Gladiator "5th Wheel"

[ShadowsPapa]

From Ford -
Curb weight is the weight of the vehicle including a full tank of fuel and all standard equipment.

Curb weight includes all fluids. A full tank of fuel doesn't lower the payload or count against it.

Not sure what you mean by twisting being transferred to the truck's frame. You aren't going to twist these frames like that - unless you attach to the very rear of the frame and then how will you twist it? People are jerking on these frames with some hefty winches and straps.......... bolt a plate to the frame, how will it twist. You'll snap the hitch way before you ever do any damage or distortion at all to the frame. You'd have the rails bolted together at the top, a wide platform fore and aft, and side-to-side, can't see things twisting at the frame. Especially where the hitch would be bolted.

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[CrazyCooter]

From Ford -
Curb weight is the weight of the vehicle including a full tank of fuel and all standard equipment.

Curb weight includes all fluids. A full tank of fuel doesn't lower the payload or count against it.

Not sure what you mean by twisting being transferred to the truck's frame. You aren't going to twist these frames like that - unless you attach to the very rear of the frame and then how will you twist it? People are jerking on these frames with some hefty winches and straps.......... bolt a plate to the frame, how will it twist. You'll snap the hitch way before you ever do any damage or distortion at all to the frame. You'd have the rails bolted together at the top, a wide platform fore and aft, and side-to-side, can't see things twisting at the frame. Especially where the hitch would be bolted.

You are a smart guy.....Think about this.

When you pull on a point 24" above the frame rails like a 5th wheel hitch.....it twists the frame. Easy envision/see when you have enough torque to lift the front end under acceleration. You are transferring weight dynamically.

Lower that point by using a frame mounted gooseneck ball, but you have lower the point on the trailer 18" to meet it....Now you transferred that twisting into the cheesy trailer frame. The closer to roll center, the better the handling right? At what cost?

BIG difference pulling at frame height from a receiver and doing it at elevation from a 5th. They both have their plus and minus.

My favorite would be an inverted 5th for a clean bed when not towing and a king pin so you don't have to hook up safety chains assuming your RV frame was build poroperly which they usually are NOT!

Here is a video I made years ago diagnosing some irritating dynamics with my own combination. I deliberately steeped on it to simulate possible real world possibilities. This hitch broke my bed and even though B&W denied knowing anything about this happening, they released a new version including what I did to fix it later. I flexes my 1ton crew cab frame at 10mph in my neighborhood....Imagine what that looks like rolling down rough roads? Watch it on a large screen and see what is actually moving around.What would this look like is I didn't have the Morryde pinbox?

 

[hamse]

Ok guys so someone did it already, i found it on one of the scamp fb groups. I asked about his set up and this was his reply “I have the removable one with the plates that stay in the truck. Mounted with 12 bolts through bed and attached to frame in 4 corners”. I asked for pictures but got no reply...

 

[Griepp06]

i have been wanting to get a 4000 lbs or less 5th wheel camper and then put a trailer hitch on the back of it for my 1000 lbs fishing boat trailer combo to triple tow legally in a number of states. so i have also been very interested in learning more about how to get a 5th wheel on a gladiator as well. currently i have a 3500 lbs pop up but cant bring both that and the boat.

 

[hamse]

Another one done, this gladiator was modified with what looks like a Dually axle... no info on it

though...

 

[TheFatMan]

New to this forum, I signed up because of this thread. watching!

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