Putting this rig together is gonna be like trying to squeeze that one, last... fat... sardine into the can :o) There's 'bout 25 inches of space, twixt the corner of the 5er... and the headache rack... with the rig about 97% jackknifed...
...Hmmm that truck was 5 years before this one! :o)
I'll still be within capacities... I'll add Firestone suspension to level things back out... the bike will be there in front of it putting more weight back forward... and the truck can handle this load to begin with... and then... Goosenecks are heavier rated and have more articulation than a fifth wheel hitch... and they Don't put more torque on the pin box...
How could they? The "lever" remains the same length...(the distance between the kingpin and the truck attachment) and the increased articulation in a gooseneck means it won't lock up until long after a fifth wheel has bound tight and busted things...
I've hauled gooses too many thousands of miles to spend any time listening to the hogwash piled higher and deeper, argufyin' 'bout the merits... or demerits, of gooseneck vs. fifthwheel hitches... and I've hauled this rig... something in the vicinity of 50,000 miles... with the gooseneck... and something like 1/5th of that... with that 550 lb Yamaha V Star... doin' rear guard... sitting in her Motorcycle Carrier on the Tail end...
The big Yamaha Raider that's gonna sit there, on the truck, is somewhere 'round 24 inches right through there... It's gonna be snug... and a guy will have to pay attention to what he's doin' (when he's turning tight)... but I don't see any deal breakers here...
When I think on it... I don't know that I've had to jack the rig this tight more than three or four times in the last ten years to get into somewhere... and if I do?... I'll likely have already unloaded the Raider anyway.
So... it's close to time to start cuttin' metal to rework a few things on the bed... I want to add some water tanks in place of the bent up existing storage boxes... a fuel tank... move that hitch point... bolt on Firestone airbags... and a couple of new underbed storage boxes...
While I'm doin' my shcemin'... Heidi has been gettin' horseback a bit with James and Krea (our 'landlords')
She's had a problem though... amongst all the packin', storin' and divestin' we've done... her boots disappeared...
So... in her search to solve her need for proper footwear while horseback... she managed to kill two of those 'problem birds' with one throw... and caught herself some Flaming Biker Mama boots that'll do two jobs!
She'll have flash and fancy while straddlin' a Horseback Saddle... and ... her soon to be built, custom Motorcycle Saddle!
But... I'm proud of my Daughter... Keriann tol' her mom; "You're a Gramma now... You can do anything you want! Who cares what other people think!" How awesome is that?! :o)
Time for me to get back to it...
Take Good Care
Brian
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5 comments:
Those are some sharp looking boots! I like 'em.
Who cares what you wear as long as you or her like. Ed
Damn, those are some mighty fine boots!!!!!
Hey, "Ram" is looking good to me! I never ever needed to turn mine that short. Don't go any farther back with your hitch ball, though. ===Fred===
Hi Brain, your 5th. wheel is sitting highter than mine was, so maybe you can get storage boxes or water tanks to sit on the top of the truck bed down each side. My Honda 70 could be lifted up onto the bed by 2 guys, so didn't need to make room for a ramp. John
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