Okay, so enough technical stuff. What fivers are you considering, or have you gotten that far yet?

Steve

 

After losing our rear ends (and then some) on the toy hauler we just sold (which we bought new back in 03) we're going the 'cheap' route on the 5ver situation. That is, we're only looking at used ones and in particular extreme deals such as in hardship, repo cases etc. I don't mind tinkering with one with minor problems such as cosmetic dings and relatively minor issues on the interior.

What I can say the next one will not be a toy hauler as we're looking for more luxurious appointments/comfort than they offer and we're also looking for one with between 2-3 slides. It will also have to be newer than the last trailer we had (which was an '05) and preferably be made far away from the border i.e. a non-AZ/CA made unit as I've seen (first-hand) what the lack of expertise and quality minset produces with non-English speaking day laborers. I know that's blunt but I witnessed some appalling stuff at a SoCal factory a few years back, vividly remember it, and know I want to part of those kinds of products again if it can be helped.

 

Certainly nothing the mater with pre-owned. I have done it both ways. You pay plenty to "smell the paint", as the saying goes, with new. Used adds the mystery of not be sure what you are getting, not that you always know with new either. I think one of the best times for an RV owner is before you own one. I have always found the search to be great fun and enjoy going to repo auctions. Not sure where you are located, but some repo auctions are open to the public, some are dealer-only. You don't need to go top dollar, but do be careful of entry level models. There really is a difference in quality between the cheapest and mid-level. Its also funny how some manufacturers move in and out of favor. The hot hand today can be stone cold six months later. We have the best luck selling toy haulers and unusual models on eBay and move everything else on Craigslist.

Happy hunting,

Steve

 

I'm progressing in my parts selection but need some opinions on hitch heads.

Specifically, on locking jaw style: Slide-bar or double-jaw?

Any big difference between the two?

Anyone run Curt stuff? Amazon has a smokin deal right now on their 16k head (only $241) and Etrailer has an entire kit for under $500 using that head (but it is slide-bar jaw).

Note: Right now I'm leaning toward the quick-install Reese 50082-58 mount & rail combo as after much looking I know I can make it work with my upper airbag mounts easy enough. So, I think I have that part of the build worked out.

 

I like the single jaw on my Reese, less complicated.

 

I know many talk about the safety of a single jaw vs a dbl jaw, however, with all the 5th wheels out there, I've never seen a 5th wheel assembly ever fail before when on the road, regardless of type. I think that either unit would work well as long as you take the necessary precautions when hooking up or disconnecting properly.

 

I totallly agree with this. I think safety is a non-issue with this component.

Steve

 

I've narrowed my hitch choice down to two units.

One hitch is a little better quality for about the same price but has a hight adjustment range from 14.5"-18" while the other hitch has an adjustment range from 13"-17". I can live with either one however, given the fact my truck is so tall, I'm not sure whether or not I'd be more likely to need the extra adjustability on the bottom end or the top side of the scale. Thoughts?

 

My thought would be to go taller in the event you need more clearance above the bed rails, but you could probably flip a coin.

Steve

 

That's kind of what I was thinking Steve but then again I got to second/third guessing myself

 

Got everything ordered..now the shipping waiting game starts. Thanks everyone for the help, it made the process MUCH more comfortable than doing it in a vacuum.

 

I'm running the Curt Q5 20,000lb hitch with the Curt R5 slider, and it is hands down the best fifth wheel hitch I've had so far. I've tried the Reese and the DSP hitch made in Edmonton, Canada before this one.

The Curt holds tight and it's rubber cushioned, so there's no banging or slapping, and you don't get the jerking that I had with other hitches. The connect/disconnect system is simple and solid. The slider system is the best there is IMHO, it's super smooth and foolproof. The one downside to this combo is that it's fairly high, I had to raise the axles on my 5th to their highest setting to get everything to ride right. It's heavy too, (all 5th hitches are it seems), but it does come apart into three pieces pretty easily for removal if necessary.

I'd highly recommend the Curt products. This hitch will be going with me when I get my 2012.

 

Update: I got my hitch installed, but it was not without its share of disappointment in one of the key components I purchased.

Specifically speaking, this product is from a company that rhymes with 'geese' and has a part number that is Five-double O-eight-two, their "quick install kit". This kit was so poorly designed on one side (for my application anyway) that I had to have a machine shop custom modify the passenger side piece of this product in order to get it to work.

Basically, the u-bolt that holds the front half of the passenger side assembly to the frame would not clear the upper shock tower without having to angle the u-bolt over in order to get it through the bottom mount hole in the product. This created a condition where there was no way to torque the nuts down anywhere near the specified values because the angle of the u-bolt was so severe that only about 1/2 of each nut was touching the washer/plate it was supposed to be holding down. The real issue is that the lower mount hole is about an inch rearward of where it needs to be in order to get the alignment needed for proper attachment.

What was really frustrating about this was neither the kit nor my truck are anywhere near "new" so I still don't understand how it could've been that far off. When contacted, the manufacturer basically said, 'yeah, um if you don't like that setup then we'd recommend drilling an extra hole through the mount and truck frame and then run a bolt through it'. WTF?? The whole purpose of this kit is to allow a no-drill option for folks (and thus be twice as fast an install as the old/reliable L-bracket setup) hence, I enlisted some local expertise to get me a workaround that didn't involve welding or drilling the frame.

If I had to do it over again I'd go with the tried and true L-brackets, even though that requires the frame be drilled. YMMV, but I wanted to at least relay my experience.

ETA: I created a gallery showing some of the parts

 

Did you attempt to contact Reese with the problem.... it wouldn't be the first time someone threw the wrong part in the shipping carton!

 

Yes, see 2nd to last paragraph.