The disasters I've read about regarding "china bombs" has prompted me to replace the tires on our new fiver as well as order a TPMS kit. We have some long drives ahead and the cost and hassle of cheap OEM provided tires is not worth it.

 

I wouldn't. I'd ensure they were kept properly inflated and use them.

 

2009kr.....as wrvond said....No, I would leave those as is but what brand are they? In fact the Sailuns are made in China but Sailun in a well known tire mfg. and mostly makes 18 wheeler big rig tires. I was eluding to the flimsy crap the RV industry keeps installing on these 5th wheels. For the life of me I just can't understand why they don't offer an option for better REAL tires. They could just pass on the extra cost to the new buyer.

My Mountaineer came with GY Marathons which I knew were junk. I had already purchased the Sailuns that were waiting in the garage. As soon as I got the rig home off came the GY's and on went the Sailuns. I weighed both tires w/o wheels, the GY weighed 34 lbs. the Sailun weighed 62 lbs...... it's a brute!!!!

 

What does tires have to do with 5th wheel hitches and receivers. Come on guys, stick to the heading subject.

 

So sorry "posting legend" ..... tires have nothing to do with hitches but I thought I would pass along what I thought was some important safety info to a new 5th wheel owner. I will refrain from this practice in the future.

 

I have a Pullrite Superglide, automatic slider hitch in my short bed F350. It works great, though is a bit spendy, initially. When I remove the hitch to use the truck bed, there is nothing left in the bed. The only drawback is that there are 4 holes that are maybe 2" each so you have to lay something over the holes to haul sand/gravel. Other than that, the bed is completely usable with no hardware left from the hitch mounting.

Just another option for ya.

 

Hi everyone,

I loved the tangent here about tires. As the one reply was " what does this have to do with hitches" it awesome. I mean hey I get what the poster had to say about tires but I am not at tires yet. Heck not even at a trailer yet. We are currently exploring the options for going Fifth wheel. Personally I would like to go smaller for the trailer but the wife is not going to have any of it in that regards. I told her some of the places we camp at, the trailer size is no problem. Others it is a problem but gets tighter as the size goes up at some of the campgrounds or no spots available at all due to the larger size. Makes trip planning a bit harder with the variable.

Now we are probably not going to buy for awhile since we bought a new ride for my wife in February. We are looking at possible replacement of vehicle maybe in the short to mid term range. The other factor, we are planning to sell our house hopefully in the next 12 months once the home across the way sells. The next place will have the space to store on site. MY site storage is cheap for the area but still pretty pricey. If I got a larger trailer, the storage cost would increase. There are not many places in the area that have the storage space or the security measures in place. The once place near my house will accept RVs but up to 24 foot. Another place doesn't store RVs. So on site for the next place is going to be a huge item on the list. Plus it makes trip packing and maintenance so much easier too.

 

Almost forgot, the one thing about my super glide hitch is that you can't easily disconnect at sharp, jackknifed angles. Pretty much have to be in a straight line to connect (within 16 degrees). The only way that I've found to disconnect/reconnect at sharper angles is to pull the pins for the hitch head and just leave it attached to the pin. Not that big of a deal to do but is difficult to reconnect without someone watching near the bed and giving directions as I back in to hook up to line up the hitch head pins with their cradles. Hard to see it good enough from the driver's seat, especially with a crew cab. But with someone watching and giving directions, it aint so bad at all. Just something to be aware of, if you're considering to possibly go that route.

 

FordmanNJ. Get the gooseball installed, if you want a clean bed get one that can be retracted, and get the Anderson Ultimate Hitch. In your first post you asked about removing the hitch for your landscaping material. The AUH is easily disconnected and removed, 40-50 lbs, and they say it provides a smoother ride. I'm going to remove my behemoth Reese hitch, as soon as I get some help lifting it out of the bed, and put in a AUH.
As far as the shortbed issue goes my Reese is a slider and I have never had to use it because the nose of the camper is so rounded it won't come in contact with the bed, at least that is my experience so far with some pretty radical parking maneuvers.
And also...don't forget to get new tires, have the dealer do it before you even drive off the lot. I know you're not at tires yet but, trust me, you don't want to get there on the side of the road.
Sorry, I just couldn't resist.

 

We had a standard bed in our 10 Silverado and used a standard 15k hitch on rails, no cab clearance issues. Seen SEVERAL 6.6ft beds is standard hitches with no issues. I personally wouldn't waste money on a bulky slider hitch with your truck if it were mine. I do love the idea of the Andersen but you'll need the under bed goose

 

Adersen has a AUH that will mount into the bed rails, like I have from my Reese. Its a steel AUH hitch, so a couple pounds more, but still compared to the Reese its not a back breaker.

 

See them here: Ultimate 5th Wheel Connection | 5th Wheel Trailer Hitches

 

Reese bought the Fifth Airborne Sidewinder which moves the pivot point rearward and as a bonus helps the 5er track closer to the truck's line when turning. Best option is a sliding hitch that pushes the king pin back when reversing or making tight turns.

 

Measure the holes and go to ACE or something similar .....they usually stock a lot of rubber plugs in all sizes.

 

Safety is a good cause but in this case should have it's own thread, not some one else hijacked thread. No offense cowboy.