5th wheel hitch size

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an RV or an interest in RVing!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
M

Mickey G

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 8, 2017
Posts
45
Correct me if Im wrong on 5th wheel hitchs.
A 15k is for campers with a 15000 lbs GVWR or less.
A 16k is for campers with a 16000 lbs GVWR or less.
An 18k is for campers with a 18000 lbs GVWR.
I see some good deals on line and wonder if I should go with the 18k to be sure.
Would this be an overkill?
 
Mickey G said:
Would this be an overkill?
Click to expand...
No such thing as overkill. 8) There is only enough or not enough.
Go with the largest to allow for upgrades later.You are correct on the sizing ratings.
 
Smaller units often dont offer all the pivoting or flexability of larger units either my trailer is 16500 and i use a Curt Q20 which is more than adequate for my needs - my truck came with the optional 28000 lb factory option because of the trucks capabilities not my needs. Keep that in mind for the future . Cheap now means replace later.

Edit to newer post re Anderson ( not knocking the Anderson but i have yet to see any professional trailer mover use one yet they mostly if not exclusively use Curt i have seen the occasional one with a Reese and 1 with a Patriot ) Also Ford Ram and GM DONOT offer the Anderson as a factory option.
 
There is little or no downside to choosing one larger than the minimum required for the trailer weight. Make sure what you get is plenty large for future needs.
 
Some people say you should buy a hitch that matches your trucks capability. If you truck can handle a 20,000 lb trailer then get a 20k. If your truck can only handle 16,000 lbs then get a 16k. That way you or the next owner is not tempted to overload the truck. The only problem with this is the smallest 5th wheel hitch you can buy is 15k. My truck has a 10,000 lb limit so that theory is a little off but still a good idea.

skeeter
 
skeeter_ca said:
Some people say you should buy a hitch that matches your trucks capability. If you truck can handle a 20,000 lb trailer then get a 20k. If your truck can only handle 16,000 lbs then get a 16k. That way you or the next owner is not tempted to overload the truck. The only problem with this is the smallest 5th wheel hitch you can buy is 15k. My truck has a 10,000 lb limit so that theory is a little off but still a good idea.

skeeter
Click to expand...

No one says you can't keep the hitch if you upgrade the truck. My long term plan is a big toy hauler but my first one will be smaller to fit with a smaller truck.
 
Lynx0849 said:
No one says you can't keep the hitch if you upgrade the truck. My long term plan is a big toy hauler but my first one will be smaller to fit with a smaller truck.
Click to expand...
i just kept my hitch when i sold my old 2013 truck and put it in my new 2017 told the dealer to keep his overpriced one that came with the new truck
 
Hi MickeyG,

Mickey G said:
Correct me if Im wrong on 5th wheel hitchs.
Click to expand...

As Glen54737 stated, better safe than sorry (ie better to have more than enough and therefore margin of safety/growth than having just enough and risk falling short). Also as he said, your GVWR understanding is correct.

As you are about to make a serious investment in a hitch,  I would suggest you take a look at the Anderson Ultimate; it's an alternate hitch system with a lot of advantages over the conventional ones, which has earned a lot of praise from its users here and elsewhere; our plan is to install it in our own upcoming rig.

Cheers,
--
  Vall.
 
glen54737 said:
No such thing as overkill. 8) There is only enough or not enough.
Go with the largest to allow for upgrades later.You are correct on the sizing ratings.
Click to expand...

X2. I have a 25K capable hitch, to pull my 12K FW. Dun Deal for any Needs.. now or in the future.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Members online

Total: 1,045 (members: 25, guests: 1,020)

Forum statistics

Threads
131,926
Posts
1,387,609
Members
137,675
Latest member
ozgal
Back
Top Bottom