Towing a 5th Wheel Trailer with a 2003 Ford F-250 Supercrew with a Gooseneck Trailer Hitch

Question:

I have a 2003 Ford F250 supercrew kingranch shortbed with a gooseneck in the middle of the bed. I bought a 1997 28foot Nomad 5th wheel and am curious if I can use a convert-a-ball no offset or I need to buy an actual 5th wheel hitch. If I need to buy a hitch, what do I need to get? The camper is around 7000 pounds probably. A friend told me something about needing an offset if I use the gooseneck adaptor so as not to hit hte corner of my cab on the camper. Any info would be helpful. Thanks.

asked by: Jeff T

Expert Reply:

Some Supercrew models have a very short bed (less than 6 feet long) and when towing a 5th wheel trailer you would need to fit the trailer with a Sidewinder pin box. This moves the pivot point of the trailer back 22 inches. To use a Sidewinder you have to have a fixed 5th wheel hitch installed because an adapter with an offset will not provide clearance for you to make sharp turns without hitting the trailer and truck cab together.

To determine if any Sidewinders will fit your trailer you will need to find the manufacturer and model number of the trailers pin box. This information is usually on a sticker or plate on the pin box. Then use the FAQ I have linked to determine if there are any that will fit.

If there is a Sidewinder that will fit then you will need to install a 5th wheel trailer hitch starting with an installation kit like # RP50082-58 and a hitch like # RP30047 and the gooseneck hitch will have to come out.

To get more clearance you can use a 5th wheel slider hitch. This would mean that you would have to remove the gooseneck hitch from the truck. This is because the installation kit # RP50082-58 needs the same or similar mounting points so you cannot have both hitches.

Then for a slider hitch I would go with # RP30075 because it uses a round tube slider with 12 inches of travel. The hitch is rated for 16,000 pounds gross trailer weight and 4,000 pounds pin weight.