I need "fifth wheel hitch 101"

I've posted before about a fifth wheel I inherited. With some sage advice from this group, I've abandoned my 1/2 ton pickup idea and am looking at a 2000 Ford F250 with the 7.3 diesel. I need to figure the cost of installing a fifth wheel hitch, and am curious in general about the types of hitches i've seen. I checked the forum library, but didn't see anything on point.

I've seen a number of older trucks with a hitch ball mounted on a 1 foot square piece of steel in the bed of a pickup. Is this for a fifth wheel? Is it for a "gooseneck" (seen the word, but don't know if it's different from a fifth wheel). Does a fifth wheel hitch ride a foot or more above the bed? How do you determine correct mounting height if a hitch for your fifth wheel?

Also, the truck is a short bed - i've read a little about sliding hitches for short beds- what are these and how important are they?

Lastly, are the hitches removable from the bed? I'll only use the truck to tow the trailer maybe 10-20% of the time, but often move furniture, haul bicycles and dirtbikes, etc. How hard is it to get the hitch in and out to free up the bed?

Thanks for the help!

Tell us more about your 5er, length, model, etc. Short bed trucks definately need a slider for tight turns. Hitches are sold by the weight you will be towing. If you would be installing it yourself go to www.northerntools.com and look for fifth wheel hitches.

A hitch ball mounted to the bed of a pickup is normally used for a goose neck trailer, very common with horse trailers. For a short bed pickup a sliding hitch is usually recommended. You can get away without it but chances are you will get into a situation where a tight turn could take out the rear window of the pickup. We had a situation at a dealership, where I work part time, when a tech went to move a rig that was hooked up and forgot to slide the hitch into the maneuvering position. He took out the rear window of the brand new pickup.

There are two types of sliding hitches for short beds. One is a manual selection of driving or maneuvering and the other is automatic. Obviously, price makes the difference. The sliding hitch moves the center point back from the over axle location so you have more room to swing the truck when backing into a site.

Thanks for the input guys. I guess I'll check the price difference between slider vs. nonslider, and try to get the slider if I can afford it.  My trailer is a late 1990's salem 29' fifth wheel - GVWR 9675, UVW 7640. 

I assume the measurements to mount these are pretty crucial - I'm a decent backyard mechanic, but not that great with exact measurements. Is "Camping World" a good place to have one installed? I'll check on some of the local RV shops in Sacramento as well.

Any idea what I'll have to pay for a decent slider hitch and mounting?

Thx again.

The other option, since you haven't purchased yet, is to get a long bed truck.  There are some other advantages and eliminate the need for the slider.  You initially asked about costs to install a hitch and I assume you are also asking for the price of the hitch.  CW has a selection and you can get prices there for comparison.  There is usually a local shop that would be more reasonable if their reputation is good.  Figure around $500 for the hitch and $250 to install, give or take.  Yes, the placement measurements are very crucial because of weight placement on your truck.  They usually want the center of the hitch about 1 1'2" in front of a point directly over the axles.  If the truck you buy has a gooseneck ball installed, there are some adapters so you can pull a fifth-wheel but there has been a lot of talk about how this voids any warranty because of the stresses on the box that were not anticipated.  Saves a lot of money if you are comfortable with that modification, I guess.  And yes, you can remove the hitch except for the rails whcih are pretty close to the bed of the truck.  Makes the bed pretty useable when you aren't towing.

I know a lot of people who are very happy towing with a short bed and a slider but also know people who would never consider it.  Talk to people you know about their experiences and see what you would be comfortable with.

People like me towed fifth wheels with short bed trucks for many years before sliding hitches were invented. You just need to be a bit careful in a very tight backing turn since it may be possible to have the trailer hit the back of the truck cab in some circumstances. Depends on the specific trailer and the exact placement of the hitch in the bed. Fore & aft placement of the hitch in the bed is most critical, both to the ease of maneuvering when backing up and for the possibility of a cab strike. The fiver I towed with a short bed would NOT strike the truck under any circumstances, but the guy who installed it was a real pro who knew how to best avoid that problem.

Yes, the fifth wheel hitch is removable, but most of them leave two low, flat rails in the floor of the bed, so it isn't quite smooth. There are a few models of hitch that are completely removable, but naturally they cost more. It's easy to pull the latch pins and remove the hitch, though the hitch itself is heavy.

I'd prefer a dedicated hitch shop over a Camping World, if you have one in your town. If you don't have a place that really knows fifth wheel hitches, then CW is a decent bet.

Some hitches are adjustable in height and some are fixed. Cost difference, of course.  You want the trailer to be as level as possible when hitched to the truck, so adjustable hitch height is a plus.

The ball in the bed thing is called a gooseneck hitch and is not a fifth wheel. I think these are covered in the RV Foprum Glossary - maybe even a picture.

I got a Reese 16K slider installed for about $800 out the door at a local shop. It's a manual slider that pivots side to side also.
Because it's manual you have to slide it when it's necessary. I've got a dent in the back of my truck's cab to remind me.

It wasn't too much trouble to remove because it comes apart into 2 pieces and leaves just the 2 rails.

We have a Curt 20K hitch and even at my age I can remove it do too the two peice construction ( keeps me in shape). If you decide to go with a slider look long and hard at the Pullrite auto slider. They are heavey and pricey put they do work. We used one for many years on our shortbed. You may never need it but when the time comes it was worth it to use, plud the resale paid for the Curt. Good luck take your time looking. :

Thanks for all the advice. I'll look for a local shop, there's plenty of them here. A couple more questions - whats the advantage of a fifth wheel hitch that has movement side to side?

Also, how do you measure the height of the trailer attachment to determine the height of the truck/hitch assembly, for level towingl. I assume the truck will sag a bit with the 5er attached. Do you just measure w/out attachment for heights when mounting the hitch to the truck, and then add air bags or other leveling device on the truck to tow level?

The reason for the hitches that rock side to side is so that the truck and trailer can move independently.  If the trailer shifts to one side, it won't pull the truck with it.  Plus, it is somewhat easier to back in and connect if they are not on even ground when the hitch can rock. 

As far as making sure the bed height is the same as the pin box height, that is the reason for an adjustable hitch.  You can make sure the trailer is level and then measure it, then measure the truck bed height and assume a little "squat" when the trailer weight is dropped into it.  And how much depends on trailer weight, and truck suspension.  Average would probably be at least 2"-3", I would assume. 

The hitches don't slide from side to side - they tilt on a hinge so the truck can tip in relation to the trailer on uneven ground.  Makes hitching and unhitching easier because non-tilting hitches can jam if the truck and trailer aren't on the same plane.

Before you make your final hitch decision I'd suggest you take a look at the Reese Sidewinder kingpin.  The December Trailer Life Magazine has an article that you might find interesting.
I've had my Sidewinder for two years now and I love it.  I had a Reese slider hitch in the past.  The Sidewinder takes care of any shortbed lissues because you can turn up to 90 degrees, but the feature that I like best is the improved maneuverability because the pivot point is moved back 22 inches.  This changes the whole towing geometry. For me this comes into play most when I fuel up at those stations that insist on placing their pumps at 90 degrees to the highway. I also like it a lot when I'm backing into a tight spot.
Of course the Sidewinder isn't a hitch, but with the Sidewinder you can use a basic hitch and save the extra cost and weight of a slider.
Evidently Reese recently bought Sidewinder.  When I got mine it was an independent company.
Herm

The Sidewinder would be an an excellent choice.

The Lazydays Better RVing site now has a help article on hitching up a fifth wheel.

http://www.betterrving.com/Article/RV_Toolbox/How_to_Hitch_Your_Fifth_Wheel

hpcmbw said:

I've posted before about a fifth wheel I inherited. With some sage advice from this group, I've abandoned my 1/2 ton pickup idea and am looking at a 2000 Ford F250 with the 7.3 diesel. I need to figure the cost of installing a fifth wheel hitch, and am curious in general about the types of hitches I've seen. I checked the forum library, but didn't see anything on point.

I've seen a number of older trucks with a hitch ball mounted on a 1 foot square piece of steel in the bed of a pickup. Is this for a fifth wheel? Is it for a "gooseneck" (seen the word, but don't know if it's different from a fifth wheel). Does a fifth wheel hitch ride a foot or more above the bed? How do you determine correct mounting height if a hitch for your fifth wheel?

Also, the truck is a short bed - I've read a little about sliding hitches for short beds- what are these and how important are they?

Lastly, are the hitches removable from the bed? I'll only use the truck to tow the trailer maybe 10-20% of the time, but often move furniture, haul bicycles and dirtbikes, etc. How hard is it to get the hitch in and out to free up the bed?

Thanks for the help!

Click to expand...

I use both a gooseneck trailer and my 5'er behind my truck. Granted, I have a long bed F-350. The most reasonable hitch I've found for these twin purposes is a gooseneck hitch that has a companion 5th wheel conversion. I personally use the Drop' N' Lock system. It is great for removing/ flipping the ball. However, if I were to do it again, I might opt for the B & W system. B & W's 5th wheel adapter appears to be better to me right now. Drop' N' Lock's main frame with it's wedge beside the ball, certainly is easier to change the ball mode on. In all fairness to Drop' N' Lock, their 5th wheel adapter is still in its developmental stages. It is a good system, but needs a better head with the side tilt cushion that some have talked about. Drop' N' Lock's gooseneck and 5th wheel adapter frames are built more than stout. I just wish they'd change the head they're using and get that sideways tilt provision built in. I personally know the owner of Drop' N' Lock as well. He is great to work with. I farm about 25 miles from his home office.

This type hitch will likely cost you in the $1200.00 -$1500.00 neighborhood installed with the 5th wheel adapter. The pluses of this system are a completely unobstructed truck bed when no trailers are being towed. If using the gooseneck ball, one simply pulls the wedge, removes and inverts the ball, replaces the ball and wedge for a normal truck bed with no obstructions. NOTE: These references all pertain specifically to the Drop' N' Lock system To pull a gooseneck the process is reversed. It takes less than a minute. To pull the 5'er, the ball and wedge are removed and replaced with a rectangular shaft (stem) and wedge. The 5th wheel adapter is then set in place over the top of this shaft, bolted to it on the top and clamped around it as well. The frame of the adapter has side rails with front and rear pads on both sides. They simply rest on the floor of the truck box. They do stress it some, but the rectangular stem supports the bulk of the load. This adapter can be installed and removed by one person. It requires assembly/ disassembly to do so. It is much easier if one has a suitable lifting device so that the unit can installed/ removed as an assembly. Since I'm on the farm and have a tractor with a front end loader, I use that. The way I do it, the process takes maybe 5 minutes.

Here's a link to Terry's (Drop' N' Lock) website: http://www.bluevalleytrailers.com/drp_index.html  The fifth wheel on this website is not the current system, but you'll get a bit better picture of how the base system works. I don't know why Terry doesn't have the current 5th wheel assembly pictured.

Try B & W hitches.  They make a product that the 5th wheel companion that completely removes form the bed, u don't have any rails or .  it uses a removeable goose neck receiver as the heart of it.  The only thing u end up with is about a 3 inch circular hole in the bed of your pickup and they sell a cover for that.

larimer said:

Try B & W hitches.  They make a product that the 5th wheel companion that completely removes form the bed, u don't have any rails or .  it uses a removeable goose neck receiver as the heart of it.  The only thing u end up with is about a 3 inch circular hole in the bed of your pickup and they sell a cover for that.

Click to expand...

Not sure you said what you meat here. The gooseneck receiver is not removable, well at least not handily. It is bolted to the frame of the truck and under the box floor. Think you meant removable ball.  However, the more or less permanent receiver is the center of the system.

The recivier for the gooseneckball or the 5th wheel companion is permenent but the rest is removeable, leaving u with a flat unobstructed bed.  U can get either a 16 or 20K version.  U should be able to find out more info on thier website.  I love mine and the 5th wheel part seperates so i can put it in or take it out by myself.