Hitch rating

[RSmoak]

Gentlemen,

I've noticed that 5er hitches come in different ratings 15k, 16k, 18k, etc. I need to clear some things in my mind, so please confirm the following.

1
The rating is a maximum capacity rating, correct?

2
The rating has nothing to do with king pin size; all king pins are the same size, correct?

3
It is best practice to buy a hitch rated to, or just abouve your tow vehicle's reserve (after TV's actual loaded weight - trailer) GCVWR (max towing capacity), correct?

Thanks,
Ralph

[RSmoak]

Gentlemen,

I've noticed that 5er hitches come in different ratings 15k, 16k, 18k, etc. I need to clear some things in my mind, so please confirm the following.

1
The rating is a maximum capacity rating, correct?

2
The rating has nothing to do with king pin size; all king pins are the same size, correct?

3
It is best practice to buy a hitch rated to, or just abouve your tow vehicle's reserve (after TV's actual loaded weight - trailer) GCVWR (max towing capacity), correct?

Thanks,
Ralph

[RustyJC]

The hitch rating is based on the GVWR of the trailer you'll be towing. In my case, the trailer's GVWR is 16K and the B&W turnoverball companion 5th wheel hitch is rated for 18K.

All kingpins are the same size. In fact, you could tow your 5th wheel with a Class 8 (over the road) tractor - 18 wheelers use the same kingpin size as our 5th wheels.

Does this help?

Rusty

[charliez]

Unless you forsee upgrading, why would you buy a heavier rated hitch? It would be like spending $$$ that yu don't have to. The correct rated hitch will do the job.

[RSmoak]

Yes Rusty that helps.

charliez, Rusty may be like me in that I know even engineers make calculation errors (example, some elevated bridge in some hotel a few yrears back). I would rather be slightly overated as a precaution. Every body looks at things differently. Thank you for your input.

Ralph

[RustyJC]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by charliez:
Unless you forsee upgrading, why would you buy a heavier rated hitch? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>Charlie,

In my case, the B&W companion 5th wheel RV hitch only comes in an 18K rating, which is adequate for my requirements. I wanted this hitch because of the flexibility to tow gooseneck trailers as well as 5th wheel trailers while retaining a clean bed floor when neither hitch is in use.

Rusty