Maxing out fifth wheel hitch

[bigskyjimmy]

Oh hey now my Montana Forum Brotha I'm not talking a loan I'm flat out talking about a small nominal donation of 1K to help out a fellow Montana buddy to get a little piece of mind What do ya say ole buddy ole pal??Just drop it in my Paypal account and I PROMISE I will spend it on a 24K Hitch

[speedster100]

Interesting discussion, lots of folks get all upset in regard to what the truck may or may not be legal for depending upon fuel, passengers etc which would end up being difficult to prove in a court of law one way or the other after an accident but something as simple as looking at what your hitch limits are which are generally stamped or painted on it while at the same time having the sticker on the rv that gives the GVRW which is easily read have no issue with being over the hitch limits.

When I bought the Monty in August of last year I immediately went to a 20k hitch from 16k as in my view something a cop or DOT/MTO officer could immediately identify as outside the law.

[Artemus Gordon]

Funny you mentioned about proving your overweight in a court of law! I just met one of the CHP accident investigators at a campfire last week. I picked his brain for over an hour. That guy knew his stuff. He told me if someone is injured or it's a major accident, the California Highway Patrol investigations carefully research your vehicles, and get all the details. While they may not have actual weights your towing, they can and will be able to determine if you are within your vehicles specifications. He told me a great amount of contingent liability can come your way by ignoring limits, or thinking it does not matter. His first question to me was what license I had and did I have proper endorsement. He told me the CHP takes every towing vehicle seriously. Overloaded trailers, RVs and unsafe towing, keeps his team very busy. He assured me that semi's are not their only concern. He is third man from CHP I have spoken to during past 12 months. It's a bigger deal than most people think or choose to believe. So just reporting what I heard!

[speedster100]

That is the reality isn't it, actual weight of combined unit changes constantly depending upon fuel, water, passengers etc and I hear and see people get all wound up over 200 - 300 lbs that may or may not put them just over or just under their limits.

Again in an accident they have to Prove you were over, parts will be spread around, fluids will have leaked out, its all a nasty scene and quite frankly unless the is grossly overloaded/weight I don't expect the lawyers will have much to work with.

But having a hitch that is obviously undersized (ie)15 - 16k when it needs to be 18k is so easy to check. Even if they haul your arse in for a safety check.

Licensing is dictated by your home address and to my knowledge most states and provinces are different and some have exemptions for RV's that don't exist for any other towing scenario. In Ontario Canada I can tow a huge rv but if I hook onto my double axle landscape trailer I need a yearly safety check for both truck & trailer and I need to buy weight for the truck. Tax grab for sure, but I also need the appropriate drivers license for the weight to go with it. With the RV all exempt.

So it's not easy but I can guarantee you if your hitch is undersized and you have an accident or get pulled over you are likely going to be wearing a ticket/charges.

[richfaa]

As our very good friend and attorney said.... Rich don't make it any more harder on me to defend you IF we are in a court trial.

[mazboy]

the 16K is fine...lots of rvers use it.

[Artemus Gordon]

quote:Originally posted by mazboy

the 16K is fine...lots of rvers use it.

Well there you have it! "Lots of RVs use it."

[sola123]

New truck, new hitch...pull rite 25k......not questions...no worries....should pull and hold anything I can afford to buy.....I would get a new hitch...

[kozzy]

So I have decided to upgrade, and I am down to 3. The Reese Elite 20K 30084, the Reese Titan 20K 30870, or the Pull Rite 18K 2900
Thoughts? I have always had Reese

[sola123]

Have had great performance with Pullrite hitches for 10 years...auto slider and regular....no problems ever......I would go with a Pullrite....

[mlh]

In Va you don't need any license except a normal drivers license to drive any RV. The police never check to see if you might be overweight. They have told me there don't even care. After a wreck a lawyer is going to have a very hard time proving your truck was a few hundred pounds overweight. Stuff tends to shift around in a wreck.
Lynwood

[kozzy]

how easy is it to get the pull rite in and out of your truck? That's important, because I always take mine out when not in use.
Seems like it is one piece and probably weighs a ton. The reese you can take out in 2 pieces and its manageable.

The only reason I would get the pull rite I think would be for the auto slide, that's the only feature that is making me look at that hitch

[Razrbk]

I have an18k #2900. Hitch (around 250 lbs) and rails/brackets/ect. (around 50lbs). I'll need some help in a few years getting out..., lol.

[speedster100]

If you had a Reece before the 20k reece elite will likely fit right into the rails that are already mounted.

I confirmed with Reece that the rail pkg for my 16k pro was the same as the 20k. Save spending money to mount...

[kozzy]

yeah I have the OEM package and the reese adaptor for that will work with either one. I don't have rails in my truck I'm down now between the reese 20K elite snd the pull right 2900 I like that the pull rite auto slides, but its s bear to get in and out and u cant seem to adjust the height, and you need s special capture plate, The reese is lighter, 300 bucks cheaper, easier to get in and out, but a manual slide...always had a manual slide, so I guess its not bad. decisions decisions

[Mike117]

Haven't removed my pull rite because I am sure it is heavy and when need help.

[rohrmann]

We have the Pullrite 2900, and needed to remove the hitch recently for a several month period. Hitched the truck up to the trailer, un-pinned the hitch from the rails and raised the trailer until the hitch was high enough to pull the truck out from under the hitch. Lowered the trailer back to level, and that's the way it stayed until we were ready to travel again. Was pretty easy to re-install, just tied a rope around the pin box and the front of the hitch to bring it close to level, and just backed the truck up, with a couple of corrections, and lowered the trailer until the hitch was back in the slots.

[kozzy]

I have heard of that method, but is it safe to leave hanging there for long periods of time??

[rohrmann]

If you are worried about the pin box, it doesn't hurt it. If it did, I would be worried about the pin box strength. As far as the hitch, it too is plenty strong, and it worked perfectly after putting it back in the truck. I have removed the hitch in the past with a large engine lift, but it was not available this last time.

[kozzy]

seems easier to get the reese, just separate it into 2 parts, and remove for storage.
but the auto slide is a nice feature, which is why I still have not decided which one to buy.