fifth wheel adjusment ?

It should be forward of the center between the axles. Behind the center is dangerous. Take a tape mesure and make a mark on the frame centered in between the axles. Never get the center of your fifthwheel behind that line. I would start with the center of the fifthwheel about 4 inches forward of the mark you made on the frame.

Just make sure the trailer clears when you turn corners after you move it forward. 4 inches is just a starting point. It will get you close.

But never never go out on the road with the fifthwheel back behind the center of the tandum. That's a good way to kill someone.

 

i dont see what it would hurt besides axle wieghts, and turning radius

my fifth wheel is all the way back , has been since i bought it, and its the only way i can legally load most of my loads and keep from being way over on my steers

BTW im 11920 on the steers empty full of fuel

i would however get the spring pins, kingpins and tie rods checked

 

The fifth wheel is back behind the pivot point between the axles. This varies some according to what suspension you have, and the weight of your steers when empty. Some trucks with big block engines and saddle tanks are naturally front heavy and can run a far rear fifth wheel setting.

What is happening is the front is lifiting up under acceleration causing the steers to slide in turns. This can be very dangerous in wet weather. Get the truck scaled out proper with a normal heavy load and mark where the fifth wheel should be. After doing this you should be able to slide the fifth wheel back a few knotches when pulling light loads to help in the ride, then reset back to the marked knotch before you loan the next heavy load. I say before because a loaded truck is hard to slide.

You probably know this, but for those that don't. When sliding a fifth wheel and the truck is loaded, lower the landing gear until the crank just gets hard to turn, let the air out of the air bags, the slide to the correct position. You clutch and driveline will love you for it, plus you won't be cussing trying to get the catch loose, and overshooting your knotch when things do finally jump loose.

And as Brickman stated earlier, grease that fifth wheel. A dry fifth wheel will wear out steering tires very quickly. It will also make the truck mean to drive on a road that is rutted out, and will cause your butt to grip the seat in the rain.

 

You didn't mention if you had a scale on the tractor and the trailer. If you had a scale you would know what your axle weight is on both the tractor and the trailer.

Remember that on a standard tractor, you should not go over 12K on the front end. You have a sliding fifth wheel and so say you have more weight on the front, slide it back until you are legal.

IIRC each notch equates to 250 LBS difference but I could be off.

 

It's interesting that I Googeled info about sliding fifth wheels+weight distribution and came up empty.
Scales would help. I cannot see in this day age why any company would not pay for scales. They're a heck of lot cheaper than the alternatives.

 

Weight distribution varies with the load, and it's placement. And your trailer tandem placement can play a factor on how much is slid with the 5th wheel.

Pin placement on the trailer, is also an issue. These do occasionally differ.

Too many variables to give a fixed answer LOL

 

What it hurts is if the fifthwheel is too far back and you don't have enough weight on your steering axle, the steering tires are going to slide and not steer.

Most new trucks are set up so you can't slide back behind the center. Alot of older sliders would go back alot farther