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Old 05-10-2021, 12:49 PM   #1
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5th Wheel Hitch/Tonneau Compatibility

I’m upgrading to a 5th wheel but want to keep my MX4 Bakflip tonneau. Truck is a 2017 F250 with 6.8 foot bed, trailer is 34’, 11,995 lbs GVWR. The MX4 is a four panel aluminum foldup. The first three panels can be folded on top of the front panel or all of them can be folded against the back of the cab. Any ideas which hitch lets me keep the tonneau?
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Old 05-10-2021, 01:11 PM   #2
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My B&W Companion sat below the bedrails as did my Andersen Ultimate Fifth Wheel Connection.

The only one that didn't was my Trailer Saver TS3 on my old truck that used a gooseneck to rails adapter and the hitch on top of it. In the new truck with the puck to rails adapter and then it, it was fine.
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Old 05-10-2021, 03:27 PM   #3
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We have a tri fold cover on the 3500 DRW, No problem with the hitch. we have had 3 other truck hitch combos over the past 2 decades and never had a hitch that was above the bed rails. Plus the folded cover gives cover to the spare fuel tank and firewood when traveling.
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Old 05-10-2021, 04:12 PM   #4
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We also have a tri fold with no issues with the hitch.
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Old 05-10-2021, 09:04 PM   #5
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I have the same cover (MX4) on mine. I have a 11 year old Curt Q20 slider. It rarely leaves the bed of the truck (it's too dang heavy). I had a BakFlip G2 before and it was fine also. The MX4 is also perfect. Like you said, fold up the first three panels and tow all day. I've had no problems with it.
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Old 05-11-2021, 07:33 AM   #6
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Thanks to all of you for your replies. One question- Does everyone have a short bed like I do ~6 1/2'?
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Old 05-11-2021, 01:12 PM   #7
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Pete,
Our last truck was a Silverado 2500HD with a standard 6' 2" bed. We had a B&W Patriot slider hitch and an Extang tri-fold soft cover. The hitch sat below the bed rails, and did not interfere with the cover when it was closed. We towed with the cover folded over onto the front third (this one does not fold up against the cab. In over 5 years of towing with that truck, we never had any problems.

We recently traded for a Silverado 3500HD dually with an 8' long bed. I bought the same kind of cover - Extang tri-fold - and had a B&W Companion non-slider hitch put in. It, too, works with the cover closed when not towing, and the cover folds up perfectly for towing.
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Old 05-11-2021, 01:41 PM   #8
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I have 6" between my bed rails and fifth wheel, which is the recommended distance. I was leaving my trifecta cover on but folded to the front while towing and never had a problem till we were in a campground that was pretty unlevel turning from the site onto the campground road. In turning onto the road, the front of the fifth wheel hit the trifecto cover damaging our brand new fifth wheel! From now on the cover will not be on while towing!!!
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Old 05-11-2021, 03:39 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pete100 View Post
I’m upgrading to a 5th wheel but want to keep my MX4 Bakflip tonneau. Truck is a 2017 F250 with 6.8 foot bed, trailer is 34’, 11,995 lbs GVWR. The MX4 is a four panel aluminum foldup. The first three panels can be folded on top of the front panel or all of them can be folded against the back of the cab. Any ideas which hitch lets me keep the tonneau?
Pete100 - I had the same top on my 2014 F350 SRW with the 6.8 foot bed. I was using a Pullrite Superglide autosliding hitch on their below bed rail system. The hitch touched the bedcover in 2 places, the pivot spots for the top plate. Where the pivot spots touched, all I did was take a ballpeen hammer and tap a couple times on the underside of the top at the touch points to gain the clearance I needed to securely close the top. Worked fine after that.
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Old 05-11-2021, 09:29 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pete100 View Post
Thanks to all of you for your replies. One question- Does everyone have a short bed like I do ~6 1/2'?
Yep. I rarely use the slider by the way. Sometimes I use it just to be sure it's not locked up. And to make myself feel better. But I haven't "had" to use it yet. Anyway, it fits in the bed just fine, and the MX4 does what it's supposed to.
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Old 05-12-2021, 06:24 AM   #11
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I also have the MX4 cover & the Anderson ball hitch, in the 6’ 6” bed. Really like the extra fold with the cover to allow access to the front of bed (tool/accessories) box, when hooked to trailer.
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Old 05-12-2021, 08:24 AM   #12
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I have the same cover. Works great on my Ram with the short bed. I use a Pull-Rite slider. Love the hitch.
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Old 05-12-2021, 08:58 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by davesmith26 View Post
I have 6" between my bed rails and fifth wheel, which is the recommended distance. I was leaving my trifecta cover on but folded to the front while towing and never had a problem till we were in a campground that was pretty unlevel turning from the site onto the campground road. In turning onto the road, the front of the fifth wheel hit the trifecto cover damaging our brand new fifth wheel! From now on the cover will not be on while towing!!!
This happened to a three of our friends with bed covers who decided to go boondocking with us in the backwoods for the first time during the pandemic. 6" is the minimum spacing and not really enough when you get in areas that have uneven ground on curves such as going through arroyos, rivers, etc. I have 9" of clearance and still double check clearance in some areas.
If the bed cover (or anything other than the hitch) sticks up above the bed rails, it is susceptible to being hit by the fifth wheel when in uneven terrain.
One friend damaged the fifth wheel with the bed cover rails, the other didn't damage the trailer, but destroyed his bed cover. The third just damaged one foldup panel. So out of three trucks with bed covers that went with us, three had damage. 100%
Personally, I see no value in bed covers, especially in pickups used to pull a fifth wheel, but that is just me. My Dad always had to have a bed cover and using his truck as a truck was always a pain due to it. But to each his own.
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Old 05-12-2021, 09:53 AM   #14
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I also had a tri-fold that would cover my hitch (on a Ram) with no problems, but I would take cover off while towing 5iver because the folded cover would hide the view of the hitch while trying to connect trailer.
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Old 05-12-2021, 11:15 AM   #15
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Would a roll up cover help with any of this ?
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Old 05-20-2021, 10:57 AM   #16
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Originally Posted by camper70 View Post
Would a roll up cover help with any of this ?
I am thinking about moving to a 5th wheel and thinking about a BAK X4S hard rollup but as I read through this discussion it would seem that at least a BAK Hard rollup would still be an issue during tight turns. The diameter is significantly greater than 6 inches. My lastest thought is to go with a Lomax. They would be a nice low profile look when not towing a 5th wheel but also remove easily when the 5th wheel is needed.

Any experience with this Lomax cover?

https://www.agricover.com/lomax/
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Old 05-27-2021, 11:07 PM   #17
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From my experience. I just bought a new f350 and 5th wheel.

I bought the 3 fold bed cover. It's great, but, my biggest regret, I can see the hitch with my bed camera while hooking up. It blocks the view.

I would recommend the retractable cover. They have electric or manual.Click image for larger version

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Old 05-31-2021, 07:22 AM   #18
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Thanks for all of your responses. Got the new trailer and my MX4 works fine. It doesn't touch the top of the hitch and the clearance above the rails is good.
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Old 05-31-2021, 11:42 PM   #19
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Cool. Thanks for reporting back. The MX4 is a good cover.
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