Pulling a fifth wheel camper with a short bed pickup truck is possible, but it requires some special considerations. Fifth wheel campers provide more living space than travel trailers, but they also require a much larger towing vehicle.
Typically, this means a full-sized truck with an 8-foot bed. However, with the right setup and some extra care, you can pull a fifth wheel camper with a short bed truck.
The most important factor when towing a camper with a short bed truck is the length of the camper itself. The “fifth wheel” portion of the camper typically sits over or around the rear axle of the towing vehicle.
With an 8-foot bed, this isn’t an issue; however, in a short bed truck that area is already taken up by the cab and tailgate. Therefore, your fifth wheel camper must be shorter than the space between your cab and tailgate in order to fit properly.
If you do have to pull a longer camper with your short bed truck, special considerations must be taken into account in order for it to be safe. The main concern when doing this is ensuring that your trailer doesn’t extend past your tailgate when turning or stopping suddenly. To prevent this from happening you can use special kingpin extenders that will extend your trailer away from your truck and avoid any potential accidents or damage caused by an overhang on turns or stops.
Another important consideration is weight distribution when pulling a fifth wheel camper with a short bed pickup truck. This is especially true for heavier campers as they require more stability on turns and stops which can be difficult for shorter beds to provide due to their limited size and weight capacity. To ensure maximum stability when pulling your fifth wheel there are several options available such as air bags/suspension systems and weight distribution hitches that will help evenly distribute the load across all four wheels of your truck for better handling and control on turns and stops.
Conclusion:
Pulling a fifth wheel camper with a short bed pickup truck is possible but requires special considerations such as ensuring that the trailer length fits between the cab and tailgate of your vehicle as well as using proper weight distribution equipment for maximum stability while driving.
