5th wheel hitches, do's and don'ts

[aviatorman]

I am looking for any advice/experience for the best hitch install for a short bed dodge Q cab. Friends tell me I screwed up by not getting a dually long bed to pull 5th wheel. My truck is equiped to pull a mountain (see signature), but is single wheel rear and short bed. I've heard rumors that the 5th wheel hitches with slide back function are noisy, rough and without the rear trainer wheels (dually) , the truck will move all over the place. Never having pulled before, I'm asking the best authority avialable (TDR Members) what ya'll think. Big RV show this weekend and my wife and I are shopping, ,but don't want to make expensive mistakes. Thanks in advance to all who reply.

 

[RustyJC]

Sorry, but your signature didn't show up. I get the idea that you may have a SRW 2003 3500, but I'm just guessing.



If so, just be aware of your GVWR and GCWR numbers when you're looking at 5vers. For "worst case" thumbnail calculations, use the 5ver's GVWR as an actual loaded weight and figure at least 20% of this weight will be pin weight on the truck (charged as truck GVW). I'd suggest staying within DC's ratings for civil/tort legal reasons if nothing else, but others have differing opinions. As a rule, 2500's and SRW 3500's will tend to run out of GVWR before they run out of GCWR when pulling a 5ver.



Insofar as the hitch is concerned, I haven't heard a lot of complaints from owners of sliding hitches. Most users I've seen say theirs work just fine.



Have fun looking and making your selection - we've found that's one of the most enjoyable (and, yes, frustrating) aspects of RVing.



JM2CW



Rusty



Towing a 36' triple slide 5ver - 10,380 GVW/10,500 GVWR; 21,180 GCW/21,500 GCWR by certified truck scale loaded and heading down the road.

 

[Jumbo Jet]

Installed a Pulliam SuperGlide in my short bed QC last month.



It's operation is as smooth as silk.



The turns that will slide the hitch back will not be made at enough speed to cause a noticeable load shift in the back of the truck.



At least that is my experience so far.

 

[aviatorman]

RUSTYJC: Thanks , , my truck profile shows 2500 Q cab/shorty, no dually. H. O. , 4:10LSD, Towing package , 6 spd heavy duty.

 

[JohnMcIntyre]

Click the signature link!!!

Aviatorman



You have to click/check the box at the end of your message submission to get the contents of your signature appended to the first and only message of any thread that you post in. Subsequent responses in that thread do not append the sigfile more than once per thread. The signature details can be previewed in your TDR user profile.

 

[Casey Balvert]

Check Pullrite's Superglide out. It is heavy but sure works slick. And they are a good company to deal with as well.



www.pullrite.com



Casey

 

[Fireman]

Superglide

You won't regret it. They are expensive, but worth it. I would buy another if I ever have another short bed. Can't say enough about their customer service, second to none.



Fireman

 

[TowPro]

This started as a 5th wheel hitch, do's and don'ts so I will add one.



watch your tailgate!!!



Hooking up



DO back in straight to the 5th wheel, backing on an angle with the tailgate in the down position WILL hit the front of the 5er.



DO look at the hitch jaws with a flashlight, is it closed? I have seen people skip this step, it really makes a mess of your bed.



TIP: Using your center Rear View Mirror, as you back up, line up the center of the hitch, the line in the sliding glass window and the hitch for a perfect hookup every time.



Un-Hooking



DO put the tailgate down before pulling the truck forward.





Driving



This is one I wish I did not have to print.



Do check all the pins and locks on the 5th wheel hitch everytime you hookup. Some think its "funny" to pull your hitch pins while your not looking.

 

[Jumbo Jet]

DO look at the hitch jaws with a flashlight, is it closed? I have seen people skip this step, it really makes a mess of your bed.

ABSOLUTELY!



As a matter of a fact, I am going to paint my hitch jaws fluorescent green so that I can see them even better. I use the flashlight method today.



It's according to what angle the truck and trailer is to the ground, how hard you have to bump the kingpin to get the jaws to close.



On flat ground, no problem. A slight angle, you better be straight and bump it pretty hard.



Pullrite suggests that you use WD-40 (or similar product) daily on the plates and jaws, and White lithium grease on the slides frequently.

 

[Rd.Runnr]

Hitch

Pullrite also makes an adjustable hitch. I have it in my '99 shorty & am really happy wih it. I can jacknife my trailer easily. The only dis-advantage to the super-glide ( other than $$$) is the added weight--approx. 400 lbs!! Makes it very hard to remove & use bed of truck for other chores.



Jim

 

[NVR FNSH]

My advice? Spend the ~$200 and buy a StrombergCarlson 5th wheel tailgate from camping world. It's plastic so you can't use it like you would a regular tailgate but it's so much easier to hook/unhook when you don't have to worry about your ~$1100 tailgate. With my truck - LWB - I have to dead straight to trailer in order to hook up - not practical 100% of the time. I just swap the tailgates when I'm going to tow.



Brian

 

[Dean Upson]

I will wholeheartedly echo what Casey and Fireman said about PullRite. They are a company that cares about the quality of it's produdt and customer service is paramount. The absolute best.



Dean

 

[GAmes]

Tailgate?? What tailgate?

I pulled my tailgate off 128,000 miles ago and have only needed it on a few occasions, at which time it comes right back off. Makes hooking up the 5er and backing the boat a lot easier (can't see the boat trailer in the mirrors).



I painted my hitch jaws white.

 

[Double 6]

Pullrite

Like several of the others mentioned, if you have a short wheelbase truck the Pullrite Superglide is a quality unit and the only one to buy in my opinion.

 

[Fireman]

Rd. Runner,



Granted the Superglide IS heavy, but 400# IS a real exageration. I just shipped one-hitch, rails, and all 250-260# honest. It wasn't easy, but I could remove and install it by myself. I would recomend having help though. Another thing I liked about the superglide was the super rails. They were completly removable leaving a smooth unobstructed bed.



Dean,



"Paramount", I like that!



Fireman

 

[Dean Upson]

"Paramount", I like that!

Just like in the movies .



Dean