5th Wheel Hitches 101

[MackinawMan]

Hello all, it's been a LONG time since I've been here. My family and I have camped in a travel trailer for basically the last 18 years. Well, we sold "Mama Eagle" (last July) and decided to move to a 5th Wheel.

So, I'm going from "Seasoned Expert" on towing to a "Newbie".

So, how about some 5th Wheel Towing 101 for someone in my situation.

I *MAY* have already found the 5th wheel we want, but even if we haven't, the first thing I need to do is understand what I'm looking for in a 5th wheel hitch.

We'll be towing with our 2000 Ford F350 4x4 7.3L PSD. It is a crewcab with a long bed (8.5 ft IIRC).

What I'm looking at right now should be very doable for our 1-ton, even if it's almost 20 years old. The truck is in great shape and has always been well maintained.

The 5er we're looking at is 34 ft. long, with a dry weight of 10,000 lbs. and a GVWR of 13,615 lbs. It lists a "hitch weight" (which I'm guessing is the pin weight?) of 1615 lbs, which I'm guessing will be more than that if this works like it does in the TT world, adding options, cargo, etc.

In any event, the GVWR of our F350 is 10,000 lbs. and with the heavy fiberglass cap needing to be off now to tow, I'm thinking I have about 2500-3000 lbs. of carrying capacity for the pin weight, since the truck weighs in at around 7500 without the cap. is that correct?

I'd appreciate any advice on the hitch, and just advice in general as somebody who is switching from TT to 5ers.

If nothing else, what are some good hitch brands, etc.?

Thanks!!

[ACZL]

MFL wrote:
Your truck will be okay with that FW. You just need to stay within your RAWR and max tire rating. When you weigh the truck, be sure to get rear axle weight separately. Then add another 200 lbs for the Patriot hitch/brackets and rails. If you subtract the total rear axle wt from the RAWR, that will be what is left for added pin wt.

While a FW is easy to hook up, and tows great, it does back a little different than a TT, and cuts to the inside more when turning corners. You will adapt quickly, don't forget to be more cautious of height.

Jerry

If OP weighs his truck on a CAT scale, he would get his rear axle weight along w/ front.

OP, once you have this info, apply all that has been said above to see exactly where you stand on how much you can tow and put on truck.

[MFL]

Your truck will be okay with that FW. You just need to stay within your RAWR and max tire rating. When you weigh the truck, be sure to get rear axle weight separately. Then add another 200 lbs for the Patriot hitch/brackets and rails. If you subtract the total rear axle wt from the RAWR, that will be what is left for added pin wt.

While a FW is easy to hook up, and tows great, it does back a little different than a TT, and cuts to the inside more when turning corners. You will adapt quickly, don't forget to be more cautious of height.

Jerry

[ACZL]

OP,

IMO, your good to go w/ the 5er your looking at. We towed a similar 5er w/ a '03 F250 SD, CC,4x4,sb, 6.Uh-Oh w/o a problem. Then bought a '15 F350 as the '03 was starting to go south. Awesome truck towing the same 5er. Kids left, ended up getting a new 5er (bigger !!!!) and the '15 did a very good job, but I was over weight limits of truck. Last year went w/ a dually. Also, when we had the '15 and got the new coach in '17, upgraded hitch to a B&W Patriot and it's a OMG "why didn't I do this sooner" hitch !!!!

As for your 7.3, tho am not too familiar w/ it, my guess is that your probly at the upper ends of it limits Others will chime in w/ better knowledge.

[Planning]

Cummins12V98 wrote:
B&W simple, solid, no question if Yer hitched. Oh yea 100% USMade.

100% This ^

[Durb]

A hitch selection depends on how you are going to use the trailer and your specific trailer's towing dynamics (they all differ). I divide fifth wheel hitches into two categories, solid hook-up and energy absorbing.

Solid hook-up hitches are good for short hauls or if you are fortunate enough to live where there are smooth roads. They are almost all quality products and will get your trailer to point B from point A.

Energy absorbing hitches such as air hitches and those with rubber springs do more. They isolate the tow vehicle from the forces created when a ton of weight is bouncing around in the bed of your truck. I see an air hitch for those with bad trailer dynamics, bad roads, or planned long tows. In my mind, the comfort makes them worth their high costs.

Another category would be hitches designed for short bed trucks such as sliders and auto sliders. You can check those off your list at the outset. There are a couple of manufacturers of lightweight hitches to help if you are bumping into your payload capacities.

[B_O__Plenty]

I am also a big fan of B&W hitches. All American made in Kansas with all American raw materials. I use one and it is by far the smoothest and easiest to hitch and unhitch that I have used. No reason to look and farther.
B.O.

[Cummins12V98]

B&W simple, solid, no question if Yer hitched. Oh yea 100% USMade.

[MackinawMan]

fj12ryder wrote:
Just a guess, but I'm thinking you'll be using a lot of that 2500-3000 lbs. carrying capacity. You generally figure about 20% for hitch weight, and since the dry weight is pretty useless, if you figure it on GVWR you should be good. And that would put you at about 2600 lbs. hitch weight. Add about 250 lbs. for a hitch and you're right up against your max payload.

I'm a B&W hitch fan boy, so naturally I recommend them highly.

I figured I'm going to be up closer to my weight limitations with this 5th wheel (13650 GVWR) vs our old TT (9500 lbs. IIRC), since we were way under with the TT.

In any event, if the pin weight is actually 20% (and I have no idea on pin weights, I know the tongue weights generally ranged from 12-15%), then 20% of 13,650 lbs. is approximately 2800 lbs., and that's if I load the 5er to capacity, which I find doubtful given that we usually less than 1000 lbs. of gear in our TT (I had that weighed very closely).

So, as long as I never go over the GVWR of the 5er, as you said, I should be fine.

I am going to take the truck cap off the truck, and it's a HEAVY fiberglass cap, on a full size bed, and then weight it fully fueled, etc. to get an accurate weight of the truck.

[fj12ryder]

Just a guess, but I'm thinking you'll be using a lot of that 2500-3000 lbs. carrying capacity. You generally figure about 20% for hitch weight, and since the dry weight is pretty useless, if you figure it on GVWR you should be good. And that would put you at about 2600 lbs. hitch weight. Add about 250 lbs. for a hitch and you're right up against your max payload.

I'm a B&W hitch fan boy, so naturally I recommend them highly.