Why Can't a 5th Wheel Trailer be Towed with a Slider Hitch Slid Back on a Ford F-150 5-1/2 Foot Bed

Question:

I recently went camping for the weekend and after placing my slider into the rear position to set up on my site- I forgot to slide it back into the forward position when I started back home. I have an F-150 4x4 5 1/2foot crew with trailer towing pkg. I got home and went to slide it back to park it and it was a funny feeling when I realized it was still in the rear position. It had towed fine without any noticeable differences around 100 miles with some pretty tough grades. trailer weight is around 8700 loaded and I was pulling an alum bass boat behind the trailer as well. Everyone says you cant do that but I wonder why really. They say it puts more weight toward the rear of the truck, Well to me it would seem that its not near as much as a bumper hitch pulling the same weight. what is the real answer?

asked by: DeeWayne

Expert Reply:

The issue is that the pin weight of the trailer would be too far behind the rear axle of the truck where the capacity is lower. A bumper pull trailer and 5th wheel are not really fair comparisons because tongue weight is almost always going to be lower than a 5th wheel's pin weight.

Things that can happen if the pin weight is behind the rear axle include reduced braking and steering ability and visibility issues, especially at night. The degree to which this is a problem various from truck to truck and trailer to trailer.

Oddly enough what probably helped reduce these effects on your rig was the fact that you had the tongue weight of the boat trailer pulling down at the back of the 5th wheel which likely lessened the pin weight of the 5th wheel. And just so you know you will want to check the state laws where you will be traveling because towing a trailer behind another trailer is illegal in some states.

What I recommend so that you don't run into any problems in the future is a hitch that slides automatically such as # DM8550040 which slides 22-1/2 inches and is ideal for trucks with 5-1/2 foot beds. Just something to think about if you ever want to replace your hitch.

expert reply by: Michael H