Ford 5th wheel prep - Do you have an adapter for your hitch?

Ford does not make a hitch. There are actually multiple hitches that fit the Ford prep without an adapter; Pullrite, Reese, Curt, B&W, and maybe others.

bigdon68 wrote:
The Ford 5th wheel prep package is good in that it gives you a cross member on the frame dedicated to the hitch. However to use any other hitch besides FORD you will need an adapter.

The makers of Air Safe Hitch, the hitch I have, does make an adapter for my hitch to fit right in the ford system. I will be ordering one.

Has anyone used an adapter for their hitch to work in the Ford system?

Just wanted to know how it worked.

bigdon68

Since you have ordered a 2017 I would wait before I ordered anything. Since Ford is making major changes to frame I would make sure about the hitch too. The order guide is showing a 27.5K hitch available, but no one knows if the bed spacing pattern has changed. The adaptor that fits a 2016 might not work on the 2017.

On edit I did find a video of a 2107 that showed a Reese hitch in back and it appears to have the same pattern as a 2016.

bigdon68 wrote:
The Ford 5th wheel prep package is good in that it gives you a cross member on the frame dedicated to the hitch. However to use any other hitch besides FORD you will need an adapter.

The makers of Air Safe Hitch, the hitch I have, does make an adapter for my hitch to fit right in the ford system. I will be ordering one.

Has anyone used an adapter for their hitch to work in the Ford system?

Just wanted to know how it worked.

bigdon68

I would highly recommend you look at the B&W Puck hitch for the Ford trucks. It is rated at 20K, I would not hesitate to tow over that number with THAT hitch. Reason is the REESE is rated at around 25K and is no where as stout as the B&W. Basically the B&W for the Ford is exactly the same as mine that is rated at 25K. The only difference is the space between the pucks front to back. B&W obviously thinks the spacing is important in the ratings where REESE does not.

bigdon68 wrote:
The Ford 5th wheel prep package is good in that it gives you a cross member on the frame dedicated to the hitch. However to use any other hitch besides FORD you will need an adapter.

The makers of Air Safe Hitch, the hitch I have, does make an adapter for my hitch to fit right in the ford system. I will be ordering one.

Has anyone used an adapter for their hitch to work in the Ford system?

Just wanted to know how it worked.

bigdon68

Don, as others have said, Ford doesn't make their hitches or even their factory 5th prep. It's made by Reese and also sold after market under the name Reese Elite. Getting the prep from the factory is the best way to go but buy any other of the hitches listed by the other posts to save a lot off the Ford unit. I use a Reese Elite 25k. No adapter needed. Currently Reese Elite is sold as 18k, 25k, and 26.5k. They have a new 27.5k that Ford will be pairing with the 2017 450's that isn't yet available as a Reese Elite but I'm sure it will be soon. Ford just private labels the Elite hitches and marks up the price.

Spacing makes absolutely no difference so don't buy into the BW is better on the ram because the pucks are spaced further apart. The gooseneck ball on the Ford is rated to tow 26,700 and it's only attached at one point. No spacing or load spreading there. LOL.

I have an AirSafe Hitch in my 2015 F350 DRW, I am using an adapter from Trailersaver; it is a lot heavier built than any of the other adapters that I have seen. I looked at the Airsafe adapter and I think the Trailsaver is a better built product. Clicky

Once you have an Air Hitch all the others are a major step backwards.

The adapter will raise the hitch almost 3". I found out the hard way. I needed a slider for a short bed truck--B&W didn't make one for pucks so I tried the adapter method with a Reese slider. Ended up way nose high. Reese arranged a trade in deal for an 18K elite slider which was (still is?) the only Reese hitch that fits the pucks. If I did it again, I would get the B&W after market under bed system for which B&W makes a slider.

lenr wrote:
The adapter will raise the hitch almost 3". I found out the hard way. I needed a slider for a short bed truck--B&W didn't make one for pucks so I tried the adapter method with a Reese slider. Ended up way nose high. Reese arranged a trade in deal for an 18K elite slider which was (still is?) the only Reese hitch that fits the pucks. If I did it again, I would get the B&W after market under bed system for which B&W makes a slider.

Your Elite slider is the only slider that will fit the pucks without an adapter but not the only Reese hitch. The Ford (Reese Elite) pucks are universal to the Elite line and all Reese Elite hitches fit without an adapter.

bigdon68 wrote:
The Ford 5th wheel prep package is good in that it gives you a cross member on the frame dedicated to the hitch. However to use any other hitch besides FORD you will need an adapter.

The makers of Air Safe Hitch, the hitch I have, does make an adapter for my hitch to fit right in the ford system. I will be ordering one.

Has anyone used an adapter for their hitch to work in the Ford system?

Just wanted to know how it worked.

bigdon68

I had a friend that had a newer short bed ford with the puck system, he used the reese adapter and a b&w slider. The way the reese adapter is set up you can use nearly any fifth wheel hitch on it that would normally mount to the older style fifth wheel rails.

I have an Air Safe 25K hitch and the adapter Air Safe sells. It does raise the hitch but with pin box and hitch adjustment I'm riding level. Fiver does have 4 wheel drive axle adjustment also. Did not lose any distance between truck bed and fiver either.

lenr wrote:
The adapter will raise the hitch almost 3". I found out the hard way. I needed a slider for a short bed truck--B&W didn't make one for pucks so I tried the adapter method with a Reese slider. Ended up way nose high. Reese arranged a trade in deal for an 18K elite slider which was (still is?) the only Reese hitch that fits the pucks. If I did it again, I would get the B&W after market under bed system for which B&W makes a slider.

Not sure which adapter you used but the reese was less than an inch taller than a regular fifth wheel hitch on the older style bolt in rails.