5th Wheel Hitch and Trailer Compatibility with 2010 Toyota Tundra Crewmax with 5-1/2-Foot Bed

Question:

I recently purchased a 2010 Toyota Tundra Crewmax with a 5 1/2 foot bed. It had a sliding 5th wheel hitch installed with a hole in the center of the bed and a cap on the hole that says B and W. I looked underneath the truck and the frame mounts are installed but the hitch did not accompany the truck. What parts do I need? Since my truck is a 1/2 ton do you have a hitch recommendation? Do you know how heavy a 5th wheel trailer I should be looking for? Thanks for your assistance.

asked by: Kim H

Expert Reply:

It is likely that in your 2010 Toyota Tundra Crewmax with 5-1/2-foot bed the B&W hitch that is installed is their gooseneck hitch # BWGNRK1257. This hitch serves as both a gooseneck hitch for pulling gooseneck trailers AND as a mounting point for their Companion 5th wheel slider hitch # BWRVK3400-5W.

According to my research your 2010 Tundra Crewmax 1/2-ton truck has a 10,000-lb towing capacity, but your owner's manual is the best place to check since it will reflect the capacity of your particular truck. Naturally, it is a good idea to have some safety margin in any towing system so choosing a 5th wheel trailer with a dry weight of up to 8000-lbs or less is likely to be best. Do note this is well below the maximum capacity of the B&W system.

Very short bed trucks like yours make it a challenge to make tight turns with a 5th wheel trailer. If you are new to 5th wheel towing I suggest that instead of a slider hitch you use a stationary hitch like the B&W # BWRVK3500-5W along with a replacement pin box called a Sidewinder. It is not recommended to use a Sidewinder with a slider hitch.

A slider hitch will give you some additional turning clearance, but a Sidewinder pin box that bolts on to your 5th wheel trailer's mounting wings in place of the standard pin box gives you a full 22-inches of additional pivot distance. Slider hitches generally give you about 10- to 12-inches. This makes the fixed hitch plus Sidewinder a much better option, especially if you will be towing in unfamiliar places where you don't always know every turn and twist.

Sidewinders are offered for many popular pin boxes. The linked article includes a table of compatible replacement Sidewinders for many of the most common pin boxes in use. For example, if your trailer has a Lippert 0719, 1621 or 1621HD pin box there is a Sidewinder that bolts on in its place, part # RP61422, which is shown in the linked installation video.

For a wiring harness for the trailer you can use # PK11893-11932 from Pollak.