Recommended 5th Wheel Hitch for Towing a 20K Teton with a 2012 Ram 3500 Short Bed and B&W Gooseneck

Question:

HAVE 2012 RAM 3500 MEGA CAB WITH 6FT BED -ALSO DUALLY - LOOKING FOR BEST SET UP TO TOW LARGE 5TH WHEEL 20K 41FT TETON - PLANNING ON PUTTING AIR RIDE PIN BOX ON RV - TRUCK I BOUGHT HAS BandW TURN OVER BALL GOOSE NECK SET UP IN IT NOW RELEASE HANDLE IN LEFT REAR UNDER FENDER - WHAT ARE MY OPTIONS FOR 20K 5TH WHEEL SLIDER?

asked by: James G

Expert Reply:

The best 5th wheel hitch for your 2012 Ram 3500 with the Mega Cab and short bed with the B&W Gooseneck Hitch # BWGNRK1313-5W is the Companion # BWRVK3400-5W which is rated right at 20K and will work great with an air-ride pin box.

I would typically recommend a setup with a higher weight rating but from what I could find the highest towing capacity for a 2012 Ram 3500 with the Mega Cab and shot box is if you have the 4.10 axle ratio and a GCWR rating of 26,000 lbs. For a 4x2 the rating is 18,350 lbs and for a 4x4 the rating is 17,950 lbs. If your trailer has a GVWR of 20,000 lbs then you need to make sure that you aren't exceeding the trailer weight capacity of your pickup which means you will be a bit limited with how much cargo you can safely carry.

The equipment I referenced is more than capable of handling the amount of weight your truck can tow, you just need to make sure that you verify the weight rating of your Ram and carefully load your trailer. We do have some cushioned pin boxes that have the higher weight ratings so if you can let me know what the pin box number is for your trailer I can make a recommendation from our linked list of boxes.

expert reply by: Jon G