Curt E5 Hitches?

[Cumminsfan]

How good are Curt E5 hitch's? I will be towing 8500lbs loaded and a pin weight of 17-1900lbs. It's a Curt #16116 rated at 16,000 and 4,000. Never done the 5'er thing so I really don't know what differences there are in hitches. Not looking for top of the line, just something reliable and user friendly.
Thanks.

[JIMNLIN]

I see Curt is very popular with the commercial hauling folks. Their popular with RV users also.

[SmokeyWren]

Originally Posted by Cumminsfan

How good are Curt E5 hitch's?

So so. Bottom of the line, but functional.

I will be towing 8500lbs loaded and a pin weight of 17-1900lbs. It's a Curt #16116 rated at 16,000 and 4,000.

Available from Amazon.com complete with "universal" rail kit and install kit for $404. (Universal rail kit means it uses the industry-standard Reese bed rails.)
Curt Manufacturing 16116 16K 5Th Wheel 16115 W/16200 Rail Kit - Ships In 2 Boxes : Amazon.com

However, the "universal" install kit requires you to drill the frame of the pickup, and that's no fun. I'd strongly suggest you spend a few more bucks for the custom install kit, which bolts to existing holes in the frame of most pickups. Here's the one for some Chevys and GMCs:

Curt Manufacturing 16418 Fifth Wheel Custom Install Kit : Amazon.com

Never done the 5'er thing so I really don't know what differences there are in hitches. Not looking for top of the line, just something reliable and user friendly.

That cheap Curt will do the job. But I prefer a bit better hitch. Reese 16k hitch with 4-way tilting head is my choice. It's been available for years under various names, including Classic, Select Series, and TowPower, as well as plain ole Reese 16k 5er hitch. But Reese also makes the cheap "Pro Series" to compete with the likes of Curt, and the expensive "Elite Series" in a class by itself, so you have to pay attention to details when buying a Reese 5er hitch online. And Reese also has a custom install kit for the in-bed rails so no drilling of the frame is required:

Reese Towpower 30047 16K Fifth Wheel Hitch with Rail Kit : Amazon.com

Draw-Tite 50066 Fifth Wheel Custom Quick Install Bracket : Amazon.com

(Note that Reese and DrawTite are the same outfit, so their products are interchangeable. Don't worry about the hitch being a Reese and the custom install bracket is a DrawTite.)

Yeah, the Reese 16k complete with rails and custom install kit will cost you about $100 more than the Curt 16k complete with rails and custom install kit. I think it's worth the difference. I threw away a cheap version of the Reese 5er hitch and replaced it with a Reese 16k with 4-way tilting head.

[grjsginger]

Unfortunately, I cannot relate to the E5 series, however I am running a Curt Q5 series with rollers and is rated at 20K. It is not the cheapest out there, but when I purchased it 5 years ago, it was cheaper than a comparable reese at the time and had a higher spec rating at the time. I have been extremely happy with this unit. I am towing a ~12,000 loaded 39' 5th wheel. It is very easy to see if the jaws are locked and even has a visual and colored indicator on the release bar indicating locked or not without even looking at the jaws (even though I do double-check them each time). The biggest downfall to this hitch comes to removing it due to the weight of the hitch unit. The hitch does break down some (head removal etc) but still takes 2 people to remove completely/safely or a hand dolly and ramps which is what I use. I know some folks leave their hitch attached to the PIN of the 5th wheel while storing, but I prefer not to.