And why do they put holes in the kingpin box?

[WanderBred]

My first trip with a 5.0 and I see this on the side of my kingpin box it looked like rust couldn't figure out where it came from, later I'm looking inside the kingpin with a flashlight and it is Rusty down at the bottom why do they have the holes on top of the kingpin box to let water accumulate in there and not drain out I plugged them with plastic plugs and that should take care of it.

[escape artist]

Hi: Wanderbred... You just plugged the trailers "Nostrils". Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

[WanderBred]

Originally Posted by escape artist

Hi: Wanderbred... You just plugged the trailers "Nostrils". Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

Rolling on the floor laughing here thanks.

[WanderBred]

At least won't be sneezing all over everything. LOL

[Iowa Dave]

You could put a big mask on it
Iowa Dave

[CharlesinGA]

Spray the inside of the box with Fluid Film, or Amsoil Metal Protectant to prevent the rust from spreading or getting worse. Respray it every year.

Charles

[Donna D.]

Holes are for evaporation. The king pin will create condensation inside due to changes in ambient temperature. Kinda like my metal carport. I'm not sure plugging the holes is a good thing or bad thing.

[Centex]

Originally Posted by WanderBred

.... why do they have the holes on top of the kingpin box to let water accumulate in there and not drain out ....

Maybe yours is different but mine does have a hole in the bottom plate which can serve as a drain

Originally Posted by Donna D.

Holes are for evaporation.....

Ummm, the entire pinbox is open to the rear, it's not as if there is any lack of opening for evaporation

Totally a WAG and perhaps wrong, but it's possible that the holes have a function during fabrication (related to jig fixture / assembly alignment). One thing for sure - punching them adds time and cost to the manufacturing process, so there's bound to be a good reason. And, I'd suspect, the good reason they are then left open is because they have no meaningful detriment on the long-term performance or useful life of the product (ever heard of a pinbox failure due to rust from the inside?)

(Me, I'm glad they're there ... they'll serve as bolt holes for a mod I've got in the works, lacking them I wouldn't tackle drilling that heck-for-stout plate )

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Centex

(Me, I'm glad they're there ... they'll serve as bolt holes for a mod I've got in the works, lacking them I wouldn't tackle drilling that heck-for-stout plate )

They're clearly the mounting holes for the spare tire rack , although they also work for brackets for the generator or even the mini-split air conditioner outdoor unit.

Dave58's 5.0TA:

[Centex]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

.... or even the mini-split air conditioner outdoor unit.

The mini-split is definite for me, the front mounting location is in very serious consideration / evaluation

[WanderBred]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

They're clearly the mounting holes for the spare tire rack , although they also work for brackets for the generator or even the mini-split air conditioner outdoor unit.

Dave58's 5.0TA:

Do you have any pictures of the bracket holding the wheel? I think that is an awesome idea.

[escape artist]

Hi: WanderBred... Remember that anything taken off the rear bumper and put on the pinbox adds to the pinweight. Means more load on the trucks cargo capacity. Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by WanderBred

Do you have any pictures of the bracket holding the wheel? I think that is an awesome idea.

The photo is linked to the thread in which this image appeared... and that thread is all I have.

[GregWCIL]

Originally Posted by Centex

The mini-split is definite for me, the front mounting location is in very serious consideration / evaluation

Our 5.0 isn’t due till next summer but I’ve measured several. I share your idea of the front mount condenser. It frees up the back for a usefully large storage box or other things.

Feel free to PM me if you want to bounce ideas around.

Thanks,
Greg

[Centex]

Originally Posted by GregWCIL

.... I share your idea of the front mount condenser. It frees up the back for a usefully large storage box or other things.

For me the attraction is not altering the rear of the trailer at all, maintaining the stock length, etc. As a solo traveler I've got more storage in the 5.0 than I know what to do with, YMMV, no worries!

I've mocked-up a front condenser mount (wood and cardboard) based on the Fujitsu 12RL2 of my interest. It fits nicely, sits very low, has no impact whatsoever on turning clearance / truck bed access, etc. I'm fine with the weight bias, with my payload rating it's a non-issue.

While the lineset length is ~1/3 of the maximum specified by Fujitsu (i.e. not a problem) the routing through the upper-corner of the driver-side OH cabinets and behind the bath module preliminarily looks 'sporting but possible', that'll be the subject of further study. The devil is in the details that are only apparent when you have a trailer in-hand to dissect. I've vetoed all external routing schemes for a variety of reasons, again, YMMV.

I'm very optimistic about the front-mounted condenser scheme, I'm confident the concept is sound, but not quite ready to say it's definite (those devilish details to be worked-out ).

At the moment my focus is completing electrical and solar mods, then it's on to the mini-split install.

Yes. we're Having Fun (the good kind ), hope you Have Fun with yours when you get it!

(begging WanderBred's forbearance for taking his thread off-topic )