Recomended clearance between top of bed rails and fifth wheel?

At the moment we have 4.5" between the fifth wheel and the top of the bed rails at the tailgate.
I mentioned this when we picked the new Wildcat up and the service manager said it looked good to him and the Cat was level. I talked to the owner and he said they could lower the goose neck, but of course the Cat would not be as level.
Not sure what to do about this.

4 1/2" is cutting it pretty close. I would think maybe 6"+ would be much better. You could probably raise your 5ver axles IF you have vacant holes in the brackets to do so. This would make the 5ver nose down to the truck bed, in which case you would have to compensate by adjusting the hitch. You mentioned a "goose neck". Is this what you are actually using? I know sometimes people refer to a fifth wheel hitch as a goose neck, but there is actually a huge difference between the two. Your sig indicates a pullrite, which I believe is a fifth wheel hitch, which should be fairly easy to raise to compensate for raising the unit, giving you much needed bed clearance.

I agree. Raise both the trailer and the hitch to the next available adjustment point on the shackle brackets and on the hitch. This will keep the trailer relatively level.

I wish they'd fix the standards on 5th wheel manufacturing and increase the front overhang differential about 2-3in. I'd rather take another step from the living area to the bedroom than have a trailer jacked up in the air to simply clear the pickup bed. I'm up to 39" from the ground to finish floor. The triple step is too short. It's not fun seeing your little one take a dive off the steps to the ground. Luckily we were parked in sand. GRRR. Rant off.

I will not go to a bumper pull.

Freedom1955 wrote:At the moment we have 4.5" between the fifth wheel and the top of the bed rails at the tailgate.
I mentioned this when we picked the new Wildcat up and the service manager said it looked good to him and the Cat was level. I talked to the owner and he said they could lower the goose neck, but of course the Cat would not be as level.
Not sure what to do about this.

I was told this rule of thumb for proper clearance. Make a fist and if you can put it between the truck and camper and turn it your fine. 4-5" is a good clearance, why do you need more than that if your camper and truck ar sitting level.

I was told this rule of thumb for proper clearance. Make a fist and if you can put it between the truck and camper and turn it your fine. 4-5" is a good clearance, why do you need more than that if your camper and truck ar sitting level.[/quote]

Cross a RR crossing with a "hump" in it, or enter a driveway to a truckstop or store with a grade in it, and it will become real clear real fast! Don't want to appear to be "flaming" (heck, we get enough of that on the rv.net site) but in reality, in my area we have those "dips", that even with my 6 1/2"+ the bed rails get real close. Headed out tomorrow to a state park near our home that has a RR crossing that I have to really take caution with.

ezrider6298 wrote:I was told this rule of thumb for proper clearance. Make a fist and if you can put it between the truck and camper and turn it your fine. 4-5" is a good clearance, why do you need more than that if your camper and truck ar sitting level.

Cross a RR crossing with a "hump" in it, or enter a driveway to a truckstop or store with a grade in it, and it will become real clear real fast! Don't want to appear to be "flaming" (heck, we get enough of that on the rv.net site) but in reality, in my area we have those "dips", that even with my 6 1/2"+ the bed rails get real close. Headed out tomorrow to a state park near our home that has a RR crossing that I have to really take caution with.[/quote]

I hear what you are saying, but I do alot of camping on the beach and there is alot of ups and downs and I never have any problems

I parked my old trailer on the tailgate one time crossing a RR track in Oregon. Fortunately it didn't damage anything. I had 6 1/2" clearance.

FWIW, I was leaving the Oregon Vortex tourist trap near Gold Hill.

6 inch clearance is what most shoot for.

I think ours clears by a foot or so. I can reach over the side and put my whole body between the trailer and the bed rail. The shackels on the trailer are on the center hole and the truck is a stock F250 FX4 with slightly taller tires. I think there is a picture in my gallery showing the clearence.

As much as possible, especially if you go into any unimproved sites. I have just about maxed mine out and have about 6". I have actually rubbed the bottom of the trailer trying to get into and out of some sites; not fun, you end up jockeying all around trying not to tear things up.

Jacandjan, if you have a foot I'm impressed!

when i bought a new 4x4 duramax last year my trailer set high on the nose. since i didnt have the longer shackles i made some 2x2 blocks and put between the axles and the springs. it raised the trailer to where i have about 6" of clearance now. almost hit this summer pulling into a fuel station. the dealer where i bought the trailer 4 years ago told me the same thing about a fist clearance was enough.

Scottz

Take a look at one of the pic's in my gallery where the trailer is hooked to the truck. It has to be a good 10 to 12 inches just to get my body between the rail and the trailer. Ours does have 16" tires.

I've got 6" and I have hit several times. I think it is because of the air bags on the truck. The rear of the truck is always sitting higher than the nose, so when I go over a hump while turning, I hit. So far no major damage, just broke the plastic bed rail cover and bent the trim strip on the Cat. Not much you can do about it when you are in mid turn with people waiting for you to move.