Hang hitch on 5th wheel?

[LewisB]

I tried searching for this subject with no luck. My question (may be dumb - brace yourself):

Is there any reason I can not disconnect my 5th wheel hitch from the truck and use my hydraulic front jacks (LCI auto-leveler) to raise the hitch up off the truck for storage right on the trailer pin? If the system will carry 3200# pressing down, seems like hanging 200# wouldn't be an issue.

Thanks for any info/experience you may have.

[Laredo Tugger]

I don't see why that would not work. I understand the concept,just not sure on design specs for the jacks. There are a few on here that are way more knowledgeable than I am (on this subject) and I hope they chime in.
I guess the only concerns I would have would be weather exposure of the hitch to rain or snow and security. But I guess in reality when was the last time you heard of a thief trying to steal 250 lbs. of hanging metal.
Gravity will win that one :).
RMc

[77cruiser]

I've seen a lot of people do it. I say no problem.

[MattHelm21]

I’ve done it for a few days with an air hitch(heavier) when I got my new truck. If you use the Reese rails, it is a little tricky getting it lined up again without binding but it worked perfectly.

[LewisB]

Thanks to all for your responses. A couple of thoughts...

> the hydraulic system is designed to lift the front of the 5th wheel - in my case with a hitch weight (listed) of 3200#, adding a couple of hundred for the hitch weight shouldn't be a design problem.

> Matt is right about "re-alignment". My thought for re-installation into the truck would be to just drop it anywhere (in the truck bed), raise the hitch back up, pull out, get the hitch correctly aligned and installed, then reconnect the trailer. This would be a lot easier than manually having to unload and load all the heavy hitch parts, re-assembly, etc.

> I'm using the Ford factory puck system with a Reese adapter and Reese slider 20K hitch.

Thanks again for the responses. I'll leave this up for a few days and see if any others chime in.

[JMaster]

I tried searching for this subject with no luck. My question (may be dumb - brace yourself):



Is there any reason I can not disconnect my 5th wheel hitch from the truck and use my hydraulic front jacks (LCI auto-leveler) to raise the hitch up off the truck for storage right on the trailer pin? If the system will carry 3200# pressing down, seems like hanging 200# wouldn't be an issue.



Thanks for any info/experience you may have.



Haven’t tried this myself but that’s a genius idea!!

[tech740]

Thats how I stored mine for a few years with no issues.

[notanlines]

There is absolutely no reason not to store your hitch in this manner. Keep in mind what was mentioned earlier by Lewis and Matt; getting it lined back up is not an easy task. It has to be exact, especially with the puck system.

[Laredo Tugger]

I have the puck adapter with a Curt 16K Slider. The only concern I would have is about my RV storage which is off site from my property in a (gated) public access area.
If I lifted the complete assembly it would be easy for someone (with puck connections) to back up, pop the little plastic door to the jacks controller and lower a fifth wheel and hitch into their truck and drive off.
If I were to do this hitch lift I would hang the hitch without the adapter and store it in my garage. But it is a good idea if you need the bed space in your truck for hauling other things.
Thanks
RMc

[JRTJH]

Depending on the ease of operation of YOUR specific hitch, there may be a safety issue with kids in the neighborhood. If YOUR hitch will uncouple easily, imagine a couple of 9 year olds, bored with riding their bikes, doing some exploring. One says, "Hey, what happens if you swing on this handle?" and the other does it, the hitch uncouples and crushes a kid who shouldn't have been there but was?????

I'd urge, if you do store your hitch on the pinbox, be sure to lock it so the accidental release won't hurt someone..... Yeah, I know, they shouldn't have been there, but lawyers have a way of justifying (at your expense) why it was OK for them, and you're at fault......

[LewisB]

Wow - really good input.

Jim, while the hitch is hanging, I plan to just gently set it down anywhere in the bed, raise the trailer back up without the hitch, pull out, move the hitch around to get it aligned and reconnected to the truck, then back up to make the final connection to the trailer. Do you think that would work?

RMc - excellent comment regarding security. Mine will be inside the fence of my property. But where less secure, my adapter has 4 levers that rotate the pucks between the lock/unlock position. Those levers are locked in place with 4 padlocks. Do you think that would be adequate?

John - priority comment regarding locking the pin. In my case, I'd be worried about the DW pulling the handle while I was under the hitch (ha-ha).

Thanks again to all. I'm going to try this on Friday and will let you know how it goes. My only remaining concern is whether or not the hydraulic system will raise the whole hitch high enough to clear my driving out from under it. I plan to put some blocks on the front rams to get a little extra stroke length.

[JRTJH]

... I plan to put some blocks on the front rams to get a little extra stroke length.

If you do put blocks under the front landing gear, be sure that they are large enough so you can "bump the pin" without causing the landing gear to be pushed off the blocks. I get "caught unaware" (actually "caught being stupid") and nearly pushed my landing gear off some 8" blocks. With about 6" of trailer/bed rail clearance, if that had happened, I'd have crushed the bed rails on my truck.

After that, I stopped using anything but 2" pads under the front landing gear. If I were to need to get them higher, I'd find some 12x12 pads to use, certainly not a couple of pieces of 2x6 scrap..... YMMV

[MattHelm21]

Overkill? 17X17 interlocking Camco Fasten Leveling blocks. My Oh Sh** moment was when I thought I was being smart by parking the trailer axles on the high spots left between the dips caused by long term parking in my driveway. Only to find the trailer slipping down one day(slow motion) and tipping off the 8X8 blocks I had been using.

It was only luck that I had the TV with me at the time and was able to back under and hitch before anything fell.

[boxcar]

I've often wondered if this would work - thanks for asking. It's a pain to find a spot to keep the hitch in garage.

I believe that a padlock instead of the holding pin would prevent an accidental drop since the kingpin couldn't come off. However, the lower section of the B&W hitch could still be released. I expect one locking pin would take care of that, too.

[AbHDToyHauler]

My co-worker does this all the time as he has no real space to store the hitch at his house/garage? He made up a kind of heavy plastic shroud to go around the hitch and then bungee cords it there to keep weather off as much as possible. He left his hanging there all winter for the last two winters and saw no issues.

[mtofell]

I've been doing this for years and it works great. I do counterweight the hitch on a jack stand just because it's easy.... and I suppose so a kid doesn't get under it. Getting it set back up is a bit of back and forth. Drop the hitch in the bed, pull forward, push it into place and secure it then back up and hook up. For me it's not so much a storage space issue as it is getting the thing out of the bed by myself without herniating a disc.

[LewisB]

Ok, I was able to successfully "hang" my hitch under the 5th wheel. My hitch includes a 20K Reese hitch, Reese slider, and Reese "puck adapter" for a Ford system. Everything is lockable, so it would take some work to steal this. I put a couple of saw horses on either side to remind me and the DW not to walk under the overhang. To get it back in the truck, I just raised it up, backed in, and set the whole thing down gently without putting any weight on the hitch. I then released the pin and drove out from under the overhang. It was very easy to get the pucks re-aligned and re-fastened to the truck. I then just backed up and hooked up normally.

This is DEFINITELY how I will be handling my hitch in the future! No lifting, no fighting, no fuss! Maybe the end of my finger got a little tired from pushing the buttons on my Level Up, but I can live with that (ha-ha)! Here's some photos:

[JRTJH]

Brad,

With the two saw horses under the hitch, why not put a couple of 2x4's across the saw horses and lower the hitch onto them to remove some of the weight from the pinbox? It may not hurt, may not help, but it will eliminate some of the weight on the front landing gear, pinbox and front superstructure.

[LewisB]

Thanks John. What you suggest is certainly true and could be done for longer term storage. In this case, this was a 24 hour test - I needed my truck sans-hitch to help a friend move. I'm actually not concerned about the weight of the hitch - this is less weight than when the DW and I crawl into bed for the night while the trailer is unhooked. We are adding all that weight to the super-structure and front rams.

But your idea has merit for long term storage and more importantly for safety - having that hitch fall on someone's foot (or worse) would not be a good thing. Having some underlying supports would certainly be wise from a safety standpoint.

Lastly, I think "location" and other issues make a big difference. In my case, this is on my property, inside a closed and locked 6' fence, out of sight. We are 70 - no kids or other adults present. Earlier in my life, with public storage and two small kids, this would border on being irresponsibly dangerous! Of course, back then I had no problems dead-lifting a couple of hundred pounds.

So, for me this was a successful test. I was able to easily remove and install the hitch safely without having to man-handle anything. Everything appears to be within design limits of all of the equipment. But anyone considering doing this needs to think through the process, consider all the "what if..." scenarios and then act responsibly.

Thanks again to all in the forum for the great responses and discussion. Hopefully, this has been helpful.

[msp2jxr]

I like your idea of hanging the hitch but have never done it. I once was having problems getting hooked up with my valley 5th wheel hitch and lifted it a little to high off the truck and bent the closing clasp. I thought the closing collar was designed for back and forth pulling but not so much for up and down force . I had to take the hitch apart and straighten it before I could get hooked up. Needless to say I now have a companion with a better collar. If most people on the forum agree I may try this technic of storing my hitch over the cooler months.

[Leencharlotte]

I had to do this last year when the little rolled metal pin broke out of release handle and could not unhitch. (Reese sent me a new one at campground overnight). Anyway, not sure, at least on reese titan 20k hitch that the release handle can be pulled out easily when suspended, mine could not.

Also, was much easier to lower in bed close to pucks, release hitch and wiggle hitch into pucks then hitch back up vs aligning back in pucks directly.

And the reese hitch adapter handles can be locked into closed position so nobody can just hitch up easily

The biggest caution i can give you is when leaving hanging, dont forget when walking around at night. Lol

[jimborokz]

I've seen this done many times. Some do it for security reasons. If you have the puck system, someone would have to have the right truck to steal the rig which narrows the field and if you lock the pucks closed you make the job so difficult the thief would just go on to the next fifth wheel and leave yours. Locking the handle on the jaws should prevent someone from opening it while it's hanging. I think I may try this with my 275 lb. B&W slider.
One question, Has anyone with the Ford puck system had issues with the puck sticking if it's not perfectly aligned when you set it down in the truck? If I set the hitch down and the puck is not aligned it will push up and stick there and I have to pry it back down to lock it in.

[JRTJH]

jimborokz,

My puck system is "tight" but hasn't (yet) stuck or jammed the pins. I use a wire brush and clean the puck seats every spring, then spray them with some penetrating oil, let that sit overnight, then clean that out with some 409.

As for the puck "pins", I spray them with penetrating oil and let that sit overnight also. I don't clean the pins, I leave that little bit of oil on them. So far, I haven't had any dirt/grime buildup on the pins.

My hitch (probably yours too) has castellated nuts with cotter pins to adjust the hitch "tightness" in the puck seats. If they're too loose, the hitch rattles, if too tight, the hitch locking arms bind when installing the hitch. There's a "fine line" between too tight and too loose.

On my hitch, if I position it in the pin seats unevenly, it will bind, but just lifting it an inch or so on the low side, it's always "just slipped into the seats.

[jimborokz]

This was on a new hitch, no dirt or grim. Not really jammed, just when I got it set down right in the bed I had to pry on the top by the nut to get the pin to drop into the puck so I could latch it. They just sort of stick a bit. Also happens when I remove the hitch and set it down on the pins on a furniture dolly.