Towing in the maneuver position

[bartbill]

Just bought a 2015 dodge Mega Cab 2500. It has the torsion bar rear suspension. I just hooked it up to my 28' 5th wheel and it rides a little high. I have a Reese 15k slider. I was wonder if I could slide the unit back to the "maneuver" slot and tow that way. Just thinking out loud, but might make the rear of the truck set a little lower since it would be just aft of the rear wheels. Any danger in doing this?

I know I have height adjustment on the 5th wheel - just wondering if this dangerous or what.

[SteveC7010]

Originally Posted by bartbill

Just bought a 2015 dodge Mega Cab 2500. It has the torsion bar rear suspension. I just hooked it up to my 28' 5th wheel and it rides a little high. I have a Reese 15k slider. I was wonder if I could slide the unit back to the "maneuver" slot and tow that way. Just thinking out loud, but might make the rear of the truck set a little lower since it would be just aft of the rear wheels. Any danger in doing this?

I know I have height adjustment on the 5th wheel - just wondering if this dangerous or what.

Think of your rear wheels as a fulcrum. With the pin weight directly over or 1-2" forward of the center line of the rear wheels, then everything works as it should. Pin weight is properly transferred to the rear wheels. If you move the weight towards the rear of the vehicle, it is just like moving weight towards one end of a teeter-totter. Probably not enough to totally unload the front end, but certainly enough to make it behave real badly.

That's why we only use the slider at extremely low maneuvering speeds to place or remove the trailer from a location like a campsite or parking place.

[Festus2]

As Steve pointed out, the maneuvering position is used to allow a greater distance between the nose of the 5th wheel and the truck cab so that you can "maneuver" easier by making tighter turns when getting into or out of hard-to-get-to sites or driveways. It should not be used for higher speed highway type towing. If you do move the hitch to the maneuvering position, be sure to return it to the locked towing position before towing.

If your unit is not sitting level, you can make adjustments to your pin box, hitch or both to lower the front end of your fiver. Just make sure that you end up with at least 6"-7" of clearance between the truck rails and the nose extension of the 5th wheel.

[JRTJH]

This warning is on page 3 of the Reese Pro Series Instruction Manual.

WARNING:Never tow trailers in highway or high speed conditions with PRO Slider in the Maneuvering Position (rearward of the rear axle)! Towing with the trailer king pin rearward of rear truck axle can affect weight distribution and may interfere with the towing vehicle’s handling and response characteristics. Poor handling and response characteristics could result in death or serious injury.

The same advice is found throughout the instruction manual either in warnings or as advice in maneuvering and operational use of the Reese Sliding Hitch systems.

It's always a good idea to follow manufacturer instructions, or have a very good, valid (and well researched) reason not to adhere to them.

I think the question you need to ask yourself is what would happen if the "mechanical safety device" (slide lock) were to fail with the hitch in the maneuver position during an emergency braking maneuver at highway speeds. Should that locking device fail, you'll have 3-5 tons of "fifth wheel" rushing forward for that 15". Once the hitch reaches the "travel position" at that rate of speed, then the question becomes: Will the hitch hold? Will the king pin stay on the pin box? Will the frame hold the bed rails and hitch in position under that kind of "G forces"? or: Will something break and will I then have the fifth wheel rushing forward, with a broken hitch? And: What happens if that much weight hits the back of my cab at highway speeds?

Reese builds a good hitch (when used under normal towing conditions). Those "normal towing conditions" don't include the weight shift of having the king pin 15" behind the axle. Neither the truck nor the hitch are designed to perform "normally" under emergency conditions in that environment. That's the reason for the "Warning" in the Reese manual.

[bartbill]

Thanks everyone for your replies. Good info.