Lifting 5th Wheel With Jacks

[GreG L.]

Once we drop the trailer I have mine out and put away (one handed) before the wife can get the slides out, of course it is a Andersen.

[Dennis Richards]

Dave,
When I first started out with my 5th wheels I would lift the pin in and out. Then it got harder after shoulder injuries. Then I had a full shoulder replacement. I went to a engine hoist (Cheery Picker) and it worked for sometime until it didn't. I researched different options and rigged a hoist frame in the trusses of my garage. I then fixed a 1500 electric hoist onto the wooden frame. Now I pull the pins from the hitch, lift it out with the electric hoist and place it onto a four wheeled cart.Push it off to the side in my garage until I need it again. Very easy and I'm not sure why I didn't come up with this years ago. While camping I just leave it in the bed.

[Hit The Road]

Originally Posted by RipNC

David,

My Companion hitch breaks down into 2 - 75# pieces w/o tools. I can pull or set it in 5 minutes (or less). I keep a light, cheap furniture dolly and put it back together on that and roll it under the rig (when on concrete pad).

Exactly the same as I do! The Harbor Freight dolly was about $ 8.00. Remove 2 cotter pins, remove 2 retaining pins and the head comes off. Remove 4 cotter pins, turn 4 handles 90 degrees and the base comes off! Cardboard on the tailgate for any possible scratches and I'm good to go! I really like the B&W hitch!

[GEugeneS]

Originally Posted by c2itcliff

Consider replacing pinbox with a Reese Goosebox and get ride of fifth wheel all together.

I am a long way from being an expert on this but I will simply share my 20 year 5th wheel experience.

I started out with a RBW LIL ROCKER hitch in 2000 in my '92 Ford F350 Supercab. I didn't like the bed rails because they interfered with my using the bed for other things; seemed to trap dirt and debris and rusted because they trapped water when I washed the truck. However, almost no "chucking" at all.

I later switched to a PopUp RV1 Gooseneck adapter when I bought my F350 crew cab because it had a B&W Turnoverball hitch already installed. Then I experienced a lot of chucking which was quite irritating.

Still wanting a "clean" bed, I then switched to a B&W Companion hitch. There was less chucking but still quite a bit more than my original Lil Rocker. I attribute this to the rubber mounts on the base mount, as opposed to the Lil Rocker steel mounts. I could be wrong as I am just guessing the rubber allows a little more opposing motion (forward and backward) to get started and steel does not.

Again, no science here - just my experience.

[uhftx]

Originally Posted by bcrvman

I would say verrrrrrrrry difficult. Easier to find a friend to help take it off in 2 pieces.

I do this often. It really isn't all that bad. There is some slop in the tranny when going from reverse to park. So account on that. IF you get it close in height. I normally can get it to drop into one of the rails. NOT a puck system. Then just figit it into the others. Even lifting or wedgeing it into the other slots.
We are not getting any younger. Everything takes more time and is stressful.

[rames14]

I started back in 2004 with a Reese manual slider. As I got older, muscling it around was increasingly difficult. So, I invested in a Harbor Freight electric hoist which I mounted on black pipe in my garage ceiling. I got into kayak fishing and needed to get to a clean bed. Looked at the Anderson hitch but they said it wouldn’t work with the steep pitch of our driveway. So, went to the similar Pullrite. When we bought our new Montana this year, Lippert stopped warranting those styles of hitches, so I traded for a Pullrite 3900. The hoist now is used to lift my US Rack kayak rack. Should work for your hitch.