5th wheel hitches

[Chevy1925]

The time has come for me to upgrade toy haulers. in doing so, ill be going from a tongue pull to a 5th wheel trailer. That said, my truck had a reese 15k looooong ago when my dad used the truck to pull our 40ft weekend worrier (2002-2004). unfortunately all that stuff is gone including the rails.

So, are the "universal rails" any good? i can find decent hitches on CL all day long but most dont have rails with them. Are there decent hitches out there new i should be looking at? school me boys .

 

[duramaxnate]

If you want a comfortable towing experience the Hensley TS3 is a badass air ride hitch. Made towing our 40ft toy hauler soo much better

 

[BWJE]

I just went through the same thing. I bought a "no drill." Kit from a buddy and it didn't work. Another friend of mine owns a parts house so he sold
Me a universal kit for $128 out the door. Had it installed in 2 hours. Works great in my opinion!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Chevy1925]

If you want a comfortable towing experience the Hensley TS3 is a badass air ride hitch. Made towing our 40ft toy hauler soo much better

Oh i bet it did! but more than im after. just a general 15k one that lets the trailer flex around on off camber dirt/roads is enough for me

I just went through the same thing. I bought a "no drill." Kit from a buddy and it didn't work. Another friend of mine owns a parts house so he sold
Me a universal kit for $128 out the door. Had it installed in 2 hours. Works great in my opinion!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

would you mind taking pics of where/how it attaches the rails to the frame?

 

[Ne-max]

I ran the Reese no drill kit on my old Lmm. It fit like chit but worked. My lb7 I did the universal kit and it was super easy. On my new 15 I did the Curtis brackets and they was perfect. On the 01-10 I would do the universal kit. Just have a good drill bit.

As for hitches I like my plain simple Curtis 15k. Use to have a Reese slider but would not work with my truck and newer camper. Never tried the air ride one's. Would be nice. I don't like the b&w companions.

 

[Chevy1925]

ive seen alot of curtis hitches for sale but never heard of them so wasnt sure on quality. luckily i have a long bed so no need for a slider.

 

[c20elephant]

B&W turn over ball, all the support brackets are under the bed and would be my choice, no rails in the bed when you need to haul or move material just remove the ball and you can pull a goose neck if needed. But, I believe they are only rated at 15,000 lbs the newer models may go up to 20,000lbs.

 

[matt78]

I had a b and w companion hitch. I liked it,to me it was easy to remove,others think they are to heavy. My truck had the turnover ball already so that's another reason why I picked it. Just buy a used duramax motorhome and pull a trailer !

 

[Robby05]

Just buy a universal rail setup. And buy a set of these to cut your holes in the frame, http://www.blairequipment.com/Rotabroach_Cutters/rota_cutters.html

I install a lot of hitches at work & these things cut through the frame like butter. Drill the holes in the bed at least a 1/16th larger than what the instructions say, that way you have some wiggle room.

As far as the hitch, look into the Anderson tower setup. Think the aluminum version only weights 40 lbs & is rated at 20k.
https://www.andersenhitches.com/Products/3200--ultimate-5th-wheel-connection-rail-version.aspx

 

[Ne-max]

Amazon sells universal kits cheap as hell along with hitches.

B&Ws are heavy as hell and I am not a fan of the way you have to swing the arm to lock and unlock. Especially in the newer trucks with the tall bed rails. Plus they are pricey. Everyone talks like rails in the be is a pain. I don't mind them. Actually use them for other stuff and have a rubber mat to put over them if needed.

 

[Chevy1925]

Im actually headed over to look at a fairly new reese 15k out of an 06 chevy for a really good price. Its a Reese pro sieres. any pros or cons on that?

The universal rails i was more afraid of them being weak and causing me issues but it seems from you guys, thats really no issue. Rails are no issue to me either as just like you NE, i have a rubber mat that flips over ontop of the rails when not in use if i pull the hitch.

im not against goose hitches but 99% of the people im with or tow around dont have them. Brian is the only one i ever see use them. id rather have a flat bed tongue pull so should something happen on the road, i can have a buddy/dad hook up and take the trailer worse case. Toyhauler wise, i guess i dont see the reason to convert or buy adapters.

 

[matt78]

What brand,size toybox?

 

[Chevy1925]

Genesis Supreme 32ft'er. damn things are built really well and you get quite a bit for the money. largest storage areas next to the weekend warrier new ones. I had seriously contemplated a dmax motorhome but its another motor that will sit until i start it up to take on a trip, which means i will forget about maintence until last minute, another oil change, more tires, not as good fuel mileage down the road, and i honestly wont use it enough to justify it. Plus the overwhelming urge to tune it would always be there :angel:. i did try to talk the wife into letting me do a dmax/alli swap in to an early 2000s model motorhome with a gasser in it, that got shut down fast :roflmao:

 

[matt78]

Genesis Supreme 32ft'er. damn things are built really well and you get quite a bit for the money. largest storage areas next to the weekend warrier new ones. I had seriously contemplated a dmax motorhome but its another motor that will sit until i start it up to take on a trip, which means i will forget about maintence until last minute, another oil change, more tires, not as good fuel mileage down the road, and i honestly wont use it enough to justify it. Plus the overwhelming urge to tune it would always be there :angel:. i did try to talk the wife into letting me do a dmax/alli swap in to an early 2000s model motorhome with a gasser in it, that got shut down fast :roflmao:

Lol,I here that. Jayco made a toybox seneca for a bit but they are to proud of them. Plus buying used I had to fix a few minor things,some ,like shocks,were a pita. But we liked are 5th wheel as well. I pulled my polaris a few weeks ago behind it,a toybox would have been easier. Make sure you post up pics,and good luck! To bad you don't live out this way my wife cuts checks and approves loans at a credit union in dallas,they have some good rates right now and zero down.

 

[Chevy1925]

Lol,I here that. Jayco made a toybox seneca for a bit but they are to proud of them. Plus buying used I had to fix a few minor things,some ,like shocks,were a pita. But we liked are 5th wheel as well. I pulled my polaris a few weeks ago behind it,a toybox would have been easier. Make sure you post up pics,and good luck! To bad you don't live out this way my wife cuts checks and approves loans at a credit union in dallas,they have some good rates right now and zero down.

my biggest issue is finding toy haulers that DONT use a garage type back end. i need the whole living area as the storage as well to fit my sand car or tracker in there plus quad/s for the little one coming in december. Im buying new and finding these "old school" style setups in a 5th that wasnt ridiculous priced was pretty hard. As long as the wife likes the interior of the one the dealer sent me pics of, we will be buying it (assuming they will wheel and deal which seemed like it talking with the sales guy at the off road show sunday).

Pics will definitely come when/if we bring her home though

 

[matt78]

I understand the wife liking part. She liked the bathroom and I likes the duramax ,I called that even. Man I feel old,just bought a car for the youngest girl,wow

 

[hondarider552]

B&W also sells a adapter goose plate if you have 5th wheel rails. It's like 150$ james my dad had a Reese 15k hitch on my gray lbz back in the day when we towed that 40' warrior around to the dunes. It was a manual slider but we got one of those superglide auto slide hitches and it was awesome but not needing a slider is a lot better.

 

[ALLY Fox]

B&W turn over ball, all the support brackets are under the bed and would be my choice, no rails in the bed when you need to haul or move material just remove the ball and you can pull a goose neck if needed. But, I believe they are only rated at 15,000 lbs the newer models may go up to 20,000lbs.

The older B&Ws are rated at 18K, new ones are 20K. Best 5th wheel hitch around, in my opinion, mine has been seen a lot of heavy use in the past 5 years and will probably see another 5+ years. They are strong, quiet and made in a place called America where you can talk to real Americans if you have any questions. Doesn't make sense to slap a janky hitch on a $30-$50K truck to pull a $30-$50 K trailer. Seen too many trucks and trailers damaged by garage sale hitches. 5th wheel hitch isn't the place to cheap out.

 

[Ne-max]

Don't forget the cherry picker you need to remove the b&w. Lo . Curt and Reese are damn good products.

 

[Chevy1925]

B&W also sells a adapter goose plate if you have 5th wheel rails. It's like 150$ james my dad had a Reese 15k hitch on my gray lbz back in the day when we towed that 40' warrior around to the dunes. It was a manual slider but we got one of those superglide auto slide hitches and it was awesome but not needing a slider is a lot better.

Ah good point. Forgot they had those