Offset Needed to Provide Clearance When Towing a 5th Wheel Trailer with a 2006 3500 Dodge Mega Cab

Question:

I have a 2006 3500 DRW Dodge Mega Cab with the BandW goosenck hitch installed. The hitch is 4 to 5 inches in front of the rear axle...this cuts short the clearance to the cab...do you guys make #16310 with an offset to compensate and get the hitch back just in front of the rear axle?? Thanks

asked by: Gale

Expert Reply:

The Curt X5 Fifth Wheel Adapter for B and W Square Shank Turnover Ball Hitches, item # 16310 is not available in an offset configuration.

You have two options for converting your B and W gooseneck hitch to tow a fifth-wheel trailer.

The first option is to use a fifth wheel to gooseneck adapter like the Ranch Hitch Universal 5th-Wheel-to-Gooseneck Coupler Adapter w/8" Offset for Short-Bed Trucks, item # AM3139. The Ranch hitch is height adjustable and provides 8 extra inches of offset behind the center of the hitch ball in the bed of your truck.

If 8 inches of offset does not give you clearance for turning the fifth-wheel trailer, the second option is to install fifth-wheel rails in the bed of your truck and to use a slider hitch or a Sidewinder pin box on your trailer. With fifth-wheel rails installed you can use a gooseneck plate like the Curt 25K Gooseneck Plate for Fifth Wheel Rails, item # 16055, to tow your gooseneck trailers.

The correct fifth-wheel installation kit for your 2006 3500 DRW Dodge Mega Cab is the Reese Semi-Custom Base Rail and Installation Kit, item # RP30035-186, along with a slider hitch like the Reese 5th Wheel Trailer Hitch with Round Tube Slider - 20,000 lbs, item # RP30083, or a fixed fifth wheel hitch like the Reese 5th Wheel Trailer Hitch - 20,000 lbs, item # RP30928 and a Sidewinder pin box.

The round tube slider will provide 12 inches of clearance for turning clearance and a Sidewinder pin box will provide 22 inches of clearance. The Sidewinder does not require getting out of the vehicle and activating the slide mechanism so that is a big advantage to going with the sidewinder.

The Sidewinder pin box replacement is trailer specific so you will need the make and model of the pin box on your fifth-wheel trailer to select the proper Sidewinder, I have linked an article that shows how to measure and that has a pin box chart to help with selection.