Thread: toterhome build
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Old 12-28-2011, 07:58 PM   #4
hot rod
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Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 527
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You will need a minimum of 5' between the gooseneck ball or fifth wheel and the back of the toter box for clearance if you need to make a 90 degree turn relative to the trailer. Particularly if you are not on level ground and the trailer tips even a few degrees relative to the truck. You really need that full 5' with the width of the body on a truck conversion, with the narrower cab on a dually pickup you can get away with less with a trailer with a narrow front. Any racecar/box type trailer is going to have the hitch back under the deck some, as opposed to a fifth wheel camper that usually has the hitch extended out past the front. It's really not worth trying to save a few inches in this area as the damage to both the truck and the trailer is very bad if you make even minimal contact. Err on the side of plenty of room, and don't forget to allow for things like door handles, hand rails and ladders. I've seen more than one toter with the ladder all jacked up from hitting the trailer.

Also there are many professionally built toters with the ball placed significantly behind the rear axle, by a foot or more. Toter style TC's are notorious for being at the edge of overloaded on the front axle and plenty of weight to spare on the rear axle so placing the ball rear of the axle helps place more weight on the rear axle and helps take a little off the front. The fiver RV guys with a singled up class 8 truck generally use an air ride 5th wheel hitch placed about 3' back from the axle so the can get the air hitch box mounted low enough for a RV trailer, and they all report that works well. the escapees forum has some good info on the mechanics of those kind of conversions, but this is your best forum for the box build. BlizzardND's build is the best documented on here for the nuts and bolts of building out the box.

Good luck!
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