5th Wheel reciever and Winter

[Travler]

This is my first winter with a 5th wheel. Do most people take the reciever out of their beds in the winter ,cover them with something or what. I am thinking about taking mine out to have access to the whole bed. Any ideas !!!! Any maintance need to be done to these. I have a Husky 16K Double Pivot w/roller.

[SteveC7010]

Mine comes out between trips but then we use the truck for lots of different things.

It's mostly personal preference and there's no right or wrong to it.

[JRTJH]

Take it out !!!!! Take it out !!!!! TAKE IT OUT !!!!!

If you leave it in, it will make your headlights burn out faster !!!!!!!!!!!!


Now, realistically, if you have some place out of the weather to store it, take it out, keep it warm and dry (or cold and dry) <mainly just dry> and lube all the places that rub metal on metal with wheel bearing grease.

If there's any chipped paint or rust, now would be a good time to sand/wire brush the rust and repaint the places where paint is damaged.

Or--- if you don't want to mess with it, you could just leave it in the truck till next spring. (but watch your headlights)

Hmmmmm Mine is in the pole barn, under the bass boat, on a piece of plywood and wrapped in a torn up canvas tarp. LOOK OUT HAMSTERS, GERBILS, or maybe just CHIPMUNKS !!!! LEAVE MY STUFF ALONE !!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone :)

John

[jbsmith]

I got a nice tonneau cover on my truck so I just leave my hitch in year around. It's a two man job to haul it out and a two and a half man job to put it back in. I keep it lubed up and covered; it still looks new.

We leave our 5er powered up year around and use it as a life raft for power outages and such, so having the hitch ready is an added bonus. For more than a day or two we pull it out of its cubby and open the slides.

[hankaye]

Travler, Howdy;

If you deciede to take it out for the Winter don't forget to
bag all the attaching hardware, pins and clips and attach them
to the hitch so you'll have them when you need them.

hankaye

[antiqfreq]

I think ours has been out of the truck once or twice in five years.

We just leave it in.

Jo

:D

[rhagfo]

Mine comes out between trips but then we use the truck for lots of different things.

It's mostly personal preference and there's no right or wrong to it.

Same here 10 minutes both ways, in or out.

[maxx1963]

I hung a block and tackle from my shop ceiling, made a rope sling to go around my hitch. I lift it up, pull my truck out then lower it onto a cart with wheels and push it under my work bench. Takes all of maybe 5 min. Both ways.

[Jim W]

I would pull the hitch out of your truck since you live in OH and in your area you can get snow and ice storms during the winter. The hitch does not need to be subject to this type of weather and will just promote rusting faster.

I too pull my hitch several times a year with block and tackle equipment and place hitch in corner of garage when not in use. I also have a tonneau cover to cover the bed year round but the hitch still comes out.
Jim W.

[webslave]

Mine comes out between trips but then we use the truck for lots of different things.

It's mostly personal preference and there's no right or wrong to it.

X2 I have a full tonneau that covers it and if I'm lazy I'll leave it in until I need the bed or the "other half" of the hitch for something else, but, it almost always "over-winters" in the garage between the two antique cars.

The B&W with the Companion hitch is an easy one-man removal and I, too, use my truck for other tow jobs that require the hitch out (gooseneck trailers) or hauling where I need or want flat bed clear of obstructions.

But, as mentioned in the quote, there isn't a "right way" or a "wrong way", just your way. "bouncey:

[Travler]

Thanks to all that responded to my Post... I like these forums for the info that can be found and shared.. I will be taking it out to have the full bed for other hauling jobs during the winter..Thanks again:)

[JRTJH]

Travler,

If you set your hitch over in the corner of your garage and decide to cover it, don't use plastic tarps, they don't breathe and any moisture that may seep up through the concrete can condense on the hitch and cause it to rust. If you want to cover it, use a canvas tarp or an old towel/blanket so it can breathe. I have an old painter's tarp with a bunch of holes in it, but an old moving blanket, or something like that will keep the dust off and protect it from scratches/chips through the winter.

[hankaye]

Travler, Howdy;

Don't forget that that extra weight can be a help when it snows(:eek:),
It's better than a few tubes of sand in the bed.

hank

[openroad]

Ditto. I took my hitch out this fall and stored in garage. To lighten the load just a bit more for the two of us doing the lifting, I first detached the capture plate. Just my two cents.

Jim