looking for advice on 5th wheel hitches

[art m]

hi guys wife wants a 5th wheel , she let me upgrade the tw from a 2019 ram 2500 with the hemi to a 2022 chevrolet 2500 with the diesel. since i havent ever towed a 5th wheel im now trying to figure out the best hitch setup. my friend has an anderson,one of my customers says a bw companion ,and ive heard about a gooseneck set up . just looking for information and this seemed like a good place to ask

[bsmith0404]

I’ve had conventional hitches such as the companion, too heavy and I won’t own another one. I’ve owned the Andersen, some thing about it I didn’t like, switched to the Pullrite 2600 (similar to the Andersen) like it a lot, but planning to switch to a Goosebox after this trip. Nothing wrong with the Pullrite, I just don’t see a need for a hitch at all with the gooseneck ball in the truck. Only real concern is can clearance with the short bed truck, but if dealt with that before and didn’t have an issue. If you have a short bed and are concerned about it, I’d get the Pullrite, if you feel you can watch your cab corners Id go with the Goosebox.

[chuckster57]

The best hitch is the one your comfortable using, fits your budget and needs.

What type of mounting do you have? Are you planning on leaving it in the bed or removing it? Are you buying a brand new fifth wheel and if so what pin box does it have? Is your bed short or long?

I happen to have a standard 2 axis hitch on ISR rails. I leave my hitch in my bed for the most part but at 65 yrs old I can still easily remove it.

[art m]

the bed is 6-10 , price is not really an issue . safety security and durability are my concerns , she will want a new one pretty sure of that. im going to guess that what comes mounted on the trailer decides what set up you use then????

[bsmith0404]

Just have to know which frame it has to make sure you get the correct pin box if you switch to the Goosebox. With a 6’ 10” bed and new radiused front cap, clearance shouldn’t be too much of an issue if you switch to a Goosebox.

If buying new, one thing you should be aware of if you decide to go with something like the Andersen or Pullrite 2600 is that Keystone and Lippert do not approve of their use and could be a concern if you ever have a structural warranty claim.

[chuckster57]

Originally Posted by art m

the bed is 6-10 , price is not really an issue . safety security and durability are my concerns , she will want a new one pretty sure of that. im going to guess that what comes mounted on the trailer decides what set up you use then????

What is mounted can limit your hitch issues depending on which one. I wouldn’t worry too much about it until you’ve narrowed down your search for the trailer you want. Safety will be determined by hitch rating, security as in not worrying about it being taken? I park on my driveway and the hitch has been there since 2009. Durability, they are all durable.

There is an ongoing discussion here about frame warranty using different hitches, here is one thread:
https://www.keystoneforums.com/forum...highlight=Memo

I have nothing against the Anderson hitch, I’m just making sure you are aware of Keystones policy.

[dutchmensport]

The hitch you get will need to be custom fit to match the camper you get. It will need to be adjusted to a correct height, and the king pin box on the camper will need to be adjusted also to create the maximum available space between the top of the truck bed rails the over hang of the camper, at the same time to make sure the trailer rides level. It's fine balancing act. It also depends upon if you have a long bed or a short bed truck too. Lots of factors. It might be easier to let your dealership figure this out for you. But the type of hitch, make, model, and brand is something you can select ahead of time.

There is a lot of controversy about the Anderson hitch and warranties on Keystone products. This is something you really need to explore deeper. And, something else you may want to consider is a Reese "Sidewinder" King Pin box, which is a very interesting alternative for short bed trucks opposed to slider hitches.

Conventional Fifth Wheel hitches are all over the charts. Some have air bags for a softer "bounce" of the trailer, some are sliders, some are light weight, some have shocks, some are enormously heavy and require a crane to lift them out of the bed of the truck. Some are complete single units and some are built to come apart in pieces. And the price range is all over the charts.

My current camper is my first ever fifth wheel (in my signature below). I left the choice of fifth wheel hitches up to my dealership when I purchased the camper. We talked about it before the purchase, and my requirement was, I wanted something that would not break the bank, but could be easily removed from the bed of the truck.

After the fact, I learned about the bazzilion options available for Fifth Wheel hitches, so in a way, I'm very, very glad for the simplicity my dealership selected for me.

They installed a Demco Recon Fifth Wheel Hitch at a very reasonable price, even adding in the cost of the installation.

This hitch comes apart in 3 pieces. (1) The base that attaches to the bed rails. (2) The shaft. (3) the top plate and jaws. Watch the second video on that web site.

I tried to find the actual weight of this hitch, but could not. I do know, that no part of it weighs more than 30 pounds. The head itself is the heaviest part. I can lift the entire hitch from the bed of my truck myself (and I'm 67 years old now), but because of it's bulkiness it's much easier with 2 people. Or disassemble it and there is absolutely no problem with weight.

The down side to this hitch is .... it does not have air shocks, air bags, or any kind of suspension to it. It' hard fixed. For 99% of our travels that is no issue. But that 1% on interstate travel, transition across bridges on interstates, and the horrible condition of our interstates, the hitch is not forgiving. I feel the bumps. But if you add 2500 pounds of weight to the bed of any truck and I think you'll feel the bumps also.

The Recon has towed my 13,000 (plus) pound, 41 feet long fifth wheel without any problems at all. It's strong, well built and works very, very well. Plus .... you don't have to refinance your house just to buy this hitch.

Again, this is a no frills hitch, but the ease to remove it, the light weight, and the durability makes this one a winner that a lot of folks just skip over.

[wiredgeorge]

Originally Posted by art m

hi guys wife wants a 5th wheel , she let me upgrade the tw from a 2019 ram 2500 with the hemi to a 2022 chevrolet 2500 with the diesel. since i havent ever towed a 5th wheel im now trying to figure out the best hitch setup. my friend has an anderson,one of my customers says a bw companion ,and ive heard about a gooseneck set up . just looking for information and this seemed like a good place to ask

On your 3/4 ton is a sticker in the door frame with tire load info but it also has the truck's payload. You can figure the pin weight of a 5th wheel to be roughly 23 percent of its gross weight. So if a 5th wheel is 10K lbs gross, the pin weight will be roughly 2300 lbs. Add hitch, passengers, stuff in the truck and any stuff on the truck you add. You will quickly be approaching 3000 lbs payload. Look at that sticker and you are much safer if the number on the payload sticker exceeds your estimate of how many pounds you are loading on the truck. Many 3/4 tons are kind of short on payload; diesel, 4wd, higher level model, short wheel base, etc. all kill payload on any truck.

[bsmith0404]

Personally, I would never let the dealer make a hitch recommendation for me (no offense to those who do). The dealership I worked at for 4 years, I was one of two who actually had experience towing a 5th wheel, and one of 5 who actually owned an rv. The guys in parts who made the hitch recommendations (for anyone other than my customers) had never owned an RV and I doubt had ever pulled any type of trailer. They only knew what the hitch reps told them during training when they came to visit about once per year and I heard them tell false information more than once (not intentionally). I took time every now and then to try to educate them, but also realize many of them get a commission or bonus on the parts they sell. Profit margin is more important to them than which hitch you buy.

Some dealers are obviously going to be better than others, but the point is getting hitch advice from a dealer is like a box of chocolates.

[dutchmensport]

Originally Posted by bsmith0404

...

Some dealers are obviously going to be better than others, but the point is getting hitch advice from a dealer is like a box of chocolates.

Fortunate for us, this was our second RV purchase from our dealership. We had a good, solid relationship with them and I knew several of the mechanics and technicians as relationships built over a few years. That makes the difference.

[travelin texans]

Originally Posted by art m

hi guys wife wants a 5th wheel , she let me upgrade the tw from a 2019 ram 2500 with the hemi to a 2022 chevrolet 2500 with the diesel. since i havent ever towed a 5th wheel im now trying to figure out the best hitch setup. my friend has an anderson,one of my customers says a bw companion ,and ive heard about a gooseneck set up . just looking for information and this seemed like a good place to ask

You upgraded in the sense you got a newer truck with a diesel which does indeed pull better than a gasser, but by trading 3/4 ton gas for 3/4 ton diesel you most likely downgraded in the payload department which is critical towing 5th wheels.
As George stated check the yellow/white tag on the drivers door jamb that states "occupants & cargo must not exceed XXXX lbs", that's the payload for THAT truck.
Payload includes everyone/everything in/on that truck that didn't come from the factory. As said use a 23% average of the rvs GVWR posted on the drivers side front corner manufacturers label as pin weight + the weight of whatever hitch you use + everything else comes directly off that payload number.
Don't let the rv salespersons use the rv dry weights or the trucks advertised max tow weight to try & fit you to a suitable 5er, both of those are absolutely useless in the rv world & only tend to cause confusion & get buyers into something more than they have adequate equipment for. Those salespersons have but 1 objective, sell you something whether suitable or not. If you hear them say "yea! You've got a 2500 diesel you can tow anything on our lot!", run, don't walk away from that guy. Do your own calculations by the method above & you'll be much better off.
Those of us here will not make a dime off whatever rv or hitch you buy, just offering our years of experience to keep you from making the same mistakes we've made.

[Canonman]

We've had our Anderson Ultimate since 2016. No problem with our short bed Ram.
We've had a couple of real PANIC stops plus the need to make a few "U" turns.
The hitch works as advertised. The company support is great. And, it can be removed from the truck easily by myself. As stated earlier, get what works best for you. But, if you will need to remove the hitch to use your truck for other reasons I'd recommend the Anderson.

[hondapro87]

I have the B&W Companion it is a great and solid hitch. The only negative thing everybody says about the B&W is that it is heavy, and it is I have the slider model and it weighs near 300 pounds. The non slider is quite a bit lighter and both the hitches do come apart in two parts.

If you are planning to remove and install the hitch every time you go camping the slider would get to be a pain the non slider would not be bad to take in and out.
I normally install my hitch in the spring and it stays in until the fall.

The B&W is made completely in the USA. They also have a lifetime warranty.

You cannot go wrong with a B&W

[rhagfo]

Originally Posted by wiredgeorge

On your 3/4 ton is a sticker in the door frame with tire load info but it also has the truck's payload. You can figure the pin weight of a 5th wheel to be roughly 23 percent of its gross weight. So if a 5th wheel is 10K lbs gross, the pin weight will be roughly 2300 lbs. Add hitch, passengers, stuff in the truck and any stuff on the truck you add. You will quickly be approaching 3000 lbs payload. Look at that sticker and you are much safer if the number on the payload sticker exceeds your estimate of how many pounds you are loading on the truck. Many 3/4 tons are kind of short on payload; diesel, 4wd, higher level model, short wheel base, etc. all kill payload on any truck.

Well GM and Ford have exceed the 10,000# GVWR with their 3/4 tons. I would not be surprised if the OP’s 2022 2500 has a larger GVWR and payload than your 2006 F350.

[roadglide]

Originally Posted by Canonman

We've had our Anderson Ultimate since 2016. No problem with our short bed Ram.
We've had a couple of real PANIC stops plus the need to make a few "U" turns.
The hitch works as advertised. The company support is great. And, it can be removed from the truck easily by myself. As stated earlier, get what works best for you. But, if you will need to remove the hitch to use your truck for other reasons I'd recommend the Anderson.

I agree and if the OP truck has factory towing package there a a lot more options with hitch choice.

[jsb5717]

Our truck has a goose ball in the bed so that's our attachment for any hitch we use. We used the Andersen for a few years and I really liked it. We are currently using the Demco Recon and really like that as well. There are many hitches that will safely get you down the road so get one that works for you.

As to the truck...unless you buy a small 5th wheel, you would be wise to get a 3500 diesel truck. Most 5th wheels will end up weighing more at the pin than the payload of your 2500. Before buying any truck, please do as advised and check the sticker inside the driver's door to see what the payload rating is for that truck. For any mid to larger sized 5er you will need a payload of at least 3500 to 4000 lbs. Use 23% of the GVWR of whatever 5er you're looking at to get a calculated loaded pin weight as a starting point. Good luck.

[jfk69]

Get the 3500 instead of the 2500. You’ll thank us later.

[wiredgeorge]

Originally Posted by rhagfo

Well GM and Ford have exceed the 10,000# GVWR with their 3/4 tons. I would not be surprised if the OP’s 2022 2500 has a larger GVWR and payload than your 2006 F350.

My payload is right at 4K lbs. Since Art has chosen not to disclose his payload, all is conjecture. He was looking for hitch tips so I guess he isn't interested in whether his payload is adequate. No problem on this end.

[rhagfo]

Originally Posted by wiredgeorge

My payload is right at 4K lbs. Since Art has chosen not to disclose his payload, all is conjecture. He was looking for hitch tips so I guess he isn't interested in whether his payload is adequate. No problem on this end.

Well up until 2018 is max MAX GVWR on F350 SRW was 11,500#, 7,500#is a realistic weight for a SRW.
With max GVWR the OP could be between 3,500 and 3,900 or so. I don’t disagree that he should have gotten at least a 3500 SRW, but I read his post to say he already has the 2500. I sure hope it has max GVWR.
Ford and GM are labeling class 3 trucks as a class 2.

[wiredgeorge]

Originally Posted by rhagfo

Well up until 2018 is max MAX GVWR on F350 SRW was 11,500#, 7,500#is a realistic weight for a SRW.
With max GVWR the OP could be between 3,500 and 3,900 or so. I don’t disagree that he should have gotten at least a 3500 SRW, but I read his post to say he already has the 2500. I sure hope it has max GVWR.
Ford and GM are labeling class 3 trucks as a class 2.

Won't know unless he responds.