 5th wheel is designed to picks up the trailer and align the king pin. As others have said, just be careful not to highside...not doing this comes from experience in knowing where that trailer should ride..

Then again......a tractor is all frame back there, and designed to take some abuse. You truck bed will not take that abuse, so try and use a spotter; Or as someone quoted G.O.A.L.