Availability of Fifth Wheel Hitch for 2010 Dodge Ram with 5-1/2 Foot Bed  

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There are two major considerations that will determine if you can safely tow a fifth wheel trailer with your truck, the weight capacity of the truck itself and the clearance needed between the truck cab and the trailer.

You will want to determine if your truck has a sufficient Gross Trailer Weight Capacity to tow the fifth wheel you have in mind. In the owners manual, or on a sticker located on the drivers side door jamb you should find the GCWR and the GVW. The Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR) is the maximum allowable tow rating in terms of the combined vehicle and trailer weight. When you subtract the Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) from the GCWR, the figure remaining will be the maximum weight of the trailer you can safely tow.

In order to tow a fifth wheel trailer, you will need to gain some clearance between the front of the trailer and the rear of the truck cab due to the very short length of your bed. If you use a standard fifth wheel hitch, the front of the trailer will hit the rear of the truck cab during turns, damaging the truck and the trailer. You will need to use a Sidewinder Replacement Pin Box that will provide an additional 22 inches of clearance between the trailer and the truck cab. The Sidewinder accomplishes this by relocating the pivot point between the truck and trailer from where the king pin locks into the hitch jaws to the point where the pin box attaches to the trailer.

It will be necessary to make some measurements to determine if the Sidewinder will provide enough clearance for you. On your truck, it is recommended that the fifth wheel hitch be installed so that the trailer king pin falls 1-1/2 inches forward of the center of the rear axle. You will want to locate this point in your truck bed, and measure forward to the rear of the cab. Add 22 inches (the length of the Sidewinder)to this figure. From this amount, subtract half the width of your trailer. The number remaining will be the approximate amount of clearance you will have between the truck and trailer.

Assuming that your truck has enough capacity, and that using the Sidewinder will provide enough clearance, you will then need to choose a hitch.

You will need a hitch whose capacity meets or exceeds the loaded weight of your fifth wheel trailer.
You will also need the installation kit, part # RP30035, as well as the custom installation brackets needed for the Dodge truck, part # RP58386.

expert reply by: Mike L

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