Fifth Wheel Hitch w/ Lowest Height Available for 2016 Ram 2500 Short Bed w/ Factory Tow/Prep Package

Question:

Need a sliding 5th wheel hitch for a Ram 2500, 4x4 short box with factory 5th wheel kit. Looking at the Curt C16521 but worried about being too high. Your information says lowest setting is 17.5inch for the hitch plus 1.5inch for the adaptor to mount to factory mounts. So 19inch to top of hitch, almost to top of the bed. My bed is 36inch from the ground in tow mode of air leveling system. That puts hitch plate at 55inch from ground. Trailer plate is about 46. There is one adjustment position left to raise trailer pin plate so trailer nose is not too high. Not sure how much that one adjust position moves plate as unit is still at dealer until I get a hitch on the truck. Bottom line question - Curt hitch seems too high, of course the Reese 30869 is only a 1/2 inch lower. Are these hitches with adaptor for factory kit really too high or am I missing something?

asked by: Bill C

Expert Reply:

The sliding fifth wheel hitch with the lowest hitch height we offer would be the Demco Hijacker Autoslide, part # DM8550035. When used with the # DM6099 adapter, the minimum hitch height would be about 16-1/4 inches. Keep in mind, to be safe and prevent the underside of your fifth wheel's trailer loft from impacting the tops of your bed sides, you'll want at least 6 inches of clearance between the top of the bed sides and the underside of the trailer loft.

You could knock off 1/2 an inch from that by going with the Reese # RP30918 and a Reese Sidewinder with wedge kit # RP44FR. The Sidewinder replaces your existing pin box and relocates the pivot between the truck and the fifth wheel from the hitch to the point where the pin box attaches to the fifth wheel. This would offer 22 inches of clearance between the fifth wheel and the rear of the truck cab, eliminating the need for a slider. To determine which Sidewinder model you'd need, find the manufacturer and model number of your pin box. This information should be on a label or stamped into the metal of the pin box somewhere.

Next, click the linked FAQ article that explains how the Sidewinder works. Scroll to the bottom of the page, to find a listing of the various OEM pin boxes and which Sidewinder model is compatible with which pin box.

A pin box will typically offer adjustments of 1 to 1-1/2 inches between bolt holes.