Best 5th Wheel Hitches

Table of Contents

‍What Should You Look For in A Fifth-Wheel Hitch?

You should factor several considerations into deciding which fifth-wheel hitch is best.

Start With Your Truck Tow Capacity

Before choosing the size of the fifth-wheel trailer you want to pull, you should know the limits of your truck’s towing capacity. Why would you get a fifth-wheel camper with all the amenities if your truck can’t pull it safely?

Every manufacturer will print the towing capacity of your make and model in its owner’s manual. For example, most half-ton pickup trucks have a towing capacity of up to 14,000 lbs (depending on the engine and the model). It is always a good idea to stay below the maximum limit so that your tow vehicle doesn’t have to work harder than it needs to.

Know The Weight of Your Trailer

Every trailer has a gross trailer weight. This figure is the trailer weight once fully loaded and hitched up to your truck. The selection of a hitch will depend on the weight the hitch is rated to handle. Always select a hitch that is below the maximum ratings.

If you purchase a trailer beyond your truck’s maximum capacities, you don’t have much choice but to find a more powerful truck to pull your new unit, or you need to figure out how to get a new, less heavy trailer.

Measure Your Truck Bed

Most truck beds are offered from the factory in long (8’) or short-bed (6 ½ ‘) lengths. A long bed will offer your fifth wheel more clearance while steering, while a short bed offers less. Many truck owners forget to consider the distance between the truck and the trailer and end up with shattered rear windows when making a tight turn. Some fifth-wheel trailers will only work with long-bed trucks or require a particular style of hitch (sliding), so you need to ensure that your truck bed fits the trailer you plan on purchasing.

Decide On The Type of Fifth Wheel Hitch

Typically, there are two kinds of fifth-wheel hitches - fixed and sliding. A fixed system may be less expensive, but because it has a smaller turning radius and cannot move during a turn, it is usually not the best choice for a truck with a small bed.

A sliding 5th-wheel hitch allows for greater distance between the truck and trailer because it can “slide” forward or backward while navigating a turn. This characteristic prevents the trailer from impacting the rear of the tow vehicle. Longer, more heavy trailers will require a sliding 5th-wheel hitch.

What Are The Best 5th Wheel Hitches?

Several fifth-wheel hitches have made our list. We have researched them and offer some descriptions below. Simply follow the links provided for pricing and manufacturer information.

B&W Companion Fifth Wheel Hitch

This Companion 5th Wheel Hitch is one of the best on the market. The alloy steel hitch moves front to back and side to side, allowing maximum clearance and safety for an RV owner. The unit is light (weighs about a pound) and has been powder coated for a uniform finish. The Companion hitch is rated for 25,000 ft/lbs of pull force and supports 20,000 GTW (gross trailer weight) and 5,000 VTW (vertical tow weight).

The unit has a cam latching handle that makes coupling easy and polyurethane bushings to reduce noise while towing. The 5th wheel hitch works with a Turnoverball system which offers the flexibility to pull both gooseneck and 5th wheel hitches with the same apparatus.

The hitch is the best 5th wheel hitch on Amazon, with a 4.8 out of 5 rating and nearly 750 reviews. It also tops several other online review sites, and tops several online sites. This hitch has a limited lifetime warranty and has a service to help get you and your trailer back on the road should you have an accident.

B & W Trailer Hitches makes the Companion Fifth Wheel Hitch in the factory located in Humboldt, Kansas, and they are one of the leading manufacturers of trailer hitches today. Even though they are a small company, the product is USA made, and its employees are also employees/owners, which means that the product quality is first-rate. B & W developed the TurnoverBall hitch system several years ago, which forced the rest of the trailer companies to rethink their systems.

What We Like

USA made
Have a reputation for quality
The Sliding hitch moves sideways and front to back.
Lifetime warranty
Have the endorsement of PBR, MLF, BuckCommander, and others

What We Dislike

Nothing we need to mention.

Best Light-Duty 5th Wheel Hitch: Curt E16 - Series

Curt Mfg. is one of the leading makers of trailer hitches. They offer several different budget-friendly units depending on your truck and trailer configuration. The

Curt E16 can handle 16,000 lbs in trailer weight and 4,000 vertical tongue weight. This fixed fifth-wheel hitch has a slide-bar jaw that automatically locks, providing additional security.

Curt Mfg E-16 has a 2-pin removal system that makes it easy to install or remove from your truck bed. dual locking jaws provide complete 360-degree kingpin contact. The dual pivot head adjusts to different heights and swivels allowing greater flexibility when negotiating strong turns. The unit bolts to any fifth-wheel railing system, and is simple to remove and install.

The anti-rattle skid plate helps prevent vibration when towing, and this hitch is more than many RV owners need for lighter loads. Please remember that a hitch will only tow below their ratings, so if your trailer weighs more, you should check out other Curt products.

Curt offers a 10-year limited warranty and has a decent 30-day return policy. This hitch is priced at less than $350 and is the best value for small RV owners who need to save money.

Curt Mfg is based out of Eau Claire, WI, and has recently joined the Lippert family of companies. Lippert specializes in all kinds of outdoor recreational activities. The head swings laterally in a 10-degree arch to make hooking up your RV a breeze. The base rails and installation kit are sold separately, but they are compatible with different above-bed base rails made by B&W, Demco, Draw-Tite, Hidden Hitch, Husky, Reese, and Valley.

What We Like

Warranty
Perfect hitch for short trips and light-duty work.
Curt has a good reputation
Small Company - USA made
Good value for budget

What We Dislike

The warranty is good, but it could be lifetime like B & W
Compatible with only specific pickup trucks

Best Auto Slide: Demco Autoslide 18K Above-Bed Mount

This Demco Autoslide is a slider hitch that sits in the back of the pickup truck bed and though it is a bit bulky, and is more expensive than others, it does a wonderful job automatically adjusting to help navigate curves and tight corners. You don’t have get out to remove a pin or readjust your slide manually. This unit does it for you. The Autoslide has 14 inches of slide, which is ample space for even the largest trailers. The wrap-around jaw with a locking bar helps keep the trailer connected and provides excellent support.

There are three different height adjustments designed to help keep the trailer level. Polyurethane bumpers in the head provide some cushion for towing, and reduce vibrations. For some model trucks, you may need a special prep kit, so make sure that you check with your manufacturer or with Demco before ordering.

Demco Manufacturing produces large industrial and agricultural components for semi-truck and RV applications. The company’s headquarters are located in Boyden, IA (with another location in Spencer, IA). The company offers a five-year warranty on any fifth-wheel hitch that they make.

What We Like

Great auto slide unit.
USA made
It has good reputation for semi-truck couplings

What We Didn’t Like

The warranty should be longer
Expensive

Best Value: Reese Pro Series 20K Fifth Wheel Hitch

Reese Products makes this Pro Series fifth-wheel hitch makes short-work of towing. It isn’t the cheapest, or the most expensive, but it has all the features you would want when pulling an RV. The hitch is rated for 20k lbs of GTW and 5k for TW, and has a height adjustments from 13 ½ inches to 17 inches, which is a plus. The head swivels five degrees side to side movement, and has around 44 degrees of fore-aft capability. The dual locking jaw is a Reese standard and you can rest assured that once connected, your trailer isn’t going anywhere it shouldn’t.

Reese is a leading innovator in trailer hitch designs and towing solutions. Their products are a proven commodity in the fifth-wheel RV world. They are owned by Horizon Global, a parent company that owns many other RV and trailer hitch companies like Fulton, Highland, Draw-Tite, and others. The company is based out of Plymouth, Mi. and offers a limited 10-year warranty based on the Reece website.

What We Like

USA made
Good basic fifth-wheel hitch
Shock absorber for a smoother ride

What We Didn’t Like

A warranty could be longer
It may not fit shorter-bed pickup trucks.

Best Hitch For Ford Puck System: Curt Mfg Q25 - Series 5th Wheel Hitch

This Curt Mfg Q25 hitch is built to fit F-250, F-350, and F-450s with an 8’ bed puck mounting system. The hitch is made from carbon steel, is solid, and rated for 24k GTW and 6K TW. The single lever handle makes coupling and uncoupling easy and is lockable for optimal security. There is a 3-level hitch indicator that tells you when your trailer is hooked and ready to tow to help RV owners fee comfortable about whether the kingpin is sitting right.

The unit has a spherical axial bearing in the head that allows the surface of the head to tilt in any direction needed, which is particularly helpful when towing on uneven road surfaces or off-road. The head self-aligns, which is a great feature when trying to align the truck and RV’s kingpin, reducing the time it takes for coupling. The dual jaws provide a fully articulating head and interlock for maximum kingpin contact, and the secure contact holds chucking noises down during the tow.

This hitch is not sidewinder compatible, and for those applications, you would need to look at the Curt Mfg A-series or E-series (both require a wedge adapter).

Curt Mfg is based out of Wisconsin and has been in the business of making trailer hitches for many years.

What We Like

Good solid system
Reputation and experience in trailer hitches
It Fits the Ford puck system

What We Dislike

The warranty needs to be longer

Best Gooseneck Adaptable: Andersen Hitches Ultimate Connection

The Ultimate is not like any of the other hitches that we have reviewed so far. This very lightweight hitch that adapts the kingpin on the trailer and the mount in the truck bed so that your fifth wheel becomes a gooseneck connection. There are some advantages to thinking outside the box, and we applaud Andersen for doing something different. The hitch weighs less than 40 lbs making installing in the truck’s bed much more manageable. (This is also a life-saver when pulling the mount out should you just need to haul a gooseneck trailer from a standard ball in the truck bed). A gooseneck connection is easy to lock and unlock, less greasy than a fifth wheel hitch, and frankly, it is easier to line up when trying to line the truck’s rear wheels with the front of the trailer.

This hitch is built for 24k lbs GTWR and 4,500 lbs of TW. The hitch is made of aluminum rather than carbon steel, but despite that is surprisingly strong. The company offers a flatbed and rail mount version of the Ultimate, depending on the configuration between the truck and trailer. The hitch has three adjustable heights from 18 ¾ to 20 ½ inches to accommodate various kingpins. The hitch is built to use a gooseneck adapter on the end of the kingpin.

The remote latch and unlatch cable make it easy to secure the connection without crawling up into the bed (which we like). The hitch is rated for heavy-duty towing, and since it is rated as a fifth-wheel hitch, it does not require safety chains like other gooseneck trailers. The Ultimate is a fixed hitch, which means that it does not pivot on the ball, which could create issues on tight turns. Andersen claims that the hitch will work on short-bed trucks but with an adjustment to the kingpin. Either way, we advocate for safety chains and a longer truck bed length.

Despite these reservations, it is one of the top-rated hitches on Amazon, with a 4.7 rating and over 1100 views.

Andersen offers a one-year warranty on the cable assembly and a limited lifetime warranty on the mount and coupler block.

Andersen Hitches is based in Idaho Falls, Idaho, and employs about 100 workers. They are still a family-owned company and have recently expanded, adding over 70,000 sq ft of manufacturing and warehouse space to meet the growing demand for its products. The company operates through a network of dealers, so if you want to purchase, you must order from Amazon or contact one of the local dealers in your area.