Recommendation for Sliding 5th Wheel Hitch on Ram 3500 to Pull 20,000 Pound Trailer

Question:

Hi, We are upgrading our fifth wheel to a heavier toy hauler, and we currently have the Patriot sliding hitch rated at 18k lbs mounted to the rails of our Ram 3500 drw short bed with the 4.10 axle ratio. Our new rig will have a GVWR of 20k. We’d still like to be mounted to the rails... and we don’t mind a manual slider as we’ve gotten used to using it at this point. Which hitches do you recommend? Thank you!

asked by: Tisha O

Helpful Expert Reply:

For your Ram 3500 short bed I highly recommend the Demco Hijacker Premier Series 5th Wheel Hitch # DM6076P-UL-21K. The Demco Hijacker features a superior wraparound jaw design with an additional 3/4 inch thick steel locking bar that will provide not only an extremely secure connection with the trailer but also a really smooth ride without all that rattling during travel. Its 21,000 pound towing weight capacity will give you a healthy safety margin with your converted 20,000 pound toy hauler and the manual slider provides 8 inches of travel.

This will attach to the industry standard, above-bed base rails on your truck.

I know you said you have gotten used to operating a manual slider but if you are by chance thinking about moving to an automatic slider I recommend taking a look at the Demco Hijacker Autoslide # DM8550035. This hitch features the same jaw design and 21,000 pound rating but with an automatic slider mechanism that allows you to stay comfortably inside the cab when making tight turns. It can slide 14 inches front to back.

I have included a short video review that you can check out as well.

expert reply by: Chris R