Im wondering what the best placement for a GN in the/on the bed? Mine is just in front of the axle now I think, but Im thinking about making some changes and want to move it back. How far back is ok? What changes? Handling? Can I go 4 inches behind the axle? 6? 8?.......

Im thinking about the colibert sliding gn adapter....so I could run up but wondering where the front placement could be to be able to get back as far as possible on the slide if need be.

 

For maximum payload you want it just ahead of the axle. As you move it back you take weight off the front axle.

 

I placed mine 3" forward.
More then most do but I just wanted more weight on the front axle

 

You could look at any 2013/14 truck box it will have the indentation in the bed for the factory goose hitch set up, that would tell you where Dodge thinks it should go. I would never place it behind the axle.

 

I like my kingpin behind the axle to lighten my too heavy front axle and reduce the trailer cutting the corners a bit.

With my wheelbase, moving the 5th back 3" and 3k hitch weight only transfers 95lb off the front axle though. People make such a big deal about it being ahead of the axle.......

 

Recommended position from all I read from the "experts" (meaning not reading from forums - - LOL) is 2 - 3" in front of the axle. Never go past over the axle. Part of the reasoning is the lever effect. The further you put the pivot point behind the axle, the more the trailer will act like a bumper pull and you will get sway or fishtailing. One of the beauties of the fiver is positioning the pivot in front of the axle so the trailer does not steer the truck.

Bob

 

You're also carrying some of the weight on the front axle when the ball is ahead of the axle too.

 

My fiver weighs just a tad over 16K loaded for a trip and full of fresh water, propane full, etc. Pin weight is 3200. My front axle weight increases 110lbs hooked up versus not hooked up. Not bad for the advantages it gives in handling.

 

I have a neighbor with a 5 ton Top Kick roll off bin truck. He had a slide on bed made for it to haul quads behind the cab and 5th wheel hitch to pull his 32ft RV.
Due to the long chassis length of the truck the 5th wheel hitch was located behind the axle. He was surprised how much sway he got with it like that. He figured behind such a big truck it wouldn't matter. He said it tracked better behind his old 90s Chev dually.

 

Placing the pin ahead of the rear axle will cause the front to push out in a turn. Placing the pin behind the rear axle will cause the front to push to the inside of the turn.

The rears and the trailer will always push to the outside in a turn. By having the front act the same as the rear with the pin ahead of the rear axle then the rig responds with greater stability.

The amount of effect is proportional to the distance from the axle and the weight on the pin. Small distances may have little effect. The stiffness of the suspension and tires will make the effect more or less noticable.

Even though the front is heavy it usually has capacity for more and there is no harm in running it heavier. The greatest stability is achieved by putting any weight as far forward in the direction of travel as possible, but not ahead of the front axle.

 

Ahhh, so everytime you turn the wheel to counteract the sway you make it worse because you are "wagging" the back end and pushing the trailer in the opposite direction.

 

iv have run my 5th wheel and goose neck 1 foot from the back of the flat bed. it pulled, turned and actually doesn't buckup when stopping

 

There is something to having the center line behind the axle. I have a buddy who got an 04 with the 5'er rails in it. He then bought a new 5'er and said it pulled worse than his TT and was questioning why I always told him a 5'er pulled better. I drove it and he was right. We got to looking and found his hitch was about 2 inches behind the CL of the axle. It would bounce real bad and felt like it was pushing the truck all over the road. We printed off the Reese install instructions and re installed his hitch correctly and it took away all of the issues.

 

The only time I could begin to recommend a rearward placement, is of you are carrying an enormously heavy toolbox/slip tank combo in the front of the bed. Otherwise, the hitch center always goes 3 - 4" ahead of the rear axle centerline.

 

Holy thread resurrection batman!

I'm still fond of running hitch behind the axle.......

Current puller with hitch placed 7' behind.


Only 4k miles behind the wheel, but no near death experiences and I can navigate the tight camp spots easier than the Dodge now since the 5er tracks pretty close to the drive axle.