Recommended Hitch Weight Class For A Keystone Montana HM130RE

Question:

I have a short bed Dodge Ram 3500 Club Cab with a Reese Pro 15k hitch. I pull a 10k lb fifth wheel with a reese pivot kin pin. I want to buy a Montana Fifth Wheel HM130RE with a 14.5k gross weight. My question is will my current 15k hitch be adequate and which Pivot King pin hitch should I buy for the Montana? Do your Pivot hitches fit Montana 5th wheel trailers?

asked by: Daniel R

Expert Reply:

No, a 15,000lb rated fifth wheel hitch would not be enough for a 14,500lb trailer. Not only is that just too close without even packing your stuff in it, but also manufacturers recommend only utilizing 80-85% of the total weight capacity of your hitch and pin box for safety. At that size you'll need either an 18k or 20k rated fifth wheel hitch and pin box.

Pin Boxes are bolt pattern specific so you would need to find out what kind of pin box is on the Keystone Montana HM130RE to know what will fit it. The Reese Sidewinder 5th Wheel King Pin with Rotating Turret # RP77FR you were looking at is designed to replace a Lippert 1716, 1116, and 0115 pin box.

Since you have a short bed truck a sidewinder is definitely the correct choice to increase your turning radius. You'll also need a wedge kit to prevent the king pin from rotating in the jaws of your 5th wheel hitch. Since these wedge kits are hitch specific you will need to ensure you are using the correct one.

I can recommend a good 18k or 20k hitch and wedge kit for your Ram but I'll need to know the brand of your base rails and the year of your truck to ensure fitment.

expert reply by: Kevin C