LeeB,
The type & rating of hitch you will need will depend on several factors, a few are:
weight of 5-r
short or long bed truck
position of pin box
ease of removal from truck bed
Those are by no means the only ones, but just some we considered when we were in the market for our 5-r a few years back.
We had a short bed Chevy & could have gone with a slider hitch (i.e.
PullRite). However, we had an extended pin box on the 5-r, so we felt comfortable with a non-sliding hitch (ours was a
Reese). In the 2 seasons we used this combo, there was only 1 instance where we got into a tight turning spot where the nose of the 5-r "kissed" the truck cab. Luckily, no damage, just a scuff on the truck cab. That was a risk we were willing to take.
Having an air-ride hitch (i.e.
TrailerSaver) is something to consider if you will be on the road a lot. Something like this will greatly help with the up & down & back & forth jostling of hitch pin which will make your ride more comfortable.
We also used our truck for hauling items other than our 5-r. Having a hitch we could get out of the bed by ourselves & without a lift was important to us.
Our 5-r dealer helped us with our selection of hitch. If you buy from a private party, I would still talk with a reputable 5-r dealer about hitch options.
L-
P.S. Check out the iRV2 classifieds for 5-r related items. Those of us that've gone to MH's have stuff we no longer need that you'll find there for much less than retail.