Hitch choice

pcm1959 wrote:

handsome51 wrote:

You said long bed so I have to assume you have a real truck with a 8ft bed. That is what I call a long bed. Go ahead and do it right the first time and be happy. That is what I did in 2006 when I bought my first 5th wheel. Spend the money and buy either a 25k air safe hitch(25k because it has the Binkley Holland head on it) or a Trailersaver air hitch with a Binkley Holland head.You won't even know the 5th wheel is behind you. And nothing moves in the 5th wheel unless you slam on the brakes. Like my friend told me that said to buy the 25k air safe hitch. He said " I am not telling you it is worth the money, but I like the ride". He pulled a center console boat behind his 5th wheel to the lake. And said one time he forgot and left a soap bottle on the kitchen counter. And when he go back home from the lake it was still sitting their.

I agree 100%.
I'm amused how often B&W hitch owners rave about their hitches. I'm by no means discounting their quality, the design or anything else about B&W. However, there is no comparison between a fixed hitch and a floating hitch like those mentioned above regardless of brand.
I'd never tow a fifth wheel again after having my Hensley Tralersaver air hitch.
Yes, the jaws are robust and have a positive hitch action, too. There just is no comparison between fixed vs floating hitches no matter what brand.
When asking for hitch recommendations you should specify fixed or floating. No comparison and that includes price but worth it to me for the rv pin box.

I've gone through a bunch of hitches- two B&W hitches (I upgraded the Companion), then an Andersen Ultimate, and finally a TrailerSaver TS3. I only switched away from the B&W because my new trailer was 21,000 lbs. and the B&W Companion was only rated to 20,000 lbs in the gooseneck/post configuration which is all I had as an option in the 2012 truck I had.

Of them, the TrailerSaver TS3 gives the best ride. But I find it's hitch head more finicky than the B&W. With the B&W, it didn't matter what my last movement was with the truck (forward or backwards). With the TS3, if I last pulled forward, I have to be intentional about putting the truck in neutral and taking my foot off of the brakes or the hitch head binds up.

I think the B&W is an absolute stunner of a product. For most people, it's hard to justify the $3,000 spend on a new TS3. I think you need to plan on towing a lot to justify the cost.

And the B&W wins, hands-down for ease of removing it from the truck. I've never lifted my TS3, it was placed into my truck bed by forklift and then I hang it from the camper between uses. Which, for me, is a hassle as I bring in all slides and raise my steps if I'm going to raise/lower the landing gear on the camper.