Calculating 5th Wheel Turning Clearance on 2003 Dodge Ram Pickup

Question:

I have a 2003 Ram short bed pickup and and have a 30 foot Crossroads Pleasure Pointe 5th wheel trailer.. I installed a Curtis sliding hitch... I was wondering if you can tell me how tight a turn in degrees I can make before the camper contacts the cab.

asked by: Luke P

Expert Reply:

If you have a slide type hitch such as the Curt A16 5th Wheel Trailer Hitch w/ R16 Slider, # C16521, it should not make contact; that is the purpose of the slide feature. However, the formula to determine 5th wheel turning clearance is pretty straightforward and is expressed as:

(A + B) - C = Clearance

A = Distance from center of fifth wheel hitch jaw to truck cab
B = Length of pin box arm
C = Width of trailer divided by 2 (to get half)

For an example, if the distance from the center of the hitch to the cab is 36", 36" + 22" = 58". If your fifth wheel trailer is 102" wide, take half (51"), then plug in: 58" - 51" = 7" of clearance. At least 4 inches of clearance is recommended to safely execute a 90 degree turn.

expert reply by: Michael R