What is Minimum Clearance Between Truck Cab and Trailer Nose When Turning

Published 05/08/2019

Question:

I want to get a F350 long bed crew cab and put a cab extender on it to fit my family. I want to pull a fifth wheel with this rig. I know I will either need a slider hitch or a sidewinder or both to get proper clearance. To be sure I will be good, what is the minimum clearance I would need between the truck cab and fifth wheel trailer to be sure I do not knock out the back window? Can I use both a slider hitch and the sidewinder to maximize the clearance?

asked by: David G

Expert Reply:

You really want a minimum of 4 inches of clearance between the nose of the trailer and the cab to be on the safe side. A Sidewinder will move the pivot point back 22 inches which will be your best option but you should note you can't use a Sidewinder with a slider hitch. If you attempted to do this you'd hit the truck tailgate with the Sidewinder.

Sidewinders are pin box specific so you will first need to know what pin box you have now in order to pick out the correct one.

There should be a sticker or a stamping on the OEM pin box of the trailer that will list the pin box number that is on the trailer.

Once you figure out which pin box you have you can check the FAQ I attached that has a chart that shows the correct Sidewinder to get based on which pin box you have.

expert reply by: Jameson C