Fifth Wheel Hitch
Despite its name, a fifth wheel hitch has nothing to do with a spare tire. For those unfamiliar with the term, a fifth wheel hitch is actually the tool that allows a truck to tow a large trailer. Most big vehicles come with some sort of hitch already installed, allowing them to tow most trailers. But they’ll buckle under the weight of very big trailers or campers. That is where a fifth wheel hitch comes in. Even the most low-end can allow a truck to pull 16,000 pounds of weight, which makes them an absolute necessity when towing anything of size.
Fifth wheel hitches can only be placed on trucks, and they are only needed for very big trailers that are specifically designed for them. Because of this, and the price, they are a fairly exclusive product. As said before, the ball hitches that come with most trucks will be suitable for most towing. Most of them can hold up to about three tons, and that’s more than the weight of most cars.
Chances are that you know if you’ll need a fifth wheel hitch. But even if you have a truck, you may not be able to tow a fifth wheel trailer. The engine, brakes and towing capacity must all be up to the task. The engine must be capable of towing the weight of a full truck, plus the weight of the trailer. The brakes must be able to stop that weight, and its bed must be able to carry roughly half of its weight. If your truck fails to meet any of those specifications, then you could be risking your life and the lives of others on the road by trying to tow a trailer.
When shopping for a fifth wheel hitch, it’s extremely important to know exactly what you’ll be towing in the long run – hitch prices can run anywhere from $300 to $2,000. The price of a hitch increases with its weight capacity and features that come with the hitch. At $300, you’ll get the bare minimum, which can tow about 16,000 pounds and has no rails or other features. In the $2,000- plus range, the hitch will be able to carry over 25,000 pounds and include many features.
Those features can include rails, which are necessary to actually mount a hitch (the exclusion of rails is commonly used to make hitch prices lower than they actually are). They can also include design features like sliding hitches, heavy-duty bearings and more efficient attachment systems. They can allow the truck to turn more easily, sit the trailer up above the bed or back from it to make allowances for shorter beds. You can order fifth wheel hitches to be custom made to best fit your specific truck, especially if it wasn’t built with a fifth wheel hitch in mind. It can include automatic features designed to make attaching extremely heavy trailers to your truck much easier. The finish can be powder coated to avoid rusting and slippage.
Basically, these features become more and more essential as the weight and size of the trailer increases. You’ll need a hitch to be easy to attach, you’ll need it to turn better, you’ll need more space for your bed, and you’ll need the hitch to be as secure and self-sufficient as possible. On the other hand, if you’re carrying a relatively light and small trailer, you may need none of these features. It’s very important know exactly what trailer you will buy when looking for a hitch, and to get the hitch and make sure it fits before spending money on a trailer without knowing if it will fit.
