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Pullrite 2600 with the big boys


timelinex

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I just ordered a pullrite 2600 which is rated for 20k . Search has brought up a few reviews threads on this hitch, and it seemed like everyone was happy. However it may not be an apple/apples comparison if they aren't towing something my size (Grand Design 381m).

Anyone else towing the 3 axle 20k gvwr trailers with this hitch? How has your experience been?

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If your GVWR is 20k you should make sure your hitch is rated for a larger amount just in case as that would be too close for comfort for me. In other words are you going to measure your trailer weight each time you take it out to make sure you are under your GVWR? What if you buy some items on your trip? You need to also check your pin weight rating on the hitch and the actual as loaded pin weight on the trailer. 

2005 Freightliner Century S/T, Singled, Air ride ET Jr. hitch
2019 46'+ Dune Sport Man Cave custom 5th wheel toy hauler
Owner of the 1978 Custom Van "Star Dreamer" which might be seen at a local car show near you!

 

Check out http://www.hhrvresource.com/

for much more info on HDT's.

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I agree with Star Dreamer:  If the GVWR of your fifth wheel is 20,000#, I'd want a hitch rated for more than that.

A hitch has two ratings: The trailer weight towing capacity and the trailer pin weight capacity.  If THIS is the hitch you're talking about, it has a maximum 5,000# pin weight capacity. 

Personally, I would not want to be pulling a fifth wheel that was at the hitch's maximum capacities.

Edited by LindaH

LindaH
2014 Winnebago Aspect 27K
2011 Kia Soul

 

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15 hours ago, Star Dreamer said:

If your GVWR is 20k you should make sure your hitch is rated for a larger amount just in case as that would be too close for comfort for me. In other words are you going to measure your trailer weight each time you take it out to make sure you are under your GVWR? What if you buy some items on your trip? You need to also check your pin weight rating on the hitch and the actual as loaded pin weight on the trailer. 

 

5 hours ago, LindaH said:

I agree with Star Dreamer:  If the GVWR of your fifth wheel is 20,000#, I'd want a hitch rated for more than that.

A hitch has two ratings: The trailer weight towing capacity and the trailer pin weight capacity.  If THIS is the hitch you're talking about, it has a maximum 5,000# pin weight capacity. 

Personally, I would not want to be pulling a fifth wheel that was at the hitch's maximum capacities.

I dont quite understand this point of view. Dont get me wrong, I understand the idea of a safety buffer from the max ratings. But ALL the pieces are similar max ratings. 

 

All the parts from truck, to hitch, to trailer are tested to the same type of standards (SAE). 

 

Why do you trust to max out the 20k GVWR rating that was arrived at by the same standards, but not the hitch? If you say that you would stay away from the 20k GVWR for safety as well, then that still doesn't make the point of view make sense, since you will be staying away from the 20k hitch rating by the same margin!

 

Maybe im missing something, so let me know.

 

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2 hours ago, timelinex said:

 

I dont quite understand this point of view. Dont get me wrong, I understand the idea of a safety buffer from the max ratings. But ALL the pieces are similar max ratings. 

 

All the parts from truck, to hitch, to trailer are tested to the same type of standards (SAE). 

 

Why do you trust to max out the 20k GVWR rating that was arrived at by the same standards, but not the hitch? If you say that you would stay away from the 20k GVWR for safety as well, then that still doesn't make the point of view make sense, since you will be staying away from the 20k hitch rating by the same margin!

 

Maybe im missing something, so let me know.

 

Yes, you should also have a safety buffer in your GVWR but the reality is we have heard that many people typically exceed the GVWR ratings on the trailer because no one measures the weight of everything they put in them and do not weigh every time they add something to the trailer. If you exceed the GVWR on the trailer, usually there will not be a catastrophic event except maybe a blown out trailer tire or you might smoke your brakes, but if your hitch fails because you exceeded the rating, you loose the trailer and the only thing stopping it may be your break away brake system which maybe wasn't tested before the trip. With a 5th wheel, there are no safety chains like on a gooseneck or bumper pull trailer. And if you think it cannot happen, we have know some people that had a hitch fail on them and they were very lucky no one got injured as the trailer went from one guardrail to the other side before stopping.  

2005 Freightliner Century S/T, Singled, Air ride ET Jr. hitch
2019 46'+ Dune Sport Man Cave custom 5th wheel toy hauler
Owner of the 1978 Custom Van "Star Dreamer" which might be seen at a local car show near you!

 

Check out http://www.hhrvresource.com/

for much more info on HDT's.

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4 hours ago, timelinex said:

 

I dont quite understand this point of view. Dont get me wrong, I understand the idea of a safety buffer from the max ratings. But ALL the pieces are similar max ratings. 

 

All the parts from truck, to hitch, to trailer are tested to the same type of standards (SAE). 

 

Why do you trust to max out the 20k GVWR rating that was arrived at by the same standards, but not the hitch? If you say that you would stay away from the 20k GVWR for safety as well, then that still doesn't make the point of view make sense, since you will be staying away from the 20k hitch rating by the same margin!

 

Maybe im missing something, so let me know.

 

The critical link in the entire truck/trailer setup is that tiny little pin that connects the two. I personally wouldn't take any unnecessary chances of that connection failing, so I would go as beefy as possible to reduce that risk. I know there are others who don't think it's a big deal. Star Dreamer has it right from my point of view. Jay

 

 
 
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I did just have a hitch fail on me, so I am VERY attune to this concern. I bought my truck used and it came with a Blue Ox Super Ride that he used. First time I hooked up, it failed a mile down the road during a side street turn. The shoe that accepts the kingpin buckled forward and the kingpin came out and trailer came down on my truck. No idea how it happened as I did the Tug Test and the safety pin was still in the latch. So I'm not sure how it could have came out without the latch handle moving. Luckily I was going a few MPH. The truck bed took alot of damage but luckily the trailer just got a few scratches!

Anyways, that is all to say that I just experienced a failure and so I really value it not failing. I just haven't found any evidence of failures on the Pullrite (unlike the anderson, as you mentioned). The Blue Ox was super heavy duty and very heavy as well, so I'm not sure I want to use weight as a proxy for reliability.

I don't plan on going over GVWR and in fact the goal is to stay under 19k. I guess I'm just not seeing why I should trust the SAE on my trailer but not on the hitch. I just witnessed a meaty hitch fail and it wasn't at the gooseneck attachment point (which BTW, the gooseneck receiver point is rated at 30k).

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It's not that you can't trust it.  It's that you'd be pulling at the maximum hitch capacity.

Sure, you may have every intention of staying under 19,000#, but unless you stop and weigh frequently, you don't really know what your actual weight is at any given moment.

In the end, of course, the decision is yours based on your risk tolerance.

LindaH
2014 Winnebago Aspect 27K
2011 Kia Soul

 

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I think the point I'm making along with others, is about using the hitch at its design limits. Things wear and break much sooner when stressed at the limits. I personally prefer all my tools to be heavy duty enough to use at half capacity, or so. This insures a significant safety margin, plus much longer life. My trailer tires are rated for 32k, my HDT can easily move 80k, but I'm only at 40k pulling the camper, etc., etc. Jay

 

 
 
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Had a pullrite 20k unit early on for my Teton. Sheared the bolts holding it together. Replaced with grade eight bolts and then different hitch. My experience with towing at max 

2003 Teton Grand Freedom towed with 2006 Freightliner Century 120 across the beautiful USA welding pipe.https://photos.app.goo.gl/O32ZjgzSzgK7LAyt1

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You have two types of people. Some people go by what the specs say and go right to the limit and some people want a large buffer before being at max limit. That will always be.

2002 Beaver Marquis Emerald   C-12 Cat 505 HP

2014 Volvo 630 D-13 I Shift SOLD

2017 New Horizons SOLD

 

 

 

 

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On 4/29/2022 at 3:42 AM, GlennWest said:

Had a pullrite 20k unit early on for my Teton. Sheared the bolts holding it together. Replaced with grade eight bolts and then different hitch. My experience with towing at max 

Interesting. Thats the first failure I have heard of. How long ago was this?

Looking at the install instructions, the bolt sizes on the instructions were alot smaller than the ones supplied to be installed. So I am guessing they have beefed it up since the time they came out with the instructions. As far as grade of bolts, from my understanding, there are advantages and disadvantages to using different grades. They don't avoid using them just to save a few pennies...

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