5th Wheel Hitch Information.

ralphnjoann wrote:
I have a truck similar to yours, a 1996 F250 PSD and my trailer weighs just a little less than the one you own. Check out the Andersen Ultimate. Amazon sells it for $519 with free shipping.

I've been very happy with it, especially the weight, which is about 42 pounds.

The Andersen is fairly new to the market and there are a number of posts here, both pro and con, discussing it. I encourage you to check them out.

X2. We're extremely happy with ours. I haven't found anyone who actually owns one who isn't happy with it (you'll find negative stuff out there written by folks who've never owned or used one.)

Rob

csamayfield55 wrote:
There is a reason the Reese hitch is affordable, because it is garbage!! IT is very easy to high hitch them and when you do that you can break and bend the locating block for the dual jaw. When that happens the jaws will start rocking back and forth and cause fatigue in the metal and it will break.

Please take a look at the Andersen Ultimate hitch! That is an amazing hitch and anyone who has used it will tell you how much they love them. Easy in and out of the bed and a rock solid tow. They are priced very affordable also.

If you insist on a standard 5th wheel hitch you can not go wrong with the B&W. Very nice but also very heavy

Chris

Hi hitching is caused by improper hitching procedure and can happen with any hitch. The solution is to follow the proper procedure, the reason the hitch head sets back and has ramps at the rear! The intent is to hit the ramps not and slide up the ramps into the capture position.
Many state it is prone to droppin, but I have towed my 5er with the handle in locked for over 20 miles, and didn't drop!!

As a very happy convert to the Andersen Ultimate for my F350 short bed, I recommend looking at both that http://www.andersenhitches.com/catalog/ultimate-5th-wheel-connection.aspx
or Pullrite's new SuperLite with a similar design. http://www.pullrite.com/products/isr-series-superlite-industry-standard-rails/isr-series-superlite-20k

Both are simpler, smoother, quieter and MUCH lighter. The Andersen has a model that connects to a gooseneck ball and a model that connects to a standard rail mount.

Mr_MrsSchlepprock250 wrote:
We currently have a TT so I have to get a 5th wheel hitch for our truck. It's a 99 F250 Superduty CC with a 7.3 diesel and 3.73 rear axle.

One often overlooked feature of a hitch is the ability to adjust not only the fifth wheel height from the truck's bed but also the pin location so the RV's weight sits over the axle and not behind it. This makes it much easier to level your TV and trailer.

I'm not familiar with all the hitches but the B&W Patriot is flexible to hitch plate location. Also you may want to consider a sliding hitch to allow sharper turns without hitting the truck cab to the RV's cap (if you have a 6 foot box). The only sliding hitch I found that allows multi-height adjustments is the Demco Hijacker Autoslide.

Both of these solutions are heavy weight fifth wheel hitches, 200 plus pounds, two people would be needed to remove and replace the hitch in the truck bed. If this is important, then Anderson makes a solution but be aware, your pin weight will ride behind the rear axle and it offers a fixed height.

boshog wrote:

Mr_MrsSchlepprock250 wrote:
We currently have a TT so I have to get a 5th wheel hitch for our truck. It's a 99 F250 Superduty CC with a 7.3 diesel and 3.73 rear axle.

One often overlooked feature of a hitch is the ability to adjust not only the fifth wheel height from the truck's bed but also the pin location so the RV's weight sits over the axle and not behind it. This makes it much easier to level your TV and trailer.

I'm not familiar with all the hitches but the B&W Patriot is flexible to hitch plate location. Also you may want to consider a sliding hitch to allow sharper turns without hitting the truck cab to the RV's cap (if you have a 6 foot box). The only sliding hitch I found that allows multi-height adjustments is the Demco Hijacker Autoslide.

Both of these solutions are heavy weight fifth wheel hitches, 200 plus pounds, two people would be needed to remove and replace the hitch in the truck bed. If this is important, then Anderson makes a solution but be aware, your pin weight will ride behind the rear axle and it offers a fixed height.

The Andersen rail mount, which I own, can be adjusted front to back either by rotating the base 180 degrees, by rotating the connector box attached to the kingpin by 180 degrees, or both. My connecting ball rides in front of the axle.

The connecting ball can also be raised or lowered as it has an extended shank with holes in it. Pull the pin, adjust the height and replace the pin is all it takes.

boshog wrote:

Mr_MrsSchlepprock250 wrote:
We currently have a TT so I have to get a 5th wheel hitch for our truck. It's a 99 F250 Superduty CC with a 7.3 diesel and 3.73 rear axle.

One often overlooked feature of a hitch is the ability to adjust not only the fifth wheel height from the truck's bed but also the pin location so the RV's weight sits over the axle and not behind it. This makes it much easier to level your TV and trailer.

I'm not familiar with all the hitches but the B&W Patriot is flexible to hitch plate location. Also you may want to consider a sliding hitch to allow sharper turns without hitting the truck cab to the RV's cap (if you have a 6 foot box). The only sliding hitch I found that allows multi-height adjustments is the Demco Hijacker Autoslide.

Both of these solutions are heavy weight fifth wheel hitches, 200 plus pounds, two people would be needed to remove and replace the hitch in the truck bed. If this is important, then Anderson makes a solution but be aware, your pin weight will ride behind the rear axle and it offers a fixed height.

X2

Thanks guys. Sorry it's taken so long to get back, I've been busy. I've been looking at the Curt linked Here. Does anyone have any first hand knowledge or opinion on this one. Yep, truck is a short bed so I definitely want a slider. Of course 'm looking at some what of a budget, but not a set dollar yet. And also just some more info, the truck has Firestone Ride Rite airbags.

And This Curt is 16k but has the Economy slide jaw. The first one I posted has the standard double jaw. Any opinions on the two. Is one better than the other?

X2 for the Andersen Ultimate 5th Wheel hitch

Mr_MrsSchlepprock250 wrote:
Thanks guys. Sorry it's taken so long to get back, I've been busy. I've been looking at the Curt linked Here. Does anyone have any first hand knowledge or opinion on this one. Yep, truck is a short bed so I definitely want a slider. Of course 'm looking at some what of a budget, but not a set dollar yet. And also just some more info, the truck has Firestone Ride Rite airbags.

And This Curt is 16k but has the Economy slide jaw. The first one I posted has the standard double jaw. Any opinions on the two. Is one better than the other?

My dad has the 20k version of the dual jaw hitch and it's been a solid hitch for him. No slop, no play in the hitch head...easy to see if the jaws are locked on the king pin... It's a heavy beast. We have to take it apart in two pieces and it's still a two man job to take out of the truck.

There are still a lot of people who prefer the slide bar found on the economy hitch. It is a bit louder and prone to chucking...but there is absolutely no question if the hitch and kingpin are locked... If the bar is across the jaws then it's hitched. Something I do not like about the Curt economy 16k is that there is no real way to lock the handle...you point the handle down and that is considered "locked"...but you can't add a padlock or anything like that.

ProSeries has an economy hitch rated at 15k and can be had with the slider base. Here is a Link

I have been totally satisfied with my ProSeries products and their performance has been flawless...if I were in your shoes I would not hesitate to purchase the dual jaw hitch or the slide bar hitch if money was tight.

Good luck in your search, I hope this helps.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

Mr_MrsSchlepprock250 wrote:
Thanks guys. Sorry it's taken so long to get back, I've been busy. I've been looking at the Curt linked Here. Does anyone have any first hand knowledge or opinion on this one. Yep, truck is a short bed so I definitely want a slider. Of course 'm looking at some what of a budget, but not a set dollar yet. And also just some more info, the truck has Firestone Ride Rite airbags.

And This Curt is 16k but has the Economy slide jaw. The first one I posted has the standard double jaw. Any opinions on the two. Is one better than the other?

Well in my opinion better than both of the Curts would be the twin jaw Reese. My reason is experience, towed over 20 miles with the handle UNLOCKED. Not something I would do intentionally, but the fact that I did it is impressive. So the why I was able to do this? Well it is good design of the jaws. The jaws on the Reese have their pivot point behind the pin. The Curt the pivots are even with the center of the pin.

This is the Curt Jaws.

You will notice the jaw pivot points are right in line with the center of the pin.



This is the Reese twin jaw, notice the pivot points are behind the pin, the harder the pin is pulled, the tighter the jaws close!