Troubleshooting Truck Sidewall Clearance on a 2008 F-350 Long Bed 4WD Towing a Carriage 5th Wheel  

Question:

Expert Reply:

The first thing I would check is the fifth-wheel hitch in the bed of your truck. Typically the hitch is height adjustable and can be moved to the highest position for bedside clearance.

Going with a standard pin box instead of an extended one will only change the location of the king pin which will bring the trailer closer to the rear of the vehicle. You may then have clearance issues with the trailer loft and the cab of the truck depending on the width of your trailer.

If adjusting the fifth-wheel hitch does not alleviate the bedside clearance issue, you could check the pin box mounting position itself. The pin box typically has several sets of mounting holes. Moving the pin box down will allow for better bedside clearance also. Before moving the pin box contact the trailer manufacturer to make sure that this is acceptable with the weight and framing of your trailer and the style of pin box on your trailer.

The 5th Airborne Premium Fifth Wheel Air Ride Coupler - Extended 12-1/2 inch Wide Air Ride, item # 5AB-E510-710, is an extended pin box. At this time we do not offer a standard length pin box designed for your trailer.

expert reply by: Robert G

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Joe

7/19/2010

Thanks for the quick reply. 1. I have the B&W Companion Hitch -- it is at the highest setting. 2. I adjusted the pinbox holes and it moves the trailer up and down relative to the truck just fine, but the problem is the angle of the pinbox is too shallow so the bottom of the pinbox is what would contact the side of the truck not the camper. Adjusting where the pinbox is attached to the trailer does not solve that problem. 3. Can you send me any detailed drawings so I can do some measurements prior to ordering?

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Bob G.

7/19/2010

I see now what you are referring to. This situation is not as prevalent as trailer loft and bedside contact so I assumed the wrong situation was the problem. I am not familiar with the B&W Companion hitch. Our Reese 5th Wheel Trailer Hitch - 20,000 lbs, item # RP30928, will adjust to a maximum height of 18 inches above the bed of the truck. The 5th Airborne is not recommended to be used with the B&W Companion hitches and the manufacturer will not send out detailed drawings. The # 5AB-E510-710 pin box is going to be very close to the standard pin box and most likely would not solve the issue. I do have a solution for your situation though. You could use a Reese 5th wheel hitch, like the one recommended above and a 5th Airborne with Sidewinder, item # RP61412, as long as the total weight of your trailer is less than 16,000 pounds loaded and ready to tow. The Sidewinder will allow the trailer to rotate on the rotating turret and the pin box will stay straight in the truck bed so the only clearance issue would be the trailer loft to bedside which is not a problem for your setup.

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