Which 5th Wheel Hitch?

RAS43 wrote:

Dave H M wrote:
I had to read through this thread just knowing that the dirty word Reese would come up and generate a big smack down. :B

I am going to continue to run my Reese. I think it is practical and serves the purpose well.

X2 on my 22 year old 20k Reese. Still works well! Been on 3 trucks!

I still have my Reese 18K slider hitch, and will continue to use it if the need occurs. Certain trips I need the ease of removal of the Andersen away from home. Some trips where my hitch doesn't need to be removed I just may go with the Reese.

Not sure why someone would think they can't drop a fifth wheel with a B&W, thats nonsense, and a recipe for disaster . some may be more prone then others, but the FACT remains with any conventional hitch .

Its been done, its pretty simple actually to drop a fifth wheel with any hitch, other then an Andersen. The fact you haven't seen it happen with a B&W doesn't mean it hasn't happened, and it has been reported on this forum .

All the things we keep reading about problems with the B&W would keep me away from one, their great customer service we keep reading about is not much consolation sitting somewhere trying to get the hitch to release or parts going bad, waiting for them to be shipped.

The one fact about being able to lock the B&W in the open position, makes for a poor design right there along with the other mechanical issues. My previous hitch the Reese signature, same hitch basically as the Reese Elite, could not be kept or locked in the open position, as soon as you back into it, it closed. IMO right there made it a better built ,and designed hitch then the B&W.

One fact remains, all this nonsense ,and mechanical parts are eliminated with the Andersen with its simple design. Being an owner of both types of fifth wheel hitches, I CAN make the argument the Andersen is a better hitch overall then the conventional hitch.

I’ve never personally seen that with any hitch.

I have seen it with all brands on this forum including B&W.

It should never happen with any fifth wheel hitch and is always user error.

Make sure your jaws are closed around the pin and above the bottom flange of the pin. Make sure your release handle is locked. If anything is funny...stop and rehitch. Do a pull test, it’s stupid simple insurance. This is not hard, It’s really not rocket surgery.

I have seen a bunch of cab corners dented due to hitting the cab on short bed trucks but that’s a different topic.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

Cummins12V98 wrote:

Please do tell what is so poorly designed about this hitch?

I've covered my opinions before, and you won't get it anyway. Besides, not disrespecting other hitch brands was exactly my point. They all do the job safely.

Cummins12V98 wrote:

Never see this with a B&W.

Simply a game of numbers.

That's pretty darn funny. "It is possibly the poorest, from an engineering design standpoint" what's your opinion on ANDERSEN?

Please do tell what is so poorly designed about this hitch?




Never see this with a B&W.

my 2 cents, I picked the Trailer Saver TS-3. I saw most of the big 5'vers had an air ride on the pin box. My thought was, if I change out the camper the pin box goes with it. If I change out the truck the hitch moves to the new one. As far as the weight to remove and replace, I just left it attached to the camper, raised the jacks and drove out from under it. One comment stayed with me from when I started my research on 5'vers, trucks and hitches....buy the safest hitch you can afford. Good Luck, safe travels!

Dave H M wrote:
I had to read through this thread just knowing that the dirty word Reese would come up and generate a big smack down. :B

I am going to continue to run my Reese. I think it is practical and serves the purpose well.

X2 on my 22 year old 20k Reese. Still works well! Been on 3 trucks!

bpounds wrote:

Dave H M wrote:
I had to read through this thread just knowing that the dirty word Reese would come up and generate a big smack down. :B

I am going to continue to run my Reese. I think it is practical and serves the purpose well.

Same here. Zero reason to change my hitch. And I have no love for B&W either. It is possibly the poorest, from an engineering design standpoint, of all the brands out there. I see very few of them around campgrounds out here in the west.

All these hitch wars are just silly. Some personalities seem to think they have found gods gift to fifth wheels and that anything different has to be dissed. And some times I think a lot of folks deep down just don't trust fifth wheel hitches (that pin looks sketchy, doesn't it?). Truth is that accidents of any kind, and especially hitch related accidents, are very rare and the fifth wheel hitch is a very reliable design in all of its flavors.

??????

dennydecuir wrote:
My!! Just as I suspected when I originally posted this inquiry. I thank each and every one of you who replied to my post for sharing your opinions. My take on this is that whatever you have in the bed of your truck is PROBABLY the best hitch on the market. I suspect that when I ultimately buy a hitch (based largely on all of your input), it will be the very best available (whether it is in fact). I didn't mean to kick a hornets nest, but I have enjoyed the animated discussion it has generated. I'll repost after the fact, and share my thoughts then.

Thanks again!!!

Come on back and let us know what you get and we can start all over again:B

With all this knowledge there is no doubt you can now pick the best.;)