What hitch to buy - Montana Owners Club

sschupf · 10-13-2005, 06:04 AM

Bought a new Montana model 2955 and now I need a 5th wheel hitch. Any suggestions on what I should buy will be greatly appreciated. My tow vehicle is a 2005 Chevy extended cab 2500 HD durimax with a 61/2 foot bed.

Dave e Victoria · 10-13-2005, 06:53 AM

You will get a lot of opinions on this one. I have same but older truck. I have a valley industries hitch with manual slider installed by U-Haul that I have found to work just fine. However, I don't like the rails left in the bed when the hitch is out. Therefore, when my new truck is in, I plan to spring for the Reese with below bed mount. It has quarter turn fasteners that go through holes in the bed to the mounts underneath. Plastic caps cover the holes when the hitch is out. Also, Reese has a very good jaw mechanism and looks rugged all around. Pricey though. More than twice as much as the other one.

richfaa · 10-13-2005, 07:56 AM

We to are pondering the hitch issue...Take a look at the reese web site..The difference between the Signature series above bed./ below bed mounts is like 200.00 (not a real big deal) And that is list from Reese. The way I read it the Hitch is less money but the below bed mounts are more money??? We mostly use the TV for towing only, would say 90 % of the time. Checked the CW web site and do not see the below bed reese hitch?? Other than having a smooth bed when the hitch is out what would you think the advantage would be..above bed vs below bed???

ols1932 · 10-13-2005, 09:33 AM

I was tired of the hard ride my rig was getting with my Reese hitch so I purchased a Trailer Saver hitch. Uses air bags and shocks. The rig rides like it's floating. No more banging and hard ride in the cab of the truck. It cost a lot more than the standard Reese or Drawtite hitch, but for me it was worth it. We are cross country and north to south all year round so getting the better ride makes me a lot less tired. They were selling them at the Escapees RV Club event in DuQuoin, IL last month for $2,000.00. I know it's a lot of money but boy was it worth it for me. I'm a believer in you get what you pay for.

richfaa · 10-13-2005, 11:33 AM

ols1932..we have seen the trailer saver hitch..very nice setup.We are going to add the trail air pin box suspension or the Mor-ride pin box suspension.We think it will bring similar results at a bit lower price.

Glenn and Lorraine · 10-13-2005, 11:44 AM

First off, Welcome sschupf to the MOC Family and congradulations on your new Montana. As yo can see by my signature we also have a 2955RL.

Secondly, If you look again at my signature you will see my 2955RL is hooked to my shortbed GMC using a PullRite 16K SuperGlide automatic hitch. Yes it is a bit pricy compared to the manual sliders but having the absolute peace of mind of never having to remember to get out of the truck and manually pushing or pulling some lever to activate the slide is worth every penny of the difference.
Just forget to pull that manual lever one time and take out the rear window or due damage to either/both the truck and trailer and I promise you will wish you had that automatic slider.
Also the release/locking mechanism of the PullRite is the best in my opinion. This positive locking mechanism is as close to foolproof as you can get. If the release handle is all the way in, the hitch is locked, period.
One other plus is when the hitch is out of the truck "everything" is out of the truck. Absolutely nothing left in the bed to interfere with whatever you want to haul.

You can contact Pullrite and request their FREE video showing the hitch in action. In the mean time read this PullRite Article in RV Lifestyle.

When you consider the total overall cost of the your 5er, your tow vehicle and a manual slider what is a few hundred extra bucks.

Glenn and Lorraine · 10-13-2005, 11:52 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by Dave e Victoria

You will get a lot of opinions on this one. I have same but older truck. I have a valley industries hitch with manual slider installed by U-Haul that I have found to work just fine. However, I don't like the rails left in the bed when the hitch is out. Therefore, when my new truck is in, I plan to spring for the Reese with below bed mount. It has quarter turn fasteners that go through holes in the bed to the mounts underneath. Plastic caps cover the holes when the hitch is out. Also, Reese has a very good jaw mechanism and looks rugged all around. Pricey though. More than twice as much as the other one.

Dave, Are you sure you mean Reese? It sure sounds to me that you are describing the PullRite SuperGlide.

ols1932 · 10-13-2005, 12:15 PM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by richfaa

ols1932..we have seen the trailer saver hitch..very nice setup.We are going to add the trail air pin box suspension or the Mor-ride pin box suspension.We think it will bring similar results at a bit lower price.

Everyone has choices. I tried the pin box suspension but didn't like the extra length it placed on my kingpin. I wasn't comfortable with that setup so went to Trailer Saver.

richfaa · 10-13-2005, 12:57 PM

That is food for thought..What negative effects are caused by the extra length on the kingpin????

Dave e Victoria · 10-13-2005, 01:14 PM

Glenn.
Yup, I was describong the Reese. Now that you mention it, I will look at pullright non slider (long box) before I commit to a purchase.
Thanks for the reminder.
Dave

Mac · 10-13-2005, 03:43 PM

I use a manual slider, Reese, but the first "investment" I'm throwing at my Chevy is a superglide. I was shocked how much closer this Montana seems to the cab than my old Dutchmen.

Bill Frisbee · 10-13-2005, 04:01 PM

We just installed the PullRite SuperGlide in our short-bed Ram 3500 ... for the very reasons that Glenn outlined. A couple of things to be aware of if you go with the SuperGlide. First, assuming that you will have the hitch installed by your dealer, you have to take both your truck and your Monty to the installation. The king pin on the Monty needs to be modified as well as the hitch itself being installed in your truck. Once the hitch is installed, you can no longer tow your Monty until the king pin has been modified. Second, PullRite does make an adapter that allows your Monty to be towed by a standard hitch. It costs $140.00. For $140.00, it is cheap insurance if you need to have the RV hauled by a vehicle other than your TV. I encourage you to purchase the adapter at the same time as the hitch if you elect the PullRite. Finally, based on my experience, installation of the PullRite is not a simple or quick job. It took two very good mechanics 6 hours to get my old hitch removed and the new hitch installed ... several more hours to get the king pin mod done (involves welding)... and another hour fussing with the king pin/hitch jaws to get the clearances right and everything working properly. A long process that spread over two days but it is a terrific hitch and, in my view, well worth the time and money. Everything works beautifully now and I have far fewer concerns about maneuvering the 3400 in tight quarters.

Bill

Mac · 10-13-2005, 04:31 PM

Bill,

One question on the Super Glide, how does it know (same thing I always wonder about a thermos!!

? I've not seen one inperson so how does it change positions?

Curious in Castle Rock,

Mac

ols1932 · 10-13-2005, 04:35 PM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by richfaa

That is food for thought..What negative effects are caused by the extra length on the kingpin????

I felt that the extra length made the fulcrum action a little longer. You know when you have a longer lever with a fulcrum there is a little more pressure out on the end of the fulcrum. My mind just didn't want to accept that.

Bill Frisbee · 10-13-2005, 04:59 PM

MAC ...

This will be an explanation from a dummy who has not investigated the details of a Super Glide's design ... but it is reasonably close as I understand it ...

The modification to the king pin is actually a plate on which are welded a pair of narrow metal bars, approximately 1/2" deep and 6" long. These bars are configured to form a "vee" shaped wedge, narrow end of the wedge points to the truck cab. The wedge fits into a matching slot in the hitch plate and is held tightly in place by the jaws ... effectively locking the king pin and the hitch plate into a single unit. When you make a turn, the whole hitch plate turns. Attached to the hitch plate (underneath) is a cam mechanism that rests between a set of rails. When you make a turn, the hitch plate turns the cam. when the cam turns, its shape "forces" it to slide down the rails, away from the cab. when you turn back straight again, the shape of the cam automatically returns it to its original location over the rear wheels. The cam will actually slide a max distance of about 14" away from the cab in a 90 degree turn.

Mac · 10-13-2005, 05:03 PM

Bill,

Thanks for the explanation, you're a much bigger thinker than I am!

man

Bob Pasternak · 10-13-2005, 06:34 PM

It seems simpler to get a long wheel base truck. Don't need a sliding 5th wheel and get a better ride to boot.

firetrucker · 10-13-2005, 07:20 PM

ols1932 and richfaa, I just returned a TrailAir hitch because it is primarily designed to soften the forward and back movement (called chucking) that gets transferred to the truck, especially obvious if the truck weighs less than the trailer. Actually, I returned it because it wouldn't fit in the bed of my big red Volvo.

But, at the Reno Rally, I talked with the MorRyde rep, figuring that his hitch might fit better. He said that the design of his hitch, as well as the TrailAir, was to eliminate the chucking and would do nothing to soften the up and down action that my stiff suspension, well, the truck's stiff suspension, would transfer to the trailer. A suspension designed for 19 000 pounds that only carries 4-5000 pounds doesn't sound like it's too gentle on the trailer.

He mentioned the Trailersaver as a possible alternative. When I looked at the design and their description of how it works, it seems that the up/down motion is what is primarily damped. That works better for my truck, but the price sure puts a dent in the diesel fund. I'm opting for lower tire pressure and an accumulator (ping) tank in the air bag system to soften the suspension.

My guess is they'd both improve the ride with a smaller truck, but knowing which type of motion was the most prominent might help decision making (along with weight of wallet).

Bob

dsprik · 10-13-2005, 08:04 PM

Only a few seem to have the Trailer Saver or the Trail Air pin boxes. I would be interested in more info on these. I am an absolute novice at 5ver hitches. I need info as I believe I am going to ask that dealers include a hitch in their bid.

Next~ I have pretty much finally convinced myself I need a crew cab vs a ext. cab. I fought this as most of our mileage with our Chevy 2500HD D/A would be running around while our Monty sat at different campgrounds for a few weeks at a time, and I don't like that much length in an "everyday" vehicle. Also, I really rebelled at the extra length a full box would add to the truck.

Now... I may be rethinking. I have read the ride is better (I know clearance is better) with a longer wheelbase. I will definitely have a 4x4. Maybe I'm starting to lean toward this yacht sized dimension tv strictly for functionallity and not worry so much about taking it "two tracking".

PS~ I will tell you that if you get into some bad sand or snow a longer wheel base 4x4 is much harder to get unstuck. I have personal experience. I believe it's the longer driveshafts and the torque they're taking in these situations.

(Sorry, I know this about 3 or 4 different posts!)

ols1932 · 10-14-2005, 03:05 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by firetrucker

I'm opting for lower tire pressure and an accumulator (ping) tank in the air bag system to soften the suspension.

Bob

Bob, be careful about reduced tire pressures. Tire manufacturers recommend the psi that is molded on the sidewall of their tires. Mine, for example call for 80 psi cold. That's what I keep in them and I get great life out of them.

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