Good Sam Club Open Roads Forum: Fifth-Wheels: 5th wheel hitch


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ACZL

UPstate,NY

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Posted: 08/19/20 12:09am

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way2roll wrote:

twodownzero wrote:

An online search suggests this trailer weighs 9700 pounds, I'm pretty sure it doesn't matter what hitch you use for that.

Not sure where you found that. The specs are : Dry 11,560, payload 4,440, GVWR 16,000, Pin weight 2,435.

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You certainly could use the 16k hitch if you didn't load it to capacity, but if you get close to capacity you'd be right at max. To me, paying the few hundred extra to get the 18k not only gives you extra assurance, it also doesn't paint you in a corner when looking at new FW's in the future.

Except if you go to larger coach yet. We maybe facing this issue despite having the Patriot already.

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MFL

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Posted: 08/19/20 05:01am

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If a person buys a new truck, and is buying a new FW hitch, I would recommend buying a hitch rated to fit the truck's capability. No matter what FW you purchase, the truck will haul it, right up to the trucks rating.

A 16K hitch is enough for most any gas truck, and an 18K will cover most any SRW diesel. A 25K hitch will best serve a DRW diesel.

I would trust any of the B&W hitches, right to their max rating. I would not change out an 18K Patriot, that is already installed, if purchasing a FW that is nearing that weight.

Jerry

Cummins12V98

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Posted: 08/19/20 05:39am

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The B&W hitch line is WAYYY under rated. There is a thing called engineering to a higher number as they do.

Buy either one. I ran 19k on my 18k Companion for several years.

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sayoung

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Posted: 08/19/20 06:26am

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I now use the 18K Patriot ( after 2bad pyramids ) on our Jayco that's 10500 dry . . It's worth the price difference for the welded frame, imho. I started with a Reese 16K that was fine just noisey

Cummins12V98

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Posted: 08/19/20 10:45am

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sayoung wrote:

I now use the 18K Patriot ( after 2bad pyramids ) on our Jayco that's 10500 dry . . It's worth the price difference for the welded frame, imho. I started with a Reese 16K that was fine just noisey

It's a shame we can't all just start out with the BEST right from the start!!!

4x4ord

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Posted: 08/19/20 12:52pm

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I used a hitch rated for towing a maximum weight of 5000 lbs to tow a 40,000 lb implement. All was well until I got going a little too fast and hit a hole in the road. This caused the castor wheels on the implement to swing 180 degrees back and forth which in turn caused the implant to slam violently back and forth on my 7/8 inch hitch pin which was kind of lost in the 2 1/2 inch diameter hole on the implement's hitch. Anyway, by the time I got stopped my 8000 lb hitch had long slotted holes where the 5/8 pin coupled the hitch into the hitch receiver. I'm sure if I'd used a hitch rated for 20,000 lbs I would have been fine. [emoticon]

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Cummins12V98

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Posted: 08/19/20 06:46pm

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Great apples to apples example. [emoticon]

4x4ord

Alberta

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Posted: 08/20/20 11:46am

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^^^ I realize my story is not an apples to apples example. The point I was hoping to get across from it was that if a well built hitch is used at double its rated capacity and something goes wrong the hitch is not likely going to fail. I would be afraid to get on an elevator if I thought I couldn't trust the rated capacity of hitch.

Cummins12V98

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Posted: 08/21/20 09:22am

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4x4ord wrote:

Just twisting your bones! Everything has a "FACTOR" built in and B&W's is VERY high.

My MORryde IS axles are rated 8k, they actually inspected mine that are at nearly 9k and they said they looked good and were within their spec!