What to do with my hitch

[jimcatinmi]

Hope this is the right place for this. What does everyone else do with their hitch in the winter? Is it ok to leave it mounted in the bed? we do have a soft cover on the truck to keep the snow off but not sure what to do for the winter. We live in Michigan so we do get snow and cold. T

[way2roll]

It sits in a corner in the garage out of the weather. I take the head off and move the head and base separately to make it easier. Reese 16k.

[colliehauler]

jimcatinmi wrote:

Jim&Sharon wrote:
Sure, you can leave it in the truck bed. Exposed to the weather, not being used, in the way of other loads.

I hang mine from the 5th wheel king pin. Put it back in the truck in the spring.

This is just my T/V have another truck if I need to haul something was just trying to figure out what others did with the hitch for the winter not looming for advice on how to haul something else.......but thanks

My Diesel is a dedicated tow vehicle and sits in the garage when not used for towing. The hitch has been in the bed since the truck was new. Have other trucks for everyday use.

[Thermoguy]

I set mine between the landing legs of the 5th wheel. Stays out of the weather that way. I use the bed often plus tow a gooseneck. It's a BW so it comes apart in 2 pieces. The plate section sits in my storage compartment.

[Second_Chance]

Yep - that puts the upward pressure on the fifth wheel plate without damaging the latch release. Just what's needed for the PullRite hitch, too. Thanks for posting that part.

Rob

RCMAN46 wrote:
I find it interesting that B&W makes a device that is used to remove a 5th wheel hitch that takes the place of the king pin.

B&W BWRVXA3130


Click For Full-Size Image.

[RCMAN46]

I find it interesting that B&W makes a device that is used to remove a 5th wheel hitch that takes the place of the king pin.

B&W BWRVXA3130


Click For Full-Size Image.

[bobsallyh]

My whole hitch assembly including the head, Pullrite, has remained in the dually bed for 17 years.

[cougar28]

Take mine out every year. I use my tractor with pallet forks. I put the hitch on the pallet and put it under the 5er overhang while the 5er is in storage building.

[Njmurvin]

When I had my Superglide, I used a HF hoist to lift it out of the bed and lower onto a metal rolling cart, cover it with a patio furniture cover and store it under the fiver overhang. Now that I have the Andersen Ultimate, I just lift it out and set it on the same cart, cover and store the same way. That said, I'm in SoCal and don't have to deal with severe weather (unless you count fires and drought).

[JAC1982]

We leave ours in these days as we only use the big truck for towing. It has a bed cover on it. But, in years past, we've taken it out and set it on one of those cheap furniture dollies from Harbor Freight so we can move it around the garage easily if needed.

[Allworth]

Ten years of hanging from the king pin hasn't hurt mine.

They is tuff little suckers!

[schlep1967]

Perform seasonal maintenance on it. Make sure everything is lubed. Cover the bed and enjoy the winter.

[Campinfan]

I leave mine in all the time. I figure in the winter, I need the added weight back there. Mine is really heavy plus then I would have to find a place to store it.

[Durb]

I lift mine out of my bed with the trailer then lower it on to a hydraulic table. I roll it into the garage and throw a sheet over it. After six seasons, the hitch is still in excellent condition. Even with a roll top cover a hitch will condense moisture on its surface.

[BB_TX]

frankwp wrote:

Second Chance wrote:
You have to be careful doing this with certain hitches. On the PullRite hitches, the latch arm under the fifth wheel plate can be damaged if too much upward force is applied by the king pin. On many other hitches it's no problem.

Rob

If hanging the hitch from the king pin damages it, then that hitch should never be used for towing.

I don’t know the answer, but hitch jaws hanging from the pin is a completely different force than the 5er sitting on the large flat hitch plate. The first the weight is concentrated on moveable parts of the hitch latching mechanism. The second the weight is sitting on a flat steel plate.