Quote:
Originally Posted by JRTJH
The nose of your fifth wheel "will clear the tool box that's only 1 3/4" above the rails WHEN YOU'RE ON FLAT, LEVEL GROUND !!! Be very cautious about trusting that same clearance when backing into a campsite with a road that's "crowned" for drainage and a slight "ditch" or "depression" at the opening into the campsite. Any change in "crown on the road" and "rise into the campsite" can make that "remaining 4 1/4" (with the recommended 6" clearance) disappear very fast. There are a number of people on the forum who have talked about their tonneau cover being damaged by the fifth wheel nose. Even with 6" of clearance between the truck bedrails and the bottom of the fifth wheel, you can get into some situations where the ground looks "close enough to flat" and start backing the trailer and realize that there's a sudden clearance remaining of 1/32"... At times, you can realize there's no clearance when you hear the crunch.... So, watch your tool box carefully, even with a sliding hitch. What seems like "lots of clearance" can suddenly completely disappear within 5' or 6' when backing into a site. It seems to only happen when your attention is directed somewhere else, so just a "heads up"......
It's not only hitting the back of the cab that you need to watch, but any change in the ground (from level to up/down or any combination) can also make an otherwise great day turn into a "slap your forehead and frown" kind of day.....
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Thank you. That's very good, and insightful information considering some of the places we take our TT have some interesting entrances and I've thought about what the pitch would do at the tailgate to trailer clearance behind the pin box.