I have a folding tonneau cover on my crew cab truck and can't see the hitch when backing up. I used to remove the tonneau cover to hook up, but got a brain wave. I attach a magnetic pick up tool to the front of 5th wheel plate and extend the tool enough to see it over the tonneau cover. It has worked great for me and I use my tonneau cover when I get to my destination.
Hooking to 5th wheel with a crew cab
- Thread starter Jacknel
- Start date
GOTTOYS
Well-known member
I don't use anything special. I just look in the mirrors and use the sides of the trailer for a reference point. When I think I'm close I get out once and adjust the height. Works every time. Although I must admit it's WAY easier to hitch up this B&W hitch than it was to hitch my previous Super Glide. Nowhere near as fussy.....Don
SilverRhino
Well-known member
jnbhobe
Well-known member
Exactly what I do, works every time.
VMooreSR
Well-known member
JohnDar
Prolifically Gabby Member
I have a small decal on the nose, lined up with the pin, and an outline decal of Grumpy on the rear window. Line them up in the mirror and it's off to the races. I still stop short and eyeball the final alignment once the pin box is over the bed.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
porthole
Retired
Been doing the same for almost 6 years now. I ended buying a few extras as well, have giving a couple away to friends once they see how easy it makes connecting when you can't see.
rfournelle
Canada-East Region Directors-Retired
I use a camera attached to the tonneau cover. This way I can see how it lines up both up and down and side to side.
I'm assuming that the bed covers discussed in this post are of the BAKFlip G2 style, that can be folded up and stowed against the rear window, causing the view blockage when hooking up to your hitch. I have the BAKFlip G2 on my short bed Ford Super Duty. When I picked up my BC from the dealer I had my bed cover on the truck. I towed it home with it up against the rear window. I don't like it fot three reasons; 1.) I couldn't look in the rearview mirror and see my hook up. 2.) It reduces the degree of the turn when backing up. 3.) I can't open my toolbox which is installed up against the front of the bed.
Since the bed cover is narrower than the cab of the bed, you can't see the ends of the bed cover when backing. The decreased radius of the turn caused me to contact the cover with the front cap on my BC and caused some scratched paint. Because of this I now remove the cover when towing. That is a royal PIA.
So that is why I asked if you tow with the cover foldedup. Am i making to big a deal out of towing with the cover installed?
Thanks for reading my long post.
Since the bed cover is narrower than the cab of the bed, you can't see the ends of the bed cover when backing. The decreased radius of the turn caused me to contact the cover with the front cap on my BC and caused some scratched paint. Because of this I now remove the cover when towing. That is a royal PIA.
So that is why I asked if you tow with the cover foldedup. Am i making to big a deal out of towing with the cover installed?
Thanks for reading my long post.
danemayer
Well-known member
I've got a Bakflip G2 but it's on a long bed crew cab. It's folded, but the front segment is latched and the folded segments are held in place with bungee cords. It doesn't interfere with anything. I have occasionally towed with the Bakflip in the upright position. Being unable to see out the back feels uncomfortable, but it's never been a problem.
Jim-Lynn
Well-known member
I have a hard tonneau cover on my 8' bed. It is in 3 sections, Section (1) is 31" and fold up to section (2) 31". Then section (1 & 2) fold up to the last stationary section which is 34". Clips in place and I am done. It is 3 1/2' high out my rear window and I have no issues seeing the pin to hook up. I love the set up as the tonneau cover stacked up ready to tow give me 34" of covered storage between the 5th wheel hitch and the front of the bed. Only stow light cargo there.
Jim
Jim
Nabo
Southeast Region Director-Retired
On our 2005 and 2009 Dodge Ram truck (short bed) with the tonneau tri-fold hard cover, we used the tape method on the cover to help lineup. On our 2014 Ram with a factory installed cover, we just went ahead and had a camera installed into the 3rd brake light. It's wired back thru the nav system and works great. We also had the Landmark hardwired with a camera on the rear which really helps backing into campsites.
It looks like my problem is a combination of the shortbed and the BAKFlip G2.
jnbhobe
Well-known member
Advance Folding Cover in Michigan makes a 4 piece cover that folds flat for a short bed Ford
Silverado23
Iowa Chapter Leaders
I had an Advance Folding cover on my old truck it worked fine but a similar design with better locking is the Fold-a-cover G4 that I switched to on my new truck. Both covers function similarly and work very well.
http://www.foldacover.com/
I had a line-x spray in bed liner sprayed over the rails and surprisingly, the texture ended up being very similar to the texture on the cover.
