Quote:
Originally Posted by lefttee
... it appears that local dealers (who seem to know very little about Escapes) feel my Silverado with a 5'8" bed will require a slider hitch ($$$). However, previous forum threads suggest that even a short bed can handle a 5.0 with a conventional hitch ($).
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They are assuming that the trailer is 96" (common) or 102" (the legal limit) wide. An original (or "classic", or single axle) Escape 5.0 is only 80" wide, and the 5.0 TA is 88" wide. Half the width difference is the difference in cab-to-hitch distance needed for full 90 degree turns.
They are probably also assuming that the hitch must be at the axle position or forward of that to handle the pin weight, and that the pin weight is a ton or so. With the lighter Escape, positions further back (as illustrated by Fran & Dave) can be feasible.
Quote:
Originally Posted by FMLNM
We have the B&W Patriot in our 5' bed Frontier. It is mounted a bit behind the axle and in the furthest back of the 3 available positions for the hitch head we think we can get the truck turned 90 degrees without hitting the trailer...
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That math is easy: to get a full 90 degrees the distance from the cab to the pin centre must be more than half the width of the trailer body.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lefttee
When I showed the dealers a pix of the 5.0 and told them it weighed < 3000# dry...they just rolled their eyes and gave me the "smirk." Pretty evident their advice was based on much heavier rigs with the king pins set way back under the trailer. Just hate to install a hitch here and get to Chilliwack and have Reace make faces at me because it won't fit.
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Big rigs routinely have the pin a few feet behind the front of the trailer body; even further back is common in Europe. On the other hand, I've never seen a recreational trailer with the king pin set back. The top of the pin box is well under the front, but the box slants forward so the pin is routinely very close to the front edge of the body, as it is on an original (or "classic", or single axle) Escape 5.0. With the 5.0 TA, Reace mentioned that the pin is about 6" further forward, to allow for more turning clearance in less-than-90-degree turns.