Hello,
I'm new here. I have been looking closely at Scamps and fiberglass trailers for a while. I think I have narrowed my search down to Scamp 19' 5th wheels as the best option financially and for what my family needs.
I am looking at purchasing and older model, 1987 19' 5th wheel and am wondering about towing, the 5th wheel hitch and any mods I would have to make. The tow vehicle is a 2023 Ram Laramie 1500 5.7 L V8 with a level kit.
What would be the best type of 5th wheel hitch?
Can I tow it without bigger Scamp wheels and or a Scamp lift?
And would it be worth it to try and do a bumper hitch conversion?
Towing/hitches is probably my area of least knowledge so any help would be great. Thanks!
hello and welcome to the forum,
The scamp 5th wheel hitch is a combination of a 5th wheel and a gooseneck hitch. While not a true 5th wheel, it behaves as one when towing. They are very easy to tow and maneuver. Your truck would be able to tow it very well. The original scamp hitch is a simple frame with a crossbar to hold the ball. Hopefully the 1987 scamp you are looking at comes with the hitch.
Another option is a reese style hitch that has a ball instead of the fifth wheel connector. The advantage of this hitch is easy removal when not needed. This hitch is available from scamp and maybe etrailer.
Anderson has a pyramid shaped frame work hitch that looks like it may work but it seems to be quite expensive. Etrailer would be another good place to check for hitch options/advice.
An important consideration with scamp 19 is the height of your pickup siderails. You want to have at least 6 inches of clearance between the siderail and the bottom edge of the trailer overhang. A lot of newer pickups have a siderail height of 54 inches. The bottom edge of my 2005 scamp is at 57 inches. My Tacoma has a siderail height of 49 inches. To safely tow it with most newer trucks, I would have to raise the trailer. If you don't have enough clearance, a 1987 trailer may be ready for a new axle and it could be raised at the same time. Larger tires can help but will not raise the height by much.
I've only seen pictures of scamps converted to a bumper pull so I know it has been done. As to converting to a bumper pull, I'm not sure that this would be much cheaper than raising the axle. It would also put a lot of weight on the rear bumper. The pin weight on a scamp 19 is 450+ pounds. I suspect you would be better off/safer with a bumper pull engineered to be a bumper pull. IMHO
If you can make this work, you will have a great trailer. The scamp 19 is comfortable, fun and easy to pull.
Good luck
Wayne
wls53