5th Wheel and Short Bed Trucks
Nothing is more confusing than deciding the proper 5th wheel hitch when you are using a “short” truck, meaning a truck with less than an 8' bed. The concern about using a short bed is that, depending on the trailer configuration, you may have a limited turning radius, which can leave you vulnerable to a costly accident, often busting out the rear window of your truck if you turn too sharply.
A typical short bed rig will invite disaster if you attempt a sharp turn.
Short bed trucks come in 2 varieties: a 6’-4” bed like you would find with a Dodge mega cab and the standard short box of 6’-6”. About 10 years ago, RV manufacturers began installing extended king pin boxes. This improved the turning clearance in a short bed from about 70 degrees with the straight down telescoping pin box, to about 80 degrees of turning range. The newest innovation, which has become very popular (and common), is the radius front nose like the one shown here, which generally improves the turning radius in the short bed to 88 degrees or more.
5th wheel designed for short bed trucks.
Solutions
Slider Hitches
Most 5th wheel dealers, as a matter of policy, will instruct new 5th wheel customers to purchase what is known as a “slider” hitch to improve the turning range. Whether you actually need a slider is a matter of debate, and depends largely on where you camp and store your trailer. Many people would like the peace of mind to know they could turn a full 90 degrees and perform a true jackknife maneuver, but this type of turn would be extremely rare for most RVers.
Slider hitches come in two varieties: manually operated and automatic. The manual slider entails releasing a lever on the hitch, pulling forward allowing the trailer to slide (usually between 8-12 inches), where it latches into place. This additional distance will give you enough extra room to make a full 90 degree turn in just about every short bed truck. It is important to note that most people will only need to release the slider hitch as they check into the RV Park, in preparation for a possible tight fit into their camping space.
Pulliam Enterprises manufacturers an automatic sliding hitch known as the Super Glide. The Super Glide works on a patented cam system that allows the hitch to progressively slide as the vehicle turns, and then return to the standard towing position. If you have an unusually short truck bed (less than 6’ 4”), or if turning clearance is your greatest towing concern, the pull rite may be a good choice and is arguably the best slider technology on the market. Three downsides to this systems are that they can be quite heavy, do not provide height adjustment, and you have to be no more than 17 degree from dead center of the hitch when you hook up.
Reese manufactures a system known as the sidewinder pin box. The sidewinder is a replacement kingpin that is equipped with a locking wedge at the point that enters the hitch. After you hook up, this wedge locks out movement at the kingpin and the entire pin box pivots at a turret located directly under the overhang of the 5th wheel. This effectively provides up to 15” of additional turning clearance, allowing 90 degree turns in virtually any short bed truck. The sidewinder works well with many hitch combinations, but I should point out the locking wedge is a universal component and will not fit as tightly in every hitch. This can create extra tolerance at the kingpin, causing the 5th wheel to shift to the side while making a turn.
Air Ride Hitch designed for a short bed
Thankfully the RV industry has caught up with the trend of short bed pick-up trucks and eliminated the need for special hitch designs in most cases. However, a few manufacturers are still making trailers that might require some turning assistance. Many of our customers will purchase a TrailerSaver air ride hitch, and evaluate the turning clearance first hand. If these customers determine they need more clearance after a close call, they purchase our SimpleSlide retro-fit and turn the fixed air ride TrailerSaver hitch into a manually operated slider, solving the problem.
Brake Controller Choices
In a few months, thousands of potential RVers will be in the market for their first travel trailer or 5th wheel. Most know they'll need a trailer hitch, towing mirrors, and a nice collection of outdoor furniture. But few realize that trailer brakes don't operate on their own. Their first introduction to a brake controller comes when their dealer asks if they have one.
"What's that?" our new RVer will ask.
The dealer will grab a little black box off the shelf and say, "This controls the trailer's brakes."
Well no kidding. But that's usually the extent of the brake controller education. Fast forward to our new RVers first trip through a toll booth, where he and his family ratchet their neck vertibrate out of position with each tap of the brakes.
Allow me help you avoid this scenario and, perhaps, keep your new trailer out of the classified ads for a few more seasons.
Brake Controller Types
There are more than three types of brake controller, but the most common you'll find in the RV industry are these:
- Timer based
- Pendulum based
- Direct input based (mechanically or hydraulic)
- Accelerometer based
Timer based brake controllers are a leftover of a time gone by. For that we're thankful. Today they sell for about $50, so a few uninformed souls see the cost savings and dive in. This great deal will soon be sitting on a garage shelf as the owner will discover that "timer based" means that a steady voltage is sent to the trailer brakes a few milliseconds after the brake light signal is dettected. The amount of voltage is based on the gain control. However, there is no adjustment of braking, regardless of speed or inclinde. Rarely do timer based controllers have enough power to stop large trailers, but the biggest downfall is the brain-jarring effect of sudden stops at low speeds.
Pendulum based brake controllers are a slight improvement over timer based. They operate just as the name indicates. A mechanical pendulum activates a switch to send power to the trailer brakes. The improvement is that there is some variation on the amount of brakes based on how far the pendulum swings. However, they still tend to be "grabby" at low speeds and require a gain adjustment to control the amount of power to the trailer brakes. If you're only towing your trailer a few miles to county park a few weekends each summer, the pendulum controller might be an acceptable choice. But not for the serious RVer.
A pendulum style brake controller.
Direct Input controllers are a huge improvement over time and pendulum based controllers. The two types common the RV market are those that tap into the tow vehicle master cylinder, so that they send voltage the trailer brakes based on the hydraulic pressure from the master cylinder. Brakesmart and Max Brake are the two most popular brands now (though Brakesmart has changed owners and may no longer be available).
The other type of direct input controller uses a cable attached directly to the tow vehicle brake pedal. When you brake, the cable triggers the controller and varies the output. Jordan was a popular brand for years. They are no longer in business and, as far as I know, no one has re-introduced the design.
The obvious drawback to the direct input controllers is either the tapping into the master cylinder, something many folks cringe about, or using a cable, which is prone to stretching and breaking. However, all of these units delivered smooth braking, though a gain control is still required to try to find the "sweet spot" where the trailer brakes have sufficient power but will not lock up at slow speeds. As I'll discuss further, this "sweet spot" doesn't really exist, so you're left with insufficient brakes or some jarring at slow speeds.
Accelerometer based brake controllers were first introduced in the 90s by Tekonsha and their Prodigy. These brake controllers use a solid state accelerometer, which measures acceleration or angle. This allows the controller to adjust for speed, angle of ascent or descent, and severity of braking. Other manufacturers quickly followed suite, and thte accelerometer based controller became the industry standard.
Accelerometer based brake controller.
More recently, Hensley Mfg. took the accelerometer based controller and added software that emulates the same stopping profile delivered by the direct input units. Essentially, the the braking "curve" resembles the standard bell curve, with c couple of fluxuations at the beginning and end of the stop. Hensley developed an computer program for the TruControl brake controller that takes input from the accelerometer and adjusts the "curve" based on speed, angle of ascent/descent, and stopping intensity.
What this means to you and I is that the TruControl smooths out the braking at low speeds and increases the power of high speed stops as if it were constantly adjusting a gain control. The unit does not have a physical gain control, however, and is completely automatic, with only one setting to dial in during installation.
TruControl Brake Controller.
Another nice feature of the TruControl Gold version is the digital display that gives you actual amperage sent to the trailer brakes, a great tool for troubleshooting brake problems.
For information and pricing on the TruControl brake controller, click here.
Weight Distribution Hitches or Sway Control
Weight distribution hitches are a popular topic among the travel trailer community. But there's a bit of confusion out there about the difference between weight distribution and sway control. Let's clarify this issue first.
Weight distribution hithces only transfer the tongue weight of the trailer from the rear of the tow vehicle to the front. They do not control trailer sway.
Sway control hitches control the side to side movement in the trailer. Most sway control hitches come with weight distribution as part of the package and most, with the exception of the Hensley Arrow and PullRite, rely on the weigth distribution aspect of the hitch to aid in controlling sway.
Shown is a typical weight distribution hitch without sway control.
A sway control hitch will incorporate some sort of friction adjustment at the hitch head or along the trailer frame, usually using two friction plates. Weight distribution and sway control hitches often look identical, thus the confusion. If you're buying a sway control hitch, it will be identified as such. Same with a weight distribution hitch.
Weight Distribution Bar Sizing
Once you've decide on either weight distribution hitch or sway control hitch, you'll have to decide on the size of weight distribution bar, or spring bar as they're often called. Contrary to popular belief, you don't simply match the spring bar rating to the tongue weight of the trailer. The rating on the spring bar simply specifies the maximum amount of weight distribution.
This 1000# weight distribution bar, for example, will transfer (as a pair) up to 1000 pounds of weight from the rear axle of the vehicle.
However, you may not want that much weight transfered, or you may want more, and it's not just a function of the trailer tongue weight.
There is no formula to determine exactly what you need. Here are a couple of examples:
Trailer tongue weight: 1200#
Tow vehicle: 3/4 ton short bed pick-up
Weight Distribution bar: 1000#
Trailer tongue weight: 1100#
Tow vehicle: 1/2 ton Yukon XLT
Weight distribution: 1400#
As you can see, the proper weight distribution hitch is determined by several key factors: tongue weight, tow vehicle suspension, and distance from the rear axle of the tow vehicle to the receiver. If you're unsure, ask a hitch expert (not necessarily your trailer salesman).
Weight Distribution: bigger is not better
An important point to remember is this: your weight distribution hitch also acts as a shock absorber for your trailer tongue. If you decide to buy 1400# spring bars "just to be sure," you may find yourself in for a rough ride. About 80 percent of the trailers on the road are using 1000# spring bars. Smaller trailers (under 24') typically use 800# or even 500# spring bars.
Also remember that the weight distribution hitch puts a tremendous amount of torque into your tow vehicle receiver. The heavier the bar, the more stress on the receiver.
By the way, if you're shopping for a tow vehicle and the owner's manual tells you that your warranty is voided if you use a weight distribution hitch, find another vehicle or get an aftermarket receiver. It's not much of a tow vehicle if it can't handle more than 500lbs. of tongue weight.
Be sure to read up on the different types of spring bars as well. Here's an article I posted recently on that topic.
For more information about trailer sway control hitches, click on the button below.
If you're new to the RV market, or thinking of trading to a new model (trailers...not spouses), there's much more to consider than the color of the interior.
An RV show can offer an intimidating choice of models, but if you go in equipped with a list of what you need, you're less likely to get sucked into a bad decision.
I always ask a basic question when my customers seek advice on their next trailer purchase: How are you going to use your trailer?
It seems like a stupid question, but it's not. For example: are you the type to set up camp and only step inside the trailer for sleeping and cooking? Or do you plan on living inside your trailer while escaping the bitter northern winters?
- Do you plan on visiting a lot of state or national forest campgrounds? Keep it 27' and under.
- Do like dry camping? Make sure it has a big water tank and room for extra batteries.
- Like cold weather camping? Be sure the tanks are sealed.
- Don't want to buy a big truck? Travel trailers are the most economical way to RV.
- Like huge space? Go with the 5th wheeler.
Obviously, that's just a quick list to get you thinking. Do this: make yourself a list of where you plan to travel in the next five years, how you intend to use the trailer once you get there, how many people need to sleep inside (tent "outbuildings" are always an option), and what tow vehicle you prefer to use (not what you think you need to use...what you want to use).
Once you've made your list, write down what features are necessary to make the trip problem free. Then start mentally building your perfect trailer. You may be surprised to find out how little you can get away with.
Of course, make sure safety is at the top of your list. Sway control, brake controllers, mirrors, etc. should be the first priority. Make it all fit into your budget. If you're uncomfortable towing the trailer, nothing is a good deal.
So, what kind of options are important for you in a trailer? I'd love to hear them.
- Terry
For more information about sway control, click here.
I love the Allstate Mayhem Guy. If you haven't seen those TV commercials, they do a great job of presenting (in a human form) the types of unknown disaster that awaits the average driver. Here's one of them.
As you can see, it's a tad on the morbid side, but it gets the point accross. The Mayhem Guy has represented one of those college car door flags, a girl in a skirt, even a GPS unit that is slightly out of date.
If I had millions of dollars to invest in really cool ads like this, my Towing Mayhem Guy would be a semi-truck doing 80mph through Kentucky (where, apparently, there are 3 troopers to cover the entire state), or he'd be a sudden drop off at the edge of the road, or a construction barrier that is just a little too tight for the old 30' Jayco to slip through.
The #1 line we get from people we talk to is, "I've never had trouble with trailer sway." That's probably true. Chances are he's never had a deer step out in front of him with no time to stop, either. But for those of us who've had a close encounter of the Bambi kind, we know it's definitely a possibility. And the longer we drive, the more likely that it will happen.
It's the same thing with trailer sway. You can tow for thousands of miles and never have an issue. But one day, in one moment, the conditions will be perfect. A passing truck and sudden gust of wind. A crumbling road shoulder while you're grabbing the travel mug for a sip of java. Or a deer.
A well designed, well built sway control or, better yet, sway elimination hitch will never be noticed. It does its job while you happily tool down the highway, completely unaware that your hitch just saved you from a really, really bad day.
How about you? What would your Mayhem Guy be?
If you'd like more information on sway control, click here to download a free white paper: How to Eliminate Trailer Sway.
At the risk of boring you to do housework, I must breech the subject of weight distribution bars. For those with a keen eye (or too much spare time), there are three basic type of weight distribution bar, sometimes called spring bars.
The Untappered Bar is common is sway control hitches that use the rear portion of the bar as a friction point. The bar slides in the bracket as the vehicle turns.
This type of bar provides the least flexibility and tends to create a stiff ride for the trailer. It is, however, easy to remove and insert into the head unit.
The second type of weight distribution bar is the Tappered Trunion Bar, also used in several brands of sway control hitch or in weight-distribution (without sway control) hitches.
The tapering allows for more flexibility, which results in less stress on the trailer frame and, more importantly, the tow-vehicle receiver. However, the straight bar is still quite rigid and can cause undue stress and a rough ride.
The final type of weight distribution bar is the Round Tapered Bar. Again, this type of bar is used in both sway control hitches and standard weight distribution hitches.
The round tapered weight distribution bar is an improvement on the previous designs. The bend at the elbow allows for far greater flexibility, creating a "shock absorber" effect. This type of bar results in the least amount of stress on the tow-vehicle receiver and trailer frame.
All weight distribution bars come in a range of sizes, or weight categories, from 500lb. to 1400lb. The most common are 700lb. or 1000lb. bars. Don't choose your bars based off the trailer tongue weight alone. A 1200# trailer tongue towed with a 3/4 ton truck will probably do quite well with 1000# bars. A tow vehicle with a long overhang, like a Suburban, may need heavier bars.
When you talk to your dealer or sway control hitch company, ask them which size they recommend. Generally, these are easily exchanged if you determine you need a heavier or lighter bar.
For more information on sway control hitches, click here.
See you under the awning.
While other factors influence your safety while towing a trailer, none are more prevalent than trailer sway. I can't tell you how many times I've heard this story:
"I've been towing for twenty years and have never had a problem with sway...that is until this last weekend when I nearly lost my rig on a windy day as a semi-truck passed me."
It's true that 99.9% of the time, you won't need a sway control hitch. But every time you tow, it's like spinning the wheel of chance. Eventually, the odds will catch up to you. You get that perfect set of factors that send your trailer into a sway that you cannot recover from.
That's why we're so passionate about what we do. I love to tow my 33' Sunnbrook with my wife and two kids all over Michigan. I know what's it like to nervous every time I hook up. I know how to solve that problem, and I want everyone to share the same experience--that of towing stress-free and feeling completely confident to hook up and go whenever the feeling hits us.
Don't skimp on safety. If you hate towing, you'll hate camping. Learn to love it. Does trailer sway keep you at home? Read this for more information.