Trailer to Bedrail Clearance with 2017 Ford 350 Super Duty 4x4

Question

Question:

Im getting some feedback from blogs and FB about how I might have trouble using a 5th wheel trailer due to the rail height on my Super Duty. My tailgate, with back up camera, is 61inch from the ground. The tailgate open to ground is about 36.9. The box is 21inch deep. The rails to ground are 59, the tailgate being 2 inches higher for camera, I suppose. Im being told that I wont be able to maintain the necessary 5 to 6inch clearance from trailer to tailgate/rails. I bought the Q24 from you folks but was ill for quite a while and I never mounted the hitch. Now Im a bit nervous, as a newbie, about finding a trailer that will have clearance. Can you enlighten me?

asked by: Steve

1

Helpful Expert Reply:

Pickups are getting taller (at the bed rails) and tire sizes are increasing. Both of these truck attributes, along with lift kits, can make it difficult to maintain safe trailer-to-truck clearances for 5th wheel towing.

We do have a specialized replacement 5th wheel tailgate designed to improve pin box clearance at the tailgate, Stromberg Carlson's composite plastic louvered model # VG-15-4000 which fits your F-350, but this does not address the matter of bedrail clearance (or your OEM camera). The linked diagram shows the recommended minimum clearances for 5th wheel towing.

The most common fix to improve/increase bed rail clearance is a trailer axle over-under kit. These are sometimes called an "axle flip" kit. We offer two such products, kit # K71-384-00 for 2-3/8-inch diameter axles and kit # K71-385-00 for 3-inch diameter axles. Each kit will raise the trailer by the sum of the axle diameter plus the height of the leaf spring stack. So for example, if you installed two of kit # K71-385-00 on a tandem axle trailer with 3-inch tall leaf springs you would pick up 6-inches total height.

When using an over-under kit it may be necessary to adjust the height position of the pin box on the trailer's mounting wings; keeping the hitched trailer level remains a priority for good handling.

expert reply by: Adam R

1

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Answer 1

You will have to go with a sliding hitch to allow the trailer to make tight turns. For a trailer 8 feet wide the only bed length that's going to allow 90 degree turns without a slider is a stationary hitch. That being said you have two options.…

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Answer 2

Choosing the right height setting for your 5th wheel hitch is a combination of a few different variables. First of all you want your towing setup to be as level as possible. With your Montana High Country 340BH level you will want to measure from the…

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Answer 3

The OEM prep package consists of 4 "pucks" in the bed of the truck that will allow you to drop in puck style hitches for easy installation and removal, that gives you a completely clear bed when not in use. The B&W Companion OEM 5th…

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Answer 4

The head alone for the B&W Companion hitch #BWRVK3500 weighs about 70 pounds. Everything else weighs about 130 pounds. So the total weight of the hitch is approximately 200 pounds.

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Answer 5

If you take a look at the linked diagram you can see the minimum recommended clearance distances between truck and trailer for 5th wheel towing. It is recommended to have at least 5-inches from the top of the bed rails to the bottom of the trailer…

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Answer 6

Most fifth wheel rails are made to the same industry standard dimensions. They aren't all though. If you measure 22 inches on center between the two rails and they look like the rails of the #RP30035 that you referenced they would be the industry…

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Answer 7

I spoke with my contact at Trailair and from your serial number we were able to determine that your trailer came with a 1621 HD pin box which is a long pin box style. I was unable to obtain the exact part number for your Trailair pin box but from the…

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Answer 8

The B&W Companion OEM 5th Wheel Hitch w/ Slider for Chevy/GMC Towing Prep Package #BWRVK3775 you're looking at will work fine with your new Chevrolet Silverado. This hitch has 3 height adjustments so you'll be able to set the hitch height…

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Answer 9

Hey Jay. It sounds like you are on the right track here because a sidewinder pin box will be your only option for pulling your 5th wheel since you have a short bed truck with the Rambox. That said, you are right that the Reese Sidewinder cannot be…

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Answer 10

Thank you for the photo of your 2016 Ram 3500's bed rail which sits 59-inches above ground. You are correct that the recommended minimum clearance between a bed rail and the underside of the trailer's overhang is 5 to 6-inches, as shown in…

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Answer 11

The Ram OEM 5th wheel puck system, shown in the linked photo and article, was launched in 2013 so what you have in your truck is likely to be an aftermarket installation of some kind. These newer Ram trucks with the factory prep can directly accept a…

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Answer 12

The factory prep package or pucks are not the same between Ram, GM and Ford. The spacing is all different which means you cannot use a 5th wheel hitch for Ram pucks on a GM with pucks. Take the Curt A25 5th Wheel Trailer Hitch for example which is…

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