Auto-Sliding 5th Wheel Hitch for 2017 Ford F-350 Super Duty Towing Keystone Raptor 355TS

Question:

What is the best 5th wheel sliding hitch for a 2017 ford f-350 crew cab short bed pickup. We wanted to go with the pullrite but were told that because of the height of the newer style f350 that the truck will not really be level. What is your opinion? We would prefer an automatic sliding hitch but if we cant get that we will do the version you have to pull. Please advise! We are towing a 2018 Keystone Raptor 355ts toy hauler. We would like a 20,000 lb or higher rated hitch.

asked by: Melanie S

Expert Reply:

If your 2017 Ford F-350 short bed has the factory 5th wheel rail kit you can use the 21K Demco Hijacker autoslide hitch # DM8550038 which will drop right into the factory pucks and provide 14-inches of slider travel automatically when you make a sharp turn.

For a manual slider that will also fit the Ford factory rail kit the 20K B&W Companion Slider hitch
# BWRVK3370 offers 12-inches of slider travel and among the best build quality of any 5th wheels. The Companion features a fully-articulating head with 1-inch-thick dual jaws for easier hitching and polyurethane bushings that provide a smooth ride. Both Demco and B&W are USA-made.

These and all other 20K-and-up 5th wheel hitches for the Ford prep are shown on the linked page. If you have a different truck configuration you can use the other linked page to select that setup to then see suitable hitch and installation kit options. We list the height range for each hitch in the specs.

For instance, if you have short bed 4WD without the factory rail kit you could use the 21K Demco autoslide hitch # DM8550035 and the above bed base rail kit # DM8552031-71. This has the same 14-inches of automatic slider travel.

I contacted Keystone to obtain the height of the pin box on your 355TS and they quoted 60-1/2-inches from the ground up to the bottom plate of the pin box. You will want to measure the height of the bed in your truck (since this varies depending on wheel/tire size) and see how much height adjustment you will need from the hitch in order to both keep the trailer level when hitched and to ensure enough clearance between the top of the bed rails and the bottom of the trailer overhang.

The linked diagram shows the recommended minimum clearances for 5th wheel towing. Sometimes it can be necessary to shift the vertical position of the pin box on its mounting wings in order to both have enough truck-to-trailer clearance and to keep the trailer level.