Installed a Reese 5th wheel hitch Saturday

[OCDUNE]

I bought a 2000 wanderer toy hauler last week and needed a new hitch.

So I installed a Reese 5th wheel hitch on Saturday in my truck. It took me a couple of hours because I took my time. I bought the specific kit for my truck because I didn't want to mess with a universal kit. The rail kit was $189 shipped from etrailer.

There was no drilling for the short bed, there is one hole to drill on the long bed according to the instructions.

The kit came with a couple of pull wires to help get the bolts through the frame. I only used one of them and have one left if anyone builds their own kit and needs one in the phoenix area. I only needed one for the driver's side, the passenger side was accessible without the pull-wire.

[OCDUNE]

I am heading down to the Sand Dunes this weekend (Gordon's Well) and I will be doing my first tow with a 5th wheel. I am not too worried about it as the trip is a pretty easy one. Since this will be a shakeout run (with a new trailer and hitch) I plan on going down in the daylight so I can tell if there is a problem.

Wish me luck, hopefully I DON'T crunch the back corner of my cab!

[James Hess]

Wish me luck, hopefully I crunch the back corner of my cab!

Wishfull thinking but i would have gone a different way lol. ):h

[OCDUNE]

Good catch lol. Edited to fix that, hopefully I DON'T hit the back corner of my cab! This trailer has a long pin box on it so I should be ok. I am going to stop by a vacant parking lot on my way out of town so I can see just how far I can JackKnife it without worry. Again this isn't really a concern for the sand dunes but I will want to be practiced up before I have to negotiate some camping spots up north in the summer.

[hondarider552]

ive smashed my back window, well my dad did but owell ):h
I liked the manual hitch i had, it was light and easy to remove.

[OCDUNE]

Had a great trip, other than it being too short. I would have liked to have stayed longer but had to be back for church today and work tomorrow. The trailer towed well. With the pin box at the longest length I can almost get to 90 degrees. It looks like I won't need to buy a slider hitch after all.

[MMLMM]

What a good 5er hitch for us short bed guys?

I want to be able to put a B&W in for gooseneck, but not sure where that leaves me with a 5th wheel hitch...

[OCDUNE]

Brian has the Superglide, this is hands-down the most worry free solution. I helped my dad install one last week in his truck, very nice piece of hardware. There are 2 major downsides though, cost and weight. These are expensive and because they weigh so much they aren't going to be easy to take out and put back in. The reason for buying one though is that the hitch swings back mechanically on every turn, no worries ever about hitting your cab.

I would say it depends on what trailer you have, some have short pin boxes and and pretty much need an auto slider while other trailers have a longer pin box, more rounded sides, and you only need a slider for sharper turns, you can get away with a manual slider. Just like everything, it is a balance of features and cost.

[Turbotug]

What a good 5er hitch for us short bed guys?

I want to be able to put a B&W in for gooseneck, but not sure where that leaves me with a 5th wheel hitch...

The B&W GN set up has a 5'vr attachment available separately. Kinda pricey, but it looks nice. B&W "Companion" (http://www.turnoverball.com/rv.asp#)

Have a B&W GN hitch on my truck. Love it!

[OCDUNE]

No slider option for the companion though right? You would need to make sure you don't need a slider for sure before you are out the money. That would be a slam dunk for a long bed though.

[MMLMM]

Heres the deal I do a lot of hauling for people. Always reciver style like boats or I use my car hauler. I have a new broker that can set me up with 5th wheels now and prolly keep me pretty busy. I have the B&W gooseneck, just havent installed in this truck. I would go with the companion but I am afraid some of the trailers I will haul might not work out. So I was thinking of a slider, but it has to be able to switch to a gooseneck. Also when removed the bed has to be pretty flat (no brackets sticking up when removed).

[OCDUNE]

Reese and several others make rail kits that completely remove. I imagine that one of these would be compatible with gooseneck adapter that sits on a set of 5th wheel rails. That may be your best option. You are limited with those requirements. I am betting most 5th wheel hot-shotters end up with long beds for that reason.

[OCDUNE]

Take a look at the reese signature series, I know they are compatible with the gn adapters, I assume they are compatible with the slider hitches as well.

[Turbotug]

Although the Companion doesn't slide, it has three locations/settings to give you up to 4" extra.