Possible switch to 5th Wheel....Questions

[covered_wagon]

Any thoughts are greatly appreciated......

Which 5th wheel hitch is the very best for strength and ease of use? I don't worry about cost when it comes to something this important.

I want around 27 foot Cougar as it seems to be discreet in having everything I would like and I'm thankful for any thoughts about insulation and the holding tanks being able to take cold weather

Are there any other brands that have better insulation, thicker walls that I should consider?

Thanks to everyone for your helpful thoughts It will help to make wise decisions while switching from a Truck camper.

[goducks10]

boshog wrote:
If I knew then what I know now and had it to do over again, I would eliminate the hitch and go with the Reese Goose Box.

x2

[wvcampers]

I went from Reese to Andersen rail version. I recently traded trucks and the new one came with the B&W companion mounted with factory puck system. I have towed with it 2 times. I really like the Andersen due to the fact that there is no way to drop the trailer on the truck like you can with a traditional hitch. For beginners the Andersen is a much easier hitch to safely use and very easy to remove from the truck.

[bertschb]

Here's a video of the Hensley Trailersaver BD3 air bag hitch in action. It really does smooth out the ride and is definitely not overkill for a smaller 5th wheel. It's extremely well built and breaks into two parts to make it easier to handle.

https://youtu.be/R9xj6b3FOcE

[mileshuff]

I went with the Pullrite Super Glide with under bed Super Rails. I have a short bed and the peace of mind is worth it. Can easily turn 90+ degrees without worrying about hitting. Easy hitch/unhitch. Well worth the money!

Hitch can be quickly removed for clean smooth bed.

[memtb]

We used a Reese hitch for many years, the past 10 or 12 was a 20 K, 4-way articulating head ....towing a unit that was at or slightly above 20 K pounds. Absolutely nothing wrong with the hitch! We recently went to the TrailerSaver for the softer ride....less road shock to both us and the 5er.
The Reese was more than adequate, and could easily break-down.....for ease to install or remove.
The TrailerSaver is a great, very heavy duty hitch. It gives a great ride....but ( at least our model) it does not break down and is extremely heavy. I use my tractor to install or remove! For many folks the ability or inability to install/remove could be a valid concern!

[covered_wagon]

This is a good thread, helps a lot everyone. That air hitch sounds cool. Sometimes the extra money is worth it. And yet there is still a lot of faith for the others mentioned. I just don't want to be told it a good deal on something and really end up having to do it again because I lacked knowledge or good judgement.

I may wait awhile before buying since my last trip is getting very close. Be nice to have the hitch in the truck before purchase. A nice one installed and ready to go is a big positive with the seller. My objective is to go for a beautiful used rig since my experience with the brand new was not so good.

Thank you all... I'm all elephant ears with giant hearing aids. lol

[cummins2014]

handsome51 wrote:

valhalla360 wrote:
Strength of the hitch is a complete non-issue with the trailer you are pulling any name brand hitch will be plenty strong enough.

It is easy to say that you are happy with a rigid hitch set up for you 5th wheel , if you have never pulled your 5th wheel with a good air hitch and a Holland/Brinkley Head. Yes they are expensive. But you are only buying it once. Then your 5th wheel will float down the road instead of being jerked around and your truck being jerked around by the 5th wheel.How I ended up buying mine is while I had a cabover camper for 23 years and was retiring in 2006 and buying a 5th wheel. A friend of mine had a 5th wheel with the regular rigid hitch. He had been pulling his center console boat behind the 5th wheel to the lake. At the beginning of the year he bought the airsafe 25K air hitch. He said he had forgot and left his soap bottle on the kitchen counter when he left the lake for home. We are talking a 2 hour drive. He said when he got home the soap bottle was still on the counter. That is all I needed to hear. Plus his exact words to me was: I am not saying it is worth the money but I like the ride.

I am sure those air hitches are great. I have only towed three different fifth wheels, never experienced some of what you are saying with what you describe as a rigid hitch.

Two of those fifth wheels had a conventional pin box. They towed okay, no chucking , but yes you knew they were back there. My present fifth wheel has the MorRyde pin box, and a much better towing experience ,I don't know how much smoother I could ask for, if an air hitch is smoother great. I just don't see the need for anything better.

As far as the contents of the fifth wheel inside, everything is great when we get where we are going, so no complaints there.

My point , the OP is talking a 27 foot fifth wheel. an Andersen hitch, and MorRyde pin box would serve him well, and no need for expensive air hitches ,nor pin boxes.

[handsome51]

valhalla360 wrote:
Strength of the hitch is a complete non-issue with the trailer you are pulling any name brand hitch will be plenty strong enough.

It is easy to say that you are happy with a rigid hitch set up for you 5th wheel , if you have never pulled your 5th wheel with a good air hitch and a Holland/Brinkley Head. Yes they are expensive. But you are only buying it once. Then your 5th wheel will float down the road instead of being jerked around and your truck being jerked around by the 5th wheel.How I ended up buying mine is while I had a cabover camper for 23 years and was retiring in 2006 and buying a 5th wheel. A friend of mine had a 5th wheel with the regular rigid hitch. He had been pulling his center console boat behind the 5th wheel to the lake. At the beginning of the year he bought the airsafe 25K air hitch. He said he had forgot and left his soap bottle on the kitchen counter when he left the lake for home. We are talking a 2 hour drive. He said when he got home the soap bottle was still on the counter. That is all I needed to hear. Plus his exact words to me was: I am not saying it is worth the money but I like the ride.

[boshog]

If I knew then what I know now and had it to do over again, I would eliminate the hitch and go with the Reese Goose Box.

[cummins2014]

Dave H M wrote:
come over to the dark side and get a Reese. :B

You are going to cause an uprising with the B&W fan club with a remark like that :B

Have owned two different Reese hitches ,and they both performed flawlessly, if it were not for the Andersen, I would still be using the Reese.

[Dave_H_M]

come over to the dark side and get a Reese. :B

[Edd505]

I started with a 4.5k 5W went to a 9K and currently have a 11.5K. I went up in trucks from a F250 to an F350 pulling the 9K & 11.5. I had a Reese 16K & a Husky 26K rail mounts that worked fine. I now run a B&W Companion puck mount in a newer F350 SRW.

The B&W is the smoothest of them and the easiest to unhitch. My current 5W has a RotoFlex pinbox and the combination is the smoothest towing I have had. I am almost full time, spending 6-9 months out at a time.

[phillyg]

I've had a Pull-Rite auto slider, a fixed Reese, and Demco auto slider, and no problems with any of them. If you need a slider because of a short bed, know they are much heavier than non-sliders and take up a lot of room in the bed. Always get a hitch rated above your towed weight in case you really load up the FW.

[Durb]

Don't agree that a Trailer Saver is overkill for a 29 ft. fifth wheel. Sometimes a short fifth wheel chucks worse than a long heavy one. Case in point - me. One ton dually with 31' fifth wheel and B&W Patriot hitch made for a terrible tow. Trailer Saver TS3 to the rescue and now a very comfortable tow. In terms of strength and capacities any hitch will do the job. Some hitches just do more such as protect both the truck and trailer, improve braking performance, and protect computers and electronics from all the jarring forces that a fifth wheel creates.

If you want to connect your kingpin solidly to your truck then there are many choices. As far as ease of use I would rate the Trailer Saver as low because it is heavy and slow to hook up due to the air suspension. If cost is not a consideration then you will never regret getting a Trailer Saver.

[laknox]

covered wagon wrote:
Any thoughts are greatly appreciated......

Which 5th wheel hitch is the very best for strength and ease of use? I don't worry about cost when it comes to something this important.

I want around 27 foot Cougar as it seems to be discreet in having everything I would like and I'm thankful for any thoughts about insulation and the holding tanks being able to take cold weather

Are there any other brands that have better insulation, thicker walls that I should consider?

Thanks to everyone for your helpful thoughts It will help to make wise decisions while switching from a Truck camper.

OK, here's my $0.02...

Hitch: I'm a B&W fanboy and you can't go wrong whatever B&W hitch you buy. I've had mine since '14 and don't ever expect to have another hitch. I also have the Turnover Ball GN hitch, since we have a GN trailer. Love the clean bed when there's no hitch installed.

Truck: Get a 1t SRW. Even a smaller rig can be heavy, especially if you start looking at rigs like Arctic Fox. Some may say that you'd be "over-trucked", but better too much truck than not enough. I made that mistake when I got my truck. Had I done more research, I'd've found that I could have had a 1T and =not= had to have a dually. Gives you room to expand, too, if you find that a smaller FW is getting =too= small.

Lyle