sliding 5th wheel hitches

[jesusgatos]

We're turning a few of our hightop M923A2's into long-wheelbase tractors using M931/2A2 parts, and would like to adapt the 5th wheels to some kind of sliding rails. Anything available or are we on our own?

 

[wreckerman893]

Why not go to a truck salvage place and buy some sliding 5th wheel setups? They should bolt right on to the 5 ton frame rails.

 

[rosco]

Commercial sliders should be common place items, and come contained, on their own plate. Some will have an air locking mechanism, that just requires an air switch, and supply.

 

[jesusgatos]

Thanks guys, but from what I've been able to find online, It looks like most of the sliding plates are made for specific 5th wheel plates. But that's why I was asking. Want to use the articulating military 5th wheel. Saw the air-slide setups. Would appreciate any input of any of you guys have experience with these things. You know, what works, what doesn't, which ones to look for or avoid, etc.

 

[quickfarms]

Thanks guys, but from what I've been able to find online, It looks like most of the sliding plates are made for specific 5th wheel plates. But that's why I was asking. Want to use the articulating military 5th wheel. Saw the air-slide setups. Would appreciate any input of any of you guys have experience with these things. You know, what works, what doesn't, which ones to look for or avoid, etc.

Why do you want to use the articulated fifth wheel?

 

[162tcat]

Unless you do lots of pretty intense off road with 5th wheel in tow, the commercial setup is far superior for on road stability and capacity.

 

[jesusgatos]

Why do you want to use the articulated fifth wheel?

For all the same reasons the military uses them. Commercial setups might have superior on-road performance, but we're planning on using our vehicles off-road too.

 

[RAYZER]

We're turning a few of our hightop M923A2's into long-wheelbase tractors using M931/2A2 parts, and would like to adapt the 5th wheels to some kind of sliding rails. Anything available or are we on our own?

M915 tractors have this type of 5th wheel.

 

[jesusgatos]

M915 tractors have this type of 5th wheel.

Really? 915's have 5th wheel plates that articulate from side-to-side? Are you sure? Didn't think they did, but just looked-up some pics and doesn't look like they do?

 

[RAYZER]

Really? 915's have 5th wheel plates that articulate from side-to-side? Are you sure? Didn't think they did, but just looked-up some pics and doesn't look like they do?

Sorry, misread your post.
They do slide but don't articulate.

 

[rosco]

Commercial 5th wheel plates that articulate are required here, if an owner/opporater wants to pull North to the Beach (Prudhoe Bay), pulling tanks. That type of 5th wheel, articulating, is available commercially, with a slider! I can't help thinking that those 5th wheels, aren't made commercially, and available off the shelf, by just changing some of the parts. Do some detective work , like find who makes the 5th wheel, and go to their site.

 

[DrillerSurplus]

You could look into mounting the articulating 5th wheel onto the civilian slider. I've got a slider on the ground & can send photos if you'd like.

They should be cheap to buy, we have taken them off Ford L9000 tractors purchased at GSA auctions that we turned into flatbeds. We ended up scrapping 4 or 5 of the 5th wheel assemblies a couple of years ago because we couldn't find a market for them.

 

[Derrickl112]

.

 

[quickfarms]

Why do you want a sliding fifth wheel?

 

[painter paul]

I have been in the heavy truck towing business for many years and I just can't see how an articulated fifth wheel will help any other than tipping the trailer enough to take the whole unit over on its side.

 

[rosco]

With ridged type trailers, such as tanks, loaded heavy, they don't twist much, before they start cracking. Flats, & even to some extent dry vans, are not that much of a problem on uneven ground. The articulated 5th wheel though, usually raises the trailer some.

 

[M813rc]

I just did the opposite this past weekend, removed the double-articulation 5th wheel from one of my M931A2's, replaced it with a Fontaine slider. This was done to reduce the nose height (from 13'9") on a couple of my trailers. Also to allow towing the short little M146 by getting it back away from the big tires.

Some observations -
The military 5th wheel is almost 7" taller than a similar civilian unit.

The military 5th wheel is bolted to two "widening" plates with ten bolts. These plates make it wide enough to bolt to the two flanges mounted on the outside of the M931 frame rails. Looks like removing the plates would reduce the width of the rest of the 5th wheel enough that you could then bolt it to a customized sled (or whatever the correct term is for the moving part) in the civilian slider lower section.

The M939 series frame rails are the same outside width, 34", as civilian trucks, so a lot of civilian stuff is just bolt on.
My Fontaine slider only required drilling new holes in the flanges to mount to the M931.

I used the front axle lock-unlock switch off an M35A2 to operate the air ram on the slider. Works fine, and looks stock.

I'll take some pictures of the 5th wheels for you later. They are usually worth more than than the usual thousand words!

Cheers