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Old 06-20-2020, 07:51 PM   #1
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5.0TA Ford f150 w/5.5 bed and andersen rails hitch

Thanks to all that replied. Thought I'd clear everything up on a fresh post.
It is on our truck today! Still holding our breath some, that it will be successful for us in August for our Denver delivery.

Camping World (valdosta) worked very hard to get it right including calling Trademaster per ETI's guidance.

Rails were installed in normal position. Andersen hitch is installed with ball toward the rear of bed. Gives us 30.5 inches.

The service manager comforted me by saying escape 5.0 has more king pin distance to trailer box than most other fifth wheels. Most others sit forward of king pin. So I'm guessing this is why the Andersen can work in a 5.5ft bed.

ETI will attach coupler to king pin as we will send it to them.
Only question is, will the coupler and funnel be positioned forward toward truck. Or toward trailer. It seems they told camping world it would go toward trailer. I don't know why it doesn't go toward truck to give an extra little space for a little more radius turning.

I can report back on that in August.
Thank you all!
Trying to add pictures.
Hope moderator can take first F out of title.
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Old 06-20-2020, 10:23 PM   #2
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DD, everything looks fine in your photo. While I don’t use the Andersen myself (I have extended cab w/6.5’ bed), I have seen a lot of Andersen’s used by 5.0TA owners. Nothing for you to worry about other than how you are going to control your excitement when you finally get your trailer, and deciding where you will go with it. But you will surely love it no matter where you go.
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Old 06-21-2020, 03:59 PM   #3
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ETI will attach coupler to king pin as we will send it to them.
Only question is, will the coupler and funnel be positioned forward toward truck. Or toward trailer. It seems they told camping world it would go toward trailer. I don't know why it doesn't go toward truck to give an extra little space for a little more radius turning.
The problem with placing the coupler ahead of the pin ("forward toward truck") is that the back of the pin box risks hitting the sides of the box in a sharp turn.
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Old 06-21-2020, 04:44 PM   #4
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DD, everything looks fine in your photo. .... But you will surely love it no matter where you go.
Thanks! Looking forward to it!

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The problem with placing the coupler ahead of the pin ("forward toward truck") is that the back of the pin box risks hitting the sides of the box in a sharp turn.
Okay... glad I mentioned that here. So complicated. My brain can't expand that far. Seems like the pin box would still hit the sides either way. So thank you... some things I know not to try to understand. ha! I appreciate all your expertise! We do have the raised axle and wonder if putting ball on highest level helps anything. Or should that be used just to level the trailer when it's hooked up.
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Old 06-21-2020, 06:44 PM   #5
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Seems like the pin box would still hit the sides either way.
Look at the distance from the socket for the Andersen ball to the back corners of the pin box - that's longer if you put the coupler forward, so the pin box corners are further from the ball and so closer to hitting the box sides in a turn.

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We do have the raised axle and wonder if putting ball on highest level helps anything. Or should that be used just to level the trailer when it's hooked up.
There is very little vertical adjustment in the pin box (just two positions only a couple of inches apart), so the ability to adjust the height of the ball is mostly just used to get the trailer level with your truck, and high enough for the frame of the forward part of the trailer high enough to clear the box sides in turns and over humps. Setting up everything to put the back end of the pin box well above the box sides is probably not a reasonable goal.
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Old 06-21-2020, 07:07 PM   #6
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Something does not add up. with the center of kingpin set back 30.5 inches and you need to make a sharp turn backing up, this number allows 61" total side clearance, but the trailer is 88" wide, so would it not make sense to have the center 44" back from any obstruction? A little more than a foot in either direction?
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Old 06-22-2020, 12:36 AM   #7
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Something does not add up. with the center of kingpin set back 30.5 inches and you need to make a sharp turn backing up, this number allows 61" total side clearance, but the trailer is 88" wide, so would it not make sense to have the center 44" back from any obstruction? A little more than a foot in either direction?
Hi: cpaharley2008... In this day and age a lot of things "Don't add up". Take rally numbers for instance!!! Alf
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Old 06-22-2020, 10:44 AM   #8
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Originally Posted by cpaharley2008 View Post
Something does not add up. with the center of kingpin set back 30.5 inches and you need to make a sharp turn backing up, this number allows 61" total side clearance, but the trailer is 88" wide, so would it not make sense to have the center 44" back from any obstruction? A little more than a foot in either direction?
I think a towed trailer would need a very long ball mount to make the same "tight turns" many think are necessary for a 5th wheel. Yes, you can hit the cab with a 5th wheel, but in all likely hood would that same turn not cause damage to the TV of a pull behind?
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Old 06-22-2020, 06:01 PM   #9
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Originally Posted by cpaharley2008 View Post
Something does not add up. with the center of kingpin set back 30.5 inches and you need to make a sharp turn backing up, this number allows 61" total side clearance, but the trailer is 88" wide, so would it not make sense to have the center 44" back from any obstruction? A little more than a foot in either direction?
Yes, but the pin is slightly ahead of the front wall of the trailer (although the Andersen coupler moves that forward or more commonly back 4") and the front of the trailer is somewhat rounded, so a large turn angle (but not 90 degrees) is possible with substantially less than half the trailer width of cab-to-pin distance.
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Old 06-22-2020, 06:04 PM   #10
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I think a towed trailer would need a very long ball mount to make the same "tight turns" many think are necessary for a 5th wheel. Yes, you can hit the cab with a 5th wheel, but in all likely hood would that same turn not cause damage to the TV of a pull behind?
All true, but the consequences of running out of clearance with a conventional trailer (typically something on the tongue hits the tow vehicle bumper) are typically less of a concern that the consequences of running out of clearance with a trailer hitched in the truck bed (front of trailer body hits back corner of truck cab).
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Old 06-22-2020, 06:35 PM   #11
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All true, but the consequences of running out of clearance with a conventional trailer (typically something on the tongue hits the tow vehicle bumper) are typically less of a concern that the consequences of running out of clearance with a trailer hitched in the truck bed (front of trailer body hits back corner of truck cab).
Agreed, and a very good point. The damage would likely be less due to the different contact points.

My main contention lies in the idea that while a 90 degree turning clearance seems desirable with the 5th wheel, a pull behind is as well limited in clearance during turns whether forward or backward.
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Old 06-30-2020, 06:12 AM   #12
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Yesterday the President of Escape sent me photos of his 5.0 TA and F150 supercrew 5’6” bed using and Andersen hitch set backwards 2” off the axle center.

Go to new posts under the heading 5.0 Fever and you can see photos of his setup.

He said he can get close to 90 degrees but turning at 90 is not good anyway on the tires as they scrub the ground at that angle.
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Old 06-30-2020, 01:54 PM   #13
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yes when we turn very tight 90 degrees or more we have hit the cab of our truck very lightly so at about 90 degrees you have to really watch it...Anderson short bed F150
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Old 06-30-2020, 06:49 PM   #14
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yes when we turn very tight 90 degrees or more we have hit the cab of our truck very lightly so at about 90 degrees you have to really watch it...Anderson short bed F150
Hmmmmmm, that is the thing that concerns me. Just when I think I’ll never hit the cab, the first time it happens it will ruin me.

If I need to replace my truck with a bigger bed then that is an additional cost that I’m not willing play around with. My 2016 F150 has under 25k miles and I just can’t trade that loss to get a camper.

Bummer, looks the 5.0 is out for me!
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Old 06-30-2020, 07:12 PM   #15
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Hmmmmmm, that is the thing that concerns me. Just when I think I’ll never hit the cab, the first time it happens it will ruin me.

If I need to replace my truck with a bigger bed then that is an additional cost that I’m not willing play around with. My 2016 F150 has under 25k miles and I just can’t trade that loss to get a camper.

Bummer, looks the 5.0 is out for me!
Search for the number of people who have hit the back of their tow vehicles (busted tail lights, etc.) when turning too sharply with a bumper pull.


Towing any trailer of any build type, requires concentration at times. I've yet to hit the cab of my truck when towing Ten Forward and have probably completely turned around on two-lane roads a half-dozen times in six years.
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Old 06-30-2020, 07:32 PM   #16
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I'd be interested in just seeing how many folks actually have needed to do a 90, not me.
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Old 06-30-2020, 07:47 PM   #17
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Okay, stop making sense. You might have me rethinking my rethinking.

Thanks for the moral support.
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Old 06-30-2020, 07:57 PM   #18
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Keep an eye on things overhead and things beside you as you reverse. I've come very close to crushing my right front fender while backing, because I forgot about the vehicle, stump, or rock as I cranked the wheel.
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Old 06-30-2020, 10:31 PM   #19
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Yesterday the President of Escape sent me photos of his 5.0 TA and F150 supercrew 5’6” bed using and Andersen hitch set backwards 2” off the axle center.
.
So our rails were installed on the axle.
Put hitch on with ball closer to tail gate. 30.5" from rear.
Then would you think adapter/coupler would be put on kingpin where it extends toward truck? This should equal distance President has with his 2" off axle center.

This is our last missing piece of the puzzle.
I hear ETI wants it to go opposite.
I just can't wrap my brain around why.
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Old 07-01-2020, 11:05 AM   #20
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So our rails were installed on the axle.
Put hitch on with ball closer to tail gate. 30.5" from rear.
Then would you think adapter/coupler would be put on kingpin where it extends toward truck? This should equal distance President has with his 2" off axle center.

I just can't wrap my brain around why.
"I just can't wrap my brain around why." Yes, this is another hard one to understand. Many have pondered it, some have tried it but I am unaware of anyone who has their's turned toward the front.

The reason being is that the King Pin will hit the sides of the box in tight turns (turning it forward actually pushes that contact point back 8" - it was 4" behind, when turned it is now 4" forward).

30" is the ETI minimum recommended, you will likely be surprised how tight of turns you can make.
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