Need 5th wheel hitch advice

TxGearhead wrote:
Only one I've had is a Curt Q20. No issues with two different 5th's.
I hate to bring it up......but a 12,000GVW pin weight might be pushing the payload envelope of a F250, so get the lightest hitch. Most likely the Andersen.

2104 F250 is more than adequate for a GVWR 12k tailer......it is rated as high as a mid-late 2000 F350 :S

I have used a Husky 16K for past 10 years towing a 14K 5vr

IF I was in the market for new hitch I would give the Anderson Ultimate a serious look.

My 31ft 12K GVWR tows beautifully behind my little ol 2012 Dmax 2500HD. No airbags or other assist and truck sits level and tows VERY comfortably.

Now back to our regularly scheduled program... Hitches

IdaD wrote:
I don't use a slider in my short bed but I do use an Andersen flipped back which gives me a little more clearance. I can turn at a full lock going forward without hitting. I can't do 90 backing up but I don't know that I ever need to. I do really like the hitch - I use the rail mount version. It's light and very simple. I'm completely sold on the design and will never use a standard fifth wheel hitch again.

B&W always gets talked up as a good brand and I'm sure it's a good hitch but I don't have any personal experience with it. Some swear by the high end air ride hitches but I also have no experience there.

X2

Rob

Only one I've had is a Curt Q20. No issues with two different 5th's.
I hate to bring it up......but a 12,000GVW pin weight might be pushing the payload envelope of a F250, so get the lightest hitch. Most likely the Andersen.

I don't use a slider in my short bed but I do use an Andersen flipped back which gives me a little more clearance. I can turn at a full lock going forward without hitting. I can't do 90 backing up but I don't know that I ever need to. I do really like the hitch - I use the rail mount version. It's light and very simple. I'm completely sold on the design and will never use a standard fifth wheel hitch again.

B&W always gets talked up as a good brand and I'm sure it's a good hitch but I don't have any personal experience with it. Some swear by the high end air ride hitches but I also have no experience there.

Two most popular and commonly discussed here are B&W and Andersen Ultimate 5er hitch.

The notion that a hitch is a hitch couldn't be farther from the truth. Just compare the B&W to the Andersen and while both are fine well made hitches they are VERY different from one another in how they operate and have tradeoffs to consider.

The need for a slider comes down to truck + trailer front cap design + where you typically like to camp. Are you a pull through full hookup kind of guy (skip the slider...) or do you get off the beaten path and find yourself in tight situations?

Other things to consider. Is hitch weight a concern? Some hitches are very heavy (Autosliders being the heaviest) while other hitches are reasonably lite (Andersen).

I did my research and purchased a B&G Patriot for my full size box. Then do make a 20,000 pound slider that I would not hesitate for one second to recommend.

I have a Demco Hijacker Autoslide and never have to look back unless I'm going past 90 degrees. In my last set up I had a Reese manual slider. I had to use it several times as I find myself in small fueling stations (lower priced fuel) and need the tighter turning radius a slider provides. Its still the same with the new set up except I don't have to manually slide the hitch. Once you go autoslide, you'll never go back.
Camp On!

3 in order? Never seen hitches rated; it's all subjective, personal preference. A hitch is a hitch is a hitch in my opinion; they're all good. All of the hitches will do what you want them to do. I use a Curt and it does a great job. I got the Curt because that's what the hitch store carried. I had a slider in my previous short-bed truck and never used it.