Short box 5th wheel hitch

[bil67com]

I am considering purchasing a 2007 Ram 3500 drw flatbed pickup. The below bed ball sits only 2’-4” away from the front of the bed. This is obviously going to make jackknifing impossible and limit by turn radius capabilities. Are there hitch setups made to deal with these issues that will move the pivot point to the rear of the bed?

[Funhaus]

I am by no means a flatbed or hitch expert, but in my experience most flatbeds sit above the frame rails, the problem I see, even with a slider hitch that is made for shortbeds is that it will not directly bolt to the frame, I'm sure someone out there has done this but I would think it would take a custom application and some metal work to get it done.
I know I'm not much help but those are the first things to pop into my head on the subject.

[dayle1]

Originally Posted by bil67com

I am considering purchasing a 2007 Ram 3500 drw flatbed pickup. The below bed ball sits only 2’-4” away from the front of the bed. This is obviously going to make jackknifing impossible and limit by turn radius capabilities. Are there hitch setups made to deal with these issues that will move the pivot point to the rear of the bed?

The Reese Sidewinder or Revolution moves the pivot point back by 22 inches. This would be the best solution. This is a pin box solution and you will still need a fixed mount fiver hitch.

But you also need to consider the width of the flatbed, as the truck is DRW, the bed may be too wide. Are the rear corners of the flatbed notched?

Finally, there are several fiver hitches designed for use with a flatbed. They are lower in height, but they also have no vertical adjustment. Check with eTrailer or google search. These hitches do not come with mounting brackets, a local welder will have to fabricate brackets.

[Spdracr39]

move the ball to a point over the axles where it belongs and use a regular gooseneck adapter ?

[SmokeyWren]

Hi, Bil67com, and

Originally Posted by bil67com

Are there hitch setups made to deal with these issues that will move the pivot point to the rear of the bed?

Yes. Not a permanent move of the pivot point, but one that moves the pivot point back as you turn.

With your super-shorty bed, you may not be able to locate the hitch head so you can do a full 90° jackknife, but you should be able to turn as sharp as the truck will turn when going forward. Backing up into a jackknife is what will get you into trouble, so plan ahead and don't get in a situation where you have to back into a sharp turn.

If your 5er hitch can be adjusted to place the head of the hitch higher in the bed, then the Reese Sidewinder may be all you need. The Sidewinder replaces the pin box on the trailer.
http://www.reeseprod.com/products/pi...W5HrcuGlg!ABL9

Even fancier is the Fifth Airborne/Sidewinder combo.
http://www.reeseprod.com/products/pi...hle8Gafp5BGHE3

If your 5er hitch is too low in the bed and not adjustable to raise the head enough, then you may need to replace the 5er head with a gooseneck ball, then replace the pinbox on the trailer with a gooseneck coupler:
http://www.reeseprod.com/products/pi...aYylyd0YNyRd0A

If your 5er hitch installer was worth a darn, then the 5er hitch is already bolted to the frame of the truck. If the hitch (or bedrails into which the hitch is inserted) is not already bolted to the frame of the truck, then you need to have a good hitch shop uninstall the 5er hitch and install it right, with bolts going through the floor of the bed into "L" brackets that are bolted to the frame of the truck.