Reese Towing

Reese Towing

Fifth Wheel Hitch Reviews

There are many popular hitches on the market but not many fifth wheel hitch reviews. Here are some of your best options and what to look for when buying.

What to Look For in a Hitch

Your first concern in choosing a hitch is making sure it can handle the weight of your fifth wheel. Hitches are rated to pull anywhere from a few thousand to 20,000 or more pounds. You will also want to check for shock-absorbing capabilities. Higher-end hitches are designed to take minimal bouncing from the pin weight of the RV.

If you have a short bed truck, you will need to get a sliding hitch so that when you make a sharper turn, the nose of the RV won't make contact with the back of your cab. (Unfortunately, sliding hitches can void your RV warranty because RVs aren't designed for them.)

The Best Fifth Wheel Hitches

The most popular 5th wheel hitches are made by Curt, Pull-Rite, Reese and Pro-Series. Each company has several designs with different capabilities. The best place for unbiased reviews of specific hitches are RV forums, so be sure to check several websites for input. But if you stick with any of the above brands, you should get a decent quality hitch.

The Future of Fifth Wheel Hitches: Drop Axle Towing

Even the most expensive and well-designed fifth wheel hitch doesn't have the ability to do the following:

• Increase your braking capacity
• Lighten the load on your rear axle
• Increase your stability
• Leave your truck bed free

Because of the prevalence of RV accidents on the road (usually due to the inability to stop during an emergency), RV experts are beginning to heartily recommend avoiding the traditional hitch-in-bed set-up.  The emerging new standard is to use a drop axle hitch designed to attach behind a pick-up truck, SUV or van. A few products have come out on the market over the years, but the one making headlines is the Automated Safety Hitch. It is already being hailed as a giant leap forward in safe RV towing.

With the Automated Safety Hitch:

• Your RV pin weight sits on a two-ton Ford Dana axle taking the load off your truck
• You add an extra set of heavy duty hydraulic brakes greatly increasing your stopping power
• You are incredibly stable in high-winds or lane changes because you have an extra set of wheels on the ground exactly where you need them
• Your truck bed is completely freed-up for other things
• You avoid the need to buy a dually truck and you can tow with a van or SUV
• The length of your truck, SUV or van is extended, increasing towing safety

The consensus is that this will be the new norm for safe fifth wheel towing in the future. Read more about the Automated Safety Hitch at their official website.

About the Author

Melaine McKenzie is a long-term RVer having camped at almost all 50 U.S. States. She and her family are planning a trip through Central America with a fifth wheel and truck set-up.

Reese Trailer Hitch?

I have a '97 Pontiac Sunfire 2.2L 4 cylinder coupe do you think I would be able to put a reese hitch and tow say a 4 wheeler on a trailer? If so what reese hitch size would i need?

Reese hitch sizes up the vehicle to the hitch. In other words,, if you vehicle is capable of towing the weight requirements of a calss 3 hitch then they will say so and make oe...if not they will not.

Hayman Reese - The True Experts in Towing and Weight Distribution Systems