Recommended 5th Wheel Hitch for 2019 Ram 3500 Flat Bed

Question:

Good afternoon: I have a customer who is wanting to change over his Gooseneck to a fifth wheel hitch. He has a Hillsboro-custom deck with hideaway gooseneck. His vehicle information is 2019 Dodge 3500 Dually. Can you please suggest a 5th wheel hitch you would recommend for this set up. Thank you ,

asked by: Angel C

Expert Reply:

For a flat bed setup like what your customer has on his 2019 Ram 3500 the best option for a 5th wheel hitch is the Reese Low-Profile # RP30054. This particular hitch is designed for these types of applications and instead of using standard 5th wheel base rails, the hitch will be bolted to a 1/2 inch thick steel plate (not included) that needs to be welded to the frame below the bed. The existing gooseneck hitch would need to be removed.

The flat bed itself is not usually strong enough for a standard base rail setup so this is what I recommend. The low-profile design on this hitch (9-1/2 to 12-/2 inches tall) also helps to keep the trailer level when connected since the flat bed will be quite a bit higher up compared to a standard pickup bed.

The Reese hitch has a towing weight capacity of 30,000 pounds 2-jaw locking system for a secure and quiet connection with the trailer. I have attached a short video review and the complete written installation manual that you can check out as well.

Another potential option if your customer wants to keep the gooseneck hitch in place is to use an adapter like the Ranch Hitch # AM3139 that bolts over the trailer's king pin and converts it to a gooseneck coupler. If the gooseneck ball on the truck is recessed you will just need to make sure it has at least 5-5/8 inches centered around the base of the ball for this to properly attach.

expert reply by: Chris R