Fifth wheel question

[Playtyme]

My wife and I are just now looking for a fifth wheel trailer and have what I hope will be a simple question. We have a chance to buy a "fifth wheel hitch" someone is taking out of their truck. We don't have a truck yet but will soon. My question is are the hitches universal i.e. will any hitch fit in any truck (with the correct mounting kit) and will the hitch fit any fifth wheel trailer.

One other question....I have seen folks talk about a "toad" in reference to towing. What is a toad?

[Jerry J]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Playtyme My wife and I are just now looking for a fifth wheel trailer and have what I hope will be a simple question. We have a chance to buy a "fifth wheel hitch" someone is taking out of their truck. We don't have a truck yet but will soon. My question is are the hitches universal i.e. will any hitch fit in any truck (with the correct mounting kit) and will the hitch fit any fifth wheel trailer. One other question....I have seen folks talk about a "toad" in reference to towing. What is a toad?

I don't know about the hitch but a toad is a towd or a car behind a motorhome. Towed by a motorhome.

[NLOVNIT]

First, let me welcome you to iRV2, Playtyme. We're glad to have you here.

There are hitches for light, medium & heavy duty trucks. Also different hitches are rated for towing different GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) & pin weights of 5-rs. Some hitches are stationary in the truck bed & others are sliders, meaning they slide forward/aft on rails within the truck bed.

If you can post back with the make/model/yr of the hitch you're looking at, we could probably tell you more about it's specifics.

A couple bits of advice....
1st, don't buy the hitch 1st or you'll get locked into a specific size/weight of 5-r.
2nd, if you don't already have one, don't buy a truck before you at least narrow down your choice on a 5-r. Your truck will determine what you can tow & there's nothing like finding out the truck you just bought is underrated & won't safely tow the 5th wheel you've fallen in love with.
3rd, don't rely on the rv salesman to tell you what your truck can tow. They will tell you a Ford Ranger will tow a triple-axle 38ft 5-r just to sell you the rv.

Lori-

[ParTheCourse]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NLOVNIT There are hitches for light, medium & heavy duty trucks. -

Having, upgraded from a F250 to a F350 and now a F450 using the same Reese 20K hitch I am concerned that I'm doing something wrong. Can you provide more information on hitches for various trucks?

[tnance]

You have not done anything wrong. The F250, 350 and 450 are all pickups. The Reese hitch will work in all three. As long as your hitch is rated for more than you are pulling you are OK.

For example the hitch I have is designed for HDT and MDT's.
The hitch in my truck will not work for a pickup. It is designed to be bolted down to a thick metal plate that spans the trucks frame rails.

[ISLAPP]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ParTheCourse Having, upgraded from a F250 to a F350 and now a F450 using the same Reese 20K hitch I am concerned that I'm doing something wrong. Can you provide more information on hitches for various trucks?

If I may reply for Lori, hitches are actually for various weights of trailers..Not the size of the truck. So in your case, the 20K hitch that you have moved from truck to truck is fine as long as the trailer you are hauling it with fits the parameters of that hitch as far as tong weight and gross weight.
So you can have that hitch in any sized truck.


So to the original poster, depending on the size of the hitch that is for sale, you might be fine with it...You can certainly have a larger hitch than required in your truck. You just dont want a hitch that is underrated..
So if it is a 20K or so hitch and you are pretty sure that whatever truck and trailer you end up with is within that range, than you would be fine getting it.

But, I would add another thing here. To me, there is more to a hitch than just the weight rating of it... I prefer ones with four way swivel(tilting) heads, easily adjustable legs and head. Easy to lubricate heads and remove them if you want to use the truck for other purposes..So do a search on the particular type hitch he has for sale to see if it is what you may want..Also make sure that mounting kits are available for it and the possible truck you would be getting.

Mike

[ParTheCourse]

Thank you for the input.

[TXiceman]

One more item, you will most likely need to buy a new mounting kit for the hitch to fit the new truck.

Ken

[450Donn]

Hitches in their most basic are universal. That is they will work with any truck up the hitches rating. What is different is the mounting system. Some older trucks might be able to get away with a universal bracket system. Most newer trucks require a brand specific mounting systems to properly adapt the hitch to the truck frame.

[Ray,IN]

re: buying a used hitch. Inspect the hitch joints and pivot points, if they have any grease on them the hitch has has some maintenance, if there is no evidence of grease or oil the hitch probably was not maintained properly. This does not mean it is not a good hitch, it may be a rather new hitch that is still in great condition, excessive play in pivot points will be evident in an ignored hitch.