Towing 5th wheel with no extended pin & short box truck

[LIKENIT]

I have an F-350 SRW Crew Cab Shortbox, 6 & 3/4 feet long, with a Reese 15K slider hitch that I use to pull my present trailer. I am considering the purchase of a 2000 Excel 30 SKO that has no extended pin.

I have been gathering information about an extended pin that would replace the old pin box. The trailer, however, is 1300 miles away, so I need to have my information together before making a move on it.

In speaking with probably the most experienced and knowledgeable service manager in the area, he said that I could tow the trailer with the slider in the extended position in situations where I might need to make sharper turns such as in towns or entering gas staions etc., then put it back in position when out on the Hwy.

I was always under the impression that one was not to tow with the slider extended other than for maneuvering during parking.

Has anyone ever tried this and how did it work? He said I would notice the front end being lighter but it wouldn't damage the hitch etc.

It would be much easier to get the rig home and than have the hitch changed. Otherwise I need to find an extended pin to take along to swap and than hope someone hasn't screwed up with what they ordered and sent me. With the way service seems to be today, I figure it to be a 50-50 chance of getting the right new extended pin to swap out.

Any experience or thoughts on this would be appreciated.

[LIKENIT]

I have an F-350 SRW Crew Cab Shortbox, 6 & 3/4 feet long, with a Reese 15K slider hitch that I use to pull my present trailer. I am considering the purchase of a 2000 Excel 30 SKO that has no extended pin.

I have been gathering information about an extended pin that would replace the old pin box. The trailer, however, is 1300 miles away, so I need to have my information together before making a move on it.

In speaking with probably the most experienced and knowledgeable service manager in the area, he said that I could tow the trailer with the slider in the extended position in situations where I might need to make sharper turns such as in towns or entering gas staions etc., then put it back in position when out on the Hwy.

I was always under the impression that one was not to tow with the slider extended other than for maneuvering during parking.

Has anyone ever tried this and how did it work? He said I would notice the front end being lighter but it wouldn't damage the hitch etc.

It would be much easier to get the rig home and than have the hitch changed. Otherwise I need to find an extended pin to take along to swap and than hope someone hasn't screwed up with what they ordered and sent me. With the way service seems to be today, I figure it to be a 50-50 chance of getting the right new extended pin to swap out.

Any experience or thoughts on this would be appreciated.

[RustyJC]

An extended pin box will increase the stresses on the 5th wheel frame. Not all 5th wheel models are designed to accept an extended pin box - our previous 5th wheel wasn't. You might want to check with Excel to be sure that you can use an extended pin box on the RV in question.

Rusty

[LIKENIT]

Thanks Rusty,

I am aware of the restrictions on some 5th wheels as far as an extended pin and am presently checking this out with Excel. The model is a 2000 30 SKO. An extended pin was not available when this model was manufactured, but since this time, Excel is offering an extended pin.
It is easy to see why there is so much confusion on this issue because the need for a slider hitch when towing with a short box depends more on the extension of the pin on the trailer than with the short box truck itself.
I presently have a trailer with the maximum extended pin and have never needed to use my Reese 15 K Slider hitch option. I tried it one time to see how it worked, but I can back the trailer into just about anything without it.
So far, I wish I would have saved the money with a fully extended pin box, but maybe I will need it some day.

Thanks for your input. LIKENIT

[TQ 27]

Likenit: I have an F250 CC shortbox with a Reese 15k slider towing a 30 ft Jayco with a standard pin box. I drive with it in the forward position all the time and have no trouble turning in city streets and most fuel stops. Very rarely do I ever have to slide the hitch. From my driveway to the street is more than a 90 and by making a wide turn I don't have to slide to do this. You should have no trouble unless you are in a really tight area then you may have to slide the hitch. Hope this helps. Blair

[LIKENIT]

Thanks Blair. I have a 95 Jayco Designer 3030 RK SS and the 99 Superduty. I have the longest Leland extended pin sleeve of 22 1/2 inches with the Reese 15 K slider. I never use the slider and can make what I would estimate to be aboutn 80 degree turn.
That really suprises me that you have such little problem with a standard pin. Would you take a look at this site just and tell me which pin you have? http://www.lelandengineering.com/pin.htm
I think all Jaycos use Leland Pin Boxes.

Thanks, LIKENIT

[TQ 27]

Likenit: The pin that I have is the AF 7905. I have towed the 5er with both my Ford and a Chev short box. The Ford has a slightly longer bed than the Chev, thus is a bit easier to make sharp turns. If this is the combo your new trailer has, you should have no problem. Blair

[LIKENIT]

Blair, Thanks for the reply. What model Jayco Fiver do you have? Thats great news for my situation. How sharp a turn can you make in degrees would you estimate? I'm really surprised that there is not more difference compared to having a fully extended pin box like I have on my 95 Designer. Just goes to show what assuming something does and of course trailers will be different with different trucks.

Thanks again. LIKENIT

[TQ 27]

Likenit: My 5er is a 1997 model 303 RKS. As for the turn in degrees, this is only a guess but I think I can turn approx 45 to 55 degrees. A tight turn at an intresection has not been a problem so far. I can turn, right or left at a T intersection onto a 2 lane road.I just try to turn as wide as possible. I will try to get a picture of the rig in a forward and back position. Blair

[Roam America]

LIKENIT

Back to your original question.

When I had my Reese Slider hitch, the instructions clearly stated that you should not tow with the hitch in the extended position.

I'm not an engineer so i can't explain the why's or why not's. Take it for what it is worth. I figured the Reese engineers knew more than I, so it was good enough for me to not want to tow that way.

[Skip298]

I was told not to tow on the road with the slider hitch in the back(extended) position because...the weight of a fiver hitch is supposed to be OVER the rear wheels,this distributes the weight over the entire truck..so for braking and ride the weight doesnt overload one part of the unit...when you have the slider in the back position, the weight is 14 or 16 inches BEHIND the wheels and you can actually feel and see the difference in the truck(rear end down/front end high)..if you were to drive on the highway at any speed and hit a hump or a hollow your rear tires would have tremendous weights pushed upon them and they might blow...if you had to stop quickly the weight on the rear wheels would grind your brakes down very quickly, your front probably wouldnt be of any use and the centrifigal force would be pushing down on the rear of the truck(creating a damage possibility on the springs).Your steering would be as light as a feather because not all of the tires are on the road. As someone else said..this is what i was told and I follow those instructions..moving about a CG at low speed is the only way I might consider doing it...

[FatDog]

" ....I could tow the trailer with the slider in the extended position in situations where I might need to make sharper turns such as in towns or entering gas staions etc., then put it back in position when out on the Hwy. ..."

I always thought that this was the reason you got a slider hitch, to use it in either setting WHEN the situation called for it.
I have a short-bed and have towed 2 different 5'rs with it over the years. Both 5'rs have had different pin configurations, (but i would also never change that configuration.)

BUT, i have towed miles with my Husky 16K slider in the back position. If I tow my 5'r from my house to the truck wash across town and i am taking all the little side streets I definitly set the slider back with essentially no steering peculiarities. Of course i am traveling slow and anticipating my turns. But I have towed an accumulation of miles this way when the situation made it beneficial.

The slider is meant for allowing sharp cornering while parking the rig, but if you are driving around town to gas it up and then take it to the truck wash and then to the grocery store ... all that sharp cornering around town??? you will find my slider in the back position. Once it looks like my honey-do's are over, i slide the Husky into the forward mode and now enjoy the full benefits of a 5'r hitch.
When i towed a tag-a-long trailer before my 5'rs, it seems like i could feel tail-wagging-dog syndrome more then i do with the 5'r hitch in the back setting with an unloaded 5'r.

[Muncie_6spd]

Just curious, why do so many people tow a 5th wheel with a shortbed, why not use a longbed and eliminate the possible problems and the expensive sliding hitch. I guess I don't understand the advantage of a shortbed since I've always had longbed trucks.

Thanks, Mike

[Skip298]

Just repeating what I was told by someone (That I personally know)with many more years of knowledge than I...