Anybody done a 5th wheel in a J truck?

[tigger4x]

Just got a bomb dropped on me and I'm trying to figure out some options. One of them is whether or not a 5th wheel would give me the ability to drag a longer/heavier trailer than I could by regular bumper towing. While this may be common knowledge or whatever it's new to me so go easy on me.

I've seen a number of 5th wheel hitches that go in the bed for sale on Craigslist; a number of them are stationary units, but there are also the adjustable/slide type. There isn't too much difference in price from what I have seen so if the slide is better I'll go with that. One benefit to a 5th wheel is that there are more trailers for sale around here vs bumper pull, and they are generally less expensive. My guess is that more people just don't have/want the 5th wheel in the bed of the truck.

Maybe this will force me to put a heavier GVWR axle, like the J-20 or other, and heavier springs to handle it better. For now I'd only need to move it around minimally and at 45mph or less so running the stock J-10 suspension should suffice.

With all that said, what did you have to do to make it work?

[BCRAWLER]

This one I will be following. Been searching the last 6 months for a J10/20 to do the same thing. Slider units are more for the 6' box sizes. Hitch needs to be above rear axel. On a short box this puts the front of the trailer too close to the cab to allow jack knifing the trailer when parking. Pull the pins and hitch moves backwards allowing more space between the cab and trailer.

[Stuka]

The issue with this on a J-Truck is that the frame was not intended for it. You almost need to pull the bed off and weld in the mounts.

You certainly can tow more, as trailer control is way better, and the weight is right over the axle.

I think there are some hitches that bolt to the bed, but you then have to hope the bed mounts are really strong. (ei. DONT do it.)

[j10jim]

on my 2005 GMC 3500 Dually, the mounts go to the frame through the bed. I would NEVER tow a 5th wheel with a hitch just bolted to the bed. I tow a 30ft camp trailer that weighs about 15K lbs and in a panic stop it can be tough. Figure out how to mount to frame, beef up the frame if necessary. And a J10 will not be rated to tow that kind of weight even if you put J20 axles in it. In Calif you would need the CHP to certify it and they won't do it.

Also the slider hitches are for short bed trucks. If you have a long bed, don't get a slider.

[tigger4x]

Thanks for the info so far! I'm in a bad spot and don't want to dig a deeper hole that I can't get out of.

I have the 8' long bed so now I know I dont need a sliding 5th. Im in Oregon so I'll have to find out what the regulations are here. I do know that with a 5th wheel you can bumper pull a 2nd trailer providing it doesn't exceed a certain length, not that I would consider doing it with my J-truck.

It sounds like this may be already too deep of a hole if I have to pull the bed to weld in the mounts. I'd imaging that would entail boxing the frame as well to provide the necessary strength. Im not a welder so this sounds expensive. At least more than I have most likely.

I had considered J-20 axles just for the simplicity of install. I had a Dana 60/14 Bolt FF combo under my '76 Cherokee, but those cost a pretty penny to get not to mention new spring perches have to be welded up and the driveshafts/u-joints have to be addressed.


All in all it looks like another bomb just dropped and this J-10 is just dead weight. The hits just keep coming. FML

[Kaiserman]

There isn't much (any?) difference from a J10 frame to a J20, so if you where to swap in J20 axles, springs (shoot for springs from a 8000+ GVW J20), dual diaphragm brake booster, steering box, wheels/tires and maybe a couple of other things you essentially have a J20. Though legally you still have a 6200lb(ish) GVW J10.

High GVW J20's where rated to tow 10,000lbs with a regular class 4 or 5 hitch, so I don't see why you couldn't tow at least that much with a properly installed fifth wheel. Look at how fifth wheels are installed on modern trucks, it's nothing fancy. Just mounts bolted to the outside of the frame, sometimes with a backing plate for the inside.

[Cecil14]

As much as I love my J-truck, these trucks are getting old. There's no two ways around that. If you REALLY want to do anything heavy duty with one, the best option is a complete frame swap. Jack up the body and junk everything else. Yes, you can mod the original truck to get kinda close, but you will never approach what you'd have with a newer truck. Technology has simply changed that much.

Honestly, if you really want to tow a lot, get a newer truck and be safe. You'll likely be money ahead, too.


aa

[Elkman06]

You will run out of engine and cooling capability before you hurt the frame.