School me on 5th wheel hitches

[BahlSacke]

I just recently bought a 2016 RAM 2500 Cummins crew cab short box, and I'm looking up selling our current RV trailer and buying a little bit larger 5th wheel. I've never had a 5th and so other than the obvious I really don't know much about the hitches.

From doing my research, these are my assumptions/questions:

1) 16k hitch should be more than adequate (nadaguides is showing the length of 5th wheel we are lookingat will be 8k or less) Is there any reason to go overboard with the 20k, or are most RVers sticking with 16k?

1a) According to RAMs towing guide, max towing is only 16k - 17k max anyways - so whats the point of a 20k hitch? (assuming you want to stay within their recommendations).

2) I should get a slide hitch because I'm a short bed. Is that necessary as in if I make a tight 90* turn (in drive) I'm going to destroy my cab? Or is it more like just be careful, and I may lose some maneuverability when backing up/parking the thing?

3) Auto slide is nice, but really manual slide is probably fine, just slide it in/out when backing up/parking? From someone that has used both, is it really worth the extra money for auto? (We go maybe 12 times a year, so maneuvering/parking maybe 30 times a year if I move it around the property a few times for some reason). Would I need to think ahead and say "I'm going into town, and will be making tight turns so I need to move it back, then move it back in in the grocery store parking lot before we get on the freeway?" - or am I just overthinking it?

4) I need to check if my truck is already equipped with the puck system - if so, get a hitch or adapter that fits. If not - then what?

5) For my application the jaw type really doesn't matter, but is rather a cost to value thing.

 

[mtofell]

Tons of info out there and asking what brand is kind of the Ford v Chevy v Ram debate. You'll likely get a lot more info on an RV specific board as there are a relatively few number of 5th wheel people here.

I'm in a 2500 with a short box and wouldn't be without a slider for a variety of reasons. Aside form just hitting the cab I need to be able to slide mine back to keep from hitting the underside of the 5th on the back corners of my bed as I back into my somewhat steep downhill driveway.

16K is more than adequate for your truck. Anything more than that and you will have exceeded the capabilities of your truck. I read a lot of good things about B/W hitches and that's what I'm running with currently. It's been a great hitch but is heavy @ around 250#. Aside from difficulty moving in/out, that weight also counts against payload.

 

[stonewall]

Towing capacity is only half the equation-- don't forget about pin weight. You need be sure your truck can handle both.

On my Grand Design Solitude, the tow weight is 15k#, and the pin weight is 2600#. A lot of trucks I was looking at could handle the tow weight but not pin.

 

[BWL]

Towing capacity is only half the equation-- don't forget about pin weight. You need be sure your truck can handle both.

On my Grand Design Solitude, the tow weight is 15k#, and the pin weight is 2600#. A lot of trucks I was looking at could handle the tow weight but not pin.

While the 1500s are pretty much maxed at tow ratings the 2500/3500 are under rated. You can licence them quite a bit higher. This truck is registered to pull 21,500 lbs and its srw, has to go over scales and pass annual inspections. Hard to see the door, but it says gross 14,000kg, tare 4220kg. I've always gone with reese hitches in the 20+k range with height adjustment because the pin heights on the trailers aren't all the same nor are all trucks the same height so some adjustment is nice. I'm sure there's plenty of other brands that will do the job just as well.

 

[BahlSacke]

Tons of info out there and asking what brand is kind of the Ford v Chevy v Ram debate. You'll likely get a lot more info on an RV specific board as there are a relatively few number of 5th wheel people here.

I'm in a 2500 with a short box and wouldn't be without a slider for a variety of reasons. Aside form just hitting the cab I need to be able to slide mine back to keep from hitting the underside of the 5th on the back corners of my bed as I back into my somewhat steep downhill driveway.

16K is more than adequate for your truck. Anything more than that and you will have exceeded the capabilities of your truck. I read a lot of good things about B/W hitches and that's what I'm running with currently. It's been a great hitch but is heavy @ around 250#. Aside from difficulty moving in/out, that weight also counts against payload.

Thanks for the response. I will try an RV board - good idea. If you dont mind a couple follow up questions, do you have a manual slide or auto slide? Do you have to slide it any time other than when parking or abnormal road conditions - for example if you're driving through town and have to turn right at a normal 90* intersection? Or is the normal wide turn with a trailer so you don't hop the curb plenty wide enough to not have to manually slide the 5th? I can plan my trips into the town I live in accordingly, but its a little more worrisome if I travel into a town I dont know... I'd hate to be that guy who has to hold up traffic to hop out and slide my 5th so I can make a turn on a city street.

Towing capacity is only half the equation-- don't forget about pin weight. You need be sure your truck can handle both.

On my Grand Design Solitude, the tow weight is 15k#, and the pin weight is 2600#. A lot of trucks I was looking at could handle the tow weight but not pin.

Yes that is also on my radar. I'm looking for a 27 ft 5th (24ft - 30ft would be acceptable) which should put me under 10k (and realistically probably more around 5k - 8k) - and I'm reading pin weights are around 20%-ish, so I don't think it'll be an issue - but yes that is something I will make certain of.

 

[BahlSacke]

While the 1500s are pretty much maxed at tow ratings the 2500/3500 are under rated. You can licence them quite a bit higher. This truck is registeredView attachment 150601 to pull 21,500 lbs and its srw, has to go over scales and pass annual inspections. Hard to see the door, but it says gross 14,000kg, tare 4220kg. I've always gone with reese hitches in the 20+k range with height adjustment because the pin heights on the trailers aren't all the same nor are all trucks the same height so some adjustment is nice. I'm sure there's plenty of other brands that will do the job just as well.

Thats interesting. I dont think thats relevant in my situation, but good to know.

 

[mtofell]

Thanks for the response. I will try an RV board - good idea. If you dont mind a couple follow up questions, do you have a manual slide or auto slide? Do you have to slide it any time other than when parking or abnormal road conditions - for example if you're driving through town and have to turn right at a normal 90* intersection? Or is the normal wide turn with a trailer so you don't hop the curb plenty wide enough to not have to manually slide the 5th? I can plan my trips into the town I live in accordingly, but its a little more worrisome if I travel into a town I dont know... I'd hate to be that guy who has to hold up traffic to hop out and slide my 5th so I can make a turn on a city street.

I've never had to slide mine back any time other than backing into my driveway. From reading around RV message boards over the years most people rarely, if ever, need to slide it back. Usually, it would only come up when backing into a really tight camping spot. Of course, there are also a couple posts each year of someone who should have slid theirs back and didn't, and are now missing the back window of their truck

A lot of it has to do with the 5th wheel. Newer ones are definitely more short-bed friendly, especially if the 5th isn't super huge. As you get up over 40' or so the caps cap be pretty large and I think the manufacturers expect you to have an 8' bed or auto-slider.

My 5th wheel was advertised as a "mid-profile" and made for a 6'4" bed but I still got a slider just to be on the safe side. Another consideration is that aside from the expense of the slider over a non-slider, the sliders add a lot of weight. Mine is roughly 250# which, of course, is a PITA to wrestle in/out of the truck but also hurts my payload.

I suppose an auto-slider would be great for me while out on the road but wouldn't help with backing in beside my house. Overall, my setup is great and I really don't have to think about it much. My biggest fear is being the guy with a busted out window because I didn't get out and slide my hitch back.

One last note is if you do get a slider, watch the clearance to your tailgate when it's slid back. I racked up my gate when I first got my 5th which kind of sucked. I now have a couple chains to hold the gate partially open when I'm slid back. PM me and I can send pictures if you're ever interested.

 

[SyN]

This is what I chose to go with since I chose a short bed as well as the Ram 5th Wheel prep package - which actually is pretty awesome!

 

[22hemi13]

This is what I chose to go with since I chose a short bed as well as the Ram 5th Wheel prep package - which actually is pretty awesome!

View attachment 150797

B&W makes great products. Worth every penny!

 

[mtofell]

This is what I chose to go with since I chose a short bed as well as the Ram 5th Wheel prep package - which actually is pretty awesome!

View attachment 150797

Same one I have except for my year truck I just have one large "puck" in the middle of my bed. It's overall been a great product and I'm happy with it. I have had it stick a couple times and refuse to let my truck go when I open it. It's a somewhat known problem that I found several others have experienced as well. Basically, you just have to chock the wheels of the trailer and drive forward, and it will release. I don't like the stress it put on my landing gear as I yank at things, though. It's only happened twice and I may have contributed to it by leaving the hitch hanging from my king pin. I now support the hitch on jack stands to take the weight off the jaws and it's been fine. Overall, B/W are great and I'd buy one again in an instant. Great phone support also if you ever need it. I called and within a couple minutes I was on the phone with an engineer that knew every spring and bolt the thing was put together with.

 

[Elkman]

With a 5th wheel there will be 25% of the gross trailer weight that is supported by the rear tires. Most light truck tires support 3200 lbs and so that means a pair at the rear axle can manage 6400 lbs at full pressure. Subtract 3000 lbs for the weight of the truck itself and you have roughly 3400 lbs of pin load that the truck can manage. That translates roughly into a 12,000 lb. or less 5th wheel RV. Go heavier than that and you will need either 19.5 rims and tires or DRW that allows for 4 tires at the rear.

Using the nearest CAT scale to get the weight at the rear axle (adding in the 5th wheel towing components) is necessary to calculate the load capacity you need for the tires. With standard factory rims there are tires from Toyo, Nitto, and Goodyear, that provide 3750 at 80psi and these provide an extra 1100 lbs of load capacity at the rear.

With a short bed a sliding hitch will make life easier. Highly recommend as well a shock dampened pin box like the ones made by Trailair. These make a dramatic improvement in ride and the comfort of anyone in the cab while towing a 5th wheel RV.

Best place for parts and for advice I have found is at etrailer.com. People there are extremely knowledgeable and very helpful.

 

[Tumbleweed]

I had a SuperGlide auto sliding 5th wheel when I had my '06 MegaCab. It will slide aoutomatically. It always worked flawlessly. You do need to lube the slider rails before use. I would absolutely get another if I needed one. Things have changed since I had mine. They are now available to fit the RAM puck system or if you have the typical bed rails, they will also work with them.
https://tweetys.com/superglide-16k-...MI7oGg973c3wIViLXACh27tQMrEAQYCyABEgJJUfD_BwE

 

[Everett Peterson]

I'm new to the forum, so if this is not the correct platform, my apologies.

I recently purchased my pullrite 5th wheel auto hitch with a rating of 24k for my dodge ram 3500 (short bed). I think I have used it 5 or 6 times. I have since upgraded to a truck with a 8 foot bed and no longer need the auto hitch. If anyone is interested in purchasing a slightly used auto hitch please contact me at ….. [email protected]

 

[tron67j]

With a shortbed truck, a automatic slider hitch makes all the difference in the world when you pull into a gas station and somebody ends up parking in a way that you can't get out without a tight turn. You may not use it all that often, but it is so much easier when you just want to leave, it's late at night, and raining or snowing.

 

[stevenP]

If your truck isnt equipped with the mopar puck system, you will notice that pretty easy. It will have 5 round plastic caps in the floor of the bed to access the pucks. If not you will need to buy a rail kit, and install it to attach the fiver hitch to the frame of the truck. Short bed truck, pretty much needs a slider for safety of your RV, and your tucks back window.