Trying to figure out which FW Hitch

[TxLoser]

Hello. Posted on the welcome mat, but first post here.

Looking to see if anyone has a similar setup to my own and what hitch you went with. I'm going to be picking up an Eagle HT 26.5 BHS with the 15" wheels next week. My TV is a '16 Chevy 2500HD 4WD short bed. My big concern is height of the hitch and ending up overly nose high. I'm already assuming a slider will be needed as I'll have the standard pin box, but any input there is good too.

Currently it's between Reese and Curt. Thanks for your input.

[robkelly]

I have a Reese Pro Series 20k Slide have no complaints about the hitch itself, but the slide is a different story. Whatever you do, don't go with the square tube slide, all it does is bind up. The round bar should be fine though.

[TxLoser]

Thanks for confirming my thoughts on the square tube slide. Just looking at them online it seems they'd bind easily.

[Doubleheader]

I'm not recommending this as I have yet to pull my 5th wheel a mile, , but I had a similar concern as I have a 2014 Ram diesel 4X4 with 6'4" bed. I have the factory pucks also, and I searched forever to find a slider that would drop directly into the Ram pucks but to no avail. Then I read about the Anderson Ultimate Aluminum hitch. This hitch had the additional advantage of saving me about 100 lbs on payload. Mine fits over and secures to a gooseneck ball. Lot's of videos on YouTube about this hitch if you are interested. It weighs less than 40 lbs, American made and highly rated I bought my hitch and Curt gooseneck ball on Amazon. there are 3 height adjustments as well.

[Cdash]

I personally don't care for the design of the Anderson that attaches to a goose next ball. It counts on the bed as structural support and beds are thin.

If you are considering a slider, I'd suggest a Pullrite. I've had one for 10 years with no problems.
Expensive? Yes, but so is the truck and the trailer.
Heavy? Yes.
Does it work? Yes!
Does it do its job without me worrying about it? Absolutely!

Mine is in my 350 4x4 and I don't have height issues.

[TxLoser]

Thanks for the advise guys. Convenience and cost is leading me to the Curt A16 on tube rails. The dealer wanted an obscene amount to install the basic Reese 16K on square rails. $1699 to be exact. A local place will do the Curt for 700 less and it's a nicer hitch overall anyway than the dealer's Reese. My only fear is the Curt seems to sit a bit higher. Guess we'll see.

Pullrite sounds fantastic as does the B and W's I've been reading about. I know it's small dollar compared to truck and trailer, but for now if I can go cheaper and not sacrifice safety I'm ok with that.

I won't be doing anything till Monday morning so any other info is still appreciated.

[bryyce62]

I have the Curt 16 and it is height adjustable. I pull a '16 HT 27.5RLTS and its almost level. Some 16' wheels on the coach and it'd be perfect.

[Cdash]

Pullrite sounds fantastic as does the B and W's I've been reading about. I know it's small dollar compared to truck and trailer, but for now if I can go cheaper and not sacrifice safety I'm ok with that.

The only other thing to consider is the type of person you are. If you are very meticulous, never forget anything, and watch your mirrors closely, you may rarely need to slide the hitch. If you are the type that may get in a hurry, forget to slide, or choose not to put of laziness, and may miss impending contact, you may be better off with an automatic slider.

Many a person has hit their cab because they didn't take the time to slide their hitch.

[SkiSmuggs]

I have the F350 short bed, had limited turn (about 75 degrees) not that it caused me any problems, but I hated wrestling my Reese 16K hitch in and out of the truck. I switched to an Andersen Ultimate and can now turn 90 degrees if I need to. Driving is quieter and smoother as well.

[tim665214]

Originally Posted by SkiSmuggs

I have the F350 short bed, had limited turn (about 75 degrees) not that it caused me any problems, but I hated wrestling my Reese 16K hitch in and out of the truck. I switched to an Andersen Ultimate and can now turn 90 degrees if I need to. Driving is quieter and smoother as well.

How do you have your adapter. Ball in front, or kingpin in front?

[SkiSmuggs]

Originally Posted by tim665214

How do you have your adapter. Ball in front, or kingpin in front?

Kingpin in front because my extended pinbox threatened the sides of my bed.

[Kahoneys]

Originally Posted by Cdash

I personally don't care for the design of the Anderson that attaches to a goose next ball. It counts on the bed as structural support and beds are thin.

If you are considering a slider, I'd suggest a Pullrite. I've had one for 10 years with no problems.
Expensive? Yes, but so is the truck and the trailer.
Heavy? Yes.
Does it work? Yes!
Does it do its job without me worrying about it? Absolutely!

Mine is in my 350 4x4 and I don't have height issues.

X2 I've had the Pullrite for years now and it is worth every penny in peace of mind. Due to the autoslide you don't have to get out of the truck and pull lever when backing up or turning sharp! It also comes with pins so your bed in clean when you remove the hitch. Only complaint I have ever heard is the weight so I just use a $100 electric hoist in my rafters to lift it in and out of the bed.

[Inthewind]

B&W Companion with a Reese Elite 5th Airborne Sidewinder. I have a Ram 3500 short bed and I wouldn't give it up for the world! No sliding to deal with and I can make 90 degree turns with it.

[TxLoser]

This morning I had the Curt A16 Slider installed and then picked up the new trailer in the afternoon. We had to lower the hitch to it's lowest position and then raise the pin box to it's highest. Still riding nose high, but not too bad in my opinion and plenty of bed clearance still. I didn't measure but I'd estimate 5-6". The only issue I ran into was with the slider extended, the pin box hits the tailgate just barely. My solution was to just lower the tailgate only partially with the tale gate cables.

Dealer is only 20 mins away so didn't drive too far with it, but so far seemed ok. Just a slight bit of chucking when stopping and going. No noise. Just something I could feel. I'll post up a pic tomorrow.

On a side note, the PDI next to me was a late model 2500HD and similar Eagle HT trailer but with the b and w companion. They were raising the pin box on that one too.

[Tgallagher]

In second the Reese elite airborne sidewinder. I also have the b&w companion. I recently added a thread under the hitch and towing section to show this set up. My truck has the rambox setup which really complicates my set up. I recently added the puck system to my truck and changed my hitch base to make me feel more comfortable.

I really like the sidewinder.

Good luck

[TxLoser]

Originally Posted by Tgallagher

In second the Reese elite airborne sidewinder. I also have the b&w companion. I recently added a thread under the hitch and towing section to show this set up. My truck has the rambox setup which really complicates my set up. I recently added the puck system to my truck and changed my hitch base to make me feel more comfortable.



I really like the sidewinder.



Good luck

Is the airborne sidewinder air cushioned in some way or is that just a cool name for it?

[Tgallagher]

Yes. The airborne version is air cushioned. You lose some weight capacity though versus just using a sidewinder. Probably one of my favorite perks of this setup is having more use of your bed. With the way the tongue of the sidewinder stays still in the bed, you can stack items around it and not have to worry about turning and hitting those items.

Let me know if you have more questions.

T

[byrnehf]

My tow vehicle is a ram 2500 CTD with the puck system and towing an Eagle 321 RSTS. I'm using the Demco Hijacker auto-slide because of the 6.5' box. Chose the auto slide because when filling up on the road, you never know where where you're going to have to crank into. It is heavy but built like a tank. Take a look at their web site.

[KYCAMPER]

I am in the market for a slider also. I like the Anderson and some with the 6.5' bed say they can get by with it but I am going to go with a slider to be safe. Anybody have any experience with the Blue Ox? Looks like it pivots somehow instead sliding? Says it gives you 11" of travel. The website (Blue Ox | Strong As An Ox) video shows it coming apart in 3 pieces so I figure it shouldn't be too heavy to take in and out. I need a hitch with no rails in the bed to allow me to load my truck camper.

[Aero_Dave]

Originally Posted by Cdash

I personally don't care for the design of the Anderson that attaches to a goose next ball. It counts on the bed as structural support and beds are thin.

Well, I can only speak for myself & my personal use. I Love my Andersen. Towed my 29.5 almost 6000 miles last year. ZERO issues and it's an extremely smooth towing experience. I see no bed deflection or anything that would suggest otherwise. I believe that my B&W turnover ball and its mounting rails are taking all of the stress just find. As most know, the B&W turnover ball is rated for 30,000lbs. So I suspect their mounting system is designed for this amount.

Originally Posted by TxLoser

This morning I had the Curt A16 Slider installed and then picked up the new trailer in the afternoon.
Dealer is only 20 mins away so didn't drive too far with it, but so far seemed ok. Just a slight bit of chucking when stopping and going. No noise. Just something I could feel. I'll post up a pic tomorrow.

Again, for me I have no 'chucking or bucking' with my Anderson. Its an extremely smooth setup and towing is very comfortable & relaxing.


Thanks,
Dave...