After reading all these replies I still wish that I bought a dually. Even though my truck (2004 F-250 king ranch, dual cab, diesel, camper package, E-tires) pulls and stops my camper (36' fifth, 11,000 empty, 14,300 gross) fine there are alot of times (windy days, emergency stops, mountain roads) that I would trade it for a F-350 in a instant.

 

I would not use a turret style pin box with a trailer that big. In fact Im not a fan of those kind of pin boxes at all. If you think about it, when you are in a turn the weight of the trailer is over the turret and the pin box is going to be putting upward pressure on the hitch itself. You probably shouldn't be turning a 3 axle trailer that sharp anyway, lots of stress on the suspension system as well as the tires.

I have the B&W companion on mine set all the way up and all the way back and I have no problem with our 34' Jayco. I love the hitch and since you say you have the gooseneck anyway it is a perfect choice.

Good luck

Steve

 

Hello airlift- question - you said get the 57396 for a 2012 f-350. Is that just the lift kit?? I also need the controllers?? I'm not skimping on this. I am replacing the kingping with a better one, and I want the right setup. Tell me what to buy. I like nice things that are functional and easy to understand. I want a compressor and I want control in the truck. What is the smarted thing for me to buy to haul as much as 17000 pounds?

 

I don't. I would look at Pullrite's Superglide hitch though. That's my next purchase.
If you find that you need the handling of a dually, look into a set of 19.5" wheels from Rickson and a commercial tires. My grandpa got a set for his Dodge 3500 for pulling a Mobile Suite. Drastically improved the handling.


Superglide Fifth Wheel Hitches and accessories from tweetys.com

 

You talking 19.5" WIDE??

 

No, he's not. My truck has factory 19.5 rims on it and I run what amounts to semi tires on it. Load range G or something. Looking back I think not the best choice but they'll probably wear forever.

 

No. Rickson wheel makes wheels for 3/4 and 1 ton trucks that allow you to use 19.5 inch (rim size) commercial tires. You can get those in F, G and H load ratings.

A bit expensive (well, maybe not when compared to 20 inch E rated tires) but it might be a good option for you. It gives you more stability when towing heavy loads.

Take a look at their web site and decide for yourself.

Rickson Wheel Manufacturing

 

At 16500 loaded you will be fine. Buy airbags on day one, make sure your state doesn't have any funny rules about weights and make sure your insurance company is good with it and go.

I have less truck, but it is registered and insured, yes you can do that in Utah, for me to be legal to pull my 20k horse trailer.

Other than some minor suspension and brake upgrades and not trying to run at 90 mph loaded, it works great. I pull across the Rockies on a regular basis with no issues both going up and down.

Some here won't like this answer but it is legal, safe, insured, and works great!

Enjoy your new truck.

 

Thanks Troy. Which airbags/controllers do you like?

 

Correct, 57396 is just the bag kit. I would go with two different options for a controller. The first would be 25856, this is a manual dual control. You would have to mount the gage somewhere in the cab and run small airline to the actual gage. The switches are built into the controller, and you can control each bag independently. This would be the simplest setup.

The other option would be 72000, which is a full wireless setup. The controller could simply clip onto your sunvisor, and you would mount the manifold on the frame or in the cab if you wish. This kit would also allow you to control each bag separately.

 

What's your opinion of the wireless?? My experience is wired is always better. This truck is getting significant work done to it anyway so more hard wiring is no big deal. Which is ideal??

 

The gen 3 wireless systems has had quite a few updates and many people really seem to enjoy the ability to adjust air pressure from where ever they like. Personally I like the simplicity of a manual gauge. However, I don't tow very often so occasionally having to jump out and check ride height before getting on the road isn't a big deal.

 

I prefer the wired as well. Trick is to have a permanent place to mount it.

 

I've used the Airlift LoadLifter 5000 in 2 vehicles, an '01 Excursion and an '08 F-450. Both systems have performed flawlessly so far, but I do expect the first thing to give up the ghost to be the pump. They don't appear to be all that durable. Time will tell.

I agonized over which system to install the first time. Dual control, single control, wireless, etc etc. I finally decided that if I needed dual control I hadn't loaded my truck properly so that was out. I also decided I didn't see much need to be able to adjust pressure at all. I want my truck to ride level, period, and since there was a system to do that automatically I didn't feel the need for switches, gauges, etc into the cab.

I bought the system where you set your desired ride height, and then forget about it. My truck rides level all the time whether it's just me and a full bag of fuel, or that plus a cab full of people and my 17K 5th wheel attached.

I don't care what the pressure is, it's level and that's all that matters. I don't need adjustment switches because it's done automatically. I don't need gauges because as I said I don't care what the pressure is and if I have a leak I'm going to know right away anyway because the pump will be cycling.

My cab space, which isn't the most convenient place for adding gauges and switches and what-not stays neat and uncluttered.

The only switch I wired into the system was one of the upfitters so I could shut it all down. There are times when hooking/unhooking the camper that I don't want the truck to change it's ride height until I'm done, so a flick of the switch and I'm good to go.

Anyway, that's my take on the whole issue. There are certainly cheaper options in their catalog, and definitely more complicated ones, but I didn't see the need.

 

I prefer the wired system but I admit there was a time or two that it would have been handy to have a remote in my pocket. I chose a wired system so I don't have to worry about batteries going dead in the remote.

Depending on the road conditions, I find that a little more or a little less air in the bags helps the ride quality so it's nice to be able to adjust it from the cab while in motion. Having controls in the cab makes it nice because you can easily raise or lower the hitch when hooking up. Dumping the air to 'kneel' when unhooking is pretty nice as well.