Fifth Wheel Placement

Bobtail weight means nada.......

if you can get 12.3-12.5...you're good.

Best to shoot for 12K, but 12.3-12.5 is much more realistic.

Unless you want to change out the front axle, tires, wheels, etc for 20K...which is ridiculous

That 5th wheel is right where it should be.

 

Put your fifth wheel to the rear. Then take off some weight from your drives by using the trailer tandems. Then report back with what you find.

 

no there's no law about moving the fifth wheel brackets.. i wouldn't try to do it myself though. most frames are heat treated, and if you weld or drill them wrong it makes them weaker and more prone to fatigue/stress fractures.

so much for your situation, it seems like that truck wasn't set up to pull short trailers which is why so much weight is getting put onto the steers.. my truck pulled van originally, and now i'm running flatbed spread axle and a 36in king ping setting. everytime i scale the weigh master questions me about it.. i just shrug and tell them it's never been over so i pay it no mind.

 

if your tractor steers are weighing over 12k bobtail , something is definately wrong , ( like your truck was originally built for hauling michigans with a 20 k front end , or somone put a crane on the chassis, fuel tanks too far forward , or your truck was equiped with floaters ) yes you can legally move the fifth wheel back on the frame we do it all the time , BUT! you should not put the center pin any farther back than the centerline of the tandems as it will over load the drives and not necisarly take weight off the steers ( the airbags and equalizers on the springs prevent this ) and will cause the front axle to lift off the ground when you hit a big bump if its near the rear axle centerline , and you might not be able to bridge the load due to the trailer length , rule of thumb every 3 inches back =500 pounds you take off the steers , first though you need to find out why its overloaded on the front axle .

 

no you can move the 5th wheel any where on the back of frame (unbolting it) its not against the law.

 

I wonder how much fuel is in it and how far forward the fuel tanks are on the frame?