How Can I Tow a Toy Hauler 5th Wheel with a Flatbed Truck

Question:

My dodge ram has 35 inch tires and I believe a 4 inch lift with a flatbed aluminum aftermarket bed! I need to put a super glide hitch on it because it’s a Short bed! People are telling me that I cannot use my truck to pull my fifth wheel toy hauler! Why can’t I customize the bed to be able to adapt to the super glide?

asked by: Jim W

Expert Reply:

There are going to be a couple of issues here, namely the amount of fabrication that's going to be required by someone with experience with this type of conversion, but also the fact that a standard 5th wheel hitch is going to be too tall to use in a flatbed. Because of the already added height on your truck and the fact that a flatbed is going to sit much higher than a regular truck bed, most 5th wheel hitches are going to be too tall to allow you to tow your trailer.

We don't currently offer SuperGlide products so I'm not sure how tall their hitches usually are, but I can guarantee you that its' height will be an issue. With that said, there are hitches specifically designed for towing with a flat bed, like the Reese Low Profile # RP30054 which will sit much lower than any standard 5th wheel hitch.

If you're wanting to install a 5th wheel hitch on your flat bed there are some alternate installation methods that must be followed. It will be a complete custom install that will need to be done by a qualified professional with experience doing these types of installations.

The rails will need to be bolted and welded to a 1/2 inch steel plate. The hardware will need to reach through the rails, the plate above the bed, through the bed, and then through a second 1/2 inch thick steel plate under the bed. This steel plate will need to be welded to the truck frame. You will want the jaws of the hitch to be right above or slightly ahead of the rear axle centerline. I'll also say that it's unlikely that the hardware that comes with a base rail mounting kit is going to be long enough, so you would need to source your own grade 5 bolts for this.

There is an alternative that might be easier though. You may want to consider installing a gooseneck hitch like the B&W Turnoverball Underbed Gooseneck Trailer Hitch for Flatbed Trucks - 30,000 lbs # BWGNRK1500. This would allow you to use something like the Convert-A-Ball # CAB-C5G on your 5th wheel pin box and allow you to couple to a gooseneck hitch.

This is going to be the most common solution for flatbed trucks that I've seen and is probably going to be the most cost effective one, as well. I've linked some videos of these items as well for you to have a look at.