(Your wrong about the Pro Series) 👉I own a Reese Pro Series 16k manual slider and it is auto locking. The little pin on the top is not what holds the king pin in place, Its just a saftey. The harder you pull the trailer the harder those jaws clamp the king pin. My hitch is 24 years old and i pull a Grand Design 31mb.
This was a video I wish I had seen before buying our first Fifth Wheel (FW) Hitch for our 2019 Ford F-450 truck. The dealer talked me into buying the Reese 27.5K hitch for the truck that included the OEM puck system and a 3 inch receiver. While we didn’t have any serious issues with the towing of our 18,500 pound FW, I did experience some issues with hooking up or disconnecting the truck from the FW. Additionally, I have arthritis in both shoulders and that also created discomfort during hookup/disconnect processes. We eventually bought the B&W Companion 25K FW hitch and I have to tell you that it was a night and day difference. The B&W is so smooth doing either operation and I have had zero issues with my arthritis using that hitch.
Andersen does not make a fifth-wheel hitch. They do have ball hitches that mount in the truck bed, including one system which they call the "Ultimate 5th Wheel Solution"... meaning that using it *instead* of a fifth-wheel is supposed to be the solution to the cost, complexity, and weight of a fifth-wheel.
⭐️The Reese Pro Series is auto locking, you leave the handle in and unlatched so when you back into the trailer the handle comes out and snaps back in on its own. I've been using a Reese 16K Pro Series Slider to tow my Chaparral and my Reflection 31mb for 5 years now and its a great hitch.
He did the Reese pro fifth wheel hitches wrong they are auto locking you’re just supposed to back your fifth wheel into the pins and they will move out of the way and then lock around the jaw opening it up first is the incorrect way I only learned this one I bought my first hitch years ago after reading the owners manual
Worked for 17 years selling hitches. B&W was my favorite due to quality, next was the Reese/Drawtite line. Tried to avoid Curt due to numerous quality control issues at the time. Only had an issue one time when a customer was using a 5th wheel to tow a multi car trailer. He overloaded the system and claimed the 5th wheel was defective. The 5th wheel pulled out of the truck frame and all the bolts used to install the 5th wheel were still intact with the red slip marks we put one all bolts still lined up showing they had not come loose. Owner claimed he had not overloaded the trailer, the hired driver ( whom the owner fired ) told us that owner over loaded the trailer and ordered him to drive it anyway. We told the owner to go make a claim with his insurance company. Last I heard, owner never got a dime and had to pay for all the damages out of pocket.
I have the GM factory puck system in my 23 2500 duramax. The Fifth wheel is too far back. I am overweight on the rear axle but have over 1000lbs available on the front axle. How do I get it forward at least 3 more inches? thanks
I really like my 21K racon, it is mounted on a set of rails. I chose this because the swivel head comes off it's about 35 lb and then the bracket on the bottom is maybe 40 lbs easy for a 71 year old to remove. The locking mechanism is exceptionally strong and there is no question as to whether it is locked in. And no need to use a step to lock and unlock it I can reach it easily.
Im ordering a new truck, and im trying to think practical. I don't NEED a long bed for every day use, But I do want to get a fifth wheel.. Im looking at slider hitches.. Do I NEED a slider hitch? And which is the best for an automatic slider that will slide automatically when you turn, without having to unlock it.
I like the way the curt fingers wraps around the pin. Like the extra bar coming across on the Demco, looks real safe. Would not feel safe towing with the B&W because the fingers only touch each other.
We have the Curt Q20 slider. The dealer installers put the wrong hitch in. We were supposed to be the Reese none slider. Have a 8ft bed. After being there for about 4 hours for the install. They discovered the mistake and wanted to change it out. We told them no. Your problem and left with the Curt hitch. It also came with the fake kingpin.
I been thinking about buying the Anderson hitch. I have a ford 2013 F350 with a B&W gooseneck. The reason why I was thinking Anderson Hitch is weight. I have bad back.. Do you or anyone else know anything about them
This is why I love my B&W Companion hitch. Drops down in my B&W gooseneck hole. Tighten up the draw bolt and then 4 bolts. Install the head and your good to go. Pulls my 12k 5th wheel just fine. I use white lithium grease on the 5th wheel plate and jaws.
I bought the 26k B&W Companion, and have never regretted. Built like a tank, super simple, all but impossible to not have a good hitch. It is "Possible" to high-pin it, but you'd have to pretty much ignore the fact that your hitch isn't sitting on the plate.
I have been running the Demco Recon now for 5 years and love it. The main reason I purchased it was I wanted a clean bed in my truck when not towing. It is easy to install and I pull an Avalanche 382FL which is 42 feet long and gross weight of 16000 lbs. Hitch weight of 2800 lbs. I have had no problems with it and I have a regular bed on my Chevy.
Nice to demonstrate products side by side. I think that another advantage of the budget line is that it would weigh less than a comparable capacity full features assembly. Thank you for sharing and have a great day.
Regarding the reese Pro series, your statement that it is not autolocking is not correct. I was sold this one when I got my first 5er, and accidently discovered that they are auto locking. Basically you can leave the lever in the closed position with the safety latch open, then back into the king pin. The jaws/arm open then close behind the king pin. At that point I simply get out and close the safety latch and put my pin in then do my tug test to make sure the 5th wheel is locked and secured. I don't know if this is by design, but this is how I have done it for 5 years now. Someday, I'd like to move up to a goose box and get rid of the 5th wheel plate all together.
Good video as usual. I am going to throw one at you that you might want to cover, as I had to figure out out by myself and the documentation is, well lacking a lot. I upgraded tow vehicles and got the dealer to throw in the RAM OEM 5th Wheel hitch, which is the Curt Q30 in Sheeps (RAM’s) clothing. My trailer is equipped with a Sidewinder Pin Box. While reading the owners manual for the hitch, I found a small box warning NOT to use this hitch with a Sidewinder or other rotating pin box. I did further research and could find little information other than the warning, not a reason why. I gave it a try and discover that the pin box was torquing The Whole hitch plate. A quick re-group on my part and swapped the RAM hitch with a Curt A20, which was a quick swap. It would be nice if you or eTrailer could actual do a demo video to save someone else the trouble that I went through.
For 5th wheel towing, I have a 2017 RAM 3500 Mega Cab Cummins SRW with the short 6'4" bed and Ram Boxes, so I had to use the Reese 19K Sidewinder pin box recommended by the folks at e-trailer along with the Reese 20K 5th wheel hitch mounted on bed rails, as RAM will NOT install their 5th wheel puck system in a Ram Box equipped truck for fear of a standard 5th wheel pin box impacting the insides of the Ram Boxes when turning sharply. That Reese 20K hitch is a beast and handles the Sidewinder well as it was designed to manage it. My only issue is uncoupling due to the wedge on the pin box at times. The truck needs to be nearly straight to the 5th wheel, to uncouple easily. Otherwise, I need to use a rubber mallet to gently tap the pull bar a bit to loosen the jaws. Aside from that, this package provides a safe and confident feel while towing. I highly recommend it for those of us with Ram Box trucks while towing a 5th wheel. I tow a 2018 Legacy Montana 39 foot 5th wheel at 15K pounds loaded up. Reese Sidewinder pin box on Reese hitch, works great! I've been after JD for a video on the Sidewinder pin box for years, but he resists as he sees the Sidewinder as somewhat unstable with the pivot point being 22 inches back from the the rear axle of the truck. Would a company like Reese make something unstable? I've experienced 15K+ miles with the smoothest towing ever along with superior handling upon backing.
I have a 2007 E-450 cab and chassis..( yes it's a van ).. I want to get a FIFTH WHEEL for a gooseneck and prefer to be welded and bolted on to the chassis... What can you recommend for this setup....???? I'll be purchasing a sleeper to go behind the cab so a FIFTH WHEEL would work great for hotshot delivery...!!!!
I have a question I have a GMC 2500 HD 2010. I tow a Viking 17bh. And at work there was an argument about it. That I needed a weight distribution hitch to tow this little trailer. When I pulled it with the Acadia I used a weight distribution hitch. What about with this truck It barely moves the back end of this truck, What do I do How do I fix this argument? Please answer Thanks JD.
Having a 6.5' bed I tried the B&W Companion. Didn't like the slide as you had to get out to unlock and with weight it was hard to slide and jarred the truck to lock in the back. I switched to the DEMCO autoslide, love it. Only downfall is getting used to the jerking when the unit is rotating back to straight, but can do a nearly, to full 90 turn (all dependent on your pinbox and front nose style)
Sliding systems would be another whole video - despite a couple short mentions of slides, this is really about the coupling mechanisms. Mounting systems - rails, pucks, ball-anchored - could be another entire video.
Interesting video. I have a 20K Reese M5 hitch in our Dually, and the jaw is a little different than the one in this video. It seems to go across further, and has more meat to it, but I got it for our Puck system in our 2022 RAM, and it works well! The only thing I dislike, is the little plastic indicator they have that shows green or red when you're connected or disconnected. Right from day one, it pops out of place and gets stuck between green and red. So I always ensure the jaw is closed with a quick visual check from behind, and that my locking pin goes in with no trouble.
I run a 30k Reese on my F-550. They do auto-lock, you just leave the handle in "locked" position with the flip-down latch released and back into the pin. Only thing I don't like is that the latch can get hit by 5th wheel pin plates that are larger than the pin box and replacing it is a P.I.T.A.
Enjoyed the video, but for my money (and peace of mind) I will stay with my Demco Hitch. I have a 2016 F-350 Short Box with the Demco Autoslide and would not trade it for any other hitch I have seen. Call me paranoid but with the locking bar on the Demco I know my fiver is secure and will not come loose. But as with everything else it all comes down to personal preference.
No Blue Ox ? The only rocking hitch (not a slider) for shortbeds. I love mine, smooth ride, and the locking jaws are definitely killer. BTW, you missed the perfect opportunity to show what high hitching is with those closeups.
We just bought a truck and we are planning on purchasing a 5th wheel RV. We would like a hitch which would be easy to know, that we know, that we know that the hitch is connected properly and that does not require a lot of physical strength on our part. Our vehicle is a RAM 3500 dually. Which one or ones do you think we should take the closest look at? Some of the RV's we are looking at weigh around 19K dry weight.
I have the A16 in my 2017 Ram 2500. I like the hitch. Only issue is at times the jaws won't lock. There is a Red/Yellow/Green indicator to let you know your ready to go. Hard to get it to go green sometimes. I have started "exercising" the jaws with a piece of wood before I hook up. Seems to help. The hitch is rubber mounted like an engine mount and tows nice and smooth.
I have a 16K Husky 5th wheel. It’s similar to the Reese pro series. Not sure if it’s meant to, but I leave the jaws closed when hitching up and the angled edge on the outside of the jaws opens them up and snaps back closed when the pin meets them. Then I make sure they’re locked and pin them before driving off.
I’ve had a Curt A20 for about 10 years and love it. Has a green , yellow and red indicator that tells you if your locked or unlocked or not quite locked. This is my second truck with the same hitch. I have a short bed now so I need to replace the mounting sides to a slider mount.
Would be nice to do a review on a Hensley Trailer Saver fifth wheel.I made up a tool for my shop to test fifth wheel play for our tractors.Class 8 fifth wheels are adjustable, which we checked at our PM interval .I welded a flat plate on a trailer king pin centered to the plate the width of the fifth wheel with handles two handles on the top so once you engaged the king pin in the fifth wheel you could remove it .You could build the same for a camper fifth wheel, the king pin are the same diameter.
Are you still in Wentzville? I’m local and would love the chance to meet you and show you our new rig. I’ve been a fan of your videos for a long time. 👍
The video was good but you forgot about the pullrite 5th wheel systems the super lite series where there’s a ball that. Drops in. Way easier been using mine for years.
The sidewindsr is probably the best hitch design bar none, no real weight change compared to those damn sliders and ots all automatic. Hook it up and go.
I just contacted e-trailer and they will not sell any items retail at the VCC unit. Do not try to stop there and purchase anything. The rep said it has been closed since covid. I posted a link to this video and was ignored.
@@BigTruckBigRV I was able to purchase the b&w companion slider hitch from another dealer locally here in St Louis for the same price so no harm done. I was just surprised how adamant she was in stating that they no longer did that. I specifically said big truck big RV and JD just did a video there and it didn't make any difference. My son also called up there 6 months ago to pick up some sumo springs and was told the same thing. Go figure.....
You failed to mention the added weight of these fifth wheel hitches. They take away form your payload capacity. Plus they are heavy to remove if you need to use your truck bed. An Anderson hitch is a fraction of the cost and only 35 lbs. But rated to pull more than a fifth wheel.
Why? They can all safely handle the rated trailer weight, and most trailers are not even close to the capacity of the lowest-rated fifth-wheel hitches. "Budget" is more about convenience features than strength.
I'm afraid your bias toward B&W clearly shows in this review. Of course, that is what you have, so maybe you are drawn toward it. But I think DEMCO clearly has the best clamp around system than all the others. The B&W clamps with 2 jaws and the opening is in the most prone area to open (at the rearmost portion of the clamp), and, after watching a buddy use his, that whole clamping action when connecting is goofy in that the handle has to be pulled to be sure it has clamped; the other hitches aren't like that - they click and lock with a much more positive display. DEMCO's clearly goes all the way around the pin AND has that extra bar at the rear. I don't think it is any more complex than the B&W or the Curt. I do not think everyone will understand that when you speak about torquing the DEMCO it is because of the use of the goose ball connection - every goose ball hitch has that issue - even the popular (and problem prone) Anderson. A puck system doesn't have that issue. None-the-less, thanks for the side by side comparison, it was a good one.
I wouldn't call it 'bias' when he says "This is one of my favorites". He's not hiding anything or being biased by saying it's the best or anything like that. Just having an opinion like all of us.
I’ve never sold a hitch as fast as the Demco. It makes so much noise with that setup. The wrap around makes great contact. But there is play in it. So it moves back and forth and contacts that safety bar. I’ve never had a hitch make so much noise.
I'll take my Demco auto slide over those manual slides any day. I also feel the Demco single jaw latch is superior to double jaw latches. To me the curt stuff looks cheap so it should fit in nicely with LCI's other products.
