Posed this ? on a RV forum

I need some suggestions for loading the reciever into the truck.

Please I DON"T need to hear about people with TRACTORS that can hoist them in.

Right now I have the reciever on the base I made for my loam screener, but 1 I need the base for it's original purpose and 2 it's post holing into my pavement.

It's a Slider so it's got a little wieght behind it.

And got this as a possible answer. Good practice?

Let me give you an off-the-wall, "think outside the box" suggestion to mull over.

Believe it or not, some individuals unpin the hitch from the bed of the truck leaving it connected to the trailer's kingpin, lift the hitch out of its mounts with the front jacks (landing gear) on the 5th wheel, drive the truck out from under it and leave it hanging on the kingpin of the 5th wheel. When rehitching, back under the hitch and drop it in the bed by lowering the front jacks of the 5th wheel.

 

Ive heard of quitea few guys doing just that. I've aso heard of guys with a block and tackle hooked to the roof of their garage or on a portable gantry that they've built or of having a rolling dolly with the table height roughly equal to the height of the tailgate and slide the hitch onto the dolly and vice versa.

I can't speak from firstt hand experience as the B&W hitch that I use comes off in two pieces. A five minute or less job for one person. But I'm pretty sure you don't want to go out and buy a new hitch.

Ken

 

How about using a 'cherry picker" type engine hoist?




Support our troops and "W".

 

Get a four foot step ladder, let down tail gate, get in truck box, take off or out fifth wheel part first and lay on tail gate. You said you had a slider, Slide remaining part of hitch to the middle of the slide, that way the hitch will be balanced. Pull remaining pins and lift it out and set it also on your tail gate. Get out of truck box by using ladder again. Pick up hitch parts and set someplace. I set mine on our picnic table, that way I don't have to bend over. This works for me and I take mine out a lot during the summer, and I'm not a young wipper snapper any more. waam Holland, Mich. P.S. I have a Reese slider 16K

 

Well, I didn't expect you to buy into it at face value when I posted it over on iRV2.com!

Rusty

 

Yo Rusty just looking for a second opinion. It sounds too simple to be safe.

 

Maybe I nuts, but a 16-18 K slider only weights 150-175 LBS. I just pick it up and set it on the tailgate then get in the bed and set it in place.

Am I missing something?

 

No your not missing anything, I still do it that way too, but I do know that as age creeps in there will have to be some other way, as I am starting to feel the uuuuuuugggghhhh each time I do it . And remember we are all not created equal Now for myself I have a pretty good counter wieght off my back end which aids in off setting the wieght of the hitch In defense of the original question I have seen several guys use the trailer jacks and just unpin the hitch. Goodluck,,Rick

 

WAAM - - That's exactly what I do, and I have the same slider hitch. In one peice its real heavy but split its no problem.

Now for thinking out of the box - - I'm not sure I like the idea of the extra 2-3 hundred lbs. always hanging on the front jacks (especially if your using the trailer (fulltimers) )

Why not make a kingpin stabilizer that would fit the bottom of the hitch instead of the kingpin?
Kill 2 birds ??

 

I use a manual boat winch (crank-type) mounted to my garage wall, with the line running up to the rafter and through a pulley mounted on the rafter. I back the truck in the garage, attach the line to the receiver, un-pin the reciever from the rails in the bed, and then lift the receiver up using the boat winch. (Make sure that you have the "clicker" engaged so that the receiver doesn't fall) Drive out from under the receiver, lower it onto a small wheeled platform, and roll it into a corner. I use this for lifting all kinds of heavy things out of the bed.

DeWain

 

I would use a cherry picker , you can find them pretty cheap now at Harbor Freight , get a fifth wheel pin and weld a ring on top of it and hoist it with that . they come apart to stow it away in the shop or garage.

 

I just unbolt it, then use a 2x10 to slide it down the ramp. Take a hand truck, set it in the garage. Putiing it in is a bit more work. I turn it end over end, up the 2x10.
The hitch weighs about 125, I think, so it is not for the faint of heart. Sweat amy enter the equation.

 

It doesn't seem to me that the extra weight of the fifth wheel receiver hanging on the fifth wheel hitch is any strain at all to the system. The fifth wheel hitch has to deal with a heck of a lot more torqued weight than that when in motion. The landing gear has to handle the weight of the front of the trailer with occupants and their "stuff" when it's not in motion.

Hook 'er up and let 'er hang.