18k Slider Hitch Recommendation for 2020 Ram 3500 with OEM Rail Kit

Question:

I have a 16K husky hitch that I have used to haul my fifth wheel toy hauler for about 6 years now. I have traded my long bed truck in for a short bed and was looking to convert it to a slider. At this time I noticed that my dry weight for the camper is around 14k with a total weight of 18K with cargo. I am sure that there has been times that I had ever bit of the 18k weight and pulled it with the 16K hitch. The hitch is still in great shape but should I go bigger or do you think it should still be fine to use to update to a slider?

asked by: Jason

Expert Reply:

If you are going to be over the towing capacity of your fifth wheel hitch it would time to replace it with a higher rated one. You may have gotten away with it in the past and can't see any obvious signs of fatigue or stress but that doesn't mean you'd always be able to get away with.

Since you need a slider hitch due to having a short bed truck one really great solution is an automatic sliding hitch like the Demco Hijacker part # DM8550034. As you go to make tight turns this will slide back to give you the clearance needed. To install this is the factory rail kit of your 2020 Ram 3500 all you'd need is the rail kit adapter # DM6099 and you'd be set.

expert reply by: Jameson C