King Pin Extender

[stu]

Has antone had any experience with the RV5 King Pin Extender from http://www.popuphitch.com

[stu]

Has antone had any experience with the RV5 King Pin Extender from http://www.popuphitch.com

[TXiceman]

Stu, welcome to the site. It is a wealth of information.

I do not have experience with the RV5, but I am a mechanical engineer and I would never put something like that on my trailer. By the added length of the device, you are increasing the momnet arm and thus the forces on the pin box area of your trailer.

I strongly suggest you contact your trailer manufacturer (not the dealer) and ask them if they will warranty the trailer frame if you use such a device. Very few will are designed for the additional stresses on the frame.

If you are short of clearance and have a short bed truck, you might want to look into a slider hitch, either the manual type or the automatic type.

Ken

[RustyJC]

Amplifying on Ken's response, there are some 5th wheels that cannot even use an extended pin box because of the pin weight of the trailer and the resultant torque produced by the offset of the extended pin box. As an example, if a trailer used a 12" extended pin box and had a pin weight of 2500 lbs, a static torque of 2500 lb-ft would be produced and applied to the pin box/frame area. The torque would be higher under dynamic conditions such as bumps, etc. Is a torque of 2500 lb-ft significant? Compare it to the torque produced by your tow vehicle's engine!

So, yes, I would certainly check with the 5th wheel manufacturer, NOT the dealer, to see if the frame/pin box has the capacity to handle the additional loading imposed by this RV5 king pin extender before using it.

Rusty

[JimmyDee]

From what I've seen, you could purchase an extended pin box from the dealer or frame manufacturer that would be an exact fit and for less money.
Jim