Fifth wheel slider move?

The fifth wheel plate on my western star doesn't slide to the rear far enough, to hook up to my roll back trailer. The roll back trailer has a really short fifth wheel pin to neck distance, and it is fine on my little international truck, but I'd like to be able to hook the western star up to it.

Easier to go to the junkyard and come up with some more slider rail, and add on to my existing track, or unbolt my whole assembly and move it back? It would need to go back around another 6- 8" or so. I'm just trying to decide which would be better/easier.

I don't slide mine all the way forward with my RGN, so I do have enough rail to unbolt it, and slide it all back.

If you have adequate length with your existing slide I'd just move it back. I've done one of three things over the years, moved it, added to it and replaced it with a single longer slide. Moving what you have now is all but free

Correct me if I'm wrong. I thought your slider was mounted in a way that would not allow your kingpin to ever be behind the center of your tandems. I used to mount bartlett hydraulic wheels. I would have to take in consideration the amount of rearward travel the fifth wheel plate would go as it rose and base my install from that point. Often times on Mack and especially freightliners , I'd have to reposition the rearmost crossmember forward a couple inches and taper the top rail back.
Just my experience. The whole 2cents worth.

Can you scale it back there?

If you go back too far how are you going to axle out?

Pulling his little trailer it won't matter. It's about physically being able to hook up and pull it not being axled out legal.

Thanks guys, I'm not too worried about scaling out, mostly we're out moving equipment (forkifts/ telehandler, manlift, customer units, sewer boxes, broken down trucks, etc.). I don't think I would be much behind center of tandems, maybe at most a few inches. It fits behind my international and its about centered on the tandems, and its got a fixed 5th wheel. The western star just has a little more hanging behind the rear axle.

I was mostly just trying to decide if it was easier to torch out the old bolts, and make new notches for the suspension etc, with moving it back. Or just to leave that all alone, and add on.

I'd just like to move it if I'm going to , because I'd like to weld on some risers going up to the 5th wheel, and I don't want to have to cut those off, I'd rather get the 5th wheel where I want it first, then weld on the risers.

The only way I guess I would need to push the 5th wheel a lot further ahead than where I have it now, would be if I added a cheater ahead of my tandems, and was trying to get some off my drives with my rgn. Then I might regret moving the fifth wheel toward the rear. But then I'd be back to worrying about clearing the neck, only with my rgn instead of the rollback.

Junkyard said:

Pulling his little trailer it won't matter. It's about physically being able to hook up and pull it not being axled out legal.

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I was thinking Roll off not roll back.

Only other option I can think of is leave the 5th wheel alone & lengthen the rollback trailer neck ?

I like the idea of adding on to the existing 5th wheel slide frame , gives you more options all around . Would have a wide range for & aft to accommodate different trailers & weight .

Most cases ya want the 5th wheel center or slightly ahead of the tandem centerline .

Two of our trucks have the 5th wheel plate mounted behind the centerline due to purpose built beds . No room to move the plate forward . The KW plate is 8 inches behind the center of the tandems and about a foot taller than the standard tractor . Steering axil will be lighter when loaded but not to bad .

The FWD could care less about it ... LOL !

Njce trucks. Have you ever saw a lowboy without a neck to be used behind a wrecker? There are some were i live and they dont have to buy plates for them. The place i work for bought a new pete with a fixed fifthwheel that was in the center of the tandems it was ordered special for a fuel transport. We sent pete dealer the spects and trailer weight i would like to have the enginer there helping me drill some new holes.