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.

[Durb]

dlleno wrote:

ReneeG wrote:
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.

As a prospective/hopeful new 5ver owner, this solution interests me, especially with today's factory puck hitch systems. the BD5 appears to match up to Ford and GMs puck system just as the Companion does. At the risk of thread drift I would like to know more about the hensley:

* does it eliminate the need for a mor ride or similar pinbox?

* is this one really the premiere and most effective solution for the problems it is meant to address?

*a BD5 that fits the RAM puck system would be nice...

Bouncing and chucking forces are created by the trailer. Some trailers are better or worse than others. As the trailer rotates around an axis when the tires sequentially go over a bump the pin will push down and forward at the same time, then raise and retract.

If you are looking at a long fifth wheel which will most likely have more bouncing forces than chucking forces a BD3 or BD5 would be the hitch of choice. These work particularly well combined with a MORryde pin box.

If you chose a shorter trailer then the amount of chucking forces will increase relative to bouncing forces due to a larger hitch angle. The TS3 would be the hitch of choice due to the high hinge design. As the trailer's pin pushes down and forward the hitch compresses and retracts dissipating both of the forces. With the BD3 and BD5 the chucking forces of the trailer are still pushing against the solid vertical stanchions.

The TS3 is an ingenious design and I am am a believer. My trailer went from terrible chucking with a Patriot to a very pleasurable tow. Another advantage of the TS3 is braking safety. As you stop the TS3 pushes down on the rear of the truck to further load the rear tires. If you get a rear hinged pin box with air bag it will serve to lift the rear and unload the rear tires during panic stopping. An air hitch will also protect your trailer's frame and welds in addition to the electronics in both your truck and trailer. Your back and bottom will also thank you. I can't figure why so many people are sold on solid joint hitches.

[ReneeG]

dlleno wrote:

ReneeG wrote:
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.

As a prospective/hopeful new 5ver owner, this solution interests me, especially with today's factory puck hitch systems. the BD5 appears to match up to Ford and GMs puck system just as the Companion does. At the risk of thread drift I would like to know more about the hensley:

* does it eliminate the need for a mor ride or similar pinbox? We do not have an air pinbox and have an excellent ride.

* is this one really the premiere and most effective solution for the problems it is meant to address In my opinion it is. Call the company. Their support is outstanding and have a return policy if you are not satisfied.

*a BD5 that fits the RAM puck system would be nice...We have a BD3 - our FW is 14k fully loaded so the BD3 is more than adequate. The BD5 is heavier and I'm not sure it can be disassembled as easy as the BD3. Like the BD5, the BD3 has shocks, but it appears that the BD5 has them either on the front too or positioned differently. The BD3 works with the underbed puck system as that's we have.

[dlleno]

ReneeG wrote:
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.

As a prospective/hopeful new 5ver owner, this solution interests me, especially with today's factory puck hitch systems. the BD5 appears to match up to Ford and GMs puck system just as the Companion does. At the risk of thread drift I would like to know more about the hensley:

* does it eliminate the need for a mor ride or similar pinbox?

* is this one really the premiere and most effective solution for the problems it is meant to address?

*a BD5 that fits the RAM puck system would be nice...

[ReneeG]

Oh man Wanderer26! Bummer. Major Bummer. I'm sorry to hear that.

[Wanderer26]

I found out the hard way yesterday that the reese revolution pin box does not turn 90° like advertised on a short bed truck. I have a 5 3/4’ truck bed and was backing into my drive when the back window blew up. I was not turning that sharp. Reese advertises this to work but i can assure you it does not. I have a 2013 f-150 super crew and a 2018 flagstaff 8528ikws classic super light with reese revolution pin box. So before plunkingdown your hard earned cash on a new fiver make sure the salesman doesn’t try to snow you about turning in circles with this hitch combo. I also have a reese 16k stationary fifth wheel hitch in the bed. A slider is not supposed to work as it would put too much weight too far back causing a lack of steering or so i have been told.

[larry_barnhart]

Wood chip wrote:

larry barnhart wrote:
Still liking our air hitch since 2001.

chevman

Trailersaver Bd5 for me

That hitch was not offered in Jan 2001 for a pickup bed but I agree it is a great hitch.
chevman

[Wood_chip]

larry barnhart wrote:
Still liking our air hitch since 2001.

chevman

Trailersaver Bd5 for me

[larry_barnhart]

Still liking our air hitch since 2001.

chevman

[rickeoni]

ReneeG wrote:

austinjenna wrote:
I have a air hitch by trailersaver the BD3 model and its been great for me. I dont think I could ever go back to a standard hitch again.

Amen.

+3

[ReneeG]

austinjenna wrote:
I have a air hitch by trailersaver the BD3 model and its been great for me. I dont think I could ever go back to a standard hitch again.

Amen.

[exit_295]

Thank you laknox and everyone else for all of your comments and recommendations. This forum is great and I hope to have a new 5th wheel trailer soon. Looks like what we want will have to be ordered which should give me ample time to get a hitch installed. Now just have to find a way to pay for it all! 🙂

[laknox]

exit 295 wrote:
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.

You have to be =very= careful with which B&W you go with, as any pivoting pin box that requires a wedge may NOT be compatible with some B&W hitches. There are warning stickers on their hitches about using them. Now, if you have OEM hitch prep, and a NON-sliding Companion then, yes, you can use a pivoting pin box. NO sliders are compatible nor are ANY single-point mount Companions. A non-sliding Patriot, on rails, IS compatible.

This info is fresh from a chat with B&W CS about 5 minutes ago.

Lyle

[austinjenna]

I have a air hitch by trailersaver the BD3 model and its been great for me. I dont think I could ever go back to a standard hitch again.

[WTP-GC]

exit 295 wrote:
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.

You’re dealing with idiots. By virtue of design, the AUH doesn’t change the application of forces vs. a conventional hitch. They are probably painting with a broad brush, confusing it with the more common gooseneck adaptor. Giving them the benefit of the doubt, I would ask the dealer why they sell a hitch that (supposedly) causes this damage.

Now, this is not to comment on the warranty matter. There very well could be some merit to that, but the suggestion of damage is ludicrous.

[Hammerboy]

I have a B&W Patriot, it's a solid hitch and you can't go wrong choosing it.

Dan