Recommendations on 5th Wheel Hitch

[lisa101004]

We are in the process of purchasing our first fifth wheel. Its a 2018 Cougar 369BHS. We will be towing it with a 2019 Ford F250 diesel FX4 short bed. We would like some recommendations for a fifth wheel hitch. Is it better to go with a slider hitch or something like a goose neck hitch? Should we add air bags or anything else to help the suspension? Thanks

[sourdough]

Lots of schools of thoughts on this.

Just bought my 1st 5th wheel. Not my first RV, just my 1st 5th wheel. Before making that decision I read, researched, talked to owners/users for a year. I bought an Andersen 5th wheel hitch. Worried and fretted, analyzed etc. Finally the weight, ease of use and dependability won me over. I have now used it for about 3000 miles and love it. I know others have doubts.

In our park I drive by a dually every day with a bed cover. Drove by the other day and they were in the bed working....they had an Andersen in it so I stopped to visit. How did he like it? How long had he had it? His thoughts? He advised that he had run a B&W and Pullrite previously. Angles hitching/unhitching, chucking, noise.....so he decided to try the Andersen. His assessment was that it was so much better than the others. His opinion echoed the same as every person I've talked to that actually uses one. As in everything, each person has his opinion.....

[Canonman]

While our Cougar is nowhere as big as yours, I have to completely agree with Danny about the Anderson hitch. Our son has a regular hitch set up and was always complaining of the hassle to take it out when he needed to use the truck bed. He claims it as one of the reasons he sold his 5er.
I have put 30k miles on our rig and have had no issues with the Anderson whatsoever.
Also, our TV is a short bed Ram and have not needed a "slider".

[JRTJH]

We are in the process of purchasing our first fifth wheel. Its a 2018 Cougar 369BHS. We will be towing it with a 2019 Ford F250 diesel FX4 short bed. We would like some recommendations for a fifth wheel hitch. Is it better to go with a slider hitch or something like a goose neck hitch? Should we add air bags or anything else to help the suspension? Thanks

You're looking at a 14,000 pound trailer with a empty pin weight of 2100 pounds. It's a "bunkhouse model" so I'd suppose there are more than just 2 people in your family. A Ford F250 diesel Crew cab Short bed FX4 is going to have a payload of around 1900-2100 pounds. That truck is just not rated high enough to carry the pin weight of the empty trailer, when you add batteries, propane, a hitch to the truck and "kids to fill the back seat" you're going to be "grossly overloaded". That trailer with a 5 member family, 3 of which are adolescents, is in the upper end of the one ton truck requirement, and if your family travels with toys like bikes, motorcycles, a generator or other "heavy accessories", then you're in the one ton dually weight range.

I don't want to "bust your bubble" but you might want to take some long, serious looks at truck/trailer weight ratings before signing on the dotted line ...

[CedarCreekWoody]

I, too, run an Andersen and am pleased. But I suggest you search this forum for other ideas as well, including other pin boxes that swivel (such as sidewinder.) What is your truck setup? Gooseneck ball? Pucks? Nothing in bed? Study your options.

[xrated]

We are in the process of purchasing our first fifth wheel. Its a 2018 Cougar 369BHS. We will be towing it with a 2019 Ford F250 diesel FX4 short bed. We would like some recommendations for a fifth wheel hitch. Is it better to go with a slider hitch or something like a goose neck hitch? Should we add air bags or anything else to help the suspension? Thanks

I am going to echo JRTJH's thoughts 100% on your truck being way too small for that camper! How do I know this? My previous truck was an F250 Ford Diesel with a payload capacity of 2148 lb. The trailer you are looking at has an EMPTY pin weight of 2100 lbs or so. That is at or close to the payload of your truck before even adding battery(s) and propane. That leaves you ZERO payload capacity for a hitch, passengers, anything and everything that you will need to put in your truck...PLUS....all the stuff that will go in the trailer. You WILL be seriously overloaded, and I'm sure you don't want that experience for yourself and your family. And again, I know this because I lived this.

[TxPilot2185]

I have a 2020 Cougar 368MBI and a Reese Goose Box that I’ve been very happy with. I tow with a 2015 F-250 short bed and have a small 37 gallon aux tank in the back. Using the Goose Box and turnover ball really makes it easy for me to keep my limited bed space free when not towing. Lippert claims this hitch doesn’t void the frame warranty as well. And yes , you’ll be overloaded just like I am as far as your payload capacity is concerned. The rear axle on 250’s and SRW 350’s is identical for my year aside from the leafs and tires (may have changed in 2017). Ford de-rates the sterling 10.5 for the weakest link. So I installed a heavier leaf pack along with heavier rated tires. I acknowledge the fact that this doesn’t make a 3/4 ton into a 1 ton, but.... it pulls and stops just like my co-workers 1 ton SRW hooked to my trailer.
By the way, I almost purchased your model 5th wheel. I liked the layout, but my kids liked the loft and middle room in the 368 so that’s what I wound up with.

[ewbldavis]

Another Andersen owner here. No previous experience with 5th wheels, but I loved how light it was when I removed it.

Towed like a dream. No noise, easy to hook/unhook on unlevel ground, plus you know it's hooked so no need to "test" like the standard jaws.

My TV is a gas Sierra 2500 shortbed. Seems to work well for shortbed.

[jsb5717]

Ditto the Andersen Hitch. There are many viable options that will work for you and you really can't go wrong with most of them. The decision is personal preference. The Andersen works great...period.

Also ditto the concern of truck limits. Far too many are towing with underrated trucks. If you're just getting set up do yourself a favor and start out on the side of caution and safety for your family. Bigger truck or much smaller trailer. Run the numbers on loaded (not empty) trailer/hitch weights...The loaded hitch weight matters the most. Check the payload rating of your truck. Make a good decision.

PS...welcome to the forum. There's a lot of experienced advise here.

[Dennis852]

I have a short bed truck also and went with the pullrite super glide. I did not want to have to deal with worrying about hitting the cab and the auto slide feature makes it effortless. It is a little heavier than I would have wanted but I use an engine hoist to load it in and out of the truck with no issues.

[Kzneft]

B&W Companion. You will never regret it. It's HD and works great. Yes, its heavy, and isn't that what you want? For me I would never get one of those "light weight" hitches.

[KPonroad]

Another Anderson fan here. Ran Curt Q16 for couple years with no complaints then switched when I got a new truck. Love the ease of hooking, unhooking smooth ride, etc. over 10K miles so far. Will keep it.

[61Hawks]

I have done a lot of research lately as I want to get rid of my heavy Hyjacker hitch. I have ordered an Andersen because of it light weight and ease of use. I tow with a 2010 ram 3500 diesel regular box which is 6'5 long. The truck is also deleted.... best thing I ever did to this truck.

[Budman911]

Going against the grain here.
I have a 2019 F350 SRW short bed and I use a https://amzn.to/2P7UQTg 24k PullRite automatic slider. It only takes one trailer meets the back of your cab boo boo to erase any cost difference. Since your TV is a short bed, definitely go with an auto slider. Then install air bags to help you remove the hitch to regain the use of your bed. Raise it all the way up, then drop your landing gear and remove all the pressure out of your airbags. I leave my hitch attached to my rig and locked up when not in use. The air bags also help level any rear end sag and improve the ride while towing. Good luck!

[Brazo]

I have a 2015 cougar X-Lite towing with a 2019 Dodge Ram 2500-no air bags sits fine.I use a B&W patriot 18k slider and love it.I can put tailgate down and back in anywhere without hitting trailer.Love the fact you can adjust hitch for hieght and front to back placement.

[brodad]

I had F250 long bed, used a standard 5th wheel set up. Had Timbrens installed in the rear and all was fine. My buddy had pretty much the same equipment BUT had the short bed. Pulling into a gas station once on a weird ascent somehow his trailer touched against the truck roof and blew out his rear truck window. He needed the sliding hitch for a short bed. He learned a lesson on having the right hitch for the length of the truck bed.

[Jcholt7379]

We have a 2015 F250 6.7 Diesel Shortbed
We fell in love with the Cougar 315RLS. We.went with the Anderson. We haven't been able to travel as much since I am waiting on hip surgery. The couple of short trips and still getting use to a 5th & not TT

THOUGHTS anyone?

[Frosty46]

Slider hitch certainly and the best one you can afford. Short beds call for a slider. Air Lifts are also highly recommended--will save your drive train. I bought mine on Amazon for very little and installed myself--easy fix. You will love pulling a 5th wheel!

[Jcholt7379]

I don't think the Anderson hitch will be replaced. Will look at the air lifts...Do you know which one in Amazon? It's a 4x4 Ford too.
Thanks!

[Larrystegall]

I use Husky 25KW (like the wrap around the pin design), mounted with the weight directly over the rear axle on a 2016 2500HD 6.0 Gasser double cab LB 4:10, pulling a 2017 359MBI. It is a 14K gross trailer. Tows very smoothly, but I am near the limits on the truck as I use it, and if I fully loaded either the Truck or trailer I would overloaded. I travel with two people max for this reason. I have about 900 lbs more Cargo capacity on the truck than your diesel (Gasser, long bed, 4:10 gears, etc.). The weight experts on this forum are giving you great advice.

[jimborokz]

F350 SB, 2018 Montana 3731FL. went with the B&W Companion because it was rated so highly and it's just one brute of a hitch. All that being said, and I do love the hitch, I have not had to use the slider yet in 3 yrs. The way the nose is designed and the pin box is set up, there is very little risk of cab contact. Full disclosure, I have not made a 90 deg. jack knife maneuver with it. The hitch, however does weigh a ton, (well actually only 275 lbs.) so I have to use an engine lift to get it our of the truck. I would love to just pick up 35lbs or so instead. I believe the design of the Anderson moves the 5er back a couple inches also to improve clearance and I have not read of anyone hitting the cab on a short box. If I was starting from scratch again I would likely go for the Anderson.

[Jacko]

I bought my first truck 2019 Ram 3500 SRW and put in an Anderson Ultimate hitch. I went with a 3500 because after I looked at the payload capacity of the 2500, I knew it would never work, the unloaded hitch pin weight was already over what the yellow sticker says on the drivers door for payload. The Anderson is so easy to hook up and no noise from anything in the bed of the truck.

[jeepjrn]

Looks like Anderson might be the clear winner here but I personally have a Reese 16K solely because that’s what the dealer installed when I purchased my first 5th wheel 11 years ago. I actually just removed it from my previous Chevy 2500HD and installed it on my new 2019 Chevy HD 3500. I’ve towed 3 different 5th wheels with it many many miles for 11 years without any trouble whatsoever. Mine is a slider style but to be perfectly honest, I’ve never used the slider and I have a standard bed, not the long bed. It might not be the best or most expensive hitch but it’s certainly served me very well!

[travelin texans]

Had the 18k B&W Companion hitch for 6 years fulltiming, worked great, great customer service if needed, easily hitch/unhitch at any angle, would definitely recommend it.
If I had a short bed truck I'd have to seriously look at the Reese Goosebox, the only ball type hitch approved by Lippert to not void warranties.
IMHO & having no experience with them, I just can't wrap my head around an aluminum pyramid weighing 35 lbs safely holding up to 3-4k lbs hammering down on it constantly.

[W5WI]

I had a "turn-over" ball that I used with my 5er. The extension that fits on the 5er was too short so I had to be very careful turning.

I went with an Anderson and I haven't looked back! It works well and when I have to remove it, it's light!

BTW, lots of discussion on towing weights. I'm on my third F-250 diesel 4-door truck. I tow a 36 ft MKS Cougar. I've towed it coast to coast with no problems.

[wiredgeorge]

Asking which hitch would be recommended is like asking everyone's favorite flavor ice cream. Most will tell you that the one they own is peachy keeeeeen! Doubt there are many owners that will say "I bought a stinky ol' hitch that really is bad" as most never have an issue with their hitch. I personally would look for a used hitch on CL and take into account the short bed nature of your truck for reasons already covered in this thread. BTW: I use an Andersen Ultimate because it is now on my 3rd 5ver and paid for and it makes my clunker look sporty.

[Jcholt7379]

We have a bed cover to hide the Anderson. We love the ability to ignore it and can put stuff around it.
Thanks for the info!

[Jcholt7379]

I was inquiring about ”air bags/lifts”

[Frank G]

Did any of you notice you lost "Lisa101004" 16 days ago, maybe it was the approach. Could be a lot of things, but no one tried to engage her before throwing there truck under the bus. Then came the "I Like my hitch best" posts.

Lisa, if you read this, have some compassion for these guys, they mean well, and they do have a world of knowledge.

To answer the hitch question, I do not like our Chinese "Curt" 16 K slider hitch. I am seriously looking to purchase a Anderson Hitch for the common rails in our short bed truck.

[rbrdriver]

I was going to say that she needs to focus on getting a bigger truck first before worrying about what hitch to put in said truck......,.

[Jcholt7379]

Best Tires for a 5th?

[Northofu1]

Did any of you notice you lost "Lisa101004" 16 days ago, maybe it was the approach. Could be a lot of things, but no one tried to engage her before throwing there truck under the bus. Then came the "I Like my hitch best" posts.

Lisa, if you read this, have some compassion for these guys, they mean well, and they do have a world of knowledge.

To answer the hitch question, I do not like our Chinese "Curt" 16 K slider hitch. I am seriously looking to purchase a Anderson Hitch for the common rails in our short bed truck.

My bet is they are looking for a 350 and an Anderson hitch. Jus guessin.

[sourdough]

Did any of you notice you lost "Lisa101004" 16 days ago, maybe it was the approach. Could be a lot of things, but no one tried to engage her before throwing there truck under the bus. Then came the "I Like my hitch best" posts.

Lisa, if you read this, have some compassion for these guys, they mean well, and they do have a world of knowledge.

To answer the hitch question, I do not like our Chinese "Curt" 16 K slider hitch. I am seriously looking to purchase a Anderson Hitch for the common rails in our short bed truck.


Frank, before apologizing for and criticizing everyone that posted on this thread you might actually read the original post and I quote: "We would like some recommendations for a fifth wheel hitch. " And, the majority of posts were along that line. How do YOU determine if one is trying to recommend a hitch because they like it and express their beliefs of its positive points or is it because YOU don't like it??

As far as your comment "no one tried to engage her before throwing there truck under the bus" , that's just patently false. Please read my post #2. In addition I guess you didn't read one of the other requests from the OP; "Should we add air bags or anything else to help the suspension?" It may escape you but any request about how to help the suspension on an overloaded truck SHOULD result in a weight observation. Unlike your "observation" there were 2 posts related to the ability of the truck out of the 28 posts prior to yours....and those observations SHOULD have been posted for the enlightenment/welfare of the OP.

Anyway, IMO you are not the arbiter of who can like a particular hitch or how they can express that. If the OP got what they needed (not posting back does not mean they didn't monitor the thread and get a resolution) and also came away with something to think about on the size of their truck (or a new one)....that's good.

[Frank G]

Frank, before apologizing for and criticizing everyone that posted on this thread you might actually read the original post and I quote: "We would like some recommendations for a fifth wheel hitch. " And, the majority of posts were along that line. How do YOU determine if one is trying to recommend a hitch because they like it and express their beliefs of its positive points or is it because YOU don't like it??

As far as your comment "no one tried to engage her before throwing there truck under the bus" , that's just patently false. Please read my post #2. In addition I guess you didn't read one of the other requests from the OP; "Should we add air bags or anything else to help the suspension?" It may escape you but any request about how to help the suspension on an overloaded truck SHOULD result in a weight observation. Unlike your "observation" there were 2 posts related to the ability of the truck out of the 28 posts prior to yours....and those observations SHOULD have been posted for the enlightenment/welfare of the OP.

Anyway, IMO you are not the arbiter of who can like a particular hitch or how they can express that. If the OP got what they needed (not posting back does not mean they didn't monitor the thread and get a resolution) and also came away with something to think about on the size of their truck (or a new one)....that's good.

Why would anyone hang around this forum? Under the buss we go.

[sourdough]

Why would anyone hang around this forum? Under the buss we go.


"Under the buss we go"? I don't guess I understand that remark if based on my post. Was there something wrong or inaccurate in it? No one was thrown under a bus. I pointed out some errors in your statements and assumptions - that's it.

[chuckster57]

Why would anyone hang around this forum? Under the buss we go.
What bus do you feel anybody was thrown under?

The best part of public forums is the ability of members to post responses based on what they interpret the question to be. “Any and all advice/recommendations” invites A lot of different answers. If you feel like your the one under the bus, you have the right to leave and no longer engage yourself in this site.

There are any number of reasons members don’t return to a thread, so I ask you-do you have specific information that the OP left because the “bus” ran her over?

[tomd]

I towed a Keystone 269FWRLS 5th wheel with a short bed F250, but found this was at the payload limit of the truck. You really need to run the numbers before selecting truck/trailer combo. I used a Fully automatic, sliding #2700 SuperGlide hitch and had no issues. It is an awesome hitch set up and highly recommend auto slide option so you can on the fly make tight turns if need arises. I sold the truck, and got an F350 long bed, and feel much better about the ratings. Side note: I can sel the sliding auto-sliding hitch removed from the F250 for 1/2 cost because F350 truck was hitch ready for fixed hitch. I can send details if you buy short bed truck.

[WestCoastWanderer]

SUMMARY OF THE THREAD

HITCH - Lots of Anderson fans, with lots of reasons why.

TOW VEHICLE - Buy a better truck, or buy a smaller trailer.

and . . . . crickets . . . . :whistling:

[Bill-2020]

Did any of you notice you lost "Lisa101004" 16 days ago, maybe it was the approach. Could be a lot of things, but no one tried to engage her before throwing there truck under the bus. Then came the "I Like my hitch best" posts.

Lisa, if you read this, have some compassion for these guys, they mean well, and they do have a world of knowledge.

To answer the hitch question, I do not like our Chinese "Curt" 16 K slider hitch. I am seriously looking to purchase a Anderson Hitch for the common rails in our short bed truck.

As I understand it, Curt is all made right here in our wonderful US of A. Where are you getting this "Chinese" knowledge from? Enlighten me please.

[wiredgeorge]

As I understand it, Curt is all made right here in our wonderful US of A. Where are you getting this "Chinese" knowledge from? Enlighten me please.

I know for a fact that Curt hitches are made in China in the province of Eau Claire, Wisconsin! Anyway, wherever they are made it is in NOT-TEXAS! :cool:

[Spletbr]

I have the B&W Companion and love it. Comes apart in two parts so (relatively) easy to take out of the bed when needed. OEM puck system so that helps too.

[Bill-2020]

I have a dear friend with a massive 5th wheel. He swears by his “Trailer Saver” hitch on his F350.

[roadglide]

I have a puck system Thats in the shop it’s extremely heavy along with the 20,000 pound reese hitch I sold for 200 only paying that for it, there is a market for these old heavy jaw type hitches . I replaced everything with a light weight Anderson hitch.

[Clyde-Charlotte]

Which pin box did you have and how did you verify that?
Which model of Goosebox did you get?
16k/20k?

[atownmike55]

Love my Anderson Hitch for two years on my 2019 Cougar 1/2 ton 5th. Rides great. Upgraded suspension with LIPPERT 3 crossbars. 38 lbs. Ha. i can remove that myself into my 80's (hopefully)