should i move my fifth wheel?

Im moving 5th wheel every dang day...If I leave it all the way back, the guys pullin doubles will smash into the landing gear with the mudflaps !!! LOL
I liked the middle, one notch forward of middle, then just leave it
I forgot, what was it, 300 pounds a notch? 3000? I ferget..

Crossing CA border we used to have to move a thousand or two pounds back and forward alot...Like, they'd want the 10 feet of overhang, but the dock wants tandems at rear, ahhh, just a pain in the cornhole..Movin 5th wheels and tandems way too much in my world

 

As a new driver asking questions is a good thing--just try no to overthink it....the IMPORTANT point here is you are legal--and w/plenty of fuel....Now you say you may like a lil more weight on one end or the other--but I think you will find over time that in the scheme of things a few hundred lbs one way or the other is not really as noticeable as you may think...as you spend some more time out here where varying loads--you may find your truck rides a little better w/different weight distribution...and when you can experiment a little w/more or less weight on your steers or drives etc...but in this case I would be willing to bet..if you put a little more on your steers--thus lighten up your drives then slidin your tandems back to take a tad off your wagon and put it on your drives--you really wouldn't notice a difference.....as for sliding your 5th wheel--Im typically against slidin it when loaded--I know alot of people argue that point--but if not done properly--alot more bad can come of it than good---and as stated earlier--once you spend some time in that truck you will find an optimal location for your 5th wheel and should be able to leave it alone--about 6" front of dead center--is usually a good starting point for most trux--but to be honest--and Ive been in my current ride for right at 1.6 million miles now--and other than the occasional time I hook to my bosses spread--and have to slide it back--I never move my fifth wheel....

 

Would be neat to put your rig into a wind tunnel with the tandems and hitch were set up for remote moveability..Put on the smoke and see where your getting your max efficiency etc etc...so many combinations out there

If I could legally put tandems, 5th wheel, and load where I wanted it, I would arrange it all for max brake stoppage, whatever that would be..

Neat responses here...I hate running this much weight at 70 mph and NOT knowing every single thing about where I stand with it...Im a big fan of brake tests, specially on lonely wet roads, Im always hittin the floor with the pedal, grabbin the trailer brake around bends...just a little bit!!...just to see where my breakin points are..Once one gets going your screwed right?
Im one of the slower guys out there...kind of a wussy bout it all...then again no scratches either


Course, most everyone with ABS now days, automatics, run flats, gps auto nav (made that one up, lol), computers that will snitch you off when a tire goes 3 pounds low, companies at 62 and 64 mph...

In late 80's, when I started, I ran a old Diamond Reo with the 5th wheel welded all the way back, a old split-rim lowboy trailer from 1957 pulling a new excavator around town, no weight on front tires, I skidded everywhere, almost crashed into gaurdrails at every bend, nervous wreck approaching every intersection..So nuts

Sideloading the excavator, one day I ripped the shank of the kingpin from the big plate, 75% around, had probably 3 inches of weld left...I went ahead and loaded the machine anyways thusly smashing the kingpin/plate back together, sorta...minus the welds and actual connection..could hardly tell the difference!!! LOL