Hitch Decision - Page 3 - Montana Owners Club

mtlakejim · 01-28-2018, 07:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by masterdrago

Your Wife and mine should be drinking buddies

. Joy is exactly the same - 1st thing works for her. And yea, it drives her nuts how I overthink everything I do.
Took me two years to decide on what pontoon boat I would be happy with. Only took 10 months on the 5r. She had found a Solitude in Mississippi for a good price early on in our search. She was ready to hop in the '09 F250 and drag it back. Had to pull back on her reins to make her realize at 3,000# pin, we would be bumping the axle. Had to convince her the truck upgrade was the 1st step.

Sounds like we are on the same page. Oddly enough we currently have a 28' Cabin Cruiser that we are about to sell and go to a pontoon ourselves and just like you it has already been a two year ordeal. At first I wanted a hard top because I thought it would be a good place to put the inflatables but I have changed my mind after talking to a LOT of people.

Likewise I convinced the DW that getting the 1 ton dually was the first step. Then we spent about 2 years looking at hundreds of campers before finally buying our new one. Oddly, I actually had a hand in designing the floor plan for our current unit but I didn't know that Keystone had started building them!!! We were actually looking at other campers when we stumbled upon the High Country 381TH! They had been selling so fast that we had not seen one on a lot! They told us at Camping World that the average camper is on the lot for 3 months before sold. They haven't had a 381TH on the lot more than a month and the last three they had in sold in the first week. We bought ours the day it rolled onto the lot (after looking at one someone else had already bought).

masterdrago · 01-28-2018, 07:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baldicon

I started out thinking I would buy a CCSB and was going with the Anderson. But wound up getting a SCLB, which opens up other options.

Thanks

One of the things that always bothered me about how the Anderson Boys test their hitch is the crush test vid. It only addresses vertical forces but not address the lateral forces (front/back & side/side).In fact I think they were replacing some of the aluminum units for failures in that direction.

masterdrago · 01-28-2018, 08:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mtlakejim

Sounds like we are on the same page. Oddly enough we currently have a 28' Cabin Cruiser that we are about to sell and go to a pontoon ourselves and just like you it has already been a two year ordeal. At first I wanted a hard top because I thought it would be a good place to put the inflatables but I have changed my mind after talking to a LOT of people.

We are going to put our 10yr old Bennington 2577RFSi up for sale in a bit. We always stowed our Big Mable towable pulled up tied to the tow bar upside down resting on the cowling of the Yammi F225. Has worked for us for years. The smaller towable gets tied behind captains chair. I've come up with lots of good ways to stow stuff on our pontoon.

mtlakejim · 01-28-2018, 08:30 AM

Is your Yamaha a 4 stroke? If it is we may talk to you about it.

Oddly enough we have the Big Mable as well. We really like it as we can put up to 3 grandkids on it at one time. Not to mention that it can be towed in two directions...

Curtis · 01-30-2018, 04:39 AM

Andersen has a 5 million dollar Warranty. If something happens to your trailer or if your dealer says its because of the hitch. That it not hear say. Do not listen to trolls. I did a lot of research on it. Its your money i will not bad mouth another hitch company. I just got the hitch that is right for me. Good luck with what ever you buy.

Baldicon · 01-30-2018, 05:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Curtis

Andersen has a 5 million dollar Warranty. If something happens to your trailer or if your dealer says its because of the hitch. That it not hear say. Do not listen to trolls. I did a lot of research on it. Its your money i will not bad mouth another hitch company. I just got the hitch that is right for me. Good luck with what ever you buy.

Thanks Curtis, I have talked to several folks that have the Anderson and they all loved it. I am wanting cushioning between the truck and trailer and from what I have read, they are not compatible. I read a report of an Anderson failure that was blamed on the pin box which had chucking reduction (can't remember whether it was a MorRyde or Rotoflex).

Dave W · 01-30-2018, 07:38 AM

I have pulled two different 5ers and with two different trucks with a B&W. To date don't recall any chucking. Will it bang once after a fairly hard stop - maybe. Easy to install, easy to maintain and is solid.

I personally am not a fan of the Anderson as it is, IMO, a gooseneck configuration and may be adding stresses to your front frame weldment - and any brand 5th wheel with a Lippert frame is suspect anyhow. But, with that said, Anderson owners virtually all claim it's the best thing since sliced bread. Your choice

Baldicon · 01-30-2018, 09:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave W

I have pulled two different 5ers and with two different trucks with a B&W. To date don't recall any chucking. Will it bang once after a fairly hard stop - maybe. Easy to install, easy to maintain and is solid.

I personally am not a fan of the Anderson as it is, IMO, a gooseneck configuration and may be adding stresses to your front frame weldment - and any brand 5th wheel with a Lippert frame is suspect anyhow. But, with that said, Anderson owners virtually all claim it's the best thing since sliced bread. Your choice

Thanks Dave. I am still leaning toward the Hensley BD3. Since the Montana's have had a history of frame flex in the pin box area, I do want some form of cushioning between truck and trailer. If I do go with the cushioned pin box, I will most likely go with the B&W.

Dave W · 01-30-2018, 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baldicon

Thanks Dave. I am still leaning toward the Hensley BD3. Since the Montana's have had a history of frame flex in the pin box area, I do want some form of cushioning between truck and trailer. If I do go with the cushioned pin box, I will most likely go with the B&W.

I hadn't looked at a Hensley hitch since our TT days - and at that time it was way out of my affordability range. I just looked at the Hensley web site and that hitch looks like it could haul a tank!

While I like my B&W and have used it over about a trouble free 50,000 miles would consider that Hensley but only if I was going to haul our 5er a lot more miles then the 7-8000 we do now to justify the cost.

Whichever way you end up going, let us know

Baldicon · 01-30-2018, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave W

I hadn't looked at a Hensley hitch since our TT days - and at that time it was way out of my affordability range. I just looked at the Hensley web site and that hitch looks like it could haul a tank!

While I like my B&W and have used it over about a trouble free 50,000 miles would consider that Hensley but only if I was going to haul our 5er a lot more miles then the 7-8000 we do now to justify the cost.

Whichever way you end up going, let us know

The BD3 is rated for 18,000lbs and 3500lb tongue weight. Their other hitches go a lot higher. I'll definitely post when I decide, but it may be a while, we aren't order the 5er for a couple more months.

WeBeFulltime · 01-30-2018, 02:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baldicon

The BD3 is rated for 18,000lbs and 3500lb tongue weight. Their other hitches go a lot higher. I'll definitely post when I decide, but it may be a while, we aren't order the 5er for a couple more months.

If you go with the BD3 be very careful which Montana you buy and how you "fill it up". My 2018.5 3791RD is CAT scale weighed @16,820 and pin is 3,500. That would be too close for comfort for me on a BD3.BTW we are legal but BARELY.

Baldicon · 01-30-2018, 03:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WeBeFulltime

If you go with the BD3 be very careful which Montana you buy and how you "fill it up". My 2018.5 3791RD is CAT scale weighed @16,820 and pin is 3,500. That would be too close for comfort for me on a BD3.BTW we are legal but BARELY.

We are looking at the 3121RL, so shouldn't weigh as much as yours. I talked to the rep at Hensley about going with the BD3 or the larger TS3. He said the BD3 is actually good to a 4000lb pin weight and said I would be fine with it. He could have pushed me up to the more expensive (and heavier) TS3. What hitch do you have?

jlb27537 · 01-31-2018, 05:35 PM

I have the B&W after having other brands, The B&W is the best hitch out there. You will not need a air hitch, either the Morryde pin or the oem one Montana is using now is just fine. A rebranded trail air. With a Lippert name on it now.

Baldicon · 01-31-2018, 05:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jlb27537

I have the B&W after having other brands, The B&W is the best hitch out there. You will not need a air hitch, either the Morryde pin or the oem one Montana is using now is just fine. A rebranded trail air. With a Lippert name on it now.

Based on what I have gleaned, I agree with you about the B&W. And I also agree with the Morryde and the Rotoflex reducing the fore/aft chucking. But I also want some vertical damping and I don't think either one helps in that regard.

Thanks for responding.

WeBeFulltime · 01-31-2018, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baldicon

We are looking at the 3121RL, so shouldn't weigh as much as yours. I talked to the rep at Hensley about going with the BD3 or the larger TS3. He said the BD3 is actually good to a 4000lb pin weight and said I would be fine with it. He could have pushed me up to the more expensive (and heavier) TS3. What hitch do you have?

I was just fine with our first 2 Montanas with only a 16k hitch (B & W) which I really liked. Had to upgrade and decided this time to go with Curt Q24 and like it fine. I use Air Lift bags to cushion the ride.

jlb27537 · 01-31-2018, 06:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baldicon

I agree with the B&W, and if I go with an air cushioned pin box, I'll definitely go with it. Trying to decide to go that route or an air (or foam cell) cushioned hitch. It seems that the cushioned hitch works better than the cushioned pin box. Either way, I do want some damping between the trailer and truck.

Thanks

For and aft cushioning is all you will need with your new DRW truck. My 3150rl has about 3300lbs of pin weight. Just makes the truck ride nice. If your new truck does not have factory air ride, when hitched up, look at the overload springs to see if both ends of the spring are solid on the perch. If off the front one, remove the oem rubber bumper and put a Ford 250/350 rear axle bump stop on the front perch. Makes a world of difference.

Baldicon · 01-31-2018, 06:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jlb27537

For and aft cushioning is all you will need with your new DRW truck. My 3150rl has about 3300lbs of pin weight. Just makes the truck ride nice. If your new truck does not have factory air ride, when hitched up, look at the overload springs to see if both ends of the spring are solid on the perch. If off the front one, remove the oem rubber bumper and put a Ford 250/350 rear axle bump stop on the front perch. Makes a world of difference.

Thanks for the tip, unfortunately I'll have to wait a few months before I can check, I wont have the 5th wheel until early summer. But when I do finally get it, I will check.