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Anybody Towing A Fifth Wheel?

T

TerryB

Charter Member
Full Member
Joined
Mar 6, 2002
Messages
118
Location
Converse, TX
Has anyone out there checked to see if it is possible to use a fifth wheel trailer with the AV?

It seems that the sides of the bed are too high for this, but I could be wrong as I am no expert on this.
 
No can do hero, the pivot point of a fifth wheel hitch is ideally located 2" in front of the rear axle. If you measure that on an AV you will see it is too close to the sail panels. Most fifth wheel trailers require alot of turning room around the back of the cab, so the AV is definitely out, sorry.

BTW its not the bed sides that would be the problem, it would be the hitch location. :cautious:
 
I'm looking for a good tow vehicle for a fifth wheel. Didn't think the AV would work - and it probably won't, but I just saw an ad for a newly designed fifth wheel. They call it a "cab-over" design and say that it works in short-bed trucks. But they probably didn't mean with sail panels. Anyway checkout the web site for the Titanium model fifthwheel by Glendale. If it looks promising it might be worth a call to Glendale to find out more.
 
We originally were in the market for a 5th wheel, and were shopping for a pickup truck to pull it with. We found the Avalanche, and changed our shopping list from a 5th wheel to a travel trailer.

Needless to say, we love our Avalanche!
 
Fifth wheels are nice for towing but I hate to give up that cargo space; bicycles, motorcycles, small water craft, firewood, barbecue, harvested game, the in-laws.... ;)
 
I hate to give up that cargo space; bicycles, motorcycles, small water craft, firewood, barbecue, harvested game, the in-laws.
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I agree! The bed of the truck is a good place for in-laws.

I have to admit I was looking for a 2500HD 3/4 ton to tow a fifth wheel trailer. The wife liked the trailer but not the truck. Then came the AV and we went with a travel trailer. I think the wife is happy? At least I got the AV.

NO in-laws allowed in my truck.
 
Playing musical chairs with all my vehicles and looking at the option of trading in my motorhome for a fifth wheel. The AV is the only vehicle I have capable of towing a fifth wheel and curious if anybody had the receiver mounted in the bed yet.

TIA
 
According to the owner's manual, the Av can't tow a fifth wheel. Something about where the hitch needs to mount doesn't leave enough clearence from the back of the cab to the front of the trailer.
 
tymcneal said:
According to the owner's manual, the Av can't tow a fifth wheel. Something about where the hitch needs to mount doesn't leave enough clearence from the back of the cab to the front of the trailer.
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Yea I saw that in the book. Just didn't sound quite right. Was curious if anyone looked into this or even attempted this isntall.

Thanks for the reply!
 
The AV

CANNOT be used to tow a fifth wheel.

This was talked about several months ago and the facts say it cannot be done.

Sorry for the bad news
 
The kingpin needs to be located from directly over the rear axle to about 3" in front of the axle. With a 5"3" bed, that puts the kingpin about 2' from the window. Not nearly enough to handle the trailer overhang let alone the loss of clearance when turning. Even w/o the interference from the sail panels. Standard short bed pickups (6 - 7 depending on mfg) are just barely adequate for hitching up to a fifth wheel and are responsible for the "sliding" hitches that are used to allow these trucks to be used. To pull fifth wheels you really need a long bed (8') in a 3/4 or 1 ton truck. Yes others sometimes make due, but for many years it was long bed or nothing.

In short the Av's inability to pull fifth wheels have nothing to do w/ chassis or power train limitations. It is simply a matter of the bed is just too short. :6:
 
Big_Block_Driver said:
The kingpin needs to be located from directly over the rear axle to about 3" in front of the axle. With a 5"3" bed, that puts the kingpin about 2' from the window. Not nearly enough to handle the trailer overhang let alone the loss of clearance when turning. Even w/o the interference from the sail panels. Standard short bed pickups (6 - 7 depending on mfg) are just barely adequate for hitching up to a fifth wheel and are responsible for the "sliding" hitches that are used to allow these trucks to be used. To pull fifth wheels you really need a long bed (8') in a 3/4 or 1 ton truck. Yes others sometimes make due, but for many years it was long bed or nothing.

In short the Av's inability to pull fifth wheels have nothing to do w/ chassis or power train limitations. It is simply a matter of the bed is just too short. ?:6:
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Thanks for the explanation. Makes a lot of sense now.
:)
 
Hey Carrerarod, Just settle for a regular trailer, they are pretty big. 34" Airstream would be on my list. This one is a 2002.

 
Big_Block_Driver said:
The kingpin needs to be located from directly over the rear axle to about 3" in front of the axle. With a 5"3" bed, that puts the kingpin about 2' from the window. Not nearly enough to handle the trailer overhang let alone the loss of clearance when turning. Even w/o the interference from the sail panels. Standard short bed pickups (6 - 7 depending on mfg) are just barely adequate for hitching up to a fifth wheel and are responsible for the "sliding" hitches that are used to allow these trucks to be used. To pull fifth wheels you really need a long bed (8') in a 3/4 or 1 ton truck. Yes others sometimes make due, but for many years it was long bed or nothing.

In short the Av's inability to pull fifth wheels have nothing to do w/ chassis or power train limitations. It is simply a matter of the bed is just too short. ?:6:
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This explanation makes a lot of sense however, I was coming back from Jersey today and saw two different trailers (RV type), one about 25 ft and one around 35ft?? with an interesting gooseneck attachment. It resembled a slanted beam which extended from underneath the overhang, forward and down to the truck bed at about a 45 degree angle. The part that was interesting was that the bottom part of the beam (which attached in the bed of the truck) was in a direct line with the outermost edge of the overhang. In other words, the overhang was not farther forward than the attachment like a normal gooseneck (where the beam (hitch) drops straight down from the overhang). In terms of clearance, it would appear that the beam (hitch) could be placed in the bed of the AV and the overhang (because it was not forward of the beam) did not appear to be in a position to interfere with the cab. I hope my explanation of what I saw was understandable. Has anyone seen this type of gooseneck (it was the first that I have seen it) and is it possible this would work with the AV?


 
Actually that is a variation of what I saw. The two Trailer RV's I saw were not "stepped"; that is, they did not have two overhangs. The lower overhang was the only one that existed and it (the overhang) was parallel (the same height) as the cab. Because the Gooseneck hitch came from the center of the overhang and moved forward at approximately a 45 degree angle, as shown in trailer on the site, it seemed to attach in a direct line (if you move directly up and down) to the forwardmost point of the overhang. But anyway, the principle is definitely the same-- it seems that the shortness of the bed would no longer be an issue. Thoughts from anyone?
 
something like trailor would probably work with the avy :B:

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No 5th wheel in your AV!!!!!!!! The bed is a composite box, not reinforced steel like most trucks. The dealer says specifically, DO NOT TRY IT. You will either lose your trailer, or rip your bed out. I tow horses. Been through this argument before with the dealer.
 
nf-avgirl said:
No 5th wheel in your AV!!!!!!!! ?The bed is a composite box, not reinforced steel like most trucks. ?The dealer says specifically, DO NOT TRY IT. ?You will either lose your trailer, or rip your bed out. ?I tow horses. ?Been through this argument before with the dealer.
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Uhh Oh :6: I got all happy when I saw the daytona5.jpg ;D and figured there was a solution. BTW, I thought the frame for a gooseneck actually attached to the frame of the truck (although of course it sits in the bed) ??? A while back I had an International truck and a gooseneck had already been installed when I got it and that is how it had been done (the back of the International was flat, no bed and a hole had been cut it it. Well, the last thing I am going to do is use my AV a "test vehicle;" after all, I may be crazy ;D but I'm not stupid :rolleyes:
 
Yes, the gooseneck attaches to the frame, not the bed. The main problem is the location. As Big_Block_Driver stated earlier, the kingpin needs to be located above or forward of the rear axle. Sail panels really make doing this difficult.
 
Anyone using the AV to pull a fifth wheel trailer? Have not yet seen one and was wondering....

tom...
 
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