Montana pin box bracket

[johnpjpa]

I just picked up my new 2010 Montana in Muskegon Mi and almost ran in to trouble

From the start , when I hook up the the 3400 RL I noticed right a way that the pin box ( mor ryde).

Was almost completely horizontal from underneath and would not clear the top of my 2009 Chevy 2500 hd .

Also to complicate thinks even more I have a roll top aluminum cover (retrax) and the rails from the

Retrax cover are taking 2 inches of space on each side of the bed rail reducing even more the turning angle.

I decided to drive home around 750 miles the way I was set up and I was going to be very careful while making my turns

I did not have any problems going forward ,but when I arrived home backing the fifth wheel in the driveway was another story

I handed my wife a two way radio and told her that I would have to look at my hitch and the top of my bed rail when I am backing up

To make sure I don,t hit and cause damages to the truck bed and she needed to be my eyes with the rear of the fifth wheel

Well it took me about 20 minutes to park the fifth wheel ,I even stop and unhook & reconnected once moving my truck at a different angle.

All went well ,no damages .

The next day I studied the situation and raise my hitch to the upper bolts highest point , and because of my retrax roll top I still have

A clearance problem , the lower end corners of the brackets holding the pin box would make contact with the retrax rails (that are taking 2 inches of turning angle on each sides)

The problem will be resolved by rounding up the corners of the pin box carrier in a couple of days (simple fix requiring heavy duty tools, bracket is 1/4 inch steel)

I am sure that some would say (get rid of the retrax ) I could not do that ,I would really miss it ,I love it when I can leave

Stuff in the bed and it is protected and secure when I am unhooked .

I am also wondering if any one else had this problem
John Vanhollebeke

[lasater]

I have a soft-top rollup cover on my dodge. I also had to raise my hitch to its max height. My cover clears the hitch with no problem and only adds 1 1/4 inch to the bed height. I still have to be careful about turning into driveways/entrances that make you twist up and over the sidewalks. I either turn superwide to hit them straight, or bypass them and go elsewhere.

[exav8tr]

Someone on the forum had the same problems and they removed a piece of their hitch pin bracket on both sides. Hopefully they will be along to post a picture. Seems that will be a constant worry for you. Does your hitch make a "lift Kit" to raise it up a couple inches from the bed? Ideally, the Montana would sit perfectly level when hitched and ready to roll, but I know that not all do. I had to raise my hitch pin AND install a lift kit for my hitch. I now have barely six inches between my fiver and the bed rails, with no bed cover in place. Good luck and do be careful, replacing a bed can get very expensive......

[Illini Trekker]

John with my addition of the Tri Glide Air Pin Box that pushed the pin box back I needed to raise the pin box and lower the hitch. Now I have 7 to 8 inches above the truck bed.



This was before the rise, I have a roll top cover.

My clearance is ok now but if I removed the rolled lips it would help me too. In my case if I cut the lips off, I would add flat steel to each side of the pin box and have it welded to the pin box to add strength. My camper is out of warranty, yours may have a warranty that you may need to deal with?

[jmi]

So are all of the Monty Pin Boxes the same?

My plan was to select the Retrax cover for my new truck to secure the bed. Thanks to John's post I will wait a bit on the bed cover to see how the Pin Box with the Mor-Ride lines up with the bed rails. I can't tell looking at the Monty brochure how this is going to work.

[johnpjpa]

I took advantage of a beautiful 60 + degrees today (long overdue) to take care of my pin box clearance problem.
I lowered the pin box to the lower bolt holes in the pin box brackets and previously raised my fifth wheel hitch to the higher settings
I now have about 10 inches between the top of the bed rails of my 2009 chevy 2500 HD and the bottom of the fifth wheel
i also have plenty of room Clearance on 70 -75 degrees turn ,the pin box housing is now clear of the bed rails with the retrax cover installed
the complete project took less then one hour ( it helps to have a floor cliff available to help support the pin box ) .
to the MOC members who own a chevy 2007 and newer and want to ad a retrax cover ( no i don,t sell them and have no relation with the company ) i just love the cover ,
there is no problem with clearance after a few adjustments