Best 5th wheel hitch

[Mikelff]

Have a B&W slider with an Air Ride pin. Love it. Hooks up with ease. Have a block and tackle mounted to ceiling studs in my garage. Lifts that hitch out like its a feather. Stays high enough I can drive under it no problem. Comes down just as easy. Otherwise, pull the pins and comes off in two pieces. I have a few at the storage place that pull theirs out with the RV front jacks and let the hitch hang. Not for me.

[GeorgeP.]

When people spend up to 100,000 on a trailer and 80,000 on a tow vehicle( I’m Canadian everything costs more here) why would you cheap out on the one thing that keeps the two together, buy a good quality weight rated hitch!

[Randy E]

I have a PullRite OE Series Super 5th 25K Hitch and I love it. Made in the good Ol USA, and has 1 piece locking jaw around the back. It has never given me one issue.

[sohclover]

I have a Curt 20k for four years now. Flawless so far. First year had a Weekend Warrior(18500), no issues and now have 2018 Montana Toy hauler. The Curtis perfect for me. I have a 2013 GMC 2500 with 6 1/2’ box.

[Charlie North]

I guess I am a little surprised no one here is using any of the Air Safe hitches. We have an Omni 20. The air bags on the floating hitch base provide the best pulling experience we have had in our 12+ years dragging a 5th wheel over some of the worst US highways. Downside - the hitch is quite heavy, definitely a 2 man lift to get it in or out (we leave it in) and it is on the pricey side. Their website is https://airsafehitches.com/5th-wheel-hitch/

[Dan Giacalone]

Love my curt. Simple and safe !!

[Rick Leary]

My two cents.. I was a B&W Companion hitch fan and user for a number of years. At least until I rear ended a Jeep Wrangler at 20 MPH. My fault. But that's an interesting story for a different day. Near pristine 2001 F350 Lariet Crew Cab DRW 7.3 Pulling a 36' Heartland 5th. I believe the B&W should have faired better but the rail on either side of the hitch rolled up, front and rear, and looked like a rocking chair. The hitch damage was substantial and only a few hundred dollars less than the minor damage to the truck. I still like the B&W line.. alot.. but perhaps the companion design just wasn't robust enough for me . I have a Curt now and so far so good.

[sourdough]

This is not to resurrect the discussion about the Andersen being "not what it's cracked up to be" or "too light", just some observations.

Post 18 posts some unclear pictures of an accident involving a guy that ran into a stalled car - mistake. There are unclear pictures of some of the damage including damage to the Andersen hitch. It would be easy to then say "it's too light" or "not what it's cracked up to be" but I would say there is more to the story than what the guy that had the accident said.

If you pull up the facebook post he made with much better pictures it is clear that the ball did not shear; neither the bottom or the top. It is clear the bottom of the hitch pulled off the ball in the bed. It is also clear that the red adapter on the king pin pulled off the top ball. Hitch failure? Owner failure? There is a very robust lock pin that goes in the bottom connection, just like a Demco or other brand. There is also a locking pin that has to be activated to lock the adapter to the kingpin. A failure to do either would result in what those pictures show (actually probably the bottom pin). So hitch failure? Owner failure (after the failure to observe/stop for the stalled vehicle)? I've seen pics of accidents much worse than those facebook pics and the Andersen held so I'm going with the latter.

I do not want to start the previous conversation on these hitches, everyone likes what they like. I would just encourage folks to not jump to conclusions based on blurry pictures or any other preconceived perceptions and think through a situation. JMO

[mlh]

Today I did a little research to see if the Andersen hitch was more likely to fail than, say a B&W. Anderson designed this hitch to be as light as possible using as little material as possible. It uses a lot of off the shelf material with as little welding and forming as possible. This makes it cheap and easy to make. The problem with the original was the top is weak. On impact it will bend and when that happened it collapses. He probably knew he had a problem and redesigned it by adding 2 triangle pieces of thin sheet aluminum from the bottom of the center post to the bottom frame. That didn’t add much strength. Is it as strong as a B&W? No way. Is it strong enough? Yes probably until you are involved an accident or stress it some other way.
Lynwood

[Anatnom]

I have a Reese Elite. Ford uses these as well but I bought mine before Ford came out with theirs. Easy to install the top plate can be removed easily and that means the base is not so heavy. I also bought a Gooseneck plate. that is from Reese and it fits into the Same braces. I can use that easily for gooseneck trailers. But the regular Reese hitch fits well and clamps down on the king pin securely. I'm very happy with it Reese has a facility nearby where I can get parts if needed. When I first bought mine I did that but not needed anymore. I like the adjustments this hitch can make and I keep it greased up with synthetic grease

[Bro. Paul]

We have the Andersen system and really love it. I use the bed of my truck a lot do need something to remove and put back.

[Sparatacus]

Originally Posted by Bro. Paul

We have the Andersen system and really love it. I use the bed of my truck a lot do need something to remove and put back.

Hello Bro. Paul, I see that you are in La Grange so what state?

[Bro. Paul]

La Grange, Calif.

[mtlakejim]

We run a Curt since it is what Ram provides from the factory (under Mopar branding). It has been a flawless hitch for us. A good number of folks on here are B&W fans too. Only issue is they are heavy hitches. Being an oilfield hand I am used to overbuilt heavy equipment and will always tend to go that way. It also doesn't hurt that I have a tractor to remove the hitch when I need the flat bed (which is often with a woodworking hobby).


I don't think you would go wrong with any of the top three or four hitches that folks recommend on here. It's akin to the "which brand truck is best" debates. Any of the top three are good, just depends on your tastes and brand loyalty.


Only thing I think most of us would agree on is don't go cheap on the hitch! It is a safety critical piece of equipment!

[BB_TX]

Originally Posted by Sparatacus

Hello Bro. Paul, I see that you are in La Grange so what state?

When I saw that my first thought was thinking La Grange, Texas. Then I found out that there is a La Grange in at least 12 states.

[bshgto]

Originally Posted by mlh

Today I did a little research to see if the Andersen hitch was more likely to fail than, say a B&W. Anderson designed this hitch to be as light as possible using as little material as possible. It uses a lot of off the shelf material with as little welding and forming as possible. This makes it cheap and easy to make. The problem with the original was the top is weak. On impact it will bend and when that happened it collapses. He probably knew he had a problem and redesigned it by adding 2 triangle pieces of thin sheet aluminum from the bottom of the center post to the bottom frame. That didn’t add much strength. Is it as strong as a B&W? No way. Is it strong enough? Yes probably until you are involved an accident or stress it some other way.
Lynwood

Total destruction of camper and truck from a head on collisions not caused by the hitch and people are criticizing Andersen for folding up or bending.
"Damn I was going to transfer that hitch to my new rig when the insurance paid off, but not now the piece of junk it bent".

[Ren]

WOW.

I hope everyone is okay after that!

[beeje]

That kind of accident is a rarity don't think any hitches going to survive that. However hard to tell from the pic but it looks like whatever hitch it is is still connected to the Kingpin.

[Bro. Paul]

Originally Posted by BB_TX

When I saw that my first thought was thinking La Grange, Texas. Then I found out that there is a La Grange in at least 12 states.

Our home address is in La Grange Calif. In the foothills below Yosemite.