5th Wheel Clearance Truck Bed

You may also be able to lower the pin box on the trailer.

5th wheel clearance truck bed. If your fifth wheel hitch does not have enough rise to accommodate 6 inches of clearance then you might be interested in a hitch that can be adjusted to 18 inches above the truck bed like the reese fifth wheel rp30083. Y x z the amount of trailer clearance. It is recommended to have at least 5 inches from the top of the bed rails to the bottom of the trailer overhang. We watched it closely on the 300 mi.

No matter what you do with the hitch and pin box the front of the trailer needs to be located higher than level by the 5 or six inches suggested for rail clearance not a lot but a very obvious rake. An 8 foot bed also referred to as a long bed is ideal for towing a fifth wheel trailer. If the 5th wheel hitch is adjustable you want to start with it. This can cause clearance issues on shorter trucks as the trailer will strike the cab during sharp turns if the proper towing equipment is not used.

If you take a look at the linked diagram you can see the minimum recommended clearance distances between truck and trailer for 5th wheel towing. To determine if a sliding 5th wheel hitch is needed for your truck there is a simple equation you can use. I am pulling a 42 forest river with a ram 3500 long bed using an andersen ultimate. We have visited several rv shops since buying the truck and nearly all 5th wheels in the lot sitting level are about 59 from bottom of overhang to ground.

To get the trailer level i have my andersen ball in the lowest setting which only gives me about 6 inches of clearance between the bottom of the 5er and the top of my truck bed. With that said some 5th wheel hitches have height adjustments and almost all pin boxes the 5th wheel king pin are adjustable.