5th wheel hitch selection

[wbdvt]

Hello,
DW and I are looking a 5th wheels and I am looking for information on hitches and pin boxes. Is there a primer out there for newbies? What needs to be considered? What about the height?

I am considering a B&W Companion hitch as I like the concept of removing and having a flat bed.

[Jgkopp]

You didn't say if you have or are getting a short bed? I have this hitch ordered with a concealed mounting system (no rails). If your ordering a Ford F-250 you could order it with the 5th wheel tow package prep and the concealed mounting system would be factory otherwise there are aftermarket that are the same exact thing. For a short bed you will want a sliding hitch so when turning the trailer clears the cab.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3qwMnV7pgyA

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=e8iFZ6ZUyFY

[wbdvt]

jgkopp - my TV is in my signature. I do want to keep the usefulness of my bed.

[Lic0rice]

Hello,
DW and I are looking a 5th wheels and I am looking for information on hitches and pin boxes. Is there a primer out there for newbies? What needs to be considered? What about the height?

I am considering a B&W Companion hitch as I like the concept of removing and having a flat bed.

Finished installing the B&W Turnover hitch this morning. Nothing technical, just a lot of contorting the body to get to everything under the truck. Did it by myself, although I could have saved an hour if the DW wasn't putting in the garden!! Total time after I got all my tools assembled was about 5 hours.....which included removing one of the end brackets to put the correct bolts in :banghead: Do exactly what the directions say!!

We have a long bed truck and will be using the non-slide B&W Companion. I have not towed with it yet but can assure you that both the Turnover Hitch and Companion are very heavily constructed. I have heard nothing but great things about B&W.

[bsmith0404]

You can do a lot of reading on this forum and other sites about hitches. Opinions will vary as much as they do on which brand of truck is better. My only opinion is get a hitch that is over rated for the trailer you are pulling and you won't need to upgrade in the future when you upgrade trailers. When I bought my first hitch I only had an 8k lb 5er and went with a 15k hitch...overkill, then I upgraded to a 12k lb 5er, still good....now I have a 15.5k lb 5er and a new 20k hitch. It's never a bad thing to have more hitch than you need.

[darrylwt]

Hello,
DW and I are looking a 5th wheels and I am looking for information on hitches and pin boxes. Is there a primer out there for newbies? What needs to be considered? What about the height?

I am considering a B&W Companion hitch as I like the concept of removing and having a flat bed.

I have a 20K Pullrite hitch non slide and the only part left in the bed is the rails but I think they have a 4 pin setup so you bed is flat.
As far as the pin height you can adjust the hitch and or the pin box to obtain the clearance and to level the trailer while towing to even out the weight on both trailer tires and axels.

[Desert185]

www.andersenhitches.com

Less weight in the bed, easy removal, high capacity, no clunking. Give them a look.

[Cyncwby]

Just a thought about any type of gooseneck hitch, from what I've read, most 5th wheel mfg's will void your warranty if you use one. I think a lot of 5th wheel companys use the Lippert chassis and they will void your warranty.......unless you use the Reese "Goosebox" pin box assembly.

I think it also has an airbag in it which is very good for truck and trailer, cost about $950 or so. Anyway ask your chosen 5th wheel mfg....NOT the salesman about the warranty.

We use a Hensley Trailer Saver TS3 with the Hensley adapter for the Ford underbed hitch structure. Yes they are EXPENSIVE but I bought both used on ebay. Got em really cheap and were like new. If you can swing it get a hitch or pinbox with an airbag ssystem, makes towing so much nicer. ps, also need to mention, this hitch weighs 312 lbs. plus 79 for the adapter, I use my engine hoist to R&R the thing, couldn't do it otherwise. They do make a new model that comes apart for easier installation.......FYI

[Desert185]

The Andersen isn't a gooseneck hitch and it won't void the warranty.

[hdrolling]

In the event that something does happen with an Anderson and it voids the trailer warranty then Anderson has a 1 million dollar warranty to cover you.
That's how confident they are in their product, and mine only weighs 35lbs. It was an easy decision for us.

[Cyncwby]

Well my error then, the one I saw had a 2 5/16" ball on it and the 5th had a short goose adapter. I would definately use the Reese Goosebox pin box so you would get some advantage of an airbag ride so you might not have to have a warranty claim. To each his own.....

[gkainz]

Well my error then, the one I saw had a 2 5/16" ball on it and the 5th had a short goose adapter. I would definately use the Reese Goosebox pin box so you would get some advantage of an airbag ride so you might not have to have a warranty claim. To each his own.....


You are correctly describing the Andersen Ultimate hitch system, but it isn't a gooseneck adapter. A gooseneck adapter, the kind that voids some frame warranties, has an extension between the kingpin and the truck's gooseneck ball on the bed. That extension moves the leverage and force down to the bed and puts significantly more twist on the pin box and frame.

Andersen elevates the ball to the pin box. The small adapter clamps to the king pin and has a ball socket that the Andersen hitch ball seats into. There is little to no extra length and little to no extra leverage on the pin box with this setup over a standard 5th wheel hitch.

[Desert185]

In the event that something does happen with an Anderson and it voids the trailer warranty then Anderson has a 1 million dollar warranty to cover you.
That's how confident they are in their product, and mine only weighs 35lbs. It was an easy decision for us.

I believe its a FIVE million warranty.

[hdrolling]

I believe its a FIVE million warranty.

Yes, thanks. It's been a year since I bought mine and had done all the research.

Glad I took a shot and tried this hitch out, I use my bed and having a 35lb hitch to remove by myself in minutes is so worth it. Then I just carry it into my garage with one hand and hang it on the wall out of the way.

http://www.keystoneforums.com/attachments/photobucket/img_202919_0_829285de6e97616eedd09da6fcffede2.jpg
http://www.keystoneforums.com/attachments/photobucket/img_202919_1_cf3a5ad1428f7b5406c86c25e0e32bf6.jpg

[Jim Dow]

I have a short bed F250 Super Duty towing a Montana High Country.

I use a B&W Companion hitch (non-slider); and it works fine.

The trailer salesman sold me a Sidewinder pin box when I bought the trailer; and I just found out (3 years into the deal) that B&W does NOT recommend using a Sidewinder pin-box with their hitch. So, I am in the process of replacing the Sidewinder pin-box. It has always been very difficult to connect to the B&W hitch anyway.

Will someone recommend a replacement pin-box please?

[Desert185]

Yes, thanks. It's been a year since I bought mine and had done all the research.

Glad I took a shot and tried this hitch out, I use my bed and having a 35lb hitch to remove by myself in minutes is so worth it. Then I just carry it into my garage with one hand and hang it on the wall out of the way.

http://www.keystoneforums.com/attachments/photobucket/img_202998_0_829285de6e97616eedd09da6fcffede2.jpg
http://www.keystoneforums.com/attachments/photobucket/img_202998_1_cf3a5ad1428f7b5406c86c25e0e32bf6.jpg

The Andersen hitch concept is not only revolutionary, but an extremely effective design.

In many ways, I am still a GM Bowtie guy. You have a great looking truck!

[hdrolling]

In many ways, I am still a GM Bowtie guy. You have a great looking truck!

Thanks, it's getting up there in age but still pulls like a train!

http://www.keystoneforums.com/attachments/photobucket/img_203020_0_b8f34fa46925d956b343a925663421a4.jpg
http://www.keystoneforums.com/attachments/photobucket/img_203020_1_0e3ab65cbc3187c65082ad6a7fc82460.jpg

[mtofell]

Love my B/W slider.... I went the cheap route with a previous fiver and it was a nightmare (Reese). The B/W runs like a Swiss watch. If not for needing a slider I'd take a look at that Anderson.... the 35lbs in/out the bed sure looks nice. Also, the payload savings would be nice. I think my B/W weighs well north of 200#.

[Colorado]

I also wanted to use the truck bed frequently, so I had the dealer install the companion hitch. I like it, comes out fairly easily ( you have to lift straight up as there is not much clearance between the hitch and where it slides into the bed). A little more that I want to lift (being 70 this month) so I use a pulley {less that $50.00 @ Harbor Fright}

[Pmedic4]

I have to admit, I went with my Curt hitch, based on the fact that it fits great into the 'puck system' for the RAM trucks. It locks in easily, is real solid, and the Q16 hitch is great to hook-up and unhook from, couldn't be better...except it weighs 200 pounds. I'm getting up there in years, and I just can't lift a beast this size by myself, and generally rely on one of my kids to come over and move it when I remove it at the end of the season.
When I look at the Anderson hitches, even the steel version is around 75 pounds, which I could probably (still:confused:) handle by myself, and the aluminum version would be around 35 pounds. Yeah, the cost would have been higher in the long run, but that's convenience for you.

By the way, my RAM 2500 doesn't fit into my garage, so I'm planning on building a new garage workshop, so why am I worried about the cost of the hitch????:eek:

[SkiSmuggs]

When I look at the Anderson hitches, even the steel version is around 75 pounds, which I could probably (still:confused:) handle by myself, and the aluminum version would be around 35 pounds. Yeah, the cost would have been higher in the long run, but that's convenience for you.

I have the steel rail mount version of the Andersen Ultimate and it weighs 42 lbs, not 75. I also have a short bed F350 and recently made an 85 degree turn with no contact and it looked like 90 would have been no problem. My fiver does have an extended pin box and I had to mount the pin adapter backwards to prevent contact with the bed sides.
Since I have the factory puck system, if I was starting from scratch, I would have gotten the Reese or Curt ball for the puck system and the aluminum Andersen to fit with that, but I already had the Reese puck picture frame adapter from my previous hitch.

[Vet4jdc]

Just like some others have stated, you will get many opinions on this topic. I like the Pull-Rite hitch. I have the 15k Super Fifth that is "fixed". It has worked great for me even with a short bed F250 and I have never needed the "slide". I had a Reese slider first and hated the constant "klunking" sound of the moving part. I also like the positive connection of the "wrap around" hitch at the king pin as opposed to the clam shell of the Reese. Pull-Rite is made well and adjustable for height. Also, I can pull four pins and easily have a flat bed for use in hauling stuff. Good luck with your decision and your new fiver!!!! "bouncey:

[T11ravis]

Only advice I have is don't go cheap. I did originally and it wasn't fun, tremendous amount of Chucking, etc. for 3 years.
I upgraded to a B&W Companion this year, wow, huge difference. Well worth it.
I don't think you can go wrong with Andersen or B&W.

[Desert185]

I have the steel rail mount version of the Andersen Ultimate and it weighs 42 lbs, not 75. I also have a short bed F350 and recently made an 85 degree turn with no contact and it looked like 90 would have been no problem. My fiver does have an extended pin box and I had to mount the pin adapter backwards to prevent contact with the bed sides.
Since I have the factory puck system, if I was starting from scratch, I would have gotten the Reese or Curt ball for the puck system and the aluminum Andersen to fit with that, but I already had the Reese puck picture frame adapter from my previous hitch.

The steel, no rail version of the Anderson hitch that fits on the gooseneck ball in the bed weighs 75#. The rail version you have is lighter because it is attached with the conventional bed rails.

I had a B&W turnover ball already, so the Anderson was perfect for my desire to have a clean bed without rails when the 5er hitch was removed. Unfortunately, that was before the lighter aluminum version was produced. No regrets on the Andersen Ultimate hitch.

[Pmedic4]

I have the steel rail mount version of the Andersen Ultimate and it weighs 42 lbs, not 75. I also have a short bed F350 and recently made an 85 degree turn with no contact and it looked like 90 would have been no problem. My fiver does have an extended pin box and I had to mount the pin adapter backwards to prevent contact with the bed sides.
Since I have the factory puck system, if I was starting from scratch, I would have gotten the Reese or Curt ball for the puck system and the aluminum Andersen to fit with that, but I already had the Reese puck picture frame adapter from my previous hitch.

I was looking at the gooseneck mount hitch Desert185 was talking about. However, regardless, 75, 42, or 35 is definitely less than my current Curt Q16, by a lot!!!!

When I upgraded my truck, considered getting the Puck picture frame adapter, so I could use my then current hitch, but really didn't hear much about the picture frame mounts, and the cost to buy the frame really wasn't that much less than an actual puck mount hitch, which just logically seemed to be the more solid option. Overall, I'm happier with the Curt hitch than my previous hitch brand because of the way it latches in, and also unlatches. I didn't really know there would be that difference, so I'm pleasantly surprised.