Lifting my 5th wheel hitch

[JOHN_LAURA]

As I have posted earlier, we have moved up to a Grand Design 5th wheel and a new Ram 2500 CTD. I talked the DW into letting me get the B&W Companion sliding hitch that fits in the factory puck system. I am trying to come up with a way to lift this in and out of the Ram's bed. Has anyone ever tried a engine lift to do this? Harbor Freight has them for Under $180.00, for a 2 ton. I don't have any trees to wench from. Just trying to see if anyone has tried it. Thanks

[cummins2014]

JOHN&LAURA wrote:
Thank you for all the advice. For those of you who use the garage, my truck is 2 inches taller than the doors. Garage is out of the pic. Question for those that leave it hanging. What keeps it from rusting? (slide rails etc..) What keeps it from being stolen?

3 pages of answers, but the best solution would have been to just get the Andersen hitch :B

No need for a slider , hoists, leaving it pinned to the kingpin etc etc etc , and probably saved some money 🙂

I too went thru all this nonsense before I bought the Andersen, got a harbor freight hoist hanging from the ceiling of my garage.

[laknox]

Only True Mosnowman wrote:
I have the B&W Slider and a Ford F350. I bought a HF engine hoist..I think the 1,000 pounder. It will not completely reach to my goose neck hole. ( not puck system) My bro in law purchased the larger hitch from HF and his is longer. I believe the 2,000 pounder. It extends out farther.

I too am trying to figure out how to get it out of the hole..then slide to within reach of hoist to get it out of truck. No beams to attach winch. I didn’t know if a floor jack rigged up in some way could get it out of the hole and onto a dolly to get it to hoist. I want to leave hitch in a storage unit not on fifth wheel.

Good luck! If you figure out something please post back here your solution.

I had an extension made for my hoist. It is really too long for my short bed truck, but it works just fine. I recently read where someone used a pipe instead of a square tube to make their extension. Wish I'd've thought of that... :B

Lyle

[Only_True_Mosno]

I have the B&W Slider and a Ford F350. I bought a HF engine hoist..I think the 1,000 pounder. It will not completely reach to my goose neck hole. ( not puck system) My bro in law purchased the larger hitch from HF and his is longer. I believe the 2,000 pounder. It extends out farther.

I too am trying to figure out how to get it out of the hole..then slide to within reach of hoist to get it out of truck. No beams to attach winch. I didn’t know if a floor jack rigged up in some way could get it out of the hole and onto a dolly to get it to hoist. I want to leave hitch in a storage unit not on fifth wheel.

Good luck! If you figure out something please post back here your solution.

[JOHN_LAURA]

Thank you for all the advice. For those of you who use the garage, my truck is 2 inches taller than the doors. Garage is out of the pic. Question for those that leave it hanging. What keeps it from rusting? (slide rails etc..) What keeps it from being stolen?

[BeeTee]

I have a Superglide hitch which is pretty heavy. I use an engine hoist to lift it out of the bed. I then place it on a short rack with casters so I can move it around in the garage easily. I bought an iron pipe to use instead of the square extension tube which the hoist came with as it wasn't long enough.

Been using this set up for over 10 years and works well. Pretty easy to handle by yourself. The hoist legs fold up and it has a pretty small footprint for storage.

Good Luck !

[laknox]

JOHN&LAURA wrote:
As I have posted earlier, we have moved up to a Grand Design 5th wheel and a new Ram 2500 CTD. I talked the DW into letting me get the B&W Companion sliding hitch that fits in the factory puck system. I am trying to come up with a way to lift this in and out of the Ram's bed. Has anyone ever tried a engine lift to do this? Harbor Freight has them for Under $180.00, for a 2 ton. I don't have any trees to wench from. Just trying to see if anyone has tried it. Thanks

I got a folding engine hoist from a local tool shop (not HF) for $100, and it came with an engine stand, too! The lift arm wouldn't reach the center of my short bed with the gate down, so I had an extension made at a welding shop. Found an old eye bolt with a 3" disc welded on it in my dad's junk pile. Slipped the eye bolt into the hook and the disc under the jaws of my Companion, loosened everything up, and pulled it right out. Set it down on a 1k lb capacity furniture dolly from HF I bought for $10. Rolled the hoist and hitch to wherever I needed them in the garage. Sold the stand for $50, too! 🙂 Ratchet straps would do just as well, I suppose, but never had the need for them.

Lyle

[Addy15]

We have a B&W Companion. It's not a slider so I don't know how/if those are different, but husband lifted it off the truck by himself. (He says getting it back in next spring might be a different story...)

[Toolguy5]

I use an engine hoist but it does not reach. So I made an A-frame and use a come a long to pull it. Then set it on a furniture dolly from harbor freight. Wheel it to tail gate then use engine hoist to set it down.
If I had a way to weld an extension to engine hoist I would, that would save a step.

No where to hook a hoist in garage. Truck does not fit into garage anyway.

[Second_Chance]

NMDriver2 wrote:
I just pull the rail pins and let the landing legs on the 5er lift it. I leave it hanging on the 5er pin when not in use. Easy to re-attach when needed and out of the way when not.

X3^^.

Rob

[garyp4951]

Dave H M wrote:
I just do not understand going thru all the gyrations that some do to remove the hitch.
Mine just hangs on the king pin like others have stated. no muss no fuss :h

Yes, and you don't bang your head on the pinbox anymore while unhooked.

[Cummins12V98]

Get someone to help if you don't want to hang from the pin box. It separates into two pcs. The head is not that hard to handle. I have not moved the slider base but I have RnR'd the full size B&W Puck base by my self it's not too bad either.

GREAT call on the hitch, welcome to the B&W "HeavyWeight" FanBoyClub!!!

[Dave_H_M]

I just do not understand going thru all the gyrations that some do to remove the hitch.

Mine just hangs on the king pin like others have stated. no muss no fuss :h

[Parrothead_Mike]

I bought a new B&W Patriot last winter after we got a new truck. This hitch comes in 2 parts so it's not so heavy. Previously had a sliding hitch with our short box, but never used the slide feature so got a stationary hitch this time. No problems and easy to put in and take out by myself (well not exactly easy, but I can move it in & out by myself).

[pyoung47]

Although I use a hoist attached to my garage rafters, you evidently do not have this choice. Rather than the hoist specified, I would say that the only way to satisfactorily lift the hitch would be with a tractor and front end loader. At least that's the story you can give your wife.