What are the options for a 5thWheel Hitch for 5.5ft truck bed

[Wrascal]

These are quick and dirty snapshots of the Ram 1500/ 27.5 RLTS weights/allowances, and my sources:


Ram 1500: http://www.ramtrucks.com/en/towing_guide/
Jayco: http://www.jayco.com/products/fifth-...le-ht/275rlts/

[Wrascal]

For some reason I'm not able to continue (nor edit) that previous post, but the basic answers are that at very max the Ram is rated for less than 1950 pounds cargo (generally the smaller/lighter engines with 2wd) while the Jayco has a starting unloaded pin weight of nearly 1300 pounds.

Of note is that pin weight is only 12%, not the minimum needed, and quite a bit less than the recommended 25%.

It is not about how much these vehicles can pull, it's about how much of that weight they can carry without eventual damage to the axles.

[Bobx2]

It would appear that the "weight police" have hijacked this thread. Pretty sure the OP wasn't asking if his truck was capable of pulling his camper, he is asking about the proper hitch setup. No better way to run a person off from a site than to start criticizing them, or their equipment, when they come here looking for information.
He already owns the truck and trailer so weight discussions aren't needed here.

[rbintheup]

Than you!

[Wrascal]

Not trying to ruin anyones experience, just inform them about the missing numbers so they can make a knowledgeable purchase. Too many folks listen to only two numbers: what the mfgr says their vehicle can pull and the unloaded weight of these campers.

Salesmanship 101, present only the very best numbers.

[GiddiYup]

Thank you all for your responses. Thats a lot of answers for my 1st question in this forum!
From what i gather, this might be too much trailer for my truck. I was aware that it was borderline but Im not overly concerned as we are mainly weekend camping warriors and usually stick close to home.
Still trying to find the best 5thWheel set up.
I am leaning towards the Reese Elite (for no rails in bed) and Sidewinder but I am not sure it will give me enough clearance. Was hoping someone had a similar set up.
Another option that i just discovered is the SuperGlide Hitch shown here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHPr...ature=youtu.be

Not sure about that one though!

I am going to keep searching but I no doubt need a slider or sidewinder.
Let me know if anyone else has a different set up for the short bed.
Cheers and thanks again!

[godawgs]

I too pull a Jayco Eagle 5th wheel with an Ecoboost and it pulls great and I am not overloaded according to the scales. I use the SuperGlide hitch.

[Wrascal]

Hopefully you carrying 15%-25% of the loaded trailer weight on the pin.

[godawgs]

Yes and thanks so much for all of your INFO on this subject.

[Flapper]

Another doing almost the same thing. We however have the 6.5' bed with the Sidewinder. Bare minimum of what you need. You can consider a slider hitch, which would be greatly preferred with your box, but you pay a weight penalty for all of them, and as others have pointed out, you are already very close, if not over, to maxed out on weight.
The Sidewinder works great on ours, but I can't assure you that it would make up for the foot less in bed length that you have.....

[Shorty Cox]

Thank you Bobx2, you said what I was thinking. The question was NOT: Is my truck hoss enough to pull my camper?. The question WAS: What kind of hitch do I need?

Shorty

[Wrascal]

I'm beginning to see that I've drawn the ire of some of y'all; for that I'm sorry.

Once knowledgeable about what it takes for safe towing it's up to the owner. If they break it they pay for it. If after using it awhile and they decide to upgrade, well once again, it's their money.

Next time I'll offer this answer - he needed to look toward a bumper hitch.

[Quahog]

Ok, after reading most of this, I have to pipe in. We towed our 27.5 BHS just fine with a 2012 F150 XLT 6.5' bed EcoBoost but the truck had Max Tow and HD Payload. The cargo capacity was 2454 lbs. With a Pullrite SuperGlide 4100 (16k lbs), it was a good fit.

[PKEagle]

We have a 28.5BHDS. Look at my sig below.

We tow it with a Toyota Tundra 5.7L Crew Max. 5.5ft Short bed.

We have a Pullrite Superglide Hitch. Look at my sig below.

Yes, it can be done with a 1/2 ton truck. See my other threads involving double towing.

Good luck.

Originally Posted by GiddiYup

Hi,
We are stoked...We have taken the 5th Wheel plunge (from a travel trailer) and just bought our first Jayco (2015 - 29.5 BHDS)!

Now we need to gear up my truck for the 5th wheel hitch for when we take delivery in the Spring.

I have a 2014 F150 SuperCrew Ecoboost >> with 5.5ft box << the kicker!

Anyone have any experience with the F150 short box set up? What type of hitch do you have? Does it have Sliders? a Sidewinder?

From what i gather i have a couple of options (please correct me if i am wrong):

#1 - 16K Fixed Head (looking at Reese Pro) with BedRails and Sidewinder
#2 - Reese Elite Head (think its called Signature now!?) with only under bedrails (non visible in box) - not sure if i need sidewinder????
#3 - 16K Fixed head with Elite adapter plate which would allow bed undermount similar to Elite but maybe $400-$500 less of cost

My main question is do i need the sidewinder with the Reese Elite/Signature or can i do without in my 5.5 Short Box?

Anyone have this set up or seen it?!
Can you recommend any other set up?

Is it Spring yet? Thanks in advance for your help!
Much appreciated!
Steve

[tsbush]

Originally Posted by Wrascal

I still ask, of the original posters F150, what is its empty payload capacity? What would be his typical cargo load weight before adding a FW? What is the pin weight of his trailer.

I like the F150s, and I'm speculating, but I suspect that he has too little truck for this cargo load; it's better he determines these points before attempting to hitch up and go.

Giddiup, don't let these guys bust you're bubble. Be careful, check your load and have fun.

[bnk190]

To bring this topic back to life we are looking at the Jayco 23.5rbs. I have a 5.5ft box Super Crew cab.

The dealer stated to use the sidewinder and a basic hitch. When I do the math on the sidewinder site to make sure I have cab clearance for a 90 degree turn I do not. They state 4" is needed between the corner of the trailer and the cab. I have 1"

I see a lot of people listing the superglide but I'm not finding any measurements to make sure the cab won't hit the trailer. I also don't find anything talking about if the tailgate will get in the way when the hitch is slide back.

Right now this would be a weekend only type camper with 2 hrs or less each way of travel. The next truck I will upgrade to the F250 but we really like this floorplan and Jayco no longer makes it so we need to snag one of the last ones and use the F150 for 3-4 years before the F250 comes into the picture.

[Bish324]

We have the same camper (2015 29.5BHDS) I have the Reese revolution with a Curt 16k standard hitch. My truck has a 6.5' bed and I can spin mine around on a dime and never have to worry about sliding a hitch. Not sure about the 5.5' bed.

[spepi]

We are picking up a 2016 29.5 BHDS on Thursday. I ordered it with the Reese 16k and the Reese Revolution. I have a 6.5 bed in my 2015 Tundra Dbl Cab. Have never towed a 5er with the Tundra, but I know it can do it

[bnk190]

If I had the 6.5' bed I would be good. The standard hitch and sidewinder is out. I have read about the superglide hitch but I don't know if that will allow a 90 degree turn.


Since the local places do not stock the hitch and the trailer I'm looking at is about 6 hrs away from me we will probably pass on it since I don't want to buy a trailer and find out I need a new truck today.