I'm considering an upgrade from bumper pull to 5th wheel and know very little about the hitches ( i understand the basic concept but do not have experience with different brands etc..).... All my research so far has led me to the B&W hitch.... Good, Bad , Ugly?

Truck is a 2022 F250 with the factory prep including the puck system.

Any advise, nuggets of wisdom and things to absolutely avoid would be appreciated.

Many thanks!!!

 

I bought a B&W 25,000 lb hitch whe I bought my F450 it is a great hitch well made works perfectly.
I only wish I would have hut bought a Reese goose box for my trailer instead of the B&W
I have more gooseneck trailers than 5th wheel trailers so I am always taking the hitch out of my truck

 

I can't tell which is the best 5th wheel hitch. What I can tell you is if you have the puck, I'd see if the fifth wheel you buy can accept a gooseneck type of hitch. I love my Goose Box and do not miss unloading and loading the 150-200 lb. hitch.

 

Depending on the length of your bed you may want to consider one of the sliding hitches to eliminate contact between the camper and the truck cab when making sharp turns. I have a Curt A-20 mounted in the factory puck system with 8 foot bed and found it easy to use. A friend of mine uses an A-16 on a 6.5 bed without any problems for quite a few years. Good luck there are a lot of choices out there. I like the Curt because it is obvious from looking at the handle and the color coded indicators whether I am hooked up correctly or can dis-engage. Other manufacturers use different indicators.

 

We changed to a Pullrite Supper lite 5 years ago and love it. Absolutely no movement where it couples and you have a prep package so it will attach to your ball in the bed.
Denny
www.pullrite.com/products

 

I like PullRite hitches.



It comes apart easily with pins, I like the way the jaws close, the head pivots both ways and the handle is below the bed rails.

Fits perfectly with no slop or movement.

Made in USA.

 

Once I financially recover from my solar upgrade, I would love to get the Reese Goose Box or Gen Y hitch.

I have an Andersen Ultimate hitch currently. These get a lot of hate, but I don’t have a very heavy trailer and I’ve had zero issues with it over two years of use. Next rig we will get a gooseneck type for sure.

 

It's kind of a pick your poison. That said, B&W hitches are some of the most rock-solid, over-built hitches on the market. Their weight reflects that, too. The sliders are ridiculously heavy, be glad you don't have a Ram - because of how spread out their pucks are, the things are even heavier, I think JUST the base for a slider B&W for a Ram weighs as much as the ENTIRE hitch for a Ford, I'd compared them once a while ago.

I have used a LOT of different brands, Reese, Husky, Curt, B&W. I always had issues with the Curt my FIL had, it never seemed to want to release very well. The Reese hitches I've had were decent but always seemed to be loud. The B&W's I personally owned were quiet, but my FIL's current Patriot clunks a bit and I don't know why. My favorite was the Husky I had, it was older but worked flawlessly and was quiet - I pulled a 42' Cyclone toy hauler with it. I have looked at them since, and they still seem to be of the same quality but I haven't used one in years.

 

There are several good solid fiver hitches to choose from like all of the above mentioned ones, nothing wrong with any of them.
But, if starting out in the world of fivers, like I was last Spring, give some thought to a hitch system that includes some type of suspension in it. With all of the sidewall cracking and frame flex issues on modern fivers I feel that having some hitch suspension and shock absorption is well worth the extra expense. I found a pretty good deal on a used Hensley Trailer Saver BD5-F air ride suspension fifth wheel hitch and it has performed perfectly for us over the 13K miles that our 19K fiver has traveled so far. It’s comforting to see the pin box floating over bumps and dips on the road while thinking about those impacts transferring to the trailer with a traditional hitch. I think that having a suspension hitch has to help prolong the trailers life span. Trailer Saver, Goosebox or Gen-Y and maybe others like them should be considered and of course debated on the cost vs benefit factors.

 

I have a B&W now. I had a Reese in my previous truck. I liked them both, and most importantly, I trusted them both. I think I will avoid the brand decision and just say, there are no bad fifth wheel hitches out there. Markets and liability would eliminate the bad ones very quickly.

So here are my nuggets of questionable wisdom.
Whatever hitch you end up with, learn to use it until it becomes second nature. Use a checklist if you want. Dropping your trailer on your bed rails, if it happens, IS ALL YOUR FAULT! Don't blame a hitch brand for your failure to use it properly. But mistakes do happen, and dropping the trailer is an all too common one.

Figure out if you need a sliding hitch. And if you do, decide on a manual or an auto slider. Do this before you choose a hitch brand, because it may guide your final choice. If you have a short bed truck, I personally think you need a slider of some type, but some people with some trailers do get by without it. If you have a long bed, forget all that. You're golden.

Do some measuring and figure out what you need to tow with a near level trailer. A little nose high is ok, but never nose low. Different hitches have different min/max heights and this may guide your brand decision. It is a major reason why my Reese had to go. The B&W had the dimensions I needed. Your Tremor sits higher than the base trims do, and all of these trucks are too tall these days, so figuring this all out is extra important for you. And doing all this before you own a trailer makes sense too. You will love fifth wheel towing, but this is an extra thing that needs to be considered.

 

I'm very happy with my B&W fixed position hitch, it's built like a tank but breaks down into two pieces to make removal and installation easier. But a lot of your decision will depend on your bed length, the front clearance and weight of the fiver you're looking at, and the type of pin box the fiver comes with. In my case I have a short bed and my fiver is an ultra-lite that came with a Lippert "Turning Point" pin box. I love my setup, but it might not be right for you at all. Not to be a smart ***, but I'd suggest you narrow down your fiver choices then come back and ask the same, totally valid question.

P.S. I see you've got the 6.7 diesel so you'll have the power to pull a real beast of a fiver. Be careful though, you'll probably run out of payload in your bed long before you run out of pulling power.

 

A lot of good pointers here, and I'll expand on the point about making sure you don't drop the trailer on your box rails - there is a test that most hitch manufacturers include in their set-up instructions that almost no one ever looks at. It was actually printed on a sticker on the Husky I had.

It's called the pull-away test (it's not foolproof but it helps - it also assumes your trailer brakes are working properly). When hitching up, back under the pin until the jaws lock. Put the safety pin for the handle in place, and plug in the trailer to your 7-way round. Then, WITHOUT DOING ANYTHING ELSE, pull the slider on your brake controller fully, put the truck in gear, and let it try to pull forward (don't step on the gas, you could make the trailer move and damage your jacks). The trailer brakes and the weight on the front jacks should hold you in place. If the hitch de-couples then it wasn't latched properly, so undo everything and try again. If it DOESN'T de-couple, put the truck back in park, hook up the breakaway cable, run up your jacks, and you're ready to roll.

 

We had a B&W slider for the Ford pick system in our 2017 F350 CCSB. It was a study, made in America hitch. It worked great.

 

I've already done that smart ***

Nothing massive. I am looking for a 2024 Cougar 24RDS. About 30' long and advertised 7600# empty / 10000# max. I have the same floor plan in my current travel trailer and am just looking for the extra room provided in the bathroom and bedroom.

So, not towing a massive load. Actually most will probably laugh at my little 5th wheel

 

I have a friend with a 28 footer, and I have never laughed at him. He has probably laughed at me trying to finagle my 36 footer into a tight spot.