Fifth wheel travel trailer frame

[koja]

Hello all . Buddy of mine has a fifth wheel camper trailer that burned. The remaining camper has been removed and said the trailer was mine if I want it to make a trailer to haul my bx25d. Would it be worth beefing it up to make a trailer ? Would have to change it to a regular tongue. New truck and not putting a fifth wheel hitch in it. Any ideas ?

 

[bcbull378]

I guess it all depends on how heavy the trailer is, I'd try it and you can put a gooseneck hitch in your truck they make a clean set up without having to butcher your truck.

 

[Merlinhomeauto]

Travel trailer frames are not made to carry equipment , the amount of work to change to bumper pull and beef up cross beams doesn't seem worth it. Another thought how much unseen damage was done to frame from fire.

 

[aeronutt]

I converted a travel trailer to an equipment trailer. It works if you've got plenty of welding skills and spare time. I think the biggest challenge is beefing up the cross members. The travel trailer only had a stamped L-bar ever 4 feet so I had to put in another 3 inch angle iron brace between each of those. I also had to cut off the suspension mounts and move them forward and chop off 8 feet of excess length from the 5-inch channel beams of the main frame. If you do all those changes plus convert from a 5th wheel to a bumper pull, you might as well just build one from scratch. I have seen 5th wheel campers successfully converted to equipment trailers too, but they retained the 5th wheel hitch. You might end up being money ahead to buy the trailer you want and sell the camper frame.

 

[koja]

Thank you for the replies. Good advice , was thinking along the same lines. I think it would be more work than what it's worth. Dang BX25D's are heavy.