Recommended 5th Wheel Towing Setup for a 2017 Ford F-150 with a 5-1/2 foot Bed

Question:

I am looking to purchase a 2017 F150 Supercrew with the 5.5 Box. I have a Cougar X-Lite 28SGS 5th wheel. The towing capacities and tounge weight all are good, I just need to know what the best hitch to use would be. I have looked at the Autosliding hitches and the Anderson Hitches. I just need to know what would be best for safety etc...

asked by: GLENN P

Expert Reply:

Since your 2017 Ford F-150 has the 5-1/2 foot bed you will want to use a Sidewinder with a stationary hitch. For any truck bed that is shorter than 6 feet a sliding 5th wheel hitch just doesn't provide enough clearance for you to take tighter turns.

A Sidewinder has a rotating turret which moves the pivot point from above your 5th wheel hitch back 22 inches to where the pin box installs on your trailer. To choose the correct Sidewinder that replaces your pin box you will simply need to locate your pin box number, for example the Sidewinder # RP34FR replaces the common 1621 and 0719 pin box numbers.. The number is typically located right on the face of your pin box.

The best 5th wheel setup would be to use the Reese 20K # RP30928 along with the Reese Quick-Install Custom Base Rails and Installation Kit # RP50087-58. You will then need a wedge kit like the Wedge # RP44FR to lock the king pin so that only the rotating turret of the Sidewinder is moving.

Let me know if you have a different pin box number and I can make a recommendation for the correct Sidewinder.

I have attached an installation video of the base rails on a 2016 F-150 as well as a Sidewinder installation video so that you can get a better look at how it works.