strawberry joe Posted April 13, 2017 Report Share Posted April 13, 2017 Hi all, buying my first fifth wheel hitch. so how do I determine what I will need ? 5'er has 9568 as the gvwr. Truck loaded/weighed is 8520... Seems to me I need a 20k rated hitch? is that correct ? thanks Joe 30' Artic Fox TT, 1998 3500 dodge diesel dually. Traveling with 2 rat terriers and "the cat" Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darryl&Rita Posted April 13, 2017 Report Share Posted April 13, 2017 Hitch only sees trailer weight, not the weight of the combined unit. I have been wrong before, I'll probably be wrong again. 2000 Kenworth T 2000 w/N-14 and 10 speed Gen1 Autoshift, deck built by Star Fabrication 2006 smart fourtwo cdi cabriolet 2007 32.5' Fleetwood QuantumPlease e-mail us here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strawberry joe Posted April 13, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 13, 2017 so then a 10K hitch ? or as 16k- 20k hitches are plentiful around here, any reason not to get one of these ? 30' Artic Fox TT, 1998 3500 dodge diesel dually. Traveling with 2 rat terriers and "the cat" Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darryl&Rita Posted April 13, 2017 Report Share Posted April 13, 2017 I'd buy the bigger hitch. Never know how big your next trailer will be. I have been wrong before, I'll probably be wrong again. 2000 Kenworth T 2000 w/N-14 and 10 speed Gen1 Autoshift, deck built by Star Fabrication 2006 smart fourtwo cdi cabriolet 2007 32.5' Fleetwood QuantumPlease e-mail us here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad Heiser Posted April 13, 2017 Report Share Posted April 13, 2017 There is nothing wrong with using a higher rated hitch. If you ever think you might upgrade to a heavier trailer in the future, it would be better to buy a capable hitch now than have to buy another bigger hitch later. 2000 Kenworth T2000 w/ Cummins N14 and autoshift 2017 DRV Mobile Suite 40KSSB4 with factory mods, dealer mods and personal mods - now in the RV graveyard 2022 DRV Full House MX450 with customized floor plan 2018 Polaris RZR Turbo S (fits in the garage) 2016 Smart Car (fits in the garage or gets flat towed behind the DRV when the RZR is in the garage)My First Solar Install ThreadMy Second Solar Install Thread & Photos and Documents Related to the buildMy MX450's solar, battery and inverter system - my biggest system yet! chadheiser.com West Coast HDT Rally Website Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hot Rod Posted April 14, 2017 Report Share Posted April 14, 2017 Make sure the hitch head has side to side movement, some of the lighter cheaper hitches do no move side to side. Agree with others, you will never regret oversizing your hitch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theeyres Posted April 14, 2017 Report Share Posted April 14, 2017 22 minutes ago, Hot Rod said: Make sure the hitch head has side to side movement, some of the lighter cheaper hitches do no move side to side. Agree with others, you will never regret oversizing your hitch. x2. I once bought a hitch without side to side movement and it was a hassle. I had to carry a crow bar with me to pry the hitch apart whenever I was the least out of level. 2007 Arctic Fox 32.5 rls for full-timing, now sold. 2014 Sunnybrook Sunset Creek 267rl for the local campgrounds now that we are off the road2007 Silverado 2500 diesel Loving Green Valley, AZ (just South of Tucson) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jblo Posted April 14, 2017 Report Share Posted April 14, 2017 Would suggest a 16-18k B&W Companion as they are easy to use if you have the underframe portion installed--the B&W allows for a flat bed when not towing. 2-piece for easy removal, and has movement front/rear and left/right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad Heiser Posted April 16, 2017 Report Share Posted April 16, 2017 I can second the B&W companion recommendation. I had one for years and really liked it when I was pulling with a dually. My neighbor now has that truck and hitch and it is still going strong. It is easy to remove, gives you a goose neck option just in case and no rails in the bed when the hitch is not in use. 2000 Kenworth T2000 w/ Cummins N14 and autoshift 2017 DRV Mobile Suite 40KSSB4 with factory mods, dealer mods and personal mods - now in the RV graveyard 2022 DRV Full House MX450 with customized floor plan 2018 Polaris RZR Turbo S (fits in the garage) 2016 Smart Car (fits in the garage or gets flat towed behind the DRV when the RZR is in the garage)My First Solar Install ThreadMy Second Solar Install Thread & Photos and Documents Related to the buildMy MX450's solar, battery and inverter system - my biggest system yet! chadheiser.com West Coast HDT Rally Website Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strawberry joe Posted April 17, 2017 Author Report Share Posted April 17, 2017 Here are my weights such as I have atm. truck is 1998 dodge dually 6L diesel 4 speed auto w/overdrive. Last weigh in fully loaded was 8520 (truck only). gcwr = 18K pin max = 1200lbs. gvwr = 10.5k gawr front= 4500 gawr rear= 7500 Trailer weights are Gvwr = 9568 Uvw = 7518 Ncc = 2050 So seems to me an 18k hitch is correct as 18K gcwr is max....correct ? 30' Artic Fox TT, 1998 3500 dodge diesel dually. Traveling with 2 rat terriers and "the cat" Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
57becky Posted April 17, 2017 Report Share Posted April 17, 2017 You don't count the truck weight, only the trailer. The hitches will have ratings indicating total trailer weight along with the weight applied by the pin box on the hitch. You will be fine with a 16K hitch. Just remember, the heavier the hitch rating, the heavier the hitch will be, and the more you will have to lift to remove the hitch from the bed of the truck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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