Towing 5th wheel with 5'8" bed.

[milzat]

I'm looking at a Rockwood 5th wheel and want to know if anyone here is towing a Chevy 5' 8" bed and what hitch is being used.

[huntr70]

Pretty much limited to a Pullrite SuperGlide.

Check them out on their website.

[Dave_Monica]

I'm sure I've seen slider hitches that have 12" between the towing/manuvering positions. Would that be enough with that shorter box?

What about a sidewinder pin box. Most manufacturers (including Rockwood) offer it as an option. Than moves the pivot back 20 inches from the king pin.

Dave

[Dave_Monica]

Here Mike...found a few pictures of a Rockwood 8285WS with a sidewinder hitch at Bill Thomas Camper Sales.

Dave

http://www.btcamper.com/inventory/74...te-8285WS.aspx

[skylarcamp]

I ordered an 8265s with the optional sidewinder pinbox, I have a Titan with a 5'7" bed. The dealer had recommended it and said they work well. It should be arriving sometime this week, so I am told. I can let you know how things work out when I pick it up. The optional sidewinder was only an additional $545.00, much less $$ than the pullrite. Go to Reese hitches website, they have a video deminstration of it in use.

[milzat]

Originally Posted by Dave_Monica

Here Mike...found a few pictures of a Rockwood 8285WS with a sidewinder hitch at Bill Thomas Camper Sales.

Dave

http://www.btcamper.com/inventory/74...te-8285WS.aspx

Thanks, Dave. Good find.

It also looks as though it's attached to a GooseNeck Hitch, not a Fifth Wheel Hitch.

[milzat]

Originally Posted by skylarcamp

I ordered an 8265s with the optional sidewinder pinbox, I have a Titan with a 5'7" bed. The dealer had recommended it and said they work well. It should be arriving sometime this week, so I am told. I can let you know how things work out when I pick it up. The optional sidewinder was only an additional $545.00, much less $$ than the pullrite. Go to Reese hitches website, they have a video demonstration of it in use.

Thanks for the info.

I did find out the hitch that will be supplied with the 5er will fit my truck bed/frame. I do know it's a Reese/DrawTite Pro Series #30056. The manufacturer states that a SideWider Hitch MUST be used with this hitch.

[PumaPro]

Pull Rite just came out with a new hitch, 15K, that will drop into standard fifth wheel hitch rails (finally). Retail on that hitch: $1099. They knocked over $500 off the cost, making them about the same cost as a manual slide hitch. The sidewinders work well, also. Less moving parts.

[Dave_Monica]

Mike, what Rockwood model 5'er are you looking at? Just curious.

Dave

[milzat]

Originally Posted by Dave_Monica

Mike, what Rockwood model 5'er are you looking at? Just curious.

Dave

Dave, it's a 2006 828SS rear living.
We struck a deal at $12,500 including his Reese Pro Series 15K hitch(I'll be selling the hitch).
I'm buying a PullRite SuperGlide hitch to fit my truck. The guy bought it and never installed it. He was asking $1,100 obo. I bought it for $900. He's delivering it tomorrow.

Of course, I'll have to buy the installation kit and capture plate. I found RV Wholesalers to have the best price so far.

[Dave_Monica]

Congratulations, Mike. A whole other camper to do mods on!
Posts some pictures when you have the chance.

Dave

[milzat]

Originally Posted by Dave_Monica

Congratulations, Mike. A whole other camper to do mods on!
Posts some pictures when you have the chance.

Dave

The deal on the trailer ain't quite done yet, but is very close to a sure thing. He did take it off the market for now. He has a pay-off to contend with to receive a clear title.
No matter what happens, I'll have the hitch ready for either this trailer or the next deal to come along.

[milzat]

The hitch arrive a little while ago and it is indeed new.



Now to buy the installation kit for the truck.

[Dave_Monica]

Looks great, Mike but it needs to be mounted a little further away from the cab!

Dave

[milzat]

Originally Posted by Dave_Monica

Looks great, Mike but it needs to be mounted a little further away from the cab!

Dave

Darn, I thought I had to apply a little weight to the front axle.

[Palomino_G210]

Darn, I thought I had to apply a little weight to the front axle.

That is what the engine is for!!!!

[skylarcamp]

If anyone is interested, I just picked up our 8265s with the reese sidewinder kingpin. I have a 5'7" shortbed with a curt 15k hitch, on my Titan CC. The hitch sits pretty close to the back of the bed. The sidewinder works great. I have pleanty of clearance and had no problems backing up into my tight driveway. I'm very happy with this setup.

[milzat]

Originally Posted by skylarcamp

If anyone is interested, I just picked up our 8265s with the reese sidewinder kingpin. I have a 5'7" shortbed with a curt 15k hitch, on my Titan CC. The hitch sits pretty close to the back of the bed. The sidewinder works great. I have pleanty of clearance and had no problems backing up into my tight driveway. I'm very happy with this setup.

Cool.

Got any pictures? Close-ups?


In other news, I placed an order a few minutes ago for the universal pin box capture plate, to work with the SuperGlide hitch.
Now I'm shopping for a good deal on the hitch installation kit.

[skylarcamp]

I'll be hooking up this weekend to practice towing and backing up. I can get some pictures for you then.

[skylarcamp]

Here are some pictures of the sidewinder. I took the new rig out for some practice. I had no problems with tight turns and backing.