With a 5er what is considered a "safe" percentage for pin weight?
I was thinking of getting a 5th wheel and welding on a rack for my toys (no more than 1000 lbs.) and extending no more than 5' off the back.
I've seen it done but, never talked to anyone who has towed with one.
I would of course stay with in the goss (and axel) weights of the trailer and TV.
Most 5ers are setup for a 20% pin weight, I double tow with a hitch weight of 350 to 400 lbs. My pin weight dry is 1950 and have had no problems towing. I would want a 10" to 12" frame on the 5er.... JMHO
Check with the 5er manufacture, ask if the frame will handle such a load. That will put a lot of length behind the wheels and may affect handling. You should have at least 15% for pin weight.
I was going to add a carrier to the back of my Cedar Creek 29'. Came up with the idea of running 5" C channel along the bottom of the I beam, and welding braces between the C channel and top of I beam. Figured there would be no way for the c Channel to flex that way, and I could extend it out the back as far as I needed. After talking to some trailer dealers, they convinced me not to do it. Best explanation I got was, you're never going to break one of those 10" I-beams, but all of that weight bouncing on the back of it will certainly flex it. So if it's flexing and your walls are attached to it, that might be trouble. Bit the bullet and bought a toy hauler!
IMHO the frames on fifth wheel trailers are probably like everything else (axles, tires, etc), made to minimum specs. Going over gvwr or extending frame that far will put undo stress on frame, causing it to flex or bend. Neither would be worth it. As previously stated, get a tow hauler or something properly equipped.
I would think to add 1000 lbs or so beyond rear, you would need to beef up the entire frame.
As is USUALLY the case, the devil is in the details. I agree with johnbd for the most part but the actual answer depends on the DETAILS about your 5th wheel. They are not all the same and with many brands, adding 1,000 extra pounds would be a disaster wile some others could handle it with no problems. Unless you've got an AWFULLY large 5th wheel AND it has a very LARGE CCC it sounds like a bad idea and even THEN it depends on how the trailer is already loaded, it's GVWR and current use weight. Hanging a 1000 lb. weight several feet behind the bumper is going to be the equivalent to carrying 3,000 lb. or more total when you factor in the leverage it will generate.
2004 F-250 SCREW Long Bed (new)
OR 2004 F-150 HD (85,000 towing miles) Rockwood 8314SS 34' travel trailer
We have enough YOUTH...how about a fountain of SMART
I saw a guy had a homemade deal on the back of a Cedar Creek fiver in Myrtle Beach. He was putting a Harley on it. Never saw it loaded, and every time I went by it,no one was around. Couldn't believe all of the bracing/extra metal he had welded under there. I took some pics of it, I'll have to look when I get home to see if I still have them.
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