How to Measure the Turning Clearance Between a Truck Cab and a 5th Wheel Hitch  

Question:

Expert Reply:

Hey Gary! Congrats on all your new toys! I know you do not want a slider but without knowing the nose shape on whatever model Keystone Montana you're getting, or what kind of pin box you're going to have it's hard to give you a recommendation for a different kind of 5th wheel hitch.

I am going to list the steps below you'll need to measure not only your truck but the placement of your Keystone's kingpin in relation to the end of the nose. This will let you know if you're going to have the proper turning clearance without a sliding hitch.

1: Go to the far edge of your trailer nose, about 1 foot up to allow for the curvature of the nose you will place a piece of tape with a string hanging with some sort of weight (a lock would work). This will create a point you can use for measuring.

2: You then want to take your measuring tape and measure from the center of your king pin to the string.

3: Take the measuring tape to the bed of your truck with your 5th wheel hitch properly positioned in the bed. In your case you will want to go directly above the center of the axle since you do not already have a 5th wheel hitch.

4: You will want to position the end of the measuring tape in the center of where your king pin will sit in the jaws of your 5th wheel hitch.

5: You will then extend the tape towards the truck cab to the measurement you got from the center of your king pin to the string.

6: You will want to keep the the end of the measuring tape centered in the king pin jaws/middle of the axle and use that as a pivot point.

7: You will then rotate the other end of the tape using that pivot point, if you can rotate the tape all the way through without making contact with your truck cab then you have enough turning clearance to use a fixed hitch.

If you end up having enough clearance and your 2024 Ram has the OEM puck system, I recommend the B&W Companion item # BWRVK3600. This 5th wheel hitch has a 25,000 lbs capacity and will mount directly to the puck system for easy installation and removal. It also works with rotating pin boxes if your Keystone comes with one or you want to add one to avoid the slider.

Please feel free to comment below with any additional questions or information you have about your set up.

expert reply by: Jerred H

0

Jerred H.

1/27/2026

Hey Gary, how did your measurements turn out for the Ram and Keystone setup? Were you able to confirm if a fixed hitch like the B&W Companion would give you enough turning clearance? Sharing what you found could really help others with similar rigs.