Setting up my Volvo 610 for a 5th wheel hitch

[Chad Heiser]

1 hour ago, phoenix2013 said:

Thanks Chad, is the head inflated at around 11"? I know the front hinge area is higher.

Correct, it is approximately 11" with the white reference line at the correct position.

[lockmup68]

bluelightening, I have a 3 bag TSLB2H (3rd bag increases pin weight to 7,500 lbs), I might be interested in selling as I've been thinking of upgrading to one of Henry's ET hitches. I'm in Nashville area.

Shannon

[BlueLghtning]

23 hours ago, lockmup68 said:

bluelightening, I have a 3 bag TSLB2H (3rd bag increases pin weight to 7,500 lbs), I might be interested in selling as I've been thinking of upgrading to one of Henry's ET hitches. I'm in Nashville area.

Shannon

Hi Shannon. I would certainly be interested. Let me get the truck back here and registered, get some measurements and then a hitch will be in short order. Nashville is close enough I could drive up on a weekend and pick it up. Definitely keep me in mind. 

[Pete Kildow]

On 3/31/2017 at 7:36 PM, VegasFlyer said:

Henry,

If nobody jumps in, I will try and get you some measurements over the weekend.

Also, what is the narrowest dimension on the ET, regular or Senior?  We are looking at swapping over in a couple years.  The only reason we went with the TS hitch, we got it off of Craigslist for 350.00, from someone who bought it at a liquidation auction.  Had almost no use.

I beat you in a way. Guy in Birmingham Al. Had mine on Ebay. I watched it and almost bid on it. But starting big was $750.oo. So I waited and got caught away from the net. And it did not sell, but I had asked the guy a question on it. So I got with him, and was able to trade a Shotgun for it. I had paid $325.00 for the Belgium made Browning Gold Trigger 12 gauge shotgun. That was 30 or so years ago. Used it for a lot of those years. But had gotten where I could not shoot it. So it has sat in the gun safe the last 12 years.

He met me half way, and we were both happy. And I know the gun was worth way more then I paid for it. But I also got a TS that had been used 2 times for cheap. It also had the air pump,gauge and shock kit on it.

The the original poster. There was a TS2 or 3 in North GA for sale a few weeks ago. Or was it in Chattanooga? OOOh well it was in one of those listings. Will see if I can find it. I think its on the Tn trader deal.

[BlueLghtning]

Okay, so I'm back with the truck and now it's time to figure out the hitch. I have a lead on a 25k Air Safe hitch with a Binkley head on it. This type of hitch is really meant for a pickup truck though, so not sure height wise if it would work on the HDT? It seems sitting on the top of the rails it might be too tall and might be too wide to mount in between the rails. 

The 5th wheel is still an the sellers house, so I asked them to measure the pin height. They said it's about 53-54" which seems taller than most, but it is a toy hauler. They said their 3500 squats about 4" with the trailer on there. 

Here are some measurements I'm working with on the HDT. I took these as soon as I turned the truck off so the air bags should have been at their full height. BTW, my truck is on 22.5 tires on the rear. Is the ride height of the rear air bags adustable some? 

• 40 7/8" - Top frame rail height from the ground right before it sweeps down. It drops to about 40 3/8" height closer to the rear tire?
• 29 1/4" - Top of lower frame rail height from the ground
• 26 3/8" - Inside frame rail lip maxium width to work with
• 33 1/8" - Width of stock frame (measuring beteween frame and outside hitch rail)
• 39 3/4" - Very Outside rail width

I'm pretty sure the 25k Omni directional hitch is 28" wide by 24" deep measuring corner to corner, but the shocks on the outsite sit out even further pushing that closer to 35" width. Here is a picture from their web page. It looks like the head is adjustable from 14-21". If my rail sits at almost 41" that puts me at 55" at the minium height which just seems too tall. I don't see any way this hitch would fit down inside the rails with it's design so if it can't ride on top, I think it's out? Am I missing something? 

 

The seller of his hitch sent me this picture. He said the height adjustment was from 16-19" which is a lot less than the actual website claims?

 

The AirSafe 32k Commerical Grade hitch might work as it's lower profile. I talked to them and they said the head height is about 9.5-10" so that puts me at about 51.5" - 52" pin height on top of the rails. Does anyone even use this setup on their HDT? 

 

So that leaves me maybe looking at maybe the TrailSaver TSLB hitches then. @lockmup68 even mentioned he might be selling his to upgrade to the ET hitch. It seems from conversations earlier in this thread, the TSLB hitch height is about 11" from the base and measures in about 32" long by 23" wide. Chad said the front of the hitch to center of the hitch is about 24". So 11" hitch height puts me about 52" and that could be a bit more if it was bolted to a plate that raised it up some. That definitely puts me in the ball park for my toy hauler and seems to be about the most simple installation. I could leave my frame as is right now and mount the hitch on a plate that is then mounted to the top of the rails for now. It would probably end being over that cross brace that is even with my mud flaps? If I decide later on I want the hitch further back, that certainly wolud be an option too.  

 

 

 

[lockmup68]

HItch height should be 47", but trailers vary and the pin of your trailer should have some adjustment in it. Did they flip the springs on the trailer to haul with a lifted dually? A lot of guys with tall hitches do it because the truck has a lift or taller tires and they raise the trailer and pin to accommodate. 

I won't be able to do anything with my hitch in the next 2-4 weeks unfortunately. Heads down getting trailer put back together trying to get to ECR. We might have plywood countertops, but we are planning on being there.

 

[Chad Heiser]

The best thing to do is figure out where your toy hauler pin needs to be for the trailer to ride level when hitched up.  The Toy Hauler will have a couple of inches of adjustment in the pin box that you can work with.  Once you know where the Toy Hauler needs to be to ride level, it will help you better understand which hitch mounting solution on the truck will work best.  My last 5er and my current 5er have slightly different pin heights to get them level.

My truck has a large rectangular 1 inch plate mounted to the lower lip of the frame rails behind the axle.  It used to be a horse trailer hauler like yours and this plate was what the goose neck ball was mounted to.  The hauler bed on my truck wraps around the inside of the frame rails and comes down to the plate, so I don't have access to the rails to mount angle iron in order to mount a hitch like the ET without making some bed modifications.  Mounting the Trailer Saver directly to the plate put the hitch head height way to low for a 5er connection because it was at the bottom of the frame rails.  To fix the height, I had 4 inch square tube welded into a rectangle the size of the base of my Trailer Saver.  The Trailer Saver sits on top of the square tube and the whole thing is bolted to the 1 inch plate with grade 8 bolts.  This set up allowed my last 5er to ride level.  My current 5er rides slightly nose low and its pin box is adjusted all the way down.  I have another used pin box that I plan to have altered into a straight down pin box to shorten up my overall length.  When I do this, I will have that pin box built with a little bit more adjustment to get my new 5er back to level (I am only about an inch low in the front so it isn't a huge adjustment).

[MrSeas]

On 3/29/2017 at 4:45 PM, MrSeas said:

Something you want to verify before a hitch decision is made is the pin height you need for your trailer. Many toy hauler style trailers have higher than "normal" pin heights and may affect the  height of your hitch. Pin height could allow more possibilities to what hitches you can use and their placement on your truck. Each truck has its "own" personality and you need to work with it. 

 

[BlueLghtning]

It sounds like I need to go back over to the seller's house where the toy hauler is and do some measuring myself to confirm they gave me the correct measurements before I start anything drastic. Thanks. 

[MrSeas]

1 minute ago, BlueLghtning said:

It sounds like I need to go back over to the seller's house where the toy hauler is and do some measuring myself to confirm they gave me the correct measurements before I start anything drastic. Thanks. 

Nice choice......

[Chad Heiser]

7 minutes ago, BlueLghtning said:

It sounds like I need to go back over to the seller's house where the toy hauler is and do some measuring myself to confirm they gave me the correct measurements before I start anything drastic. Thanks. 

That is what I would do.  At the same time, I would pay attention to the where the pin box is currently mounted on the trailer.  Is it all the way up, all the way down, or somewhere in between.  Then determine what the adjustment increments are for the pin box.  This will then tell you the range your pin box can sit in to keep the trailer level.

[HERO Maker]

Exactly what Chad and Mr. Seas are saying.

I've said it too much in the past, but some of these trailers are now being built (like DRV) with 50 inch pin height to accommodate to pickup market (mistake).  So the old norm of 46-47 is out the door.

[BlueLghtning]

I forgot the pin box has some adjustment. I'll definitely go see where it's sitting and get some measurements and adjustments I have with it. 

[Alie&Jim's Carrilite]

Don't forget that just because the trailer is unhooked, it might not be on level ground.  Might be wise to level the frame to the ground and then measure the pin.

[BlueLghtning]

Just now, Alie&Jim's Carrilite said:

Don't forget that just because the trailer is unhooked, it might not be on level ground.  Might be wise to level the frame to the ground and then measure the pin.

Yeah, that's what I'm concerned about. Where they have it parked isn't the most level spot on gravel/grass/dirt. I'll have to pay close attention to that and see what I can come up with. 

[Alie&Jim's Carrilite]

With a level or even a laser level, you can find what the pin is.  Just have to do the math..... twice.....

I have taped a laser pointer to a trailer frame and aimed it towards the front.  Measured from the front overhang down to the laser, then subtracted what the pin hung down.  Then add the measurement from the ground to the frame at the axles.  That should get you in the ballpark.

[BlueLghtning]

1 hour ago, Alie&Jim's Carrilite said:

With a level or even a laser level, you can find what the pin is.  Just have to do the math..... twice.....

I have taped a laser pointer to a trailer frame and aimed it towards the front.  Measured from the front overhang down to the laser, then subtracted what the pin hung down.  Then add the measurement from the ground to the frame at the axles.  That should get you in the ballpark.

Okay, I can do that. 

[GlennWest]

2 hours ago, Alie&Jim's Carrilite said:

With a level or even a laser level, you can find what the pin is.  Just have to do the math..... twice.....

I have taped a laser pointer to a trailer frame and aimed it towards the front.  Measured from the front overhang down to the laser, then subtracted what the pin hung down.  Then add the measurement from the ground to the frame at the axles.  That should get you in the ballpark.

That is the way I got ours

[BlueLghtning]

I went and measured the trailer myself tonight. I took your guys suggestions and came up with 52" for the pin height as it sits. The Pin Box is in the highest setting though and could be lowered one adjustment which would drop it 2.5", so that would be about 49.5" in the lower setting. That seems more in line with what others have thought. 

That still puts the TSLB2H mounted on my rails right in the ball park as it sits. a 41" rail height with a 11" hitch height puts me right at 52". It definitely knocks out that AirSafe one I had a lead on. Bummer, but that's how things go sometimes. 

It looks like that will be what I'm in the market for.  

[rickeieio]

You realize an ET Junior mounts the same as a Trailer Saver, and is a bit more robust.......

[BlueLghtning]

1 minute ago, rickeieio said:

You realize an ET Junior mounts the same as a Trailer Saver, and is a bit more robust.......

I hadn't looked at those lately since I started looking at all this. I'll check them out. 

[Alie&Jim's Carrilite]

Blue- Not necessarily.  Can the base of the Air Safe be slid between the rails of the truck? 

The plate that the ET hitch sites on acts as the rear cross member.  If the Airsafe hitch bottom plate is robust enough, it could do the same.

[BlueLghtning]

12 minutes ago, Alie&Jim's Carrilite said:

Blue- Not necessarily.  Can the base of the Air Safe be slid between the rails of the truck? 

The plate that the ET hitch sites on acts as the rear cross member.  If the Airsafe hitch bottom plate is robust enough, it could do the same.

You might be thinking of the 32k Airsafe and yes I think that one would work and probably could slide between the rails if necessary. I could certainly purchase one of those new, but the one I have a lead on used for a good price is the 25k Omni.  

This 32k would work, I just haven't read much about them.

 

From my understanding, the 25k Omni Directional Airsafe is about 28" wide by 24" deep from corner to corner, but it still has those shocks that sit further out on it's width and that would seem to totally stop it from being set down in between the rails as far as I can tell..

 

[Alie&Jim's Carrilite]

Oops, I was thinking of the one on the flat plate.  Not the tower.

[Mark and Dale Bruss]

I had a steel plate mounted between the frame rails mounted on brackets about an inch up from the frame bottom.  The Air Safe Hitch was bolted to that plate.

Frame changes