5th Wheel Hitch

[Huss]

Fresh newbie to the 5th wheel world, got myself a 5th wheel travel trailer and an 2001 Ford F350. Trying to determine which hitch is best to install and what details I should look for in a hitch without being tricked by a sales guy in a hitch shop, any advice is greatly appreciated.

[Kimber45]

the length of your truck bed and weight of your camper may help greatly. Me personally, I would never tow without my Anderson ultimate.

[rclogg]

Dependent on how resourceful and handy you are makes a difference. We had bed rails and a Gooseneck plate in our first TV. We went on Craig's List and bought a $75 hitch for a #15000 trailer used it twice. Then bought a Adapter to use the Gooseneck ball, too much battery usage to lift all the way up and over the ball. We now have a BW companion hitch that allows us to use the Gooseneck receptacle. Moral of the story start cheap and work your way up till you find something that works for you. It also make a big difference on how much you can do yourself, install wise.

[SimchaSabre]

I personally like Curt. They offer a range of tow ratings with/without slider and OEM brackets

[ependydad]

I had an Andersen and didn’t like it. For my setup, the ride was really rough and my wife would be in pain after travel days.

My vote is for the B&W Companion hitch:
B&W Fifth Wheel Hitches | Learn To RV

Though, for ultimate in ride comfort, you can’t beat my TrailerSaver TS3 (or the smaller BD3 sibling). But it’s hard to recommend due to its price.

[Jim34RL]

I agree that the bed length has a lot to do with your style of hitch. Some will disagree and some will agree but with a short bed truck you will need a slider hitch. A long bed truck will not require a slider hitch. Also hitches are offered in different carrying capacity such as a 15K, 16K, 20K and up to 30K weight rating. In most cases you should have a hitch that will support more than the trailer weight, IE a 16,000 to 17,000 LB trailer should be towed with a minimum of a 20K rated hitch.

Always purchase more hitch weight capacity than you need with your first 5er trailer weight. Why? You will be replacing this trailer sometime in the future and this new trailer may or may not be heavier than the current trailer.

As an example I am on my third 5er in 10 years with each one weighing more than the last one I owned. But I only had one hitch for all of three of them until my first Sliding hitch wore out after 10 years of use. I now have a Demco Hijacker 18K Auto Glide hitch in my truck.
Good Luck.

[EdJunior]

Originally Posted by Jim34RL

I agree that the bed length has a lot to do with your style of hitch. Some will disagree and some will agree but with a short bed truck you will need a slider hitch. A long bed truck will not require a slider hitch.

This may or may not be true. I have had my Curt 20K slider hitch in three trucks over the last 9 years, and have never "needed" it. I have used it a couple of times, and only once where I used it out of an abundance of caution. I don't think I really needed it, but better safe than sorry. Now, for "Peace of Mind", absolutely. I have no regrets (other than weight...this sucker is heavy) getting a slider.

Originally Posted by Jim34RL

Always purchase more hitch weight capacity than you need with your first 5er trailer weight. Why? You will be replacing this trailer sometime in the future and this new trailer may or may not be heavier than the current trailer.

This for sure. I was going to get a 16K hitch, but the dealer didn't have one in stock, so I got the 20K for the same price. Again, no regrets. It is more than I have needed, and will probably need, but it has also been trouble free.

[Huss]

Really appreciate all your replies guys, the box on my truck is an 8 footer and my trailer is 7600 lbs dry. My other concern if I was to but a used one, how can I tell if it would be the right fit for my truck or would they be universal.

[chaps2018]

Originally Posted by Kimber45

...Me personally, I would never tow without my Anderson ultimate.

X2

Also consider hitch simplicity, cost, weight and chucking

[Capt. Mike]

Originally Posted by Huss

Really appreciate all your replies guys, the box on my truck is an 8 footer and my trailer is 7600 lbs dry. My other concern if I was to but a used one, how can I tell if it would be the right fit for my truck or would they be universal.

Most rail-mounted hitches (which you would need for a truck the age of yours, since it doesn't have a "puck" system), are universal. Check the "classified" section of this forum. There may very well be one for sale right here, and you can contact the seller directly via his/her post. Often, when someone moves from a 5th wheel to a motorhome, the 5th wheel hitch will be listed for sale on the forum.

I personally use a B & W Patriot 18K slider hitch in the 6.5 foot bed of my Silverado for my Columbus.

[frank4711]

B&W Patriot 18K strong welded vs bolts on 16K ... 2 piece better to take out if you want ... plenty of front to back and height adjustments ... quiet sits on polyurethane ... not spring loaded jaws ... made in the USA

[Dippytwo]

I also have a few questions. We will be future owners of a 2019 40’, 16500 GVWR, Pin weight around 2500-3000lb 5er with a 2019 TV being a 350/3500 diesel DRW with Crew Cab and long bed. I thought I was sold on useing the B&W Compainion 3500 hitch, but then I started checking out the Anderson Ultimate Hitch. I like that the auh is light weight and easy to remove from the bed, hooking and unhooking looks easy. We will be full timing and using the tv as our daily driver. I really don’t know how often we would really need to remove the hitch.

I do have concerns about the cable that is used to lock/unlock the ball to the pin box. How durable is that cable. Has anyone that uses the auh had any problems with it?

The pin box has that funnel to help it fit onto the hitch ball so you don’t have to line it up perfectly, but I know you still have to be within 1” or so. Can you see the ball/pin box form the cab while backing up? Or with the camera that shows the bed of the pu? I guess that same question would apply to the B&W hitch also. There will be times that I will be hooking up alone with no one to guide me.

Does the auh sit to high to use a cover for the bed? Can you still get the 5er to be level while hooked up (nose not ridding high)? I know the ball hight can be adjusted for height, but can it be adjusted enough?

Whichever TV I get I will have the 5er/goose neck tow package, which includes the puck system. Does the puck system interfere with the auh?

I would really love to hear from people that have used both of these hitches and tell me which you liked better and why. But still want to hear from those that have just used the auh and what you like and don’t.

I guess that’s all my questions for now.
__________________

[tomkatb]

We have the Anderson.

Hooking up is easier than a standard hitch.

The DW does ours. First shot every time. She can see the ball and hitch at the same time. Wierd! She looks backwards turning to the left! Left arm over the headrest. Never misses.

The pin is controlled by a heavy cable. It was jammed a bit once. Giggling the truck resleased it. Not a worry to us at all.

We have a Ram short bed. Rv nose is minimally shaped to aid missing the cab. Cedar Creek Hathaway 2018. No issues backing up. No slider. Not needed.

My son and I installed the B&W ball in the center of the bed. One hour plus. Was not cheap. I wanted minimum weight in the bed.

Anderson plugs into it. My second choice is the B&W Companion. Highly adjustable. Solid, but, heavy. I am arthritic. The Anderson is nothing to lift. The others, not at all.

Complaint! Kind of big footprint. Anderson folks are great to deal with. I called them and spoke engineer to engineer with them. Easy.

We have chains. Hooking up is really no big deal.

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by Dippytwo

I also have a few questions. We will be future owners of a 2019 40’, 16500 GVWR, Pin weight around 2500-3000lb 5er with a 2019 TV being a 350/3500 diesel DRW with Crew Cab and long bed. I thought I was sold on useing the B&W Compainion 3500 hitch, but then I started checking out the Anderson Ultimate Hitch. I like that the auh is light weight and easy to remove from the bed, hooking and unhooking looks easy. We will be full timing and using the tv as our daily driver. I really don’t know how often we would really need to remove the hitch.

I do have concerns about the cable that is used to lock/unlock the ball to the pin box. How durable is that cable. Has anyone that uses the auh had any problems with it?

The pin box has that funnel to help it fit onto the hitch ball so you don’t have to line it up perfectly, but I know you still have to be within 1” or so. Can you see the ball/pin box form the cab while backing up? Or with the camera that shows the bed of the pu? I guess that same question would apply to the B&W hitch also. There will be times that I will be hooking up alone with no one to guide me.

Does the auh sit to high to use a cover for the bed? Can you still get the 5er to be level while hooked up (nose not ridding high)? I know the ball hight can be adjusted for height, but can it be adjusted enough?

Whichever TV I get I will have the 5er/goose neck tow package, which includes the puck system. Does the puck system interfere with the auh?

I would really love to hear from people that have used both of these hitches and tell me which you liked better and why. But still want to hear from those that have just used the auh and what you like and don’t.

I guess that’s all my questions for now.
__________________

I have an article on the Andersen vs. the B&W Companion:
The Hitch Showdown – Andersen Ultimate vs. B&W Companion | Learn To RV

Longest story shortest, for our setup the ride was rough with the Andersen. And I found it harder to hitch up than the B&W Companion.

My cable did bind up but that was partly because I never committed to mounting the cable pull as I wasn’t sold on the hitch.

Yes, it would have been under a bed cover.

For both, I could look over my shoulder and see the hitching up. For backing up and knowing when to stop, I needed my wife guiding me. My tailgate would come within 1-2” of the camper so I had to be perfectly in line.

In 4 years of fulltiming, I’ve pulled my hitch 2-4 times. And once was simply to upgrade trucks. By that point, I had upgraded to the Trailer Saver TS3 which is almost 300 lbs. I left it hanging from the kingpin.

The B&W Companion comes out in 2 pieces. The head/coupler isn’t so bad, but the base can be a bastard. It’s big and bulky.

[cstreu1026]

I did a lot of research and decided on the Anderson. If I had a long bed I might not have and I initially second guessed my decision. I’ve now got a few trips under my belt including 2000 miles to Fort Wilderness and back and I’m happy with it. I can’t see the ball due to the trifold bed cover but the ford logo etched in the rear window is dead center and makes lining up a breeze though it some times takes some adjustment to get it right front to back. The truck rides better than it did with travel trailer so I’m happy with that aspect as well.

[frank4711]

Think I would have bought the Andersen but I would not have been able to use the option to unlock the hitch and more the pivot point back 22 inches. I have no worries with cab clearance and 5ver tracks great.

[cstreu1026]

Originally Posted by frank4711

Think I would have bought the Andersen but I would not have been able to use the option to unlock the hitch and more the pivot point back 22 inches. I have no worries with cab clearance and 5ver tracks great.

The Anderson moves it back about 9 inches. On my truck that enables me to go well beyond 90 degrees. From what I understand Ram’s have less clearance and the shape of the nose of the fifth wheel could also limit it.

[tomkatb]

We have a Cedar Creek Hathaway. Their nose is only somewhat shaped. Much more on the silverback.

However, my Ram has enough Clearance. Maybe 90 degrees.

One should not go that far. Terrible on the tires and wheels.

I could move mine back another 3-4”. But, you have to be careful not to hit the tailgate.

[JohnD10]

My 5'ver has the 90-degree front on it...

I'm still glad I have a slider, even though I've never 'had' to use it yet.

I'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

Even though I haven't gotten close to smashing out my back window, I have been close on the bed rails a couple of times while on rough ground where sliding the hitch back could come in handy.

I almost bought an Anderson hitch last summer, but glad I talked myself out of it.

Sure, the light weight would be nice and the ease of removing it from the truck.

In the end...that just wasn't enough for me to blow the money on it.