A few words about Rotational King Pin boxes...
Rotational King Pin Boxes introduce unsafe trailer sway back into to fifth wheel towing!
The problem with short bed towing is cab-to-axle clearance. With a 5.5 ft. bed truck, you only have about 20-27” between the center-of-axle, the ideal location to tow from, to the back of your cab, even if your trailer has cutaway corners.
So in a turn, you have to fit 48” (half the width of your trailer) into 20-27” of space before contacting your cab. Super short bed towing with a standard hitch creates a constant risk of hitting your cab while making even moderate turns.
There are two potential solutions: Rotational King Pin boxes and the SuperGlide, automatically-sliding hitch.
On the surface, a Rotational King Pin Box seems like a potential solution, but they introduce unsafe trailer sway to fifth wheel towing! They move the trailer’s pivot point rearward up to 22”, very similar to towing a bumper-pull travel trailer that introduces sway issues caused by the pivot point being located well behind the truck’s rear axle, but they have a relatively low center of gravity, and that’s a good thing.
Fifth wheel trailers have a much higher center of gravity...and that’s a bad thing, but that downside is largely offset because they pivot directly over the truck’s rear axle.
A Rotational King Pin Box combines the worst of both scenarios—the high center of gravity of a fifth wheel and the sway-inducing characteristics of a travel trailer.
Let us show you by watching this short video:
The real solution to eliminating the need for Rotational King Pin boxes for short bed towing is always SuperGlide! A SuperGlide moves your trailer away from your cab while making a turn - 50% farther than manually adjusted "slider" designs - and works AUTOMATICALLY, while you drive and make short turns. We have many SuperGlide models, depending on your mounting preference; click on any of the following to see your options:
ISR SuperGlide, OE Puck SuperGlide and Traditional Series SuperGlide
If you have a Super Short 5-1/2" bed truck, then we have two amazing options for you! #3100 Traditional Series SuperGlide and #3200 ISR Series SuperGlide.
To learn more about super short bed towing, click here.
With that being said, we have a few products that you may need if you are decidedly going to tow a rotational pin box with a PullRite:
If you are towing with a PullRite Super 5th hitch and use a rotational king pin box from the following brands: Turning Point, Sidewinder, or Orbital, our precision-fit pin, #331724 Rotational Pin Box Wedge is optimal for the best towing performance.
NOTE: This wedge is not suitable for use with the #1900 Super 5th
If you are using a Rota-Flex king pin box, it is designed with a pivoting head and a built-in rubber block to reduce chucking and absorb road shock. However, when used with a SuperLite hitch, the rubber block inside the pin box may shift out of place during towing.
To correct a rubber block that has already shifted out of place, PullRite offers the #4446 Rota-Flex Pin Box Rubber Isolator to move it back into place and secure it.
For a proactive prevention before you begin towing with a Rota-flex king pin box, we recommend you use Part #4447 to prevent the rubber block from slipping out of place..