Ram and hitches

Povo · 03-15-2014, 06:09 PM

Our 2014 shortbed Ram 3500 with 6.4 hemi and 4.1 rear axle ratio will be ready to pick up in a couple of weeks from the dealer (to go with the 2014 327 RES we purchased just before winter). Fortunately I was in hyper-research mode before ordering the rig. Apparenlty last year people were purchasing the new 2013 Rams and finding out there wasn't a 5th wheel hitch on the market that could accommodate the new frame. Admission: I was a bit anal about researching the hitch before ordering the truck because I needed the truck because I didn't do the research before purchasing the 5ver and found my 2008 Ram 2500 wasn't nearly enough truck for the 5ver. It was a blessing is disguise as I now know more about GVWR, CVWR, RAWR, rear axle weight ratios, etc. than I ever thought I'd want to know and I now feel confident in my and my wife's safety in our future travels.

Figuring out what hitch I can use has been a moving target. First I couldn't use my current 16k Pullright SuperGlide because there were no brackets for my Ram - unless used with the optional Ram 5th wheel hitch setup with an additional picture frame rail. This would raise the height of the hitch and not be very esthetic. I was considering (limited to) a B&W turnover ball hitch with a Companion hitch. Not a bad set up - looks good, 20k capacity, and a single hole in the bed of the truck. As of about two weeks ago I was informed that Pullright now (or will within a couple of weeks) have the brackets for the new Ram. So now I should be able to retain the use my Superglide.

So I guess what I am throwing out is, any opinions on SupreGlide versus Companion? On the one hand I like the idea of the SuperGlide. Saves me $ and I have the automatic slide feature - but I also have four holes in the bed of my truck. I do like the look of the B&W and the Companion. Not sure I really need the slide feature from all the reading I've done. The Companion can be set up for a short bed and most people with manual slides don't seem to use them very often. I should also point out that I while I don't have unlimited deep pockets (I wish), I am looking at this as a long term investment. Averaged over time it makes more sense to me to do it right (or get what I want) the first time. Costs less in the long run and I can sell my SuperGlide to offset the cost of the Companion. So if I spend $1000-$1500 more for something I am going to be using for the next decade...

Thoughts?

**JRTJH** · 03-15-2014, 06:43 PM

I have a 2013 F250 with the optional Ford installed underbed hitch system. My bed has 5 holes in it. Four are for the fifth wheel hitch and the center one is for the turn-over ball. When the hitch is removed from the bed, the holes are covered with 2 piece plastic inserts that seal the bed. They "sort of" blend in and aren't noticeable. I would think that depending on how your hitch system is installed, you should be able to get a similar set of covers to close the holes in your bed. If you decide to keep the fifth wheel hitch, I'd suggest you look to see if maybe there's a solution similar to the caps on mine to seal the bed when the hitch is removed.

It does look like things are finally almost together for you. Good luck

gearhead · 03-15-2014, 07:12 PM

Does your Super Glide have the Industry Standard Rails (ISR)? If it does, you could use a B&W Turnover under bed hitch, put a Curt adapter plate with ISR rails in the B&W hole, then set your Super Glide ISR on that. Only holes would be the one for the B&W ball. And everything comes out leaving a clean bed.

Povo · 03-16-2014, 11:40 AM

I don't thing they are industry standard rails - the rails sit on four pegs that are mounted to the brackets under the bed. I did check a while back if Pullright makes an adapter for the SuperGlid to go with the B&W like they do for other models. At least until a few weeks ago the answer was no. I think I'll check with them again. I really do like the B&W hitch idea so using it with my SuperGlide would be the ideal.

Bombfixer · 03-17-2014, 10:17 AM

If you ordered your vehicle with the factory 5th wheel prep pkg then you will get a bag with 5 pucks inside. The 4 smaller ones are for the 5th wheel hitch holes, the larger is for the gooseneck adapter. One other thing to lookout for is the bedrail clearance that you get by mounting the hitch directly to the bed. Your 3500 has higher than normal sides on your box. The may need to adjust your hitch and/or your pin box to get the recommended 6in of clearance between truck and 5er. The picture frame adaptor I use with my Reese R-20 gives me 2 more inches.

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Ram189 · 03-17-2014, 10:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bombfixer

If you ordered your vehicle with the factory 5th wheel prep pkg then you will get a bag with 5 pucks inside. The 4 smaller ones are for the 5th wheel hitch holes, the larger is for the gooseneck adapter. One other thing to lookout for is the bedrail clearance that you get by mounting the hitch directly to the bed. Your 3500 has higher than normal sides on your box. The may need to adjust your hitch and/or your pin box to get the recommended 6in of clearance between truck and 5er. The picture frame adaptor I use with my Reese R-20 gives me 2 more inches.

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Any system with the ISRs will work in the Ram system. I ponied up and bought the Mopar system which I am sure is a rebranded Reese after looking at it but since I work at the dealership the price was good and I can get warranty on it if I have a problem.

Povo · 03-19-2014, 04:38 PM

I didn't order the Ram hitch package. When I talked to the RV services shop today (the best in the area) they had mistakenly thought I had a long bed. They are checking to see if the PullRight SuperGlide brackets they quoted will work with a short bed. Also, the bracktets are close to $900 + $100 shipping + installation (approximates). As much as I like my 16k SuperGlide, I'm beginning to think the B&W with the 20K Companion (which can be installed with short bed in mind) may be the way to go. I can offset the cost by selling the SuperGlide ($500?) and I'm not that far in price. Along with checking on the Pullright brackets they are pricing the B&W & Companion for me. The saga continues...

Povo · 03-20-2014, 10:22 AM

Just found out I could do the Superglide - for a little over $1000 for brackets, shipping and installation. B&W with 20k Companion slider for $2400. I figure I can sell my 16K Superglide for about $500. So my net cost is about $900 to upgrade to the Companion. That's about $90/year over the next decade. Done.

jjboyz1 · 05-05-2014, 02:08 PM

Hello, I have a 2013 Ram 2500 SB and both the pullrite 2400 and the B&W systems. I decided to install the B&W system and it works great. When I remove it only one hole is in the truck. I purchased and had the 20K/slider installed for around $1600. The new rail system for the pullrite cost about $950 plus installation. I'm just going to sell the pullrite with rails and should break even. The B&W system looks and works great. Much easier to hook up and release than the pullrite plus no need for all that grease.

gtsum2 · 05-05-2014, 07:41 PM

Where did you hear pull rite was making a compatible drop in hitch for the ram factory 5th wheel prep?? I talked to them a couple weeks ago and they told me no plans to make one. Fwiw, I just took delivery of my 3500 cummins I ordered and will likely go with the picture frame adapter and the pull rite. B&w has the companion drop in hitch for ram but they told me no plans to make the sliding hitch to drop in the ram puck system

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jjboyz1 · 05-06-2014, 05:22 AM

Pullrite makes a under the bed system for the 2013-2014 rams. As far as the puck system not sure it works with that. I've seen the pullrite system being installed in a 2013 ram and as far as the B&W system slider I have that system installed in my 2013 but I dnt have the puck system just the companion system with goose neck and fifth wheel hitches.

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gtsum2 · 05-06-2014, 06:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjboyz1

Pullrite makes a under the bed system for the 2013-2014 rams. As far as the puck system not sure it works with that. I've seen the pullrite system being installed in a 2013 ram and as far as the B&W system slider I have that system installed in my 2013 but I dnt have the puck system just the companion system with goose neck and fifth wheel hitches.

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Ok, I knew they made under the bed kits...I have the 5th wheel prep package and they told me the only way to do it is to use the picture frame adapter and then mount their ISR series superglide onto that. It might be the best option for me also because these new Rams sit up high...to the top of my tailgate measures 59 inches...stock too

Povo · 05-09-2014, 05:06 PM

So, I bit the bullet and had the B&W with the Companion slider hitch installed. Once you do it it's done and you don't think about the money (okay, try not to) - especially when you look back there and there is this monster hitch waiting for your 5ver. I'll ad some pics at some point. The good news is that I am fully ready to go. The bad news, I've slightly over-committed myself and had to ditch the plans to get away last week. Memorial Day maybe? Fourth of July we are going to our favorite close to home park - Crooked River Ranch. Put it through it's paces. Get used to towing it (only did once last year). And make sure everything is in order. And of course get a new profile signature picture.

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