Almost Crushed

[Camper2b]

Going into a campground in Kentucky last week had had an issue that got my attention! As I pulled onto the road where I was assigned to park I quickly realized this was a steep drop off. I looked on the rearview mirror and noticed the trailer was sitting on my tailgate no damage at all ...

I backed up and went another way. I feel certain if I had continued on it would have crushed the bed of my new truck. New at this fifth wheel thing, I learned a lesson ... one that didn't cost anything.....

Tips or comments appreciated...

[DesertRat]

What is your bed clearance between your truck & 5th wheel when level.?

[Fanboy]

^---good question. To the OP. Good presence of mind to look at everything. Saved ya a bit of damage

[soonernation]

That would have sucked.

On a recent trip, I had a cooler sitting in the bed of my truck while towing my trailer. The cooler was empty and there was plenty of clearance so I didn't think anything of it. At some point, the air hitting the front cap of the trailer uplifted the cooler, turned it on end and wedged it between the bottom of the trailer and the bed of my truck. I didn't even notice it until I got to where I store my trailer. When I made a turn, the cooler got pushed between the king pin and the bed rail of my truck. It bent it down pretty bad to the point where I had to use some wood and a bottle jack to lift it back up.

If I was paying more attention to what was going on back there like the OP, I would have caught it sooner.

[Camper2b]

Originally Posted by DesertRat

What is your bed clearance between your truck & 5th wheel when level.?

About six inches. I will re measure next time I hook up. Trailer sits pretty level. We had to raise the whole pinbox to accommodate my truck.

[Pirate]

I carry some four foot sections of rough sawn lumber...actually 2 1/2 inches thick.

We check for those steep drop offs, and if we have to go that way, lay the lumber out so that it lessens the slope, thus preventing the bed from hitting the underside of the trailer.

Also very happy to have learned at first hook-up that we have 10" of clearance from trailer to the top of my Highway Products bed and toolboxes. Whew!!

But I keep the boards along to be sure. Like OP, only been out with our Toyhauler once!

Pirate

[Gage]

I don't have a fifth wheel, but plenty of friends do. I've always heard that there are two kinds of owners; those that have bent a tailgate, and those that will. One of smarter friends removed his tailgate and bought the V shaped after market, never and issue then.

[Camper2b]

Originally Posted by Gage

I don't have a fifth wheel, but plenty of friends do. I've always heard that there are two kinds of owners; those that have bent a tailgate, and those that will. One of smarter friends removed his tailgate and bought the V shaped after market, never and issue then.

Dont know about your friends? But removing the tailgate would not have been the answer. The trailer made contact with the entire rear of the truck. That icludes rear quarter panels. The only real way to avoid this would be to go with a flat bed. I see a lot of those, but ....

[Pirate]

Or another way to avoid situations like this is...is to do what we do...get out and walk the route first to see if there are problem spots.

And carry boards to keep the front wheels from dropping so far and level out the drop.

Just thoughts...

Pirate

[Camper2b]

I now carry a portable air tank that holds 115 psi. Here's the nice part. I can now add air to the air bag on my Voltage pin box when needed and it lifts the front up several inches. I can then deflate back to original ride for travel. So my fears of trailer sitting on tailgate are not as big of a concern as it was when entering questionable areas "campgrounds or other" where severe drop offs are present, within reasonable limits.

I may, in the future add a switch in the cab of the truck that will inflate and deflate the bag when needed without manually doing it. Manually takes 2 minutes.... switch set up in the cab, seconds... should be easy enough.. 12 volts, adjustable air dump valve, relay, a few wires, air line quick disconnects.... time... a few other minor items.