School me on 5th wheel hitches please

[exit_295]

Hi all. We have been travel trailer campers for several years and have worked ourselves up to our current trailer which is a triple slide, 36ft long very comfortable mobile suite. However, we have decided that the time has come to downsize a bit because the kids have their own rig now and we are too long to get into some of the campgrounds that they can.

When looking for shorter trailers, we discovered that 5th wheels were roomier and some of the shorter ones look like they would suit us. We haven't settled on one to buy yet but while looking, a salesman wanted to make a deal on selling us a hitch with the trailer which by the way was an adapter that converted the attachment on the trailer into a ball mount which then would drop onto a ball mounted on a frame in the bed of the truck. The whole thing just didn't look right to me. Being new to 5th wheels, I have no idea on what features to look for or brands/types. It does seem that units we have looked at all have a swivel feature that allows the trailer to be used with short box PU's which I have. Does that mean that feature is better then a slider hitch?

I would appreciate learning about different types of hitches and what features to consider when buying one. I will be towing with an F250 short bed with a V-10. Thanks in advance.

[exit_295]

Original poster here. Thank you all again for all of your information and suggestions. We were looking at a Grand Design 1/2 ton towable 5th wheel trailer yesterday. It was an early in the model year build and did not have the hitch that can be adjusted to make it a pivoting type like I had seen on other Grand Design models. I pointed this out to the sales guy and he brought over his "hitch expert" and we discussed possibly using an Anderson hitch with this particular trailer. He went into his sales pitch saying that they sell Anderson hitches but that if it were used with this trailer that it would void the trailer warranty. He said that the Anderson hitch has caused cracking in the front frame and cap of several trailers.
So, does anyone have first hand knowledge of this or is the salesman just trying to steer me towards another brand (more profit).
Personally, with what I have heard from you all is that I will stick with a conventional hitch when the time comes to buy and I am leaning towards a B&W Patriot.

[rmalik1]

B&W is my choice. In a oil field/fracking campground at the moment so everyone here is FT.
90 percent have B&W

[Tango__AE7UI]

I went with the B&W and the Companion right from the start and never looked back. I think it is is the best FW hitch on the market.

[ReneeG]

Well, not one of you mentioned the Hensley TrailerSaver hitches. We've had the BD3 model from the onset of getting our FW and wouldn't tow with anything else. It's an air ride hitch and easily removed. Costly? Yes, but for us well worth it.

[MFL]

RobWNY wrote:

MFL wrote:
Having the V-10 tells me your truck does not have the fifth wheel prep. So you are likely looking for a rail mounted hitch. A good quality hitch for rail mount, is the B&W Patriot 16K. IMO, it is the best hitch you can get for the dollars spent. Look at it at e-trailer. They have a good price, and free shipping.

Jerry

I can't agree more. Jerry helped me with this decision a few months ago and I took his advice, buying the B&W Patriot 16K hitch. I have no complaints whatsoever. The hitch works great with my 34' Salem Hemisphere 5th wheel.

Hey Rob, thanks for the vote of confidence! Good to hear that you are happy with the Patriot.

To the OP...IMO, you will not need a slider, even without the rotating pin box. Your Ford has good distance ( about 41"s) from rear axle center, to back of cab. The Patriot is adjustable ahead/back, as well as up/down, to provide clearance within reason. You could not back your TT without paying attention, or you would hit at some point.

Jerry

[lee_worsdell]

To bad your so far away I have 16k b&w sitting on the floor of the garage. Good hitch I had to go to a 20k with my new truck. Made the mistake on a pro series reese . What a clunker

[Dayle1]

Slide bar is the cheapest and worst kind of connection, too small of a contact patch with the king pin.

Dual jaws are better, more contact area. Some people say it is possible to hitch up but not really get the jaws fully closed around the pin and it can pull out. That is what I have used for 30 yrs. I hitch up with the jaws open and can hook up just barely 'kissing' the king pin against the hitch head. Back side of the jaws are painted white to clearly show they are closed. Never do a pull test and don't need to chock the wheels during hook up. Again been doing it this way for 30 yrs.

Single jaw that wraps around the king pin is probably the safest. But overall reliability and maintenance of the mechanism should be considered, some may be better than others.

Final note, all my experience is with 6.5 ft bed trucks and I do not use a sliding hitch. Never damaged a vehicle and never found a situation that couldn't be managed with a little extra jockeying back and forth. I feel that jack-knifing at 90 degrees is damaging to the trailer tires, bearings and suspension.

Regarding lube plate, I use them but they can also cause interference with proper hook up. Especially as they age. Dealers use fork lifts to more units around and they can destroy a lube plate in the blink of an eye.

[exit_295]

Thank you all for your comments and advice. Since reaching out for help, I have done more research using links provided and now I feel a little more informed. Now what I would like to find out is the pros and cons of the different types of connections in use such as the slide bar, double jaw, single jaw, king pin adapter, rotating pin box, and the use of a lube plate or not.

In my first post, I mentioned about a pin box adapter a salesman was trying to explain to me. I now feel that what he was talking about was an Anderson hitch which uses an adapter on the king pin which changes it to a ball mount which then couples with a ball mounted on a stand in the back of the PU bed. Now that I know a little more, it seems like that type of hitch would negate the benefits of a conventional hitch. In my mind, a conventional would give more support because of a much larger contact area between truck and trailer, basically two flat plates sitting on each other making the trucks suspension more a part of controlling the overall ride.

Again I thank all for the suggestions but I hope this discussion doesn't turn into "my hitch is better then yours". I am looking for basic information about the different types of hitches and the pros and cons of each type. Brand names are ok as long as the type of connection is mentioned and it's benefits explained.

By the way, we are looking at new 5th wheels and it seems that all have the pivoting pin box so it looks like a slider type hitch won't be necessary for my short box. Please keep the comments coming. Thank you.

[Only_True_Mosno]

I had a Pullrite Superglide based on rave reviews. Personally I didn’t like it for one reason. You have to hook up straight on or it won’t work. You cannot connect to your Fiver at an angle. I really didn’t like the hitch, but many others do.

I switched to a B&W Companion and love it! I was in Kansas ( made in the USA) and stopped at the factory to buy it and have it installed. Only downside is when new they are a bear to get out of the hole! I had to have two young bucks pull it straight up to get it out of my truck. Love the hitch! B&W is the way to go...my two cents.

[RRinNFla]

I have a similar truck. 10 years ago when I bought my hitch, I was worried about the front cap on the trailer rubbing the back of the cab, so I bought an automatic slider. As a previous post pointed out, current fifth wheel design has mostly solved that issue, so if I were buying another hitch, I would NOT get the slider.

Like another post said, you may never buy another one, so don't go cheap.

[RobWNY]

MFL wrote:
Having the V-10 tells me your truck does not have the fifth wheel prep. So you are likely looking for a rail mounted hitch. A good quality hitch for rail mount, is the B&W Patriot 16K. IMO, it is the best hitch you can get for the dollars spent. Look at it at e-trailer. They have a good price, and free shipping.

Jerry

I can't agree more. Jerry helped me with this decision a few months ago and I took his advice, buying the B&W Patriot 16K hitch. I have no complaints whatsoever. The hitch works great with my 34' Salem Hemisphere 5th wheel.

[Dayle1]

If the fifth wheel has a Sidewinder or Revolution pin box that moves the pivot point back under the trailer, then a simple fixed FW hitch is all you need. There are several advantages to this short bed solution, the trailer will track and back more like the TT you are familiar with. Otherwise, fifth wheels cut inside the tow vehicle more than a TT when turning. Also, other solutions have the risk that the back of the pin box can hit the inside of the truck bed rails on sharp turns.

Your truck probably doesn't have a floor mounted goose neck ball already. If that is correct, I wouldn't get a solution that requires such, like a GN extender or even the Reese Goosebox. While you may be very experienced at blind hook ups, there is an advantage in having the connection point 14" to 18" above the truck bed floor so it is easily visible from the drivers seat. So all normal fifth wheel hitches or the Andersen Ultimate have elevated connections.

An air ride or cushion hitch or pin box is your choice (even the Sidewinder has this option). Probably not needed for the pin weight your going to carry and pull with a gas F250.

[bigorange]

exit 295 wrote:
a salesman wanted to make a deal on selling us a hitch with the trailer which by the way was an adapter that converted the attachment on the trailer into a ball mount which then would drop onto a ball mounted on a frame in the bed of the truck.

This sounds a lot like the Andersen Ultimate which a lot of folks here really like.

[ol_Bombero-JC]

Durb wrote:
If the 5er you are considering is relatively new it will most likely have a rounded nose cap which could open up your options with a short bed truck. If your intended trailer is older and has a square front then you will most likely need a sliding hitch which most manufacturers have in their line. The swiveling feature you mentioned might be a Reese Sidewinder which moves the pivot point from your hitch to the kingpin.

If you want to get versed on the majority of opinions that you will see on this forum, search the websites of the following.
- Pullrite Superglide (auto slider)
- B&W hitches
- Andersen Ultimate hitch
- Reese Sidewinder
- Goosebox ( if this is the adapter the salesman was talking about then it isn't a bad option given the right trailer frame)

(IMO) - *Mostly* Good advice.

However:
1. Don't rely on *ANY* salesperson's advice or depth of knowledge! Research everything thoroughly and do your homework!

2. Note - "......it isn't a bad option given the right trailer frame".
Back to number one (above). Before choosing to use (whatever) type of
Gooseneck hitch and/or adapter.....Call the trailer manufacturer's tech line and ask if their frame is suitable (strong enough) to use with that type of hitch.

3. Most 5th wheel owners will only buy *one* hitch during the time of their ownership - unless they go from a long bed to a short bed, etc.
Consequently (if they did *their* homework) - the hitch they have is the best (and maybe it is).

Bottom line - don't rely on an internet forum - unless you asked for negative reports on hitches (ie; "I had a brand X, and would never buy one again - and here's why!").

Good luck with your research!

:C

[cummins2014]

exit 295 wrote:
Hi all. We have been travel trailer campers for several years and have worked ourselves up to our current trailer which is a triple slide, 36ft long very comfortable mobile suite. However, we have decided that the time has come to downsize a bit because the kids have their own rig now and we are too long to get into some of the campgrounds that they can.

When looking for shorter trailers, we discovered that 5th wheels were roomier and some of the shorter ones look like they would suit us. We haven't settled on one to buy yet but while looking, a salesman wanted to make a deal on selling us a hitch with the trailer which by the way was an adapter that converted the attachment on the trailer into a ball mount which then would drop onto a ball mounted on a frame in the bed of the truck. The whole thing just didn't look right to me. Being new to 5th wheels, I have no idea on what features to look for or brands/types. It does seem that units we have looked at all have a swivel feature that allows the trailer to be used with short box PU's which I have. Does that mean that feature is better then a slider hitch?

I would appreciate learning about different types of hitches and what features to consider when buying one. I will be towing with an F250 short bed with a V-10. Thanks in advance.

I may be mistaken, but I think he maybe selling you an Andersen hitch, was there just a ball mounted in the bed , and a long adapter on the fifth wheel that attached to the ball in the bed ?Or was there a triangle shaped frame that mounted to the ball in the bed, with a ball on top of that that went into a small adapter on the pin box.

Big difference in the Andersen hitch , and a gooseneck hitch, very doubtful they would be recommending a gooseneck hitch. The Andersen is a great hitch, and wouldn't hesitate to get one.

I switched over to Andersen after nearly 12 years of towing three different fifth wheels ,and two different trucks. Will never go back to those heavy conventional hitches slider or non slider. The Andersen would be a great setup on your truck.