Will 5th Wheel Trailer Setup Need to be Adjusted for 2018 Ram Pickup from 2011 Ram Pickup

Question:

I have a 2011 Ram 2500 with Curt Q20 hitch. I am thinking of trading for a 2018 Ram with the puck system. I will be installing the Curt adapter into the Ram puck system. Will I have any height issues as far getting the king pin to hook up with the hitch?

asked by: Charlie B

Expert Reply:

The Adapter Rails for Curt 5th Wheel Hitch w/ Slider # C16022, which is compatible with both long and short bed 2018 Ram 2500 pickups with the puck system, will add about 1-1/2" of height to your current Curt Q20 5th wheel hitch.

When it comes to the height of your 2011 Ram 2500 compared to the height of a 2018 Ram 2500 I am not sure how much of a difference there will be but most newer model pickups do sit higher so I would imagine that you would need to either lower the head unit on your Q20 or adjust your pin box accordingly. The only way to really know how much, or if any, adjustment needs to take place is to measure from the ground to the bed of a 2018 Ram 2500 and compare that to your 2011 model.

If you look at the attached photo you can simply take the height of the bottom of your pin box when your 5th wheel trailer is level (A) and then subtract the height from the ground to the bed of your 2018 Ram (B) to see what the height setting of your 5th wheel hitch needs to be. Just be sure to add an extra 1-1/2" to the (B) distance to account for the height of the adapter.

expert reply by: Jon G