Fith wheel hitch?

[6naline01]

Greetings one and all, I have a question that I am not sure how to get the right answer. I just purchased a new 5ver which is 31. 5 feet long and has a GVWR OF 12,700lbs. The dry hitch weight is 2075lbs and the hitch that the dealer put on my CTD is rated @15000lbs. how are these hitches sized ? Do I have the right one? I am not new to RVs but I am a 5th wheel rookie as always any and all help is deeply appreciated

Thanks DOC NIELSEN!

 

[Casey Balvert]

No problem

That hitch should be fine if the numbers are correct. Although I like the extra margin of safety by going to 20,000 pound hitches or more. But it in all likelihood is just a state of mind. I am putting in a 25,500 hitch when mine comes in in anticpation of buying a new fiver in a couple of years. But your GVWR is well within the weight rating of your new hitch. It goes without saying that you should weigh your trailer once it is loaded to make sure you stay within the GVWR. Happy trails.



Casey

 

[Ron Bissett]

Hitch ?

Your hitch is fine suggest you get a lube plate nylon plate self stick fingers in center no grease on plate get at local dealer or camping world or store near you , Second paint locking jaws so you can see if closed around pin third pad lock release handle when hooked up to trailer . safety wire or padlock quick release pin on hitch or trust your fellow travelers not to tamper with your hitch at rest stops. Never pull breakaway pin while attached with plug wire (seven pin plug) could fry controller. Oil moving parts with WD 40 or other lube that leaves dry film on parts and check snap ring on pivot pins . LOL Ron in LOUISVILLE KY

 

[crossroads]

New Hitch

I had a Reese Trail Boss 15K in my 1500 Quadcab towing a 26 ft Shasta. I felt that it wasn't strong enough to tow my 30 ft Crossroads, app. 11000 lbs. loaded. Went with a Reese 20K and love it. I always like to have a safety margin in all things connected to trailer.

 

[PatrickCampbell]

I need some basic info about 5th wheel hitches.



Should I GREASE the jaws or just spray some WD40 in/on them?



I am thinking about getting one of these nylon lube plates. Any thoughts? I managed to not put enough grease on my 5th wheel the first time I towed and took some of the paint off (oops).

 

[SHobbs]

Painting the jaws is a great idea to see if it it locked. Another idea is after you get hooked up before you raise the landing gear apply the trailer brakes and try to move forward not hard but enuff to see if the trailer is locked in. I do this every time I hook up to mine. This way if it did not engage the trailer won't fall on your bed as I have seen happen before. The lube disks offered at rv stores is a good idea, but I prefer a little axle grease on the hitch plate. I tried the lube plates before and found that they did not hold up well with frequent hook ups.



I spray WD-40 on all the moving parts of my hitch to keep them free and to keep the rust off. Another thing to consider is a cover for the hitch if you want to keep the rain off of it.

 

[RustyJC]

I use the teflon load disc in lieu of layers of grease on the load plate. I grease the groove in the kingpin and the ID of the jaws with some EP grease. The remainder of the jaw assembly gets a periodic spray of lithium grease.



Rusty

 

[PatrickCampbell]

Is this the one you use ? http://www.etrailer.com/Merchant2/m...tore_Code=E&Product_Code=40001&Category_Code=

 

[RJOL]

I had a Reese Trail Boss 15K in my 1500 Quadcab towing a 26 ft Shasta. I felt that it wasn't strong enough to tow my 30 ft Crossroads, app. 11000 lbs. loaded. Went with a Reese 20K and love it. I always like to have a safety margin in all things connected to trailer.

I had the same hitch on my 2001. This is a "bar type" hitch (the locking mechanism is a solid bar that slides in front of the kingpin). Although it worked okay, here are some things I didn't like about it.



1. There was some "slop" when hitched up and that lead to some back and forth "clunking" when stopping or starting.



2. It often gave me problems when hitching or unhitching on uneven ground. It would bind up and that made it hard to get it to release the kingpin.



3. The slide mechanism showed some signs of wear after using it for a few years.



I installed a B&W turnover ball hitch with a companion 5th wheel hitch on my 2005. It has been a great upgrade and is night and day better then my old trail boss. Of course it cost more...