Last night we picked up our new-to-us truck, a Ford F350 Powerstroke diesel. I have christened it "The Big Black Behemoth." It is already set up for a fifth wheel reciever hitch (that's what it's called, right?) so now the question is, "What type?" I've seen lots of used ones on Craigslist. Is this something that DH can install himself? (Pease tell me no!) The guy who sold us the truck recommended installation by an RV place here in our town, but DH thinks they will be too expensive, which is pretty much his reaction to everything he can't do himself. Our trailer is a 34' Outback, empty weight 8500 lbs. Is there a type/brand/whatever we should look for? Thanks.
By the way, the Outback is sitting on our little ranch now, where we will have room to practice hitching and unhitching. We have towed a bumper pull animal trailer before, but nothing larger. First time for everything, I guess!
Glenn West said
09:06 AM Sep 10, 2014
I'm partial to air hitches. They are not cheap. Your camper and your truck will appreciate it. Check TrailerSaver.com.
Trikester said
08:54 PM Sep 10, 2014
Here's what we have in our F450 to pull our Summit which weighs in at 20K or so. Gross weight is rated at 22,500, and the hitch would handle that just fine, although the pin added pin weight would call for a third airbag (which we have and could install should the need arise).
But the hitch was not cheap and required a Hensley designed adaptor to fit the Ford. We love it, BTW, teamed up with a Mor/Ryde pin box.
I'm using a curt .. cheap .. and seems to work great.. I'd have a air one if they made one over 20k.. without adapting a huge one in..
They do make one for 32k and 75oo pin.
Trikester said
09:09 PM Sep 10, 2014
The hitch Glen is talking about is the one we have. With two airbags the pin weight limit is 5,000 lb.; with the third airbag, which can be added at time of purchase or later, jacks the pin weight limit to 7,000 lb.
To get back on topic for your situation, when you say "It is already set up for a fifth wheel reciever hitch...", do you mean that it already has bed rails mounted in the bed of the truck? If so, then finding a place to buy a fifth wheel hitch that fits your current bed rails could be done, and installing a hitch to the bed rails is simple enough for almost anyone to do.
The phrases that are linked above will take you to see images of such things as bed rails and their fifth wheels and to the B&W hitch system.
All the above hitches are good hitches, but also don't rule out the Reese brand of hitches. I've had more than one source tell me that Reese is one of the really good brands, even though one will always find folks that want to trash any brand, including the others mentioned.
If you aren't certain of what you have in the truck, go to a dealer of fifth wheel hitches and ask them of what your truck will accept.
If it comes down to having to install something entirely new, I'd say to go with the professionals. They are generally more knowledgeable of what is needed to install quality and to install it right. Even the wrong bolts through the bed rails can lead to disaster.
Terry
D and M said
07:02 AM Sep 11, 2014
Carol,
My F450 came from the factory with a Reese hitch....yours may be set up similarly.
BiggarView said
08:28 AM Sep 11, 2014
The Junkman wrote:
Seen a crushed bed someone brought in for repair, at RVSFORLESS.. It had the reese in it..It was a older hitch .. maybe the new ones are different.
I'll wager, the hitch was either overloaded, installed incorrectly, poorly maintained or there was operator error involved. Reese may have design issues or not, but it's likely the aforementioned options were likely the cause. Curt seems to be highly regarded, but they too, are subject to the same type of failures. Just sayin'
FWIW
Glenn West said
09:03 AM Sep 11, 2014
TrailerSaver uses the Holland Brinkley head and thats the best in the industry. Any 5ther will benefit from one. Do you have to have it, no. Will your camper and you appreciate it, yes. It is worth the expense. Also if you change campers you will keep the hitch in your truck. If your air ride is on camper, it stays with camper.
Howard said
09:18 AM Sep 11, 2014
An air hitch is the way to go if it's in the budget, but that's not the case for lots of folks and it's not necessary.
Assuming you don't go with an air hitch, all of the top brands will work fine. However, my suggestion is to go with a hitch that has a double pivoting "head", which means the top of the hitch where the kingpin connects can pivot side to side and front to back. This makes hitching a little easier, and the movement while traveling takes more pressure off the fifth wheel frame than a purely "static" hitch. Just my opinion.
Also, as others have alluded to, it's the combination of the hitch and the kingpin/pinbox which makes for smoother towing. An improper match can make the best hitch perform below expectations.
Chances are your hubby can install the hitch, but there can be unforeseen issues requiring additional work or welding, and you don't want to "make" it fit improperly. I prefer a professional installation, but there are guys that install their own hitches all the time.
Good luck!
Glenn West said
09:49 AM Sep 11, 2014
Why would you need welding? They are bolt in on light duty trucks. MDT and HDT may but usually that is drilling holes
Glenn West said
11:09 AM Sep 11, 2014
The Junkman wrote:
Glenn West wrote:
The Junkman wrote:
I'm using a curt .. cheap .. and seems to work great.. I'd have a air one if they made one over 20k.. without adapting a huge one in..
They do make one for 32k and 75oo pin.
Not sure about that.. I don't think they have a adapter for the ram.. Plus my truck can only handle 6500 pin weight..
Besides.. with the moryd system.. I had no chucking.. bucking.. or any issues. I put the airbags on the truck suspention.. Same deal.. what 3k less ? and way over kill for a 23k trailer to boot.
Better suited for... not sure what , actually. New horizons?
-- Edited by The Junkman on Wednesday 10th of September 2014 09:58:31 PM
I understand Dodge has the frame adapter now but if not Reese makes one. It connects to mounts in bed and provides a frame for standard hitch.
CarolfromTX said
12:34 PM Sep 11, 2014
Yes, there are rails already in the truck. And a gooseneck thing. The truck is an F350 and it has clearly been used to haul stuff. Y'all have raised some good things to consider, and I will be doing some more research. Thanks, y'all.
CarolfromTX said
05:10 PM Sep 15, 2014
Update. We went to the local RV place for more info on a fifth wheel. Turns out there is an industry standard for fifth wheel rails, so most hitches should fit our truck. Maybe $150 to install. RV guy recommends a Reese. We went home, and I perused Craigslist. I found a used Reese, good condition, $200. Cool. It's an hour away, but we needed to take the truck for a test run anyway. We get out there, and the hitch is exactly what RV dude wanted $600 for. Craigslist guy even puts it in our truck for us, and shows us how to attach it. Looks simple enough that even I understand it. Craigslist guy says, "Did you just get that truck?" I confess that was the case, and told him it was pretty much our maiden voyage. He smiled at that and when DH handed him the $200, he gave us back 20, saying he appreciated the fact that we saved him the drive to our house. (He was probably also glad we showed up on time and with cash!) So I feel rather smug that we saved money all around! Thanks for your help.
Terry and Jo said
10:49 AM Sep 16, 2014
Good news. And, what can I say but that you are in Texas and the folks in Texas and Oklahoma are a different "breed of cat" when it comes to friendliness and being neighborly.
Terry
PD CFK said
11:00 AM Sep 16, 2014
Yep! God bless Texas! Pat K...in Texas
Neil and Connie said
03:36 PM Sep 23, 2014
TrailerSaver is excellent…but weights 250-300 pounds. Assuming DH has decent mechanical capabilities including the ability to drill holes in the frame if necessary and can move it around or has friends then he can do it. Me, I would get it installed by somebody who knew what they are doing as it does need power to pump up the air bags every hitch evolution. Can be done with a compressor if you have to but the extra 250 or so for the compressor/wiring is worth it.
Glenn West said
10:49 AM Sep 30, 2014
Neil and Connie wrote:
TrailerSaver is excellent…but weights 250-300 pounds. Assuming DH has decent mechanical capabilities including the ability to drill holes in the frame if necessary and can move it around or has friends then he can do it. Me, I would get it installed by somebody who knew what they are doing as it does need power to pump up the air bags every hitch evolution. Can be done with a compressor if you have to but the extra 250 or so for the compressor/wiring is worth it.
You can actually air them up with a bicycle pump. Doesn't need much volume.
Last night we picked up our new-to-us truck, a Ford F350 Powerstroke diesel. I have christened it "The Big Black Behemoth." It is already set up for a fifth wheel reciever hitch (that's what it's called, right?) so now the question is, "What type?" I've seen lots of used ones on Craigslist. Is this something that DH can install himself? (Pease tell me no!) The guy who sold us the truck recommended installation by an RV place here in our town, but DH thinks they will be too expensive, which is pretty much his reaction to everything he can't do himself. Our trailer is a 34' Outback, empty weight 8500 lbs. Is there a type/brand/whatever we should look for? Thanks.
By the way, the Outback is sitting on our little ranch now, where we will have room to practice hitching and unhitching. We have towed a bumper pull animal trailer before, but nothing larger. First time for everything, I guess!
But the hitch was not cheap and required a Hensley designed adaptor to fit the Ford. We love it, BTW, teamed up with a Mor/Ryde pin box.
www.trailersaver.com/product/tslb2h-air-ride-hitch/
They do make one for 32k and 75oo pin.
www.trailersaver.com/product/tslb2h-air-ride-hitch/
Carol,
To get back on topic for your situation, when you say "It is already set up for a fifth wheel reciever hitch...", do you mean that it already has bed rails mounted in the bed of the truck? If so, then finding a place to buy a fifth wheel hitch that fits your current bed rails could be done, and installing a hitch to the bed rails is simple enough for almost anyone to do.
On the other hand, is there a "receiver" mounted under the bed that accepts a "hitch" to be fastened to it. (B&W hitches work on that kind of "receiver.)
The phrases that are linked above will take you to see images of such things as bed rails and their fifth wheels and to the B&W hitch system.
All the above hitches are good hitches, but also don't rule out the Reese brand of hitches. I've had more than one source tell me that Reese is one of the really good brands, even though one will always find folks that want to trash any brand, including the others mentioned.
If you aren't certain of what you have in the truck, go to a dealer of fifth wheel hitches and ask them of what your truck will accept.
If it comes down to having to install something entirely new, I'd say to go with the professionals. They are generally more knowledgeable of what is needed to install quality and to install it right. Even the wrong bolts through the bed rails can lead to disaster.
Terry
My F450 came from the factory with a Reese hitch....yours may be set up similarly.
I'll wager, the hitch was either overloaded, installed incorrectly, poorly maintained or there was operator error involved. Reese may have design issues or not, but it's likely the aforementioned options were likely the cause. Curt seems to be highly regarded, but they too, are subject to the same type of failures. Just sayin'
FWIW
An air hitch is the way to go if it's in the budget, but that's not the case for lots of folks and it's not necessary.
Assuming you don't go with an air hitch, all of the top brands will work fine. However, my suggestion is to go with a hitch that has a double pivoting "head", which means the top of the hitch where the kingpin connects can pivot side to side and front to back. This makes hitching a little easier, and the movement while traveling takes more pressure off the fifth wheel frame than a purely "static" hitch. Just my opinion.
Also, as others have alluded to, it's the combination of the hitch and the kingpin/pinbox which makes for smoother towing. An improper match can make the best hitch perform below expectations.
Chances are your hubby can install the hitch, but there can be unforeseen issues requiring additional work or welding, and you don't want to "make" it fit improperly. I prefer a professional installation, but there are guys that install their own hitches all the time.
Good luck!
I understand Dodge has the frame adapter now but if not Reese makes one. It connects to mounts in bed and provides a frame for standard hitch.
Good news. And, what can I say but that you are in Texas and the folks in Texas and Oklahoma are a different "breed of cat" when it comes to friendliness and being neighborly.
Terry
TrailerSaver is excellent…but weights 250-300 pounds. Assuming DH has decent mechanical capabilities including the ability to drill holes in the frame if necessary and can move it around or has friends then he can do it. Me, I would get it installed by somebody who knew what they are doing as it does need power to pump up the air bags every hitch evolution. Can be done with a compressor if you have to but the extra 250 or so for the compressor/wiring is worth it.
You can actually air them up with a bicycle pump. Doesn't need much volume.