2011 Ford 5th wheel hitch - Montana Owners Club

srclink · 01-14-2011, 06:05 AM

Just ordered a new 2011 3455SA (with the MorRyde pin) and plan on ordering a new 2011 Ford F350 diesel dually to pull it. First time that I've ever had to pull anything this big (i.e. with a 5th wheel configuration) and I was wondering if anyone has any experience or opinions on the new Reese 5th wheel hitch that Ford is offering on the 2011. One advantage is if you buy it from them, then it's covered under the truck warranty.

oldelmer1 · 01-14-2011, 06:08 AM

It should be the the Reese Elite series hitch, it is a very good hitch.

http://www.etrailer.com/Fifth-Wheel/Reese/RP30142.html

H. John Kohl · 01-14-2011, 06:24 AM

If it is the Elite series my downfall would be I do not think a BED SAVER can be attached to that hitch. I like that extra insurance.

Ren · 01-14-2011, 06:41 AM

SRClink. I have the truck your looking at. It came with the rails installed but no hitch, the rails are rated at 25k. Im looking at the reese 25k hitch from tweetys.com to go in it. Looks like it has a 4degree side to side movement and 10degree fore and aft movement. I hope its a good hitch as thats the one I plan on using as well.

As far as the bed liner goes, you can use it with the spray in liners. Just not the plastic molded ones.

I have heard you can use a signature series hitch, but then you need some adaptors....

Shooterdad · 01-14-2011, 07:54 AM

If you are buying a Long bed truck I would encourage you to look at the Trailer Saver air ride hitch, or Airsafe.Between the truck and trailer you have made a significant investment and the difference in cost of the Reese and one of the air ride hitchs will probably be around 1000 bucks , however it is perhaps the one item that you dont want to shortcut, it is the link between your two greatest investments.

Both the Trailersaver, and Airsafe have the Holland Brinkly Head which are among the best in the industry.Given the problems that some owners have had with pin box flexing, and structural failure in the front cap area, this is the best way to minimize the extreme beating that trailers endure while bouncing down the road.Like I said these will be more expensive ,but will give you a much better ride than a static hitch. In addition to ride quality the wear and tear on your truck as well as your trailer frame will be reduced because of the air bags.

Go on any forum and do a search for air ride hitchs and you wont find one person that is sorry for there purchase, the benefits out way the extra cost. Good luck and congratulations on your new rig...Scott

CamillaMichael · 01-14-2011, 12:23 PM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by Shooterdad

If you are buying a Long bed truck I would encourage you to look at the Trailer Saver air ride hitch, or Airsafe.Between the truck and trailer you have made a significant investment and the difference in cost of the Reese and one of the air ride hitchs will probably be around 1000 bucks , however it is perhaps the one item that you dont want to shortcut, it is the link between your two greatest investments.

Both the Trailersaver, and Airsafe have the Holland Brinkly Head which are among the best in the industry.Given the problems that some owners have had with pin box flexing, and structural failure in the front cap area, this is the best way to minimize the extreme beating that trailers endure while bouncing down the road.Like I said these will be more expensive ,but will give you a much better ride than a static hitch. In addition to ride quality the wear and tear on your truck as well as your trailer frame will be reduced because of the air bags.

Go on any forum and do a search for air ride hitchs and you wont find one person that is sorry for there purchase, the benefits out way the extra cost. Good luck and congratulations on your new rig...Scott

The Ford under-mount system is specific to the Reese hitch...I think. If so, the user would be driven to use a Reese hitch, right???

tspoon · 01-14-2011, 12:58 PM

It doesn't look like it's adjustable. I have mine all the way down with 5th airborne.

Shooterdad · 01-14-2011, 02:17 PM

Good point Mike , however I am sure that at some point other Hitch companys will make available an adapter to use with various hitchs. I would call Trailersaver and Airsafe both to find out if they have that figured out. I know that some companys rail kits will work with different Hitchs...Scott

BrokenElbow · 01-14-2011, 05:03 PM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by Shooterdad

If you are buying a Long bed truck I would encourage you to look at the Trailer Saver air ride hitch, or Airsafe.Between the truck and trailer you have made a significant investment and the difference in cost of the Reese and one of the air ride hitchs will probably be around 1000 bucks , however it is perhaps the one item that you dont want to shortcut, it is the link between your two greatest investments.

Both the Trailersaver, and Airsafe have the Holland Brinkly Head which are among the best in the industry.Given the problems that some owners have had with pin box flexing, and structural failure in the front cap area, this is the best way to minimize the extreme beating that trailers endure while bouncing down the road.Like I said these will be more expensive ,but will give you a much better ride than a static hitch. In addition to ride quality the wear and tear on your truck as well as your trailer frame will be reduced because of the air bags.

Go on any forum and do a search for air ride hitchs and you wont find one person that is sorry for there purchase, the benefits out way the extra cost. Good luck and congratulations on your new rig...Scott

I just purchased the same unit as the OP (3455) and after looking at all the options, took the MorRyde pin box and Trailersaver air hitch (model BD3) with their manual slider because I have a short bed. Looked carefully at the Airsafe, both are very fine hitches and finally decided on the Trailersaver because it was a little less expensive and had the slider option. I take delivery at the end of this month, so I can't tell you if I made the right decision, but I thought I'd share what I did.

Jay Bird · 01-17-2011, 09:26 AM

srclink: I have 2011 F450 with the Ford accesory 25K Reese Elite hitch. I have a 3400RL with MorRyde hitch and had not experienced any problems. My truck also came with the spray liner.

srclink · 01-19-2011, 02:32 PM

Thanks everyone for the insight. I should have guessed that there was a lot more than meets the eye when it comes to hitches. After a lot more research, it seems that an air hitch is the best way to go, so I just put a downpayment on a new 25K AirSafe (Holland/Binkley head) with their special adapter and lockset for my new F-350 with factory 5th wheel prep. It's more expensive, but I doubt that I'll ever need to buy another hitch. Still have questions and more research to do about the Bed Saver "insurance".

oldelmer1 · 01-20-2011, 03:20 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by srclink
[be] Still have questions and more research to do about the Bed Saver "insurance".

I called bedsaver because they don't list one for my hitch, and they asked me if I wanted to be part of their FIT PROGRAM. I have a Pullrite 20.5K super 5th and if I want to send the hitch to them, they will design a bed saver and sent the hitch back to me free of charge.

you might want to call them and ask about the FIT PROGRAM.

Bruce Lenhardt · 01-22-2011, 07:50 AM

I just installed the Blue Ox bed saver shown on the link below on my Reese 25K hitch that I ordered with 2011 F350. AS you can see it is listed to fit the 18K and 24K hitch. This bed saver is NOT listed by Blue OX to fit the 25K hitch. I talked to and emailed Blue Ox and they wanted me to send my hitch to them and they would fit a bed saver for at no cost. After studying the installation instructions I decided that there was very little difference in the 24K and the 25K hitch and decided to try the Bed saver. It fit with no problem. Just reporting what I did and am not advising anyone to do this since Blue OX does not list this bed saver for the 25K hitch.

http://www.americanrvcompany.com/ass...Ox/BXR4105.pdf

Art-n-Marge · 01-22-2011, 08:57 AM

Will that same bed saver support the weight as the one for the 18K/24K? The impression is that a higher hitch rating means that the pin weight of whatever is being hauled needs to support weight if a mishap occurs. On the surface 24K versus 25K isn't much and should be fine.

I was just wondering if anyone recognizes this might be a problem if not considered. Especially if you're driving down the road and then the pin comes loose an 18K load dropping down on the BedSaver would not be as bad as a 24K or 25K load and the same hardware is used for all of them.

I'm just thinking out load, because the bedsaver has to support more than just pin weight if the TV is in motion when the RV drops into it. I think of this possibility for those who have reported that pranksters have pulled the hitch release bar for unsuspecting drivers when they have make a long stop. I don't always check and haven't gotten a lock for the release bar, yet. Worse yet, I don't have a Bed Saver.

Bruce Lenhardt · 01-22-2011, 09:23 AM

Again, I am NOT advising anyone to use this bedsaver on the 25K hitch. In my case the 1000 lb tow difference is a non-factor. I don't intend to tow a 20K trailer let a lone a 25K. My old hitch was a 20K and I was very confortable with it.
I believe the difference in the pin weight from the 24K hitch to the 25K hitch is from 6000 Lbs. to 6250 lbs. Again, a non- factor in my situaion.

Jay Bird · 01-22-2011, 01:22 PM

Bruce, I talked with Blue Ox about this and I think you will be fine. I have the same hitch you have and will be getting the same bedsaver.

Bruce Lenhardt · 01-22-2011, 03:01 PM

Jay Bird, I asked them the same question and they would not really help me. I am glad that you were able to get a positive response from them.

Jay Bird · 01-23-2011, 12:42 AM

I am really surprised. They were very helpful. We exchanged several emails and phone calls. I had a 16K hitch and bedsaver on my previous TV and from experience it worked like it was suppose to. So, if the new bedsaver is designed for and 18K and 24K I will have upgraded. So my protection margin has increased. We are not towing 20+ rigs and I see no reason for this not to work if the bedsaver meets the requirements in the next statement.. I want to see if hook up can be made without lifting the hitch pin to clear the bedsaver and how many inches the drop will be. If these two are good then I am ok with it. If not then back to the drawing board.

Bruce Lenhardt · 01-23-2011, 02:27 AM

From what I can see you will not have to raise the pin to clear the bed saver when hooking up. The amount of drop is the only concern that I have. It looks like the drop may be a maximum of 3 3/4 inches. I don't know how much spacing I have between the top of the bed sides and the trailer. I believe it is more than 4 inches. Even if it's close to 4 inches it should prevent damage if I drop it. I can't hook up the Monty now because of the snow we have here.

Jay Bird · 01-23-2011, 11:18 AM

Thanks Bruce. I think I have more than 4 inches clearance. I have to wait until I get the Monty back from the dealer this week to measure.

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