Hitching up Scamp 5th wheel

[gihuff]

[carlkeigley]

That's beautiful enough to be art.
Great looking hitch.

[Jared J]

Looks good. You'll love the ease of use. I love being able to pull the fifth wheel hitch out in a couple of minutes and have my bed back.

[Byron Kinnaman]

Originally Posted by kenneth dowd

I'm having problems unhitching my Scamp 5th wheel and befor I assume it's equipement problems I would like for some experienced trailer person to spell it out for me.
Should the brakes be set on the tow vehicle befor I attempt to jack the trailer up and off the ball? I'm thinking yes for safety reasons, but not sure.
For some reason I'm having to employ a crow bar to get the hitch to release its grip on the ball! The hammer comes into play when I'm hooking up! I have to use the hammer to move the hitch lever to the locked and safe position.
This is the stock Scamp hitch and ball assembly. The ball and socket are well lubed. The Scamp is a 1997 model, not sure of the milage. Do these ball and socket hitchs wear out over time? Is it possible that the hitch has been stressed or torqued out of shape? Or is operator error on my part?

HINT: Only chock one wheel on the trailer. This will allow the trailer to move an inch or two but go anyplace. It works both when hitching and unhitching.

I use a BAL wheel leveler under one wheel. It goes in and up before I unhitch, and I hitch up before it comes out. The other wheel is free to move. Works for me.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Jared J

I love being able to pull the fifth wheel hitch out in a couple of minutes and have my bed back.

This is a good feature, but it is also available without converting to a fifth-wheel by using a removable hitch that mounts like a fifth wheel. Scamp sells one, but can also be homebuilt by adapting the support structure of a fifth wheel ($230 at eTrailer plus a piece of steel plate) to hold a 2" ball.

[Jared J]

Unless I'm mistaken, neither of those fully remove from the bed. They also can't be used for a gooseneck or normal fifth wheel.

They have their place for some people, but not me.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Jared J

Unless I'm mistaken, neither of those fully remove from the bed.

Neither? I'm not sure which two items you're seeing; I had intended to link to a single product. When I follow the link, it shows only one $495 item, described as a "Complete hitch mounted on the universal rail system."

It is a normal set of fifth-wheel "legs" or "bows", with the same beam across the top that normally carries a fifth-wheel head. It attaches to (and comes with, in case you don't already have them) the same base rails as the common Reese, Husky, etc. hitch systems, and removes the same way. It does leave the rails behind, as do almost all fifth-wheel systems. The manufacturer is listed as "Scamp", because they bolt the custom plate on top to carry the ball, and don't credit the actual manufacturer of the rest of the hardware (probably Reese or Husky).

Note on edit: It looks like Jared has a B&W Turnover Ball and Companion 5th Wheel hitch system. This removes more cleanly than most fifth-wheel systems, leaving no rails behind in the truck box. A hitch similar to the one I linked could be made from a Companion frame (without head), for people using that system.
Jared's hitch: http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...tml#post344520 (post #66)

Originally Posted by Jared J

They also can't be used for a gooseneck or normal fifth wheel.

To use a more common ball-hitch trailer (that uses a larger ball near box floor level), or a true fifth-wheel, you would pull the pins and remove the hitch, then put the other desired hitch in its place, on the same base rails (or the equivalent in other systems such as B&W's)... the same as swapping between common "gooseneck" and fifth-wheel setups.

Originally Posted by Jared J

They have their place for some people, but not me.

It's not for everyone, but it's an option that doesn't require custom fabrication (if you buy the Scamp hitch), and doesn't involve any modification of the Scamp trailer at all.

[Jared J]

Correct on all accounts. The b&w hitch leaves your bed floor the same (minus the square hole, which they sell a plug for if you want it), with no rails to drag cargo across, or have it sitting on while driving.

By neither, I meant scamps hitch or what etrailer sells.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Jared J

By neither, I meant scamps hitch or what etrailer sells.

Ah, thanks, now I get it.
They're the same system... eTrailer sells the stock version, part-by-part if you want, while Scamp is selling the whole setup, complete with modification to mount a ball.

[gihuff]

One other reason why I chose Jared's idea is the fact that no one else could pull my trailer for me if my tow vehicle broke down on the highway. Fifth wheel is standard in the RV industry

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by gihuff

One other reason why I chose Jared's idea is the fact that no one else could pull my trailer for me if my tow vehicle broke down on the highway. Fifth wheel is standard in the RV industry

Yes, if you want another RV owner or light commercial hauler to do it, you need a fifth-wheel or a 2-5/16" low-mounted ball coupler. If you want a tow truck to move it, the stock Scamp setup should not be a problem:
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...tml#post388334 (post #3)