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Old 12-08-2021, 05:32 AM   #1
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New to 5th wheel, hitch advice needed

I’m looking to get my first fifth wheel and while I’ve had several travel trailers this will be a new experience for me. I’ve been sifting through a bunch of posts on hitches but I’m getting more confused about what is best setup for a newbie.

I’ll be getting a 33 foot with max capacity of 15,000 pounds. TV will be F350 Crew Cab SRW standard, not long bed with fifth wheel prep and towing package.

I also have occasional back issues and some of the heavier hitches seem like an injury waiting to happen to my back.

So, I was wondering what you sage’s of fifth wheel experience can recommend for a hitch based upon the information above. Do I need a slider, if so which? Will Anderson or Pullrite do the job safely etc?
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Old 12-08-2021, 06:14 AM   #2
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We pull a 35’ Montana using a F350 SRW 4x4 CC SB diesel. We use a B&W Companion Slider in the Ford fiver prep and puck package and it has worked very well for us. To be honest, in over 35,000 miles of towing I’ve used the slider one time and probably did not need it even then. Yes, at about 265 lbs this hitch is heavy, but extremely solid. It normally lives in the truck bed, but I did rig up a chain hoist to pull it out of the truck’s bed the one time I needed the full bed for something.
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Old 12-08-2021, 06:27 AM   #3
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I'm on my 2nd Fifthwheel, both of them around 32' long and a GVWR of 10k. I pull with a 2017 F150 that has the HDPP and Max Tow options. For both units I've used the same Anderson Aluminum Ultimate Hitch, attached to a B&W Turnball in the truck bed. It has worked well for 5 years and it weighs only 35lbs. Suggest you check it out online to see the specs and decide if that may be another option, considering your back problems.
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Old 12-08-2021, 06:50 AM   #4
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If the trailer has the new rounded/notched front corners made for short bed trucks ...and the hitch pin located zero over the rear axle I would say you have a good chance of not needing a heavy sliding hitch.

I would think PullRite and Andersen mfg 1-800 would be a good place to ask will their hitch work type questions. Give then a call.
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Old 12-08-2021, 07:55 AM   #5
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I have a 2022 3500 SWB CC SRW truck with an Andersen hitch. I can get about 75 degrees without issue and have not needed more. I had the same setup in a 2002 truck with the same specs and had no problem. I did have a Reese slider for several years and never used the slide.

The Andersen is easy to take in and out, weighs about 40# and tows well.
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Old 12-08-2021, 09:27 AM   #6
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hitch

Pullrite Superglide

Hookup-go-don't worry about sharp turns.

You need a 5th wheel hitch slider or not.

Would hate to find out a slider is needed after I didn't buy one!


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Old 12-08-2021, 10:39 AM   #7
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My vote, depending on the clearance JIMNLIN references, is to go with a B&W Companion non-slider. Of course I'm biased because that's the hitch that I use with great success.

Hitch head and base are separable and 70-ish lbs each with a puck system setup. A bit heavy if you were pulling it out by yourself with a bad back, but 70 lbs is otherwise very manageable with a partner helping out.
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Old 12-08-2021, 05:22 PM   #8
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If you have back issues a big heavy clumsy hitch should be out of consideration. I had one such hitch and I really did not like removing it from the truck or putting it in the truck. Took two guys really.

That leaves two options IMHO:

1. Anderson Ultimate Hitch
2. Reese Goose Box
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Old 12-08-2021, 05:32 PM   #9
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Reese Goosebox is awesome!
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Old 12-08-2021, 06:35 PM   #10
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So the weight of the hitch has never been a issue for me. Pull the pins in the rail . Leave it connected to the trailer pinbox and lift the trailer and hitch out of the bed and leave hang there.

The slider is a differnt story , your trailer profile and back window at some point may become one. A good friend of mine has a $3200 body shop bill to prove he needed one. I had a demco auto slide rated at 18K in my single wheel one ton. Works very good and little to no noise when it slides automatically .
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Old 12-08-2021, 06:42 PM   #11
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I tow a 32 ft fifth wheel with a 3/4 ton Chevy with a 5 ft bed. I went with the Anderson Ultimate, because I already had a gooseneck hitch in the truck. The Anderson does a fantastic job and there is no hitch noise and the part in the truck only weighs 35 lbs or so. Easy to put in and take out. There is a socket that has to mounted on the trailer fifth wheel oin, but it's an easy installation and only had to be done one tiime. Have been in some pretty tight places and haven't hit the cab and with the sit back on the hitch don't think I will. Not sure how it would work with the puck system..
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Old 12-09-2021, 08:01 AM   #12
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We use the Reese Goosebox. Nothing to put in or remove. Can turn 90° with our short bed Ram if we want to.
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Old 12-09-2021, 08:47 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by C Hayden View Post
I’m looking to get my first fifth wheel and while I’ve had several travel trailers this will be a new experience for me. I’ve been sifting through a bunch of posts on hitches but I’m getting more confused about what is best setup for a newbie.

I’ll be getting a 33 foot with max capacity of 15,000 pounds. TV will be F350 Crew Cab SRW standard, not long bed with fifth wheel prep and towing package.

I also have occasional back issues and some of the heavier hitches seem like an injury waiting to happen to my back.

So, I was wondering what you sage’s of fifth wheel experience can recommend for a hitch based upon the information above. Do I need a slider, if so which? Will Anderson or Pullrite do the job safely etc?
I'm a B&W fanboy and will likely never have anything different. My '02 D'max CC SB 4x4 would not hit my old, square front, Komfort FW at full lock when going forward. I never felt that I needed a slider. ALL will hit when backing up, at some point; a slider just gives you a bit more room before you DO hit. :-) My newer KZ has a much more curved nose and I have even more room. I =will= be getting a new B&W hitch when I'm able to get a new truck that has the puck mounts.

I used a cheap engine hoist to lift mine out of my truck in one piece, though I could easily lift it out in pieces. Just was easier. A lot of people simply leave it attached to their king pin and use the FW jacks to lift it out of the bed and just store it there.

If you =do= choose the Andersen, remember that it many states it's considered a ball hitch, same as a gooseneck, and you =will= need safety chains. Also, because it =is= a ball hitch, you can't double-tow behind one as ball/ball doubles are not legal, again, in most states. I know that this is true, for sure, here in AZ.

Lyle
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Old 12-09-2021, 05:37 PM   #14
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One advantage to a really heavy hitch is you have to resort to mechanical means of dealing with and end up not lifting anything. I would think crawling into the bed under the overhang to hook up safety chains each trip might also be a little rough on the back.
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