How important is 90 degree turning?

[wowens79]

We are looking at going to a 5th wheel from a TT. I keep hearing people talking about being able to turn 90 degrees. I really want to do with the standard B&W hitch in my F-350 with the 6'11" bed.
I realize if I turn too sharp I can damage the truck and camper, but I figure if I can turn a 5ver to 80degrees, that is alot sharper than the probably 45 degrees I can turn my TT. My current TT is 33', and the 5ver we are looking at is 35', so actual towing length will be shorter. Am I missing something?

[Cummins12V98]

spoon059 wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:
Long bed, no compromise. :B

And you usually get a much bigger fuel tank with the long bed, another huge upgrade!

Let's keep the list going......

Better Ride

[laknox]

wowens79 wrote:
We are looking at going to a 5th wheel from a TT. I keep hearing people talking about being able to turn 90 degrees. I really want to do with the standard B&W hitch in my F-350 with the 6'11" bed.
I realize if I turn too sharp I can damage the truck and camper, but I figure if I can turn a 5ver to 80degrees, that is alot sharper than the probably 45 degrees I can turn my TT. My current TT is 33', and the 5ver we are looking at is 35', so actual towing length will be shorter. Am I missing something?

My '02 2500HD D'max, short bed, 4x4, crew cab, would NOT hit my '04 Komfort 25FSG, a very square front FW. My current '17 KZ had even more room due to the cutaway corners on teh front. I =did= hit my truck with the Komfort when backing up; looking one way and turning the other, and just lost situational awareness. Took out the back glass. I ran a B&W Companion with my Turnover Ball with the Companion set as far forward as it would go. Now, I have a '22 3500HD Denali, SRW, CC, 4x4, and I have my Companion set to the rear as my KZ is only 10.5k GVW, so I have no worries about weight. Again, I can not hit my truck with my FW at full lock, R or L. Because I have a tool box that sticks up about 3" above the bed rail at the front, I do have to watch that if I'm turning sharp on uneven ground. On level ground, the corners of the FW clear the tool box with a couple inches to spare.

To me, if you're in a situation where you need to turn that sharp, you've done something "out of the ordinary" and, usually, you can "back out" of it and take another stab at making the turn. If you simply can't, then try and make sure you've got at least 3 observers, one behind and one on either side. If you don't have them, then you need to move, GOAL (get out and look), make corrections, move a little more, GOAL, repeat as necessary. Any more, I'm not too proud to do this; 40 years ago, I'd've just rammed it through. 🙂

Lyle

[spoon059]

Cummins12V98 wrote:
Long bed, no compromise. :B

And you usually get a much bigger fuel tank with the long bed, another huge upgrade!

[C_Schomer]

I only buy LB P/Us but I still don’t ever come close to 90 degrees..You can also mount the hitch a little behind center.. That should work fine with a 6’11” bed..

[lenr]

I will use my manual slider hitch when I just don't want to have to watch closely. It's hard to tell the difference between 3" clearance or 1" too far in a turn. I've dented both sides of the cab.

[garyp4951]

I've had a B&W Companion for 20 years, and tried the B&W sliding base for a while, but after it tore up the top of my tailgate once I went back to the Companion base.
I have it set 3" behind the axle and no problems with Ram short bed.

[Cummins12V98]

Long bed, no compromise. :B

[wowens79]

MFL wrote:
IMO, twisting to 90 degrees is just foolish, adds unnecessary stress to tires/wheels/suspension.

As to the need...being a TT owner now, do you turn or back to 90 degrees? Of course you don't, you would hit truck/trailer.

I have no issue turning/backing with my Ford standard bed, using a B&W non-sliding hitch. I'm more concerned about height clearance, with a FW, than hitting my cab.

Nope, you're not missing anything, except that your overthinking the angle needed when towing a FW. Just like the TT, just a bit of pull forward to straighten, before continuing to back, is just common sense when backing any trailer.

Jerry

Thanks Jerry, that’s what I was thinking that I was only at probably 45 degrees with my TT, so even 75 would be plenty.

[BB_TX]

14 years towing the 5er and never once came close to 90 degrees. Even in some tight campgrounds.

[MFL]

IMO, twisting to 90 degrees is just foolish, adds unnecessary stress to tires/wheels/suspension.

As to the need...being a TT owner now, do you turn or back to 90 degrees? Of course you don't, you would hit truck/trailer.

I have no issue turning/backing with my Ford standard bed, using a B&W non-sliding hitch. I'm more concerned about height clearance, with a FW, than hitting my cab.

Nope, you're not missing anything, except that your overthinking the angle needed when towing a FW. Just like the TT, just a bit of pull forward to straighten, before continuing to back, is just common sense when backing any trailer.

Jerry

[4x4ord]

I towed my fiver for nearly 20 years with short box trucks and a nonsliding hitch. It’s not hard to do. I recently purchased a B&W sliding hitch and use the slider much more than I thought I would. It’s nice for hooking up …. especially at an angle. It allows ample room to walk behind the truck with the tailgate down. I can access my front basement compartment without unhooking. Now that I slide the hitch back for tight maneuvering I run the hitch a little closer to the cab while towing. I think it might tow a little nicer adjusted this way.

[phillyg]

You don't need to get to 90 degrees, until you do. My experience has been that auto sliding hitches for short bed trucks are important.