So tell me about fifth wheel hitches.

[Lizbeth]

I've never dealt with one in any fashion.

I've looked on the net and prices run from 400.00 to OHMYGAWDWWWWHAT.

What would be needed for a Bigfoot 5th probably using a Ranger for a TV? I hear that Tacomas have composite beds and can be used...is this true?

Do the hitches go through the bed into the frame?

I've seen slide hitches. Are those so the trailer won't hit the cab on tight turns?

How does one hitch up?

What kind of maintenance is needed?

Can the hitch be easily removed to use the truck bed?

I need fifth wheel hitch 101!

[Alf S.]

Hi: Elizabeth... I'm probably not one to talk with any certainty as we have only had our "Escape Hatch" for less than one year...but I can answer some of your questions.
We have a Husky 16 slider 5th. hitch was $1200.+ install. The trailer clears the truck by at least 4" on a tight jackknife turn so slider really not needed for us.
Hitching up is easier than your Boler once you're used to it!!! Just a case of backing the hitch to the pin and locking them together
The hitch is sorta perm. in the bed of the truck but it could be moved to a newer truck.
I inquired about a composit bed truck and the top of the hitch could be used but new underpinings to the axle are required under the box floor. This would have to be custom work.
Maintenance is minimal. We use a Teflon plate on the trailer part of the hitch so no grease required. A good pin lock is vital and we have a soft roll up tonneau cover that protects the hitch when not hooked up!!!
We also have a lockable tool box across the front of the truck bed for extra storage space.
Hope this helps some...we couldn't be happier with our new set up!!!
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[Lizbeth]

Thanks Alf! Wow those suckers are pricey! I have sticker shock since I'm am used to setting up a regular hitch system. I guess I'd better be pretty dang sure I want a fifth wheel and figure the cost into the trailer purchase budget.

[Alf S.]

Thanks Alf! Wow those suckers are pricey! I have sticker shock since I'm am used to setting up a regular hitch system. I guess I'd better be pretty dang sure I want a fifth wheel and figure the cost into the trailer purchase budget.

Hi: Again... The hitch prep for the pickup/trailer was aprox. $2400.00 which included the hitch, brake controler, and tranny cooler!!! We were lucky in that it was all done by the origonal owners and we purchased the unit as a package.
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[Donna D.]

Thanks Alf! Wow those suckers are pricey! I have sticker shock since I'm am used to setting up a regular hitch system. I guess I'd better be pretty dang sure I want a fifth wheel and figure the cost into the trailer purchase budget.

That's why you'll see some 5th wheels for sale, in the ad it says "hitch included." That's like knocking off a couple hundred MINIMUM.

[Lizbeth]

Donna that brings up another question.

Does any hitch fit any truck? I'm thinking not. So the "included" hitch would have to fit the intended truck?

[Darwin Maring]

The hitch for the Scamp 5r is made by the scamp people and any welder with a supply of material should be able to make you one for less than $300 (A guess on the high side).

If you are going for a many thousand pound fifth wheel then you run into the bucks..

Putnam has a hitch that I installed in the bed of our Chevy Silverado and it cost less than $300, is removable and has an additional attachment that you can purchase for the tractor trailer type of hitch. The one you order for a Scamp is the Ball Hitch. (Look for FireHawk) You will have to take it to a welder to cut off the Large Ball and weld on the 2 inch ball.

Other people have installed hitches in the composite beds however they stated the hitch bolted to the frame.

So first things first, what camper are you considering then you can get an answer on what hitch to install.

[Lizbeth]

Darwin, in my first post I said for a Bigfoot. A Scamp won't work for us because my hubby has to stand bent over in one. We were disappointed to find this out because it would be much easier to find a Scamp and we like them.

At this point we haven't decide which truck to get, I'm trying to gather information to make a smart decision the first time.

[Frederick L. Simson]

make a [b]smart decision the first time.

That leaves me out...

[Lizbeth]

Fred...I said "trying".

Eric and I are having a which came first discussion...the truck or the egg.

If we have a miracle and find a trailer we will have to flat bed it home and THEN get a truck!

[Bigfoot Mike]

Lizbeth

When we bought our 5er we bought a 5th wheel hitch for our truck. We bought a standard hitch about $400. BIG MIstake. First time we went out, we went to a RV park that was on a hill. With the truck backed in at an angle we could NOT disconnect because the hitch was in a bind. This is similar to the one we hated.
http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/rv-hitc...h-5th-wheel.htm

Next we bought a hitch that gives side to side as well as front to back. Then we could hitch and un-hitch easily. It is very easy to back into your hitch pin because it is easy to see from the drivers seat. EASY-PEASY. We had a long bed Ford 3/4 ton truck so we didn’t need a slider.
http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/rv-hitc...h-wheel-16k.htm

Hitches come in pretty much a standard size. Many of them can be removed from the pick-up bed by pulling 4 pins. Each 5th wheel hitch has a mounting kit for the truck you are installing it in. Yes there is brackets under the truck mounting it to the frame. The hitch pin lock is always just ahead of the axle center to give some weight to the front axle.

The third type of 5er hitch is an air hitch used when you have a MDT or a HDT. They keep the frame from cracking and give you a smoother ride inside the truck. Price for those are in the $3,000 range. You don't need that.
http://www.trailersaver.com/airsuspe...hes_tslb2h.php

Now hitches come fixed, slider, and automatic slider. Sliders are used for short bed trucks to keep from hitting the cab of the truck when making tight turns.
http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/rv-hitc...wheel-hitch.htm Manual
http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/rv-hitc...ide-hitches.htm Automatic

Another caveat is to consider the pin weight of the 5th wheel. Your truck needs to be able to carry a lot more weight then a TT, not just the tow rating of the trailer.

I hope this helps,
Mike

[Bigfoot Mike]

PS: I just helped my son get a 5th wheel hitch in his Chevy Short bed. After we installed the hitch, we had to put a lift kit under the trailer so that the trailer would ride level and not on just the back axle. On his rig, we had to add a pin extension because he couldn’t afford a slider hitch. He has to be very careful when turning sharp.
He got one like this: http://www.yourtrailerhitch.com/html...bed_truck.html

[Alf S.]

Fred...I said "trying".

Eric and I are having a which came first discussion...the truck or the egg.

If we have a miracle and find a trailer we will have to flat bed it home and THEN get a truck!

Hi: Lizabeth... In our previous owners case the truck came first...in'02 so they equipped the truck with everything they could think of then they shopped for a trailer. Ordered a Scamp only to have the factory burn down!!! Cancel that!!! Then they discovered Escape...ordered one fully loaded to fit the truck and the rest as they say is history...our luck!!! As for headroom in an Escape 5.0 it ranges from 6'6" at the rear (dinette) to 9' at the bottom of the loft stairs. Enough for the man in your life.
The problem is where your banker will fit in too!!!
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[Donna D.]

The problem is where your banker will fit in too!!!
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

This is today's exchange rate, US $$ to Canadian:

$25,000 US on Dec 11 (exchange 1.2317) = $30,792.49 Canadian

It wasn't that long enough (weeks?) it was the other way around.

[Lizbeth]

Thank you Mike! The links were very helpful. I can see where the pivoting head would be very useful and it will depends on the bed size to determine if we will need a slider. Am I understanding that correctly?

Alf that would be wonderful to find a newer complete set up....... but the banker (me) says no way. We still need money leftover to go camping!

[Alf S.]

This is today's exchange rate, US $$ to Canadian:

$25,000 US on Dec 11 (exchange 1.2317) = $30,792.49 Canadian

It wasn't that long enough (weeks?) it was the other way around.

Hi: Donna... If the base price of an Escape 5.0 is $26,900 Can.D. my calculator says it would cost $21,870 U.S.D. to buy one... but then I have been wrong before.
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie
p.s. we might have to scale back our camping excursions to the U.S. next summer!!!

[Maureen M.]

What came first, the truck or the egg? In our case, the egg came first. We borrowed a truck with a 5th wheel hitch when we drove up to Canada to buy our first Bigfoot 5th wheel. Then it was time to go shopping for a new truck, and we bought a 2007 Nissan Frontier long bed (6-feet). We love our 5th wheel and it's so comfortable, with plenty of room. I’m 6’3” and I, too, don’t fit in the Scamp and barely fit in the Escape. If you can find a Bigfoot 5th wheel, you’ll love it too, but they can be hard to find in decent shape since they stopped making them in 1994.

A hitch came with our 5th wheel, but we found out that it wouldn’t work with our truck. So not just any hitch you get with the trailer will necessarily do the trick. We took the truck to the local hitch shop and it was less than $500 including installation for a standard 16,000 pound Robbins four-way hitch. A slider hitch would have cost $300 to $400 more. Our trailer did not need the axles flipped to ride level with our standard mount hitch in the truck.

Our truck has a 4.0 liter V6 engine with a towing package, so it tows like it’s not even there. With the 8-foot wide Bigfoot, it’s safer to add towing mirrors. That’s one option that I wish Nissan had for our truck, is permanent extendable mirrors. That was only an option available on the Nissan Titan, but we didn’t want a 5.8 liter V-8.

I’m not sure about the engine size of the Ranger you might be looking at. Our Bigfoot has a dry weight of approximately 3000 pounds, and the dual axle version is about 1000 pounds heavier. I don’t know what the tongue weight would be, but I’ve never noticed the back of the bed of the truck lowering when it’s been hitched.

Good luck!

Chris

[Lizbeth]

Thank you Chris!

I've been messaging with Deb & Chuck. They say their dual axle weighs in at 4884 empty. Eric and I are really perplexed at the weight difference between the one axle and the two axle. An axle, rims and two tires just do not weigh 1900 lbs. Do you have any insight into the weight difference?

I think we will have to put the egg before the cart. It's looking like we will have to fit the truck (and hitch) to either a one axle, probably a 4 liter Ranger, or a bigger truck if we find a dual axle.

I know it's going to be hard to find a BF in easy striking distance. Going to Canada isn't an option, it's just too far. We are not afraid of getting a fixer as long as the body and under carriage are in good shape. Heck any thing would be easier than the Boler! We rebuilt that from the ground up. We would likely have to flat bed it home as we do not know anyone that has a 5th wheel set up truck.

[Bigfoot Mike]

Thank you Mike! The links were very helpful. I can see where the pivoting head would be very useful and it will depends on the bed size to determine if we will need a slider. Am I understanding that correctly?

YES, you are correct. Short bed trucks really benefit from a slider. Here again, you can get a manual or automatic.

Basically, when you arrive at a park, you slide the hitch to the rear position if it is a manual one. Then when you check out, you move the slider forward before you get on the highway.

[Pete Dumbleton]

My '98 Ranger has the 4.0, manual trans, tow package, long (7') bed and 4WD and is rated to tow 5,800 lbs -- If it had 2WD I think it would be rated for 6,000 lbs.