Best 5th Wheel Trailer Hitch for 2015 Ford F-350 with Factory 5th Wheel Prep Package

Question

Question:

I am considering buying a new 2015 F350 with factory installed below bed rails. My 5th wheel is a 2014 Keystone Alpine and the GTW is 15,500 lbs. 12224 lbs. shipping weight plus 3276 lbs. maximum additional load. Although I cant imagine adding 3276 lbs. to the shipping weight, my questions is should I go for the 16,000 lb. hitch or must I jump to the 20,000 lb.? Also, with this rig would it be wise to go for the long bed or can stick with the preferred short bed with a slider hitch? Thank you.

asked by: Alan L

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Expert Reply:

I will start out by saying that the best trucks for towing 5th wheel trailers are 1-ton long beds. As far as capacity you might want to upgrade to a different trailer in the future so if you have a hitch with a high enough capacity now then you wouldn't have to worry about that later.

You could go with the 20k, # RP30921. Or the slightly less expensive 20k model such as # C16530-16017 or the more expensive model # BWRVK3300. All of these hitches are fixed, not sliders, for long bed trucks with the Ford factory prep package.

If you go with a short bed then I recommend 18k slider # RP30144 so you will not have to mess with any adapters like you would with using other slider hitches in the Ford OEM prep package.

expert reply by: Michael H

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Answer 1

The pin weight of a 5th wheel trailer will usually be around 20% of the trailer's gross trailer weight (GTW) rating. The only real way to find the loaded pin weight of your 5th wheel trailer would require access to a commercial scale used to…

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Answer 2

I did some checking and the hub/drum we offer that will work for you is the part #8-430-5UC3. This uses the same bearings as the 8-415 and will be an exact fit aside from the fact this is a non-ABS setup and the 8-415 came in an ABS setup and non-ABS…

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Answer 3

You will have to go with a sliding hitch to allow the trailer to make tight turns. For a trailer 8 feet wide the only bed length that's going to allow 90 degree turns without a slider is a stationary hitch. That being said you have two options.…

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Answer 4

If you are needing the hub and drum assembly then you will want to go with the Dexter Trailer Hub and Drum Assembly #8-201-5UC3-EZ but if you are just looking for an idler hub then you will want part #8-213-5UC1 instead. These come with the correct…

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Answer 5

If you are installing just the Firestone Ride-Rite kit, #F2400, and not also adding an on-board air compressor such as #F2158, then I would estimate that it should take about 2 hours to install the kit. That is for someone with some mechanical…

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Answer 6

Since you have a wheelbase/axle spacing of 38 inches the correct hanger kit for slipper springs would be the part #HAP-105-205-01. And then for a 7k trailer axle the u-bolt kit you'd want would be the part #APUBR-8. I attached the diagram to use…

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Answer 7

We do have the Rhino-Rack Masterkey Lock Barrels #RRRK093-2 which will provide you with 2 new lock cores and keys for your Rhino-Rack Zenith MasterFit Rooftop Cargo Box #RRRMFZ66. As far as pricing goes on the different sets they can change based on…

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Answer 8

The number you provided, "7753400" is a patent number which corelates to the Equalizer for E-Z Flex Suspension part #013-144-03. This is for a single equalizer but if you need the entire kit it's the Dexter E-Z Flex Suspension Kit part…

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Answer 9

If your vehicle has a factory brake controller plug, you can simply use the Tekonsha Plug-In Wiring Adapter for Electric Brake Controllers – Ford, Item #3034-P, which will connect to the vehicle plug and the brake controller. On the new E-450…

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Answer 10

To tow your trailer that uses an RV style 7-way blade style connector with your semi that has a 7-pin connector, you need to construct an adapter that will also combine the brake signal into the right and left directional signal pins. This can be…

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Answer 11

For your enclosed trailer application I have several suggestions for adding interior lighting that you can control directly via a switch. Since your current 4-pole trailer wiring does NOT include a 12V auxiliary power feed that could power inside…

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Answer 12

The only way you could power interior dome lights on a trailer without it being connected to a tow vehicle would be to power the lights with a battery like a breakaway battery. How you choose to wire up the batteries will in the end be up to you, but…

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