nose of trailer made contact with cab of truck

[thebigtiny]

I will try to condense this.

1999 wildwood sport 5th wheel toy hauler, Has a 9 inch pin extension on the existing pin box. previous owner had a 2005 short box dodge crew cab. When I purchased the trailer I pulled it with a 2007 crew cab Chevy long box. Had no problems turning the truck and trailer in tight turns.

I sold the Chevy and brought a 2013 dodge ram Crew cab short box that came with the hidden goose neck hitch I purchased the B&W companion hitch as this is the same set up in my 99 QC Dodge long bed and I have 0 problems with this set up.

So I am pulling my trailer listed above with the 2013 SBCC dodge 3500 and I have to make a very tight turn in a cul-de-sac. well **** the trailer contacts the rear Cab pillar and does $2000 worth of damage to the truck.

I can only make a turn at about 37 degrees when connected to the trailer.

How do I fix this what do I need to buy.

advice suggestions answers Help please.

thank you

Chris

[thebigtiny]

rhagfo wrote:
The simple fact is to turn sharp up to 90 degrees, with a square nosed 5er. You need the pin to be at least half the width of the 5er back from the cab, less than that it will make contact at less than 90 degrees! If you have a short bed and have between 48" to 50" between pin and cab, the pin is likely aft of the rear axle.

DURB thank you for your observations. Excluding the 3 vehicles, all my other toys were Craigslist purchases. There are amazing deals out there. And I found them.
I have begun downsizing as I get closer to retirement.

Now the hitch . After moving the 2 arms back I still did not have enough clearance so I finally moved the main pin to the farthest position aft. After I finished. I took the measurement from the center of the plate hole to the edge of the cab and came up with 56 inches.. went and measured from the center of the pin on the trailer to the farthest edge and came up with 51 inches. I have not had time yet to hook up and see the reality of making a tight turn . But soon I hope to see.

Thanks for all the interest.

Chris

[rhagfo]

thebigtiny wrote:
Hello all
Thank you for all the helpful remarks.
Thank you for the non helpful remarks.


I am not a Moron. I just did not do my homework.

What I learned so far from my own research.

The Reese extension is not recommended for use with my B&W Turnover ball.

Yes B&W has a slider But B&W says that on the 2013 Dodge ram 3500 the slider May or may not make contact with my tailgate in the rear position. They are unable to tell me for sure if it will make contact with the tailgate of my truck ???

The Existing Companion hitch has 2 positions for the Main Pin and 3 adjustable positions for the arms that hold the 5th wheel plate.

I adjusted the arms for the 5th wheel plate. and gained 3 inches of extra clearance still not enough to swing the trailer.

the next step is to adjust the Pin that goes into the Socket and changes the orientation of the hitch placement in the bed of the truck
this second change is supposed to give me a total extra 7 extra inches to the rear of the truck. I am hoping that might be enough.

Again thanks for the help. and not so much for the rude comments.

Chris

As I stated before!

rhagfo wrote:
The simple fact is to turn sharp up to 90 degrees, with a square nosed 5er. You need the pin to be at least half the width of the 5er back from the cab, less than that it will make contact at less than 90 degrees! If you have a short bed and have between 48" to 50" between pin and cab, the pin is likely aft of the rear axle.

So the simple fact of sharp turning is stated above no way to get away form it.

Now the solution.

#1. Manual slider for your B&W. This will work, BUT before you can turn sharp, you need to get out and slide the hitch back. Will you remember to do this at the moment you need to?? If not another cab contact and another $2,000 +/-.

#2. Use the Curt or B&W off set ball adapter to move the hitch back 6" to 8" and set the head back as far as possible. Now instead of the pin being over the axle it is some distance behind it maybe as much as a foot. This could change the towing experience, could lead to greater chucking.

#3. Get yourself a Pull right Superglide. Normal towing pin is over or slightly ahead of the axle, when you turn the pin automatically slides back to provide the necessary clearance to the cab.

Just keep in mind even with a 5er with a curved "Short Bed Friendly" nose and a fixed hitch, you can't go near 90 degrees with the pin over the axle.

[thebigtiny]

Me Again wrote:
Wait a minute here. IF you had the socket in position #2 that puts everything closer to the cab. With a short bed you would want it in position #1 and the pivot arms with the slope to the front and in the rear most holes. Chris

Yes you are correct.. Thank you! Manufacturer says that for my truck it is designed for position 2. Because of the centering over the axle!

Thanks

[laknox]

Me Again wrote:
Wait a minute here. IF you had the socket in position #2 that puts everything closer to the cab. With a short bed you would want it in position #1 and the pivot arms with the slope to the front and in the rear most holes. Chris

FWIW, my Companion is in the furthest forward and highest holes I could get it. I can drop my tailgate and hook up, can't hit my bed with my pin box and can't hit my cab at full lock in either direction WHEN GOING FORWARD. I can, and have, hit my window IN REVERSE...

Lyle

[garyp4951]

I did the same thing with my 1st 5er, and when I bought the B&W hitch I installed it the rear position.

[Me_Again]

Wait a minute here. IF you had the socket in position #2 that puts everything closer to the cab. With a short bed you would want it in position #1 and the pivot arms with the slope to the front and in the rear most holes. Chris

[thebigtiny]

Hello all
Thank you for all the helpful remarks.
Thank you for the non helpful remarks.


I am not a Moron. I just did not do my homework.

What I learned so far from my own research.

The Reese extension is not recommended for use with my B&W Turnover ball.

Yes B&W has a slider But B&W says that on the 2013 Dodge ram 3500 the slider May or may not make contact with my tailgate in the rear position. They are unable to tell me for sure if it will make contact with the tailgate of my truck ???

The Existing Companion hitch has 2 positions for the Main Pin and 3 adjustable positions for the arms that hold the 5th wheel plate.

I adjusted the arms for the 5th wheel plate. and gained 3 inches of extra clearance still not enough to swing the trailer.

the next step is to adjust the Pin that goes into the Socket and changes the orientation of the hitch placement in the bed of the truck
this second change is supposed to give me a total extra 7 extra inches to the rear of the truck. I am hoping that might be enough.

Again thanks for the help. and not so much for the rude comments.

Chris

[Charlie_D_]

Old-Biscuit wrote:

rhagfo wrote:

Charlie D. wrote:
Only 37 degree when turning. Something wrong with that.

Square nosed 5er Short Bed, short pin box = TROUBLE!!!

Not only is that 5vr 'square nosed' it is 'v' shaped going forward

Come on guys. Unable to make a turn greater than 37 degrees? That is equivalent to almost no turning if their is any type of unevenness.

Previous owner used a short box and no comment on an issue with his and OP is having a problem with his "new" short bed truck. Wouldn't this suggest an issue with mounting of the hitch?

[rhagfo]

The other option is a Reesr Revolution pin box.

[sele]

make it x6 seen anything from a crease to a blown back glass get whatever slider you like But get one and using it is key to not having damage

[danskool]

Slider Hitch, And even with the slider you still need to be careful in certain situations and slopes. What are we up to ? x 5

[Drifter1959]

My setup has gone over 45 degrees with room to spare. Demco Hijacker 21K Autoslide. You may not need a 21K but I found a lightly used unit which I was blessed to get for $700. Look around because the deals are out there.

[hbillsmith]

Its available branded by either B&W or Curt. They are identical. The extension is 4" not 6".

[rhagfo]

The simple fact is to turn sharp up to 90 degrees, with a square nosed 5er. You need the pin to be at least half the width of the 5er back from the cab, less than that it will make contact at less than 90 degrees! If you have a short bed and have between 48" to 50" between pin and cab, the pin is likely aft of the rear axle.