6.7L Cummins Forum

Help!!

Finally getting serious about purchasing a 5er.

What hitch would you all reccomend? Slider or regular don't know what they mean. Also can these hitches (the connector Part) be removed easily for using my pickup.

Looking at a dry weight of 11,500 probably having 2,000 lbs of cargo.

2009 6.7 SLT crew cab 6 speed manual, 3.73 single wheel

We use our current Toy hauler in our business and would use this 5er as well.
Typically we travel about 24,000 miles a year.

Thanks

Do you have a long bed or short bed? I am a summing a short bed because you don't need a slider for a long bed.
I have a short bed so I went with a Sidewinder (turret to change pivot point) with the 5th Airborne (airbag with shock). It attaches to the trailer (basically a new pin box) and changes the pivot point so I don't have to get out of the truck on tight turns. I have been very happy with it.
For the hitch I have a Reese signature series under bed mount. There are only 4 puck looking connectors left in the bed when the hitch is out. It is a quick connect/release style, I place the hitch over the pucks and turn the leavers to secure it. I can install or uninstall by myself in about 1 minute.

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2008 Dodge 2500HD 6.7L 4X4 Laramie
Edge insight, Amp tailgate step, 4" Boss Bars, rear air bags with compressor, spray in bed liner

We have a long bed and use a Pull-Rite Super 5th 20K. With the Pull-Rite you can remove the entire hitch from the truck bed, including the pins. So the entire bed has no protrusions once the hitch is removed. I believe all the 5th wheel hitches are OK, as long as you don't exceed the weight limitations so it is a matter of personal preferences when considering a hitch.

Cheers

They all have advantages and disadvantages. Its very important to sit and think what you want to do long term. That will decide the hitch type and connecting rails.

I did that for mine and everything I wanted to use the truck for and haul/pull, I found that the Reese rails in bed rails worked out the best with a rubber mat. The various hitches I wanted to use where already setup for it and I had no custom work to do/worry about.

Even with the Reese rails, once the hitch is gone, everything works well and there are no problems. I haul a lot in the bed and nothing to date has been a problem. In some cases its been a plus because I was able to run lifting straps that I forgot to blocks down for ... Oops

Here is a link to my last install: http://www.cumminsownerz.com/f40/air-ride-5th-wheel-liner-547/

Some of us have gone with air ride fifth wheels with (Holland/Binkley hitch, I am very big fan of their hitches) which basically makes towing a dream. Cumminz has one also that was custom done and very nicely done (jealous ) Here is a link to his post: Here it is-custom built air ride hitch

Like other have said, if you have a short bed, slider a must and I would suggest an automatic one also.

What ever you do, do not buy on cost alone. A lot of us did that and over the years basically replaced them with what we should have done in the first place (basically costing double).

Cheers.

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I run a Reese 20K with in bed rails and a Dodge bed liner in this truck, the 96 has the same mounting and a rubber bed mat. like Morbius I use the beds of my trucks for everything including gravel, never had an issue with either one and combined there is over 100,000 miles of towing on them, I did however start with the Reese 15K and found a smoking deal on the 20K for the new truck ($300 used 2 times). Follow the advice and don't shop on price, you do get what you pay for!!

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07.5 3500 Quad, SRW, 4X4, Laramie, Leathered, Dark Metallic Gray, 6.7, 68RFE, 20K Reese, Ride Rite's, 2 Viair air compressors, Bully steps, Kleinn Locomotive air horns (5 in all), Billet polished locking fuel door, 'A' pillar mount Auto Meter Pryo, PML X-deep trans pan
06 Durango 285 RL 5'er Lifted by KZ

I do have a long bed.

Thanks for the inormation....I have had a bumper pull for a few years and my wife and I want to upgrade to something larger with the benefit of 5th wheel towing ability.

My next questions would be when using a 5th wheel what are the potential problems of going off road.

We like to dry camp and within short distances of where we live there are tons of dirt roads that lead to many great areas.

My truck is not lifted and I am using the stock tires that it was delivered with.

Also would you all recommend air bags. Most of the 5ers we have looked at have pin weight of 1,800 to 2250lbs of pin weight.

I appreciate your responses!!

IMHO; If you want to off road some (I have done it with out any disasterous problems) figure out where you want to go first, then decide what length of rig you can get into those places. We had a 22' 5'er for several years and went places we probably shoud not have been, the only thing we really had to pay close attention to was the tailgate (rear of the bed rails) and the bottom of the gooseneck area. The last 5'er we had (same as the one in the sig only with 1 slide out) we got a little crossways when crowning a road and drug the rear of the bed across the bottom of the goose neck, truck was OK but the sheet metal on the trailer to a hit, I have contacted the new one 3 times now, because the truck is a 4X I had the trailer lifted to the highest factory setting and had them add another 2" to the frame, we also installed tires that were another 1.5" taller so the trailer sits level when hook up and rolling down the road. By the way I run a tight 5" tail gate to bottom of the gooseneck clearance, wished I had 8" of room there (Don't we all? Sorry bad joke). Mine is a 28.5' but measures out slightly more than 30' bumper to front of hitch, the old 22' was shorter than the truck and real difficult to back up. King pin weight, I believe it is around 1,200 to 1,300 pounds with a total GVW of the trailer at 10,500#, we run with a full fresh water tank (55 gallons) and an Onan 4000 in the front bay (an old Emerald I at about 350#). Love the air bag thing, smooth ride consistant ride height and onboard air not to mention the train horns, we seem to find lots of tunnels. Good luck.

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07.5 3500 Quad, SRW, 4X4, Laramie, Leathered, Dark Metallic Gray, 6.7, 68RFE, 20K Reese, Ride Rite's, 2 Viair air compressors, Bully steps, Kleinn Locomotive air horns (5 in all), Billet polished locking fuel door, 'A' pillar mount Auto Meter Pryo, PML X-deep trans pan
06 Durango 285 RL 5'er Lifted by KZ

A couple things to think about when off-roading is bed rail clearance and the hight of the 5th wheel.
Bed rail clearance is the hight from the bed rails to the trailer as it sits over the truck. A standard of at least 6" is recommended but as Garlic said 8" would be much better. Being stock with no big tires and no lift will help greatly, plus if needed there are things you can do to lift the trailer (I put a lift on my trailer).
2nd, the height of 5th wheels are much higher than travel trailers, so going into the woods can be tricky, you always have to be looking up. My 5th wheel is just under 12' and that is NOT considered a tall 5er.
I have airbags on the truck with a compressor and gages (recommended). Combine that with the 5th Airborne Pinbox and you can't even tell I am towing a 35' 12,000lbs trailer; it is one smooth ride.
I run about 65PSI in the 5th Airborne bag and about 40PSI in the truck airbags.
Also something I think that has help allot with rough roads is changing out the equalizers on the trailer. I put a set of Trailair EQUA-FLEX with the wet bolt kit and it made a difference in the ride and the leaf spring POP you get when turning.

Hope that helps

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2008 Dodge 2500HD 6.7L 4X4 Laramie
Edge insight, Amp tailgate step, 4" Boss Bars, rear air bags with compressor, spray in bed liner

I totally agree with jamespi. The 'wet' bolt kit and EQUA-FLEX are the next items on the board for mine, the poping noise is anoying when coming into a park late at night. My rig sets just over 13' 2" but it has a stand up loft, towed with a 4X and it IS TALL. I have to watch the 90* turns because of the bed box and the low clearance to the bed rails, it will clear if it is flat and level. With the Long bed I don't have the cab clearance issue, it will go a full 90*. If you have to turn it 90* you should have though a little more about where you are and where you are going and planned a little better, I have had to jack knife my 4 times and had spotter on all corners to make sure poop wasn't going to happen. Love the air bag too!

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07.5 3500 Quad, SRW, 4X4, Laramie, Leathered, Dark Metallic Gray, 6.7, 68RFE, 20K Reese, Ride Rite's, 2 Viair air compressors, Bully steps, Kleinn Locomotive air horns (5 in all), Billet polished locking fuel door, 'A' pillar mount Auto Meter Pryo, PML X-deep trans pan
06 Durango 285 RL 5'er Lifted by KZ

Thanks for all of the advice. I will probably have more questions shorlty....