fifth wheel camper reciever hitch

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Good evening fellas/gals. Well the wife and i bought another new 30' fifth wheel camper this summer. This particular time i was able to work a reciever hitch installation for our boat into the deal. The dealer of course sources this out to a local welding shop, when i got it back.... lets just say it was almost hard not to laugh. Our boat loaded with fuel and other gear is about 3800-4000lbs with the trailer SO i asked for a hitch that was capable of pulling 6000lbs. Essentially just a basic two crossmembered hitch right? wrong i get back a one cross member 2.5 x 2.5" x 3/16" square tubing mounted to two 5" long by 3" wide x 3/8" plates welded to my camper frame. Of course we get the camper back 3 days before our 4 week holiday at the lake, and the weld shop supervisor said " its pleanty strong" so from a legal stand point i pulled it once without doing anything to there deisgn. Do our holiday up at the lake, come home, i immediately cut the hitch off and take it to the owner of the weld shop..... yep the hitch was bent in two different directions! so i am getting all my money back plus some for my own time/materials as i have to build my own now. I must say guys as the old addage goes... if you want it done right! do it yourself.SO ive built quite a few hitches in my past but this time i am given the pleasure of working with a STRONG camper frame... rather than the typical weak i beam style. Our unit has 2" x 10" x 3/16" thick main frame. So ive been having some fun toying around with new mounting bracket designs. I am going to make the main hitch subframe bolt on as we have a holding tank just above the hitch... just incase it needs to be lowered in the future. Heres what i think ive come up with and figured id get your guys opinions too. Always like to see different ideas from other fellas on this website.Mounting plate construction is as follows: All 3/8" plate, plate measures 20" long by 10" wide, nicely rounded corners for weldments on the existing camper frame, Also the highlighted green area in the first picture shows a slot i will machine in, and i will slide in a piece of 3/8" plate 2 1/4" wide that will catch the bottom of the 2x8 camper frame and will be welded the full length on the inside of the frame. This piece of bar will be recessed about 1/4" into the outside plate so i can fully weld the slotted area. Then of course the typical (two) 2.5x2.5x1/4" tubing crossmember with corresponding mounting plates to the ones mounted to the frame.I apologize in advance for my great paint skills! added a picture of the rig hooked up, and an old hitch i made for our previous camper. Like i said before its sure a shame you cant even trust some places these days.... They tried to feed me a line of crap at the weld shop until they found out i was a pressure welder at our coal fired power plant lol. I do make them a little over kill... but i think what alot of people dont realize is the amount of shock load and leverage your boat/item forces on your hitch. When you hit bumps/pot holes, that tounge weight goes up exponentially as its pulling up and down. Attached ImagesLast edited by Pressure_Welder; 09-30-2012 at 11:16 PM.
Reply:where are you at that you're allowed to pull a tag along trailer/train?There are no problems. There are only solutions. It's your duty to determine the right one.Hobart Handler 210Airco 225 Amp MSM Stinger
Reply:Here in Alberta, you're allowed to pull tandem trailers so long as the first is either a gooseneck or a fifth wheel, and that it doesn't overload the ratings on the tow vehicle. I believe this can be done on nothing more than a standard class 5 licence (the same as anyone who can pass the standard drivers test).-Millermatic 211, Powermax 380, and way too many other tools to list....-Unofficial, professsional, garage tinkerer...
Reply:Originally Posted by yyc_tbird_scHere in Alberta, you're allowed to pull tandem trailers so long as the first is either a gooseneck or a fifth wheel, and that it doesn't overload the ratings on the tow vehicle. I believe this can be done on nothing more than a standard class 5 licence (the same as anyone who can pass the standard drivers test).
Reply:I am in manitoba, canada. Were allowed upto 71' so alls good! been pulling like this for years, mom and dad did the same for years, dad got me pulling this type of load when i was 16. But i will admit you see a fair amount of guys on the road white knuckling that shouldnt be pulling a rig like this! with inadequate tow vehicles. Were able to pull 23,000lbs with the dually, and were only at about 17,000lbs fully loaded so lots of room to spare.
Reply:Must be a state by state thing than. Never seen that in Washington. THe only tandem trailers we see out here are on semi's.There are no problems. There are only solutions. It's your duty to determine the right one.Hobart Handler 210Airco 225 Amp MSM Stinger
Reply:Here (Neb) I was informed that you can only pull doubles like that on the interstate... and around the interstate, so you just can't start cross-countrying with it.Miller Performance AD Helmet - Camo Edition Soon to have: Jackson HSL 100 - Forest Digi CamoMiller Thunderbolt AC/DC((Currently at welding school))
Reply:seen a suburban once pulling 3 things, granted they all were laying on its side, blocking all east bound lanes, on the interstate. Not sure if it was legal. from the look of the tire makes, it looked like one started to swerve back and forth until they lost control."Those who hammer their guns into plows will plow for those who do not."Thomas Jefferson."When the people fear their government, there is tyranny when the government fears the people, there is liberty."Thomas Jefferson.
Reply:That's pretty common here in Utah. People pull doubles all the time, fifth wheel or bumper pull. I believe there is a length limit, and I know there is no special licensing required. Personally, I've done it with my 2007 2500HD Duramax, 28' fifth wheel camp trailer, and a small single axle trailer with ATVs on it, also pulled my 19' boat behind the fifth wheel trailer once, worked great. Definitely not for the novice driver, though, takes some smarts to get through all this road construction we have going on.
Reply:MN lets you pull any combination up to 26000lb's on a standard class D license. There is a length limit, cant remember what is is though.
Reply:I looked it up in Wa, and it definately wouldn't fly here. Make sure you're checking the state regs if you're crossing state lines.http://apps.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=46.44.036RCW 46.44.036Combination of units — limitation.  Except as provided in RCW 46.44.037, it is unlawful for any person to operate upon the public highways of this state any combination of vehicles consisting of more than two vehicles. For the purposes of this section a truck tractor-semitrailer or pole trailer combination will be considered as two vehicles but the addition of another axle to the tractor of a truck tractor-semitrailer or pole trailer combination in such a way that it supports a proportional share of the load of the semitrailer or pole trailer shall not be deemed a separate vehicle but shall be considered a part of the truck tractor. For the purposes of this section a converter gear used in converting a semitrailer to a full trailer shall not be deemed a separate vehicle but shall be considered a part of the trailer.[1975-'76 2nd ex.s. c 64 § 8; 1961 c 12 §46.44.036 . Prior: 1955 c 384 § 2; 1951 c 269 § 23; prior: 1949 c 221 § 1, part; 1947 c 200 § 5, part; 1941 c 116 § 1, part; 1937 c 189 § 49, part; Rem. Supp. 1949 § 6360-49, part.]Notes:Rules of court:  Monetary penalty schedule -- IRLJ 6.2.     Effective dates -- Severability -- 1975-'76 2nd ex.s. c 64: See notes following RCW 46.16A.455.There are no problems. There are only solutions. It's your duty to determine the right one.Hobart Handler 210Airco 225 Amp MSM Stinger
Reply:Legalities aside........ Those welds look great.......... Dual shield? Or are your tie ins just too perfect to see in the pics?Precision TIG 185 and MP 210Bobcat 225NTCutmaster 42O/A tanks.... 2 Argon tanks...... 2 C25 TanksFacebook...... F2 Metal WorksETSY....... https://www.etsy.com/shop/F2MetalWorksF2MetalWorks.com....... http://www.f2metalworks.com/
Reply:Originally Posted by FexalLegalities aside........ Those welds look great.......... Dual shield? Or are your tie ins just too perfect to see in the pics?
Reply:Looks good to me..Good job!You get all the fun jobs.....zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.