I'm new to this section of the forum, so please bear with my questions...

I've got a short bed RAM with a B&W gooseneck hitch installed. As we often tow our 24' open gooseneck trailer with the truck, and use the bed itself for work, we don't want to lose the advantages of the hide-away trailer ball. I've been reading up on this board and I'm afraid that the technical terms, especially those regarding 5th wheel devices, are a bit hard for me to follow.

There's a very good chance that we will soon be towing a Fleetwood 5th wheel Prowler with a gross weight of 5,400 lbs, which I'm also told is rated for 2,730 lbs per axle (perhaps this figure makes sense somehow?). The trailer was manufactured in the summer of '89, so I'm assuming that it has the older hitch connection which is below, and back from, the front of the trailer (I haven't actually seen the trailer).

Is there now some sort of a 5th wheel adapter for the hide-away gooseneck hitches that will work in a short bed RAM -- without having to install rails and such in the bed?

Thanks for your time...

 

This is probably what the hitch will look like on the Prowler. This is an '88, but we converted it from a 5th wheel to a gooseneck by cutting the kingpin off and replacing it with a gooseneck tube.



BTW, depending on the placement of your gooseneck hitch, you'll need to be careful on sharp turns. You may get close enough to put the front of the trailer into the rear of the cab.

 

B&W now make a companion 5th wheel plate that mounts to the gooseneck plate. Check out their website.

http://www.turnoverball.com/

Hope this helps
Dave

 

Valley's Stow-A-Ball system makes an H bracket for its own system or the B&W which will allow you to add a gliding fifth wheel which you will need for the short bed. The H bracket goes down into the gooseneck ball hole and has rails that come out like a standard fifth wheel rail system in a form of an H. Anyways it is easy to remove and put back in when you want to use the fifth wheel.

 

Like strodder said, you will contact the cab with the trailer if you turn hard while backing up. Maybe you should practice before backing it up. Keep you from public embarassment if you are alone while practicing.

Ronnie