Determining Fifth Wheel Turning Clearance  

Question:

Expert Reply:

I can certainly help shed some light on the situation. I also am not aware of any app that calculates turning clearance. If only it were so easy right? If you have the option to purchase a long bed truck, that would be preferred. That way you will never have to worry about clearance. Also, GMC offers an OEM 5th wheel prep package, which would make your life a lot easier. Otherwise you will need to install a rail kit like the # BWRVK2505.

The official answer is- "it depends". Generally for any bed shorter that 8' we recommend using a slider. That being said we have found a lot of cases where a slider is not needed for a short bed. The Curt Crosswing # C86JR is a solid hitch, and it does make hooking up/unhooking much easier. I personally recommend a B&W hitch like the # BWRVK3255. These are known to be the most durable, dependable hitches on the market.

A lot of 5th wheel manufacturers will make the nose of the trailer rounded to allow more turning clearance. It looks like the newer years of Grand Design 337RLS do have a slightly rounded nose. Also keep in mind that a slider is only needed when turning at a severe angle. A lot of folks will tell us that they rarely (if ever) find themselves in situations where they need to make extremely sharp turns.

That said, I do not have a way to give a firm answer to your question, but I can get you on your way to finding out. You can use the following formula to determine turning clearance.

(A + B) - C = Clearance
A = Distance from the fifth wheel jaw center to the truck cab
B = Offset used (slider clearance or Sidewinder offset)
C = Width of the nose of the trailer divided by 2.

You could on the other hand, just go ahead and buy a slider hitch like the B&W # BWRVK3270. You will have it if you need it, but you may never need to use it. Either way you will be good to go, and you will have a great quality fifth wheel hitch.

I know this may be a lot of info all at once. Feel free to reach out to me directly if you have further questions.

expert reply by: Jesse M

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