5th wheel setup questions (long)
TIA, & sorry for the book and all the questions.
I may be worrying about nothing, but in selecting a 5th wheel towing setup how do you ensure you have adequate clearance between the top of the truck bed rails and the base of the 5th wheel where the king pin mounts?
I have my 5th wheel measurements and the specs for my future tow vehicle when unloaded. The bed rail height of the unloaded truck is almost 1" higher than the clearance under the nose of the 5th wheel.
I realize the height of the truck bed rails will drop once the couple tons of pin weight are added but the 5ver will be bowing along with it.
Thus, it appears to me that there are two possible ways to correct this: 1) an extended hitch pin would add distance, and 2) the height of the hitch in the bed of the truck would lift the pin height.
Thus, I assume, it would be a good idea to consider hitches that are sufficiently height adjustable to get the necessary clearance.
In my case, my existing pin box extends approx. 12" below the skin of the 5ver. The unloaded truck bed rails are almost 57" from the ground with the rails themselves rising a tad over 20" above the bed of the truck.
If I'm calculating right, the base of my pin box should be at least 14" above the bed to have the necessary clearance above the rails.
Am I thinking right that the hitch I need to get this height needs to be at least 14" high (per its specs)? And, if I need bed rails, is that included in the specified height of the hitch?
I'm currently looking at a couple of hitches: one is made specifically for the truck and is a 'puck' mount that is 14" high (non adjustable) and another requires rails and is adjustable from 14" to a few inches higher.
Leveling the 5ver after hitching shouldn't be a problem since the truck I'll be ordering will have adjustable suspension. But would I be better off getting the adjustable hitch?
I may be worrying about nothing, but in selecting a 5th wheel towing setup how do you ensure you have adequate clearance between the top of the truck bed rails and the base of the 5th wheel where the king pin mounts?
I have my 5th wheel measurements and the specs for my future tow vehicle when unloaded. The bed rail height of the unloaded truck is almost 1" higher than the clearance under the nose of the 5th wheel.
I realize the height of the truck bed rails will drop once the couple tons of pin weight are added but the 5ver will be bowing along with it.
Thus, it appears to me that there are two possible ways to correct this: 1) an extended hitch pin would add distance, and 2) the height of the hitch in the bed of the truck would lift the pin height.
Thus, I assume, it would be a good idea to consider hitches that are sufficiently height adjustable to get the necessary clearance.
In my case, my existing pin box extends approx. 12" below the skin of the 5ver. The unloaded truck bed rails are almost 57" from the ground with the rails themselves rising a tad over 20" above the bed of the truck.
If I'm calculating right, the base of my pin box should be at least 14" above the bed to have the necessary clearance above the rails.
Am I thinking right that the hitch I need to get this height needs to be at least 14" high (per its specs)? And, if I need bed rails, is that included in the specified height of the hitch?
I'm currently looking at a couple of hitches: one is made specifically for the truck and is a 'puck' mount that is 14" high (non adjustable) and another requires rails and is adjustable from 14" to a few inches higher.
Leveling the 5ver after hitching shouldn't be a problem since the truck I'll be ordering will have adjustable suspension. But would I be better off getting the adjustable hitch?
