5th wheel hitch

So, I've been in the market for a 5th wheel - thus, will be needing a hitch. I had no idea that our trucks had a prep package. Well, MINE doesn't, but they make them.

Anywho - anyone have any experience with hitches? Wondering if I should dish out the $250 on the OEM prep package, and get a hitch that will use the in-bed mounts? Or do I just say forget it, and buy whatever hitch I want? Only requirement is that I want something that can be removed as this is my DD and I do tend to haul stuff in the bed from time to time.

Thanks in advance!

you can install the OEM puck style factory mounts but as you mentioned it requires a hitch with legs that work with this setup. While it is hugely convenient as it eliminates the rails from the truck bed it also comes with a price tag. Those custom legged hitches aren't cheap. Nice, just not cheap.

I did install just a set of industry standard rails and then installed an industry standard Curt Q20 hitch. I really like the Curt products. they are a lower cost but still a good quality. The only thing i dont like about my Curt hitch is that the head sits pretty much level all the time vs others that slant to like a 45* angle when un hooked. The angle allows for a greater range of king pin height to slide into the hitch itself. Mine has to be pretty spot on on.

the industry standard hitches will also tend to be a little lighter than the OEM legs...

I installed the OEM puck style factory mounts, and I will say I am very happy with the setup. as was previously mentioned the adapter plate to make this work is fairly expensive between $300 and $800 depending on where you buy it. than you still need the hitch itself, they'll run for $700 thru over $3000 depending on the options you want.

I would recommend the OEM system as like you I use my truck to haul things and I wanted the open (unobstructed) bed when not being used to haul the fifth. I can install and remove my hitch in under 5 minutes and I have a normal flat bed floor unlike the other system where you are stuck with the rail system, or many hours to remove it.

So it depends on whether to ease is worth the money for you.

I wouldn't be without it.

I went with a b&w turnover gooseneck hitch and a curt 5th wheel drop in rail

https://jet.com/product/detail/4d18...156914683020&gclid=CO3Fi-yU9ssCFYEehgody6INfw

I have the single puck in the center of my bed and went with a B/W slider. I couldn't be happier and strongly suggest spending the $$ on a quality hitch. I had a Reese years ago that was a total piece of crap. I literally had to carry a rubber mallet to hammer the latch pin into place. My B/W runs like a Swiss watch.

I think as far as the setup goes it just depends if you want rails in your bed or not. The puck systems allow you to keep your bed flat whereas aftermarket will have the rails even when you aren't using the hitch. I had the rails on a previous truck and it's kind of a PITA getting gravel and bark dust out from under them.

I added the OEM pucks. Wasn't bad at all. Just be aware, the 2500 take a different kit then the 3500. Ask me how I know.

I ended up getting the Curt E16 and have been very happy with the setup.

Since I could not find a 3500 SRW CTD with the rear air leveling system on dealer lots I ordered, I added the gooseneck/fifth wheel prep package and rear cargo camera, after all this truck is all about pulling a fiver. The prep package also adds a seven way in the bed, very convenient.

For the hitch, I went with the B&W Companion which drops right into the factory pucks, turn a lever on each of the four corners and you are done. B&W designs, fabricates, and builds their hitches in Humboldt, Kansas. Most of the brand named hitches are coming out of China now (Curt included) and I'm not willing to risk a bad weld or whatever crap China decides to build that day.

Is it pricey, I paid $1,059 delivered and you only need to buy it once. I don't think it was pricey, I got what I paid for, quality. Same reason I went with the RAM, the quality of the Cummins. I do not want to spend my touring days in repair shops. A 70K truck pulling an expensive RV, the hitch is the link between the two, not the best place to skimp.

The negative is the weight of the B&W, I don't know the actual numbers, I can lift it in and out but it is heavy. You can separate the load platform from the the base by pulling two pins. This isn't an issue for me since I rarely remove it and when I do, I use my tractor's fork lift.

Thank you for your pics BossHogg, do you guys have any more pics, my wife and I are trying to decide do we want to ge 5'er or TT.

Last Friday I did a lift on a 5th wheel camper. Customer had a goose neck ball in his lifted 2012 Ram 3500 (srw) sitting on 37" Nitto's.
He wanted to have no extra holes in the box and keep a flat floor.

We sold and installed this for him.
Ranch Hitch 5th Wheel/Gooseneck adapter on Sale - PPL Motor Homes
I spoke with him Thursday. Very happy.

Total lift on camper, 11". It's crazy. Still sits tail low and 13'6" to the roof vent up front.

Bigdaddy said:

Thank you for your pics BossHogg, do you guys have any more pics, my wife and I are trying to decide do we want to ge 5'er or TT.

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You can find tons of pictures of both TT and fivers over at rv.net. My son prefers a TT, my wife a fiver, this is hers (of course the truck is mine).



From a towing context, a fiver is easier to pull and reduces driver stress, you have to rethink how you back up because the pivot point change. A TT, you can get a 2500 for pulling with a weight distribution hitch. I think a fiver provides more interior space over a TT. I'm 6'4" and my two requirements were, I can take a shower comfortably and, my feet don't hang of the end of the bed.

Yeah, lots of pros and cons between 5th and TT. I went back and forth for months while shopping over the winter and finally ended up with a 5th wheel. The big ones to me are losing the bed storage space to put the 5th hitch in and, of course, having to empty my bed to do so. The TT is nice to just hookup and go.

I found hooking up a TT from start to finish to be quicker. Once the 5th hitch is in the bed it's quicker to do the 5th in most cases. If you're on an incline and have to play around with landing gear it can take several minutes just extending and retracting. I know a lot of folks just leave the hitch in the truck bed 100% of the time. Those are usually the folks disagreeing with me that hooking up a TT is easier. Since I need my truck bed for work it means removing the hitch after each use.

All of the livability things go in favor of the 5th by a landslide IMO. The only downside I ever hear is people complaining of the steps in the 5th but that's a non-issue to me for the most part. You'll also generally need more truck with a 5th due to the pin weight.

As mentioned, the same length, weight 5er will be a more comfortable towing experience especially if you are going big. Towing my 38' 11k tt was a pain compared to my 5er.
Here's a pic of my hitch and 5er.

BossHogg said:

You can find tons of pictures of both TT and fivers over at rv.net. My son prefers a TT, my wife a fiver, this is hers (of course the truck is mine).



From a towing context, a fiver is easier to pull and reduces driver stress, you have to rethink how you back up because the pivot point change. A TT, you can get a 2500 for pulling with a weight distribution hitch. I think a fiver provides more interior space over a TT. I'm 6'4" and my two requirements were, I can take a shower comfortably and, my feet don't hang of the end of the bed.

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Wow, that is one bad setup my wife was talking about going and look at some 5'er, but I want to get something soon, I suppose to get my new 2016 2500 6.4L w/ 4.10 soon I just can't wait.

mowin said:

As mentioned, the same length, weight 5er will be a more comfortable towing experience especially if you are going big. Towing my 38' 11k tt was a pain compared to my 5er.
Here's a pic of my hitch and 5er.

Click to expand...

So the hitch that is in your bed, is that all, what hook on the trailer? I'm like looking at about 25' ft 5'er, it's just the wife and I and just going on short trip we can't go on a long trip because both of us are full time pastor of my church so it will only be a few days. We don't need no fire wood or a three wheeler plain and simply but I would have to talk it over with the wife and see. Do the 5'er cost more than the TT, anybody that have or had both can chime in please?

Bigdaddy said:

So the hitch that is in your bed, is that all, what hook on the trailer? I'm like looking at about 25' ft 5'er, it's just the wife and I and just going on short trip we can't go on a long trip because both of us are full time pastor of my church so it will only be a few days. We don't need no fire wood or a three wheeler plain and simply but I would have to talk it over with the wife and see. Do the 5'er cost more than the TT, anybody that have or had both can chime in please?

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That's just the legs of the hitch. The head or 5th wheel isn't in that pic. I had just finished installing the pucks, and dropped the legs in to check the fitment. In my experience, 5er's cost more than tt's. I'd look for a used one. The one in my pic was a one yr old unit. My neighbors relative wanted a bigger 5er, so I picked it up for many thousands less than new.

If you do shop new don't let the MSRP scare you. A good deal is paying about 2/3 to 3/4 of that #. A lot depends on time of year, region and just how bad a dealer wants to move a given unit.

Awesome guys, I will start looking at some this week, so I'm trying to make up my mind and the wife on the pros and cons.

mtofell said:

If you do shop new don't let the MSRP scare you. A good deal is paying about 2/3 to 3/4 of that #. A lot depends on time of year, region and just how bad a dealer wants to move a given unit.

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Isn't that the truth. Our fiver started out at the unbelievable sale price of, were losing money going this low for you of $72,000. We said we will think about it. On the drive home, the sales person calls, asked what we needed to close the deal. I said go back, rework the numbers and give me your absolute bottom number out the door. The out the door price went down to $68K and change.

I found a web site, sorry, can't remember it, you put in the make model you want and it returns a list of RV dealers that have that model in their yard stock. I emailed each dealer and got pricing back. Lowest price was $52,300, I used this number to negotiate with my local dealer and included all hooks ups and and electrical dogbones.

The one thing I learned is MSRP, if the RV manufacturer has an MSRP it isn't easy to find. The RV I bought, the Montana 3790RD had more MSRP prices than sand has fleas and the Montana has as many options as it has MSRPs.

Depending on what MSRP you want to use, my discount from MSRP ran between 34% to 41%. I learned that the dealer had to go to the manufacture for incentives to get the price I got.

When I was shopping new I'd go into RV Trader or RVT.com and find a list of my model for sale across the country. That give you a great idea of what they can be had for. Keep in mind there is A LOT of shipping charge built-in to the price. You can figure +/- $2/mile from where they are made (most in Indiana). Out here on the west coast (I'm in Oregon) the prices are always higher.

When I was negotiating I could have had my model for $29,500 if I'd have been willing to drive 500 miles. I ended up paying $31,400 (msrp was 47K) to my local dealer to avoid the drive but also so I had a place for warranty service and repair. RVs aren't like cars - the dealers aren't so motivated to work on your rig if you didn't buy it from them. In the end they will still do it but you are often last on the list and it takes time. I don't know all the behind the scenes stuff between manufacturers and dealers but I've always suspected the dealer get paid very little for warranty stuff.