Possible to use a portable engine hoist to remove a fifth wheel hitch?
 

My 450 came with the factory Ford/Reese 27k lbs fifth wheel hitch. It's just too heavy to remove by myself with my bad back. I know some have used winch (motorized or manual) with a bolt mounted to a beam to remove their hitch. My problem is my garage is a prefab Tuff Shed. They used prefab members so I have no idea whether they're strong enough. Furthermore the garage is rocked already. My wife isn't going to be happy with me trying to figure out how to drill holes to hit a member.

Harbor Freight has a 2 ton portable engine hoist. Has anyone been able to use something like this to lift up and remove their hitch? As I see it the issues are whether the hoist can reach far enough into the bed to reach the hoist from the back, and/or whether it can reach up and over from the side. From the side might be an issue due to the dually fenders being in the way. From the back, with the tailgate down on an 8 ft bed, the hitch might be too far away to reach.

https://www.harborfreight.com/2-ton-...ane-60388.html
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...157289733f.jpg

If it helps I use a tractor and forks to lift mine out.

When i was shopping for something like this to lift my 300 pound demco auto slider i came across an item that mounts in the receiver hitch. i believe they sell it on etrailer. https://www.etrailer.com/Hunting-and...10-VRJ001.html.

I ended up mounting a hoist to a support beam over my walkout basement. Works very well. If i had a long bed like yourself, i would go with a light weight hitch option that can easily be removed. But i'm paranoid about hitting my cab. I've seen it happen to my friends truck.

Not that it helps, but when I had a 5th wheel I did basically the same with a Bobcat and forks. But I have a rubber bed mat, so I could lift mine out of the pucks by hand and then walk it back to the tailgate by lifting the hitch and rotating forward one side at a time.

You might have to remove your tailgate to get it to reach to the center of you bed.

This.

I bought one last year and there is no way to reach the center without removing the tailgate. I tried every angle. I ended up raising my garage door 6" and mounting a chain hoist on an i-beam.

Removing the tailgate is no easy task and should be done with 2 people .

I use a properly secured beam in my garage overhead and have moved several items in the 500lb range with no problem. My beam is a 4x4 8 feet long and I wrap a lifting strap around that. This gives you the ability to remove and replace when needed. If you you are only looking to get rid of it, a trailer shop should be able to help you out for a case or 2 of beer.

they also have this

https://www.harborfreight.com/12-Ton...ane-60732.html

which is a crane mounted IN the bed.,
i don't know if u can get to the middle of the hitch with it..

i like that my hitch comes apart, so the weight is reduced.. (B&W companion puck)

something that others have done is leave the hitch attached to the FW, and use the FW to lift it out/put it back in the mount

My Reese fifth wheel hitch breaks down to two pieces. The top plate and the base. Can you remove the top plate on yours and take the hitch out in two pieces? They aren't exactly light but they are easily manageable that way.

cool, but he said his 'garage' is a temp building, with not too sure how much roof support

I'm not a fan but another popular option is the Anderson Ultimate hitch. Made of aluminum and you can pick it up with one hand. I see lots of them in the RV parks we go to.
https://andersenhitches.com/Catalog/...onnection.aspx