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Old 08-21-2011, 08:50 AM   #1
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towing a boat ?

i have a Rockwood 8281SS fifth wheel and i was talking with the service person at my dealer and he has a guy that will weld on a trailer hitch receiver and supports for towing a small boat,
has anyone done this ? how did it turn out ?

any input would be great


dan
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Old 08-21-2011, 10:16 AM   #2
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Been discussed here before. Illegal in most states. May void any frame warranty........

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...-up-15526.html
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Old 08-22-2011, 06:32 PM   #3
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i was kinda looking for someone who added a towing hitch to the back of a 5th wheel
to see what kind of mods that had to be made for it to fit
it would mostly be used for a bike rack now but i would like to be able to tow a small
boat in the future
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Old 08-22-2011, 07:00 PM   #4
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you might want to contact the welder and ask for some input from his customers that have done that and get their opinion.
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Old 08-22-2011, 07:02 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Danimal View Post
i have a Rockwood 8281SS fifth wheel and i was talking with the service person at my dealer and he has a guy that will weld on a trailer hitch receiver and supports for towing a small boat,
has anyone done this ? how did it turn out ?

any input would be great


dan
have you contacted rockwood to see if its even possible ? they would be the first i contacted .
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Old 08-22-2011, 07:13 PM   #6
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the service manager told me they put them on at the FR dealer but the guy doing the welding does not work for the dealer
i have not asked FR but this dealer has been in the same place for 45 years
i would have to think he would have told me it could not be done safely if it could'nt
but i will ask around before doing any MODs
i thought i would start here with other FR owner
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Old 08-22-2011, 07:14 PM   #7
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It will void the frame warranty. But if that is not an issue, any good welding shop specializing in hitches can do it. But don't take it to just any shop. The frames on these campers are very light, and you can't just tack on a receiver hitch to the back of the frame.
I pulled a 1500 lb jetboat behind my old fifth wheel, so I don't see why you couldn't pull a small boat behind your Rockwood. But I wouldn't pull my jetboat boat behind my Flagstaff. The frame on my old fifth was at least 50% thicker.
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Old 08-22-2011, 07:38 PM   #8
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the service manager told me they put them on at the FR dealer but the guy doing the welding does not work for the dealer
i have not asked FR but this dealer has been in the same place for 45 years
i would have to think he would have told me it could not be done safely if it could'nt
but i will ask around before doing any MODs
i thought i would start here with other FR owner
i understand your checking the forums and thats great .
personally i dont trust a dealers word .
case in point ....
my friend of 12 years just purchased a 5er and the dealer told him his tv would have no problem towing it .
what the dealer failed to do is actually "look" at the tow vehicle and decide if it would .
tv was an f150 with 20 " wheels with no tow package which dropped his tow rating to almost close to the uvw because of the 20 " wheels .
the dealer just assumed that it was a standard f150. btw the wheels were factory installed and not rated for the weight he wanted to tow .

do your home work and youll be fine ! good luck
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Old 08-22-2011, 07:45 PM   #9
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i have an 06 8281ss with a tow hitch on it. i pull a crestliner fishhawk 1750 behind it every weekend with a round trip of never under 100 miles. never had a dimes worth of problems.
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Old 08-22-2011, 08:16 PM   #10
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"i have an 06 8281ss with a tow hitch on it. i pull a crestliner fishhawk 1750 behind it every weekend with a round trip of never under 100 miles. never had a dimes worth of problems."

Until one day the pin box is torn right out of the frame!
As long as a close eye is kept on the stress points in the frame, it can be done. But these are very light frames, and were never designed to pull anything behind. That is why adding a hitch to the back voids the warranty.
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Old 08-23-2011, 05:50 PM   #11
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great input, thanks
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Old 09-05-2011, 10:05 AM   #12
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My worry with this whole concept is that some people have 2" receivers attached at the back for bike racks etc, that could never tow anything and aren't intended for it but the draw bar will fit. My old TT had a receiver just bolted to the bumper, the previous owner had one of those storage boxes on it.
If I was going to tow a boat behind my 5er I wouid have the welding shop modify a proper receiver frame and attach it to the 5er frame with custom brackets in at least four places. I just had custom ones made for my hitch in the bed of my truck and saw the process first hand, I believe most well equipped shops could make you a strong hitch, but you need to find out about the whole system too. How much can your hitch take, how much will the new rig weigh, there could be a weak point in the system that isn't the part you are making from scratch. Train units are used in heavy over the road transportation so if you can legally tow in your home state, and have the skills to handle it, and your rig can be successfully modified then you will have a great set up and I can't think of anything cooler than having my boat and my camper with me on a long trip (I wish I had a boat)
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Old 09-05-2011, 04:22 PM   #13
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i am having it welded on at a shop they will be welding on extra support and it will be just under the factory bumper, they are setting it up to handle a 3,000lbs boat
although my boat will only be about 400 to 500lbs, i just like to have things alittle stronger then needed
and taking the boat will only be a 200mile trip once a year at most
the big thing is putting 4 bikes back there and my bumper dose not seem strong enough for the bikes
they could have just put on a hitch strong enough for the bikes but i figure for $200. more i wont have to mess with it again
i will also have to wait until i get a new TV for the boat towing because i am pushing the limits of my current TV and it has to last 2 more years
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Old 09-05-2011, 07:26 PM   #14
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I did it years ago but not with a 5th wheeler. The train is a BEAR to back. Plan everywhere you stop so there is no backing involved
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