5th Wheel hitch for cougar

[MikeyD929]

hello everyone, new to this forum. We are about to purchase a cougar 29rli. I have a Chevy 2500 High-country diesel. I have not owned a 5th wheel before only travel trailers. My truck does have puck system. Was wondering what the best hitch to get. I have been told the Demco 18K autoslide is a good choice. Looking for recommendations. Thanks

[RollaMo]

This is like asking what the best truck is.
Chevy, Ford, Ram, etc.

It comes down to a personal choice, as there is no "best".
Lots of good choices though.

Since you have the factory puck system, get a hitch of your choice that fits that.

With that said, I like the B&W Companion hitch I am using.
But I admit, I have tried anything else either.

[JRTJH]

A Chevy 2500 diesel towing a 32' 11000 pound GVWR trailer with an empty pin weight of 1630, a probable real world pin weight of 20% of GVWR (2200 pounds) and then add the weight of a DEMCO 1800 Auto Slide hitch (273 pounds) and you're looking at a payload on your truck of roughly 2500 pounds BEFORE you and your family even sit in the seats....

That's a lot of weight for any 2500 pound diesel to CARRY.... Sure, your truck will tow (pull) that much weight and not even break a sweat, but it won't carry that much weight without being overloaded.

I'd do some very serious "calculations on what you're about to put in the bed of your truck before you sign on the dotted line. Otherwise, you may find yourself in the situation of needing a bigger truck to carry the load of a 29RLI.

Take a look at the truck/trailer in my signature block and you'll see that I'm posting this based on my personal experience with a similar truck payload and a trailer that's 1000 pounds lighter and 2' shorter, and I'm using a hitch that's 150 pounds lighter. All that and I find myself taking stuff I want on the trip out of the trailer so I can "juggle my payload to stay under the truck's ratings" ....

Don't make the same mistake I made, at least not without first knowing what you're stepping into.....

[dutchmensport]

I was always a travel trailer guy until we got our current fifth wheel 5 years ago. At that time, I had to get a fifth wheel hitch. I was very naïve about fifth wheel hitches, but I did know travel trailer hitches.

I talked with my RV dealership when purchasing the trailer and basically let him decide what I needed. He told the pros and cons of different brands, and finally I told him I didn't need anything fancy with all the bells and whistles. I just needed something strong, stout, and something I'll never have to worry about (like deflated air bags or broken struts, or something like that).

He went ahead an installed it. It turned out to be a very good match for me and my Montana Fifth Wheel at 41 feet long and some 13,000-14,000 pounds loaded. It was a Demco Recon (not a slider through). They installed the bed rails and after 5 years, it truly was a good choice, and still is.

Mine comes apart in 3 sections, each one, not more than 35 pounds. So, it's extremely easy to remove from the truck myself. It's a no frills hitch, so not much to break or go wrong with it. It's worked well over the years and I have absolutely no issues with it.

If you are looking for a good hitch, lightweight, durable, long lasting, and trouble free, the Recon can't be beat! They do have a puck system slider, but I have no clue how heavy that one is, or how much it breaks down to remove from the truck. I'm pretty sure the head on all of Recons are the same, and with a simple pull of a pin, they come right off.

My vote is for the Recon. Which ever one you get.

[hondapro87]

I like the B&W Companion.