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12-08-2021, 05:32 AM
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#1
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Member
Join Date: Jan 2021
Posts: 32
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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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12-08-2021, 06:14 AM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Palm Coast, FL
Posts: 836
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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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Bill & Jeri RV Travels
2019 Keystone Montana 3121RL 35'
2018 Ford F-350 Lariat CC SRW SB 4x4 Diesel
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12-08-2021, 06:27 AM
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#3
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Junior Member
Join Date: May 2016
Posts: 16
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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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Bill & Lynne - Missouri
2017 F150 Screw, 6'7" Bed, 2WD, HDPP, MaxTow, 3.5L EB, 3.73 Diff.
2019 Highland Ridge LF291RLS
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12-08-2021, 06:50 AM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 2,230
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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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'03 Dodge 2500 Cummins HO 3.73 NV5600 Jacobs
'98 3500 DRW 454 4x4 4.10 crew cab
'97 Park Avanue RK 28' 2 slides
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12-08-2021, 07:55 AM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2021
Posts: 237
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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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12-08-2021, 09:27 AM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 183
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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!
C.B.
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12-08-2021, 10:39 AM
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#7
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Senior Member
Tiffin Owners Club Texas Boomers Club
Join Date: Nov 2020
Location: Springtown, TX
Posts: 219
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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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2021 Vanleigh Vilano 320 GK
2018 GMC Sierra 3500HD SLT Duramax 4x4 CCSB
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12-08-2021, 05:22 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Palm Coast Florida
Posts: 12,995
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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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12-08-2021, 05:32 PM
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#9
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Member
Join Date: Oct 2020
Posts: 53
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Reese Goosebox is awesome!
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2021 Keystone Cougar Half-Ton 32BHS 5th Wheel
2020 F-250SD, XLT Pre, CC, SWB, 4WD, FX4, HCTP, 6.7 PSD, 3.55 e-lock, Blue Jeans Metallic, Curt A16/R24 Slider
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12-08-2021, 06:35 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Foxboro Ma.
Posts: 1,087
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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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2015 42' Redwood RL38 Morryde IS , disk brakes, 1920W of solar with Victron everything,5 Battleborn, 2024 GMC DRW 3500HD ,60 gallons of fuel in the bed,Hensley BD5 air ride hitch.
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12-08-2021, 06:42 PM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Lebanon, Mo
Posts: 612
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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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Joe
2015 Chevy 2500HD 4x4,2008 Crossroads Cruiser M29CK, 2008 HD Ultra Classic Trike
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12-09-2021, 08:01 AM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: AR
Posts: 331
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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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Jimmy (the driver) & Teresa (the mechanic) Newsom
2018 Forest River Riverstone 2018/2019 Sundowner Toyhauler
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12-09-2021, 08:47 AM
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#13
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Senior Member
KZ RV Club
Join Date: Oct 2019
Posts: 545
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Quote:
Originally Posted by C Hayden
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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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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2022 GMC Sierra 3500 HD Duramax Crew Cab 4x4 6.5' Bed, B&W Companion & Gooseneck Kit
2017 KZ Durango 1500 D277RLT
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12-09-2021, 05:37 PM
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#14
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 1,004
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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.
__________________
2004.5 Ram 3500 2WD DRW
2008 Carriage, tows at 10k#
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