5th Wheel Hitch

JellyStonePark · 02-02-2013, 10:15 PM

Hello Redwood owners, my wife and I are new to the Redwood forum and have questions in regards to how to select a 5th wheel hitch beyond weight and sliding versions. I have lots of experience with bumper pull systems, but have to admit knowing very little about what to look for when considering a 5th wheel hitch. We are considering the purchase of a 36FL this summer and will be towing it with a 2011 Silverado 2500HD 6.6 liter Duramax turbo-diesel and Allison 1000 transmission. Our plan is to play in our own back yard (Colorado) to get used to the unit and then full time next year. We are hoping you can provide us with your experiences with different manufactures. Any insights you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Darrell & YongEdited by: JellyStonePark

**Dave&Ginny** · 02-02-2013, 11:22 PM

Darrell & Young

I look forward to you joining our group of Redwood owners. But I think you're going to have a problem pulling a FL with 3/4 ton truck. I think the FL is heavier than my RL.

As for the 5th wheel hitches, there are several out there. I use a companion made by B/W which allows me to pull it out of the truck easily. There are several on this forum that use the Reese hitch. If you have a short bed you won't need a slider with a Redwood

Good luck and welcome to the forum

Oriana · 02-02-2013, 11:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JellyStonePark

Hello Redwood owners, my wife and I are new to the forum and have questions in regards to how to select a 5th wheel hitch beyond weight and sliding versions. I have lots of experience with bumper pull systems, but have to admit knowing very little about what to look for when considering a 5th wheel hitch. We are considering the purchase of a 36FL this summer and will be towing it with a 2011 Silverado 2500HD. Our plan is to play in our own back yard (Colorado) to get used to the unit and then full time next year. We are hoping you can provide us with your experiences with different manufactures. Any insights you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Darrell & Yong

Darrell - We have a 36FL with almost all options and an F350 SRW. When fully loaded we are almost at the max trailerGVWR and load on the rear axle. You need to check the specs on your truck as the maxcoach GVWRis 16,000 lbs and pin weight light is about 2,500 lbs, so figure on at least 3,000 to 3,500 lbs loaded.

We have the Ford prep package and use the Reese Elite 25K. It is really easy to install and remove and has the added benefit of not requiring rails in the bed.

subdoc4 · 02-03-2013, 12:14 AM

[QUOTE=Dave&Ginny]Darrell & Young

But I think you're going to have a problem pulling a FL with 3/4 ton truck. I think the FL is heavier than my RL.

X2

COLJDM · 02-03-2013, 07:37 AM

Darrell, welcome to our Redwood Family. We have a 36FL with no genertor and no washer and dryer. Our weight, when carrying some water for travel is between 15320 - 15350 based on a certified CAT scale weight. We pull our coach with a 2008 Dodge 3500 DRW mega cab, short bed. We have a 18K sliding hitch. I would recommend a larger truck than the 3/4 ton. My normal email is coljdm60@gmail.com and if you want more insight on the 36FL please send me a msg. Enjoy your coach as we surely enjoy ours.

Bill Wright · 02-03-2013, 09:53 AM

Hi, and welcome to you new life of constant research. Be sure your hitch rating exceeds the gvwr of your trailer, and be sure you get a pivoting head, rather than fixed, it helps when the ground is not level. We use the reese elite 18k hitch and have for the last seven years, and it has given us complete trouble free service, while allowing us to remove the hitch from the bed while we were down for a while.

Bill

Rick · 02-03-2013, 12:38 PM

We just purchased the Reese elite 18k for $999 delivered from an online source. It took tow of us 10 minutes to install. Looks like a really well made and designed unit.

Rick

5th_Time · 02-03-2013, 02:08 PM

If you installed in 10 mins, you must have the Ford pre-installed hitch option.

For the rest of us, you need to install the under-bed rail kit (which I have to say was a bear) and mount the 7-way pigtail through your bed wall - before you can install yours in 10mins. Prepare to spend at least 5 to 6 hours on the rail kit. Instructions are on-line.Edited by: 5th_Time

Oriana · 02-03-2013, 02:39 PM

We ordered the factory prep when ordering the TV. If you are happy with the Reese Elite hitch and are buying a Ford it is highly recommended.
Probably one of our better decisions, as the factory charges less than the labour a dealer would charge to install.

5th_Time · 02-03-2013, 02:51 PM

Agree, plus it's a such a heavy duty design!

JellyStonePark · 02-03-2013, 05:49 PM

Hi Bill,

Thanks for the information concerning the Reese Elite 18K, I found the information concerning the importance of the pivoting head makes lots of sense. And you are are absolutely correct about constant research, just about the time I think I have all the info nailed down something else comes up. Oh well "Life's An Adventure. You didn't state if the 18K was a slider or not. But then again based on a couple of Forum post is it really necessary to have a slider with the Redwood and a standard bed pickup?

Again, Thanks

Darrell & YongEdited by: JellyStonePark

COLJDM · 02-03-2013, 06:12 PM

We have the short bed and a sliding hitch. A standard bed without a sliding hitch should suffice.

mhs4771 · 02-03-2013, 09:19 PM

Darrell, I would highly suggest rethinking the 3/4 ton route also. RWs are heavy, our RL came from the factory approx 1300 to 1400 heavier than the brochure weight and loaded for long term living we're actually slight over our gross RW weight of 16.5K and carrying 4K on the pin. So I think unless you plan on towing an empty RW you will most likely exceed your TV's gross and probably it's cargo cap. None of us can tell younot to do it. All we can do is give you real world numbers and experiences.
Good luck on what ever you decide.

JellyStonePark · 02-03-2013, 09:44 PM

Good Evening,

Thanks thats good information! I kept wondering how the numbers could be 10% off. Am I safe in assuming the 1300-1400lbs difference was due in part to added option plus your own personal effects? Other than full body paint and a dishwasher we don't see adding anymore options. But it still means we will be cutting it pretty close as for weights. Guess I' m going to have to rethink the truck. Again Thanks

Darrell & Yong

COLJDM · 02-04-2013, 09:26 AM

Darrell, we have a dishwasher and our coach is prepped for washer and dryer but we do not have one. Carrying all of our stuff plus a little water for quick road side stops as necessary our coach weighs 15350. If you allow 18% on the hitch, you are placing 2763lbs on the hitch (truck). You will have to review the nunbers regarding capacity of your tow vehicle. In any event, welcome again to the Redwood family.

**Dave&Ginny** · 02-04-2013, 09:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JellyStonePark

Good Evening,

Thanks thats good information! I kept wondering how the numbers could be 10% off. Am I safe in assuming the 1300-1400lbs difference was due in part to added option plus your own personal effects? Other than full body paint and a dishwasher we don't see adding anymore options. But it still means we will be cutting it pretty close as for weights. Guess I' m going to have to rethink the truck. Again Thanks

Darrell & Yong

Darrell,

If you're going to rethink the truck I would like to suggest a dually. I had a 2011 F350 srw 4x4 that I loved but after I loaded up all the options on the RL I found I was too close to the capacity of the tires (E). I reluctantly went with a F350 Dually 4x4. The difference in handling is amazing. I relize you had posted that you aren't going to load up the FL with options BUT any RVer will tell you, we all usually take more with us than we thought. I don't believe in limitations.

Happy Trails

Campers · 02-06-2013, 05:35 PM

May be a SRW will tow it as a 3/4 ton but stopping in a hurry is a different subject. We have a 3500 hd GM and it pulls our FL like a dream and stops when we wantto to. My 2 cents any way

UNDRPSI · 02-08-2013, 11:30 PM

Hi Darrell,
Welcome. Lots of great info on here. Days of reading. We have a 36FL also and it came from the factory at 13,786Lbs with nothing in it. The only options that we didnt get are the dishwasher and generator. This was the certified weight from the factory. (EMPTY) We are going to be Full timers as of March 15th. So we will be able to get a fully loaded weights after that time. Don't be afraid of the dually trucks. Especially the long wheel base of the crew cabs long beds they ride great. With or without something in the bed. We went with the Chevy dually and love it. I did add the air bags right off to help in the back and it makes a big difference with the ride when loaded and your lights are not pointed up at night. I also went with a little different hitch then most but it was well worth it to us. We went with the Hensley TS3 Trailer Saver hitch. We get absolutely no bucking when pulling our FL. It floats behind us and the ride in the cab of the truck is super. Even inside the coach while traveling it rides great. My wife had to try it. She just want to see if anything moves while going down the road. So she road inside the coach for a while and Nothing! She even opened up a new bottle of water and sat at the kitchen table while traveling down the road and nothing moved or spilt while going down the road. When you hit the bridge seems you don't feel it through the hitch but you feel the suspension of the coach. We hope to change out the coaches suspension this summer. I wish that was a options when we ordered it new. Good luck in your search but I would reconsider a 3/4 ton SRW to tow with. The safety factor of the Dual rear wheels alone if a rear tire should go down on you is worth it right there. Just another 2cents

0nTheRoad · 02-09-2013, 02:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by UNDRPSI

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We hope to change out the coaches suspension this summer. I wish that was a options when we ordered it new. </span>

What do you want to change...and with what?

mhs4771 · 02-09-2013, 03:30 PM

We plan to have the MorRyde IS installed this spring on our unit. We had it installed on our Montana and it made a big difference in how the rig rode. Standard spring suspension on these rigs has only 2 to 3 inches of travel, the MorRyde give you 5 inches, and each wheel can travel independently.
There is an air ride system that is available from Kelderman http://kelderman.com/, Dave is the expert on that as he just had his TV fitted with their system.

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