Clearances and tailgate question

[SeattleLion]

I am brand new to FW Rv'ing. We had a Kodiak TT and are about to close on a Bighorn 3160. We've never had a fifth wheel before and no nothing about hitches. Based on my reading, I have newbie questions:

1. We have a 2014 F350 SRW 4X4 lariat crew cab with the short bed. Are there leveling issues?

2. Does the tailgate have to be removed to tow?

The dealer wants to sell us an unspecified brand hitch for $1800 installed. The advantage is that they can deal with the leveling issues, if there are any. It could be that they are ripping us off. We don't know.

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[TandT]

Re: Clearences and tailgate question

"Unspecified brand" for $1800 dollars is too much IMHO. I would ask what hitch it is.
I got a Reese 20K hitch for $700 and had it put in by a local hitch/muffler shop for around $200.
Do your homework before shelling out that much for a hitch. You will probably want to get a sliding hitch with your short bed. Although I know some people don't use them and still have enough clearance.

Look HERE to get an idea of prices.

I tow with my tailgate on. Many folks use a 5th wheel tailgate with a cut out for the pinbox.
I had a 5th wheel tailgate for a while. It rattled so much i got rid of it and went back to my stock tailgate. You have to be aware of backing straight up to your rig with the tailgate down, so you don't damage anything.

I'm sure others will chime in with their opinions. Trace

 

[travelin2]

Re: Clearences and tailgate question

I haul a '14 3010 BH with a 2012 F350 4x4 SRW CC short box. I sit level fully loaded ready to go. I bought a 20K Pullrite slider hitch installed for less. I remove my tailgate and use a cargo net instead. it's not necessary, just playing it safe.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[JohnDar]

Re: Clearences and tailgate question

Level can be adjusted two ways. One is to raise or lower the mounting point of the head of the hitch. Basic Reese hitches allow this. The second is to adjust the position of the pinbox on the trailer. A bit more involved, but doable. No, the tailgate does not need to be removed, but you do need to remember to lower it and raise it at the appropriate time.

I had to adjust the head on my 16K Reese hitch when I changed the pinbox from the OEM Lippert 1621HD to the 5th Airborne. I had my dealer install the pinbox, but they didn't have the truck when they did it, so it was a bit nose high. So I lowered the hitch head one level and it rides level. It's a matter of removing four bolts, moving the head, and reinstalling the bolts to the recommended torque.

 

[Mrsfish]

Re: Clearences and tailgate question

For whatever it's worth- we also have the exact same truck. However, my husband ordered the truck with 20s on it and we also have a non-Reese hitch on our ford 5th wheel prepped bed (whew - say that 3 times) that required a hitch adapter. We rode too high for my liking. We couldn't stay hitched up for example when over nighting somewhere(unless my husband didn't mind me sleeping on top of him - I didn't ask ). So... We removed the hitch prep from the bed - and saved around 400 lbs between the prep and the adapter- and now we ride perfect. Never know where your adjustment is coming from. AND we do not use a slider. Our conventional hitch works perfect. My understanding - ford has long beds (8') and regular beds (6'8"). We tend to call them long and short beds, but there is a SOB that really does have a short bed (6' even I think). Bottom line is that our trucks do not need a slider with the Heartland front cap.

 

[Wmnmy]

Re: Clearences and tailgate question

I am brand new to FW Rv'ing. We had a Kodiak TT and are about to close on a Bighorn 3160. We've never had a fifth wheel before and no nothing about hitches. Based on my reading, I have newbie questions:

1. We have a 2014 F350 SRW 4X4 lariat crew cab with the short bed. Are there leveling issues?

2. Does the tailgate have to be removed to tow?

The dealer wants to sell us an unspecified brand hitch for $1800 installed. The advantage is that they can deal with the leveling issues, if there are any. It could be that they are ripping us off. We don't know.

Thanks in advance for your help.

I have the F-250 lariat with a 25k Husky slider hitch never used the slider portion and I have the shortbed srw also it did not cost me 1800 it was 800 installed by rv dealer .....his is my second heartland product had cyclone now elkridge with o clearance problems..

 

[Wmnmy]

Re: Clearences and tailgate question

I do suggest you being new to fifthwheel towing please get a blueox bedsaver I installed one after 25years of tractor trailer fifthwheel towing I dropped my trailer on bed of truck after king pin came out in a rush of course min damage to truck no damage to trailer but they work didn't have it on when it happened you tube has video .....wish I would have known about it its 260 bucks to save you thousands in damage...

 

[Wmnmy]

Re: Clearences and tailgate question

no.. your tailgate does not have to be removed to tow but I purchased custom flo fifthwheel tailgate off amazon it comes with insert and locks to hide goodys if you have a tri fold extang cover ...

 

[stevenssr]

Re: Clearences and tailgate question

Given your situation I would buy a hitch from a RV dealer. They are use to installing RV hitches and will usually level everything up for you before you leave. I'd also recommend having them install a RV electrical connector in the bed of the truck. I had both of these installed at a local hitch dealer a few years ago. The store's name has "hitch" in it and they messed it all up. You would think they would know about how high to put the hitch plate relative to the bed rails. You would think they would put the electrical connector back by the tailgate where it can be reached (and not up by the wheel well). They just put it in (no adjustments, no advice).

At the time I knew little about 5th wheel hitches. I hooked up my old fifth wheel and everything looked ok to me. I had to back sharply into a driveway, so I engaged the slider and moved the trailer to the rear portion of the slider. The trailer went down a hill and the pin box angle iron hit the tailgate. Expensive lesson learned. If you are like some of the old salts on this forum you know from experience what to ask for and watch for. If you are relatively new to fifth wheels, I'd recommend using the RV dealer. $1800 sounds fair to me. Just my 2 cents.

On a side note, I'm definitely thankful for Heartlands nose design and being able to retire the slider hitch. What a pain.

Scott

 

[alex00]

Re: Clearences and tailgate question

I would suggest going to a reputable hitch or truck accessory shop in your area. They can educate you and install a hitch for much less money. I'd suggest going with a B&W gooseneck and Companion. When the fifth wheel hitch is out of the bed, you are left with a flat floor. Leveling is handled by putting the head in one of three sets of holes. I can't imagine it would be worth the several hundred extra dollars to let the rv dealer take care of leveling the hitch. If you can screw and unscrew 4 large bolts, you can adjust the hitch yourself. This stuff is not rocket surgery, don't let anyone over complicate it for you.

This forum is filled with very helpful people. Ask questions, learn a ton, and you'll be having fun in the process. Have a great time with the new rig.

 

[JohnDar]

You can also purchase the harness and hardware to install an in-bed connector yourself. Pretty simple once you get over the idea of drilling a large hole in the side if the bed.

 

[SeattleLion]

Re: Clearences and tailgate question

Great Idea! I will do it. I was a bit worried about dropping the trailer.

 

[SeattleLion]

You can also purchase the harness and hardware to install an in-bed connector yourself. Pretty simple once you get over the idea of drilling a large hole in the side if the bed.

The connector is part of my deal with the dealer. It should be plug and play for me. I am asking to add the Blue Ox Bedsaver.

 

[JohnDar]

The connector is part of my deal with the dealer. It should be plug and play for me. I am asking to add the Blue Ox Bedsaver.

For the sake of argument, there is a less expensive alternative to the BedSaver. It also does not take up space in the bed. It does require you to operate a lever to engage its safety feature. I have one on my hitch and it is convenient since I frequently remove the hitch from the truck.

http://www.5thwheellatchkit.com/prod01.htm

 

[Wmnmy]

I was looking for that one but bedsaver kept popping up so I went with it works great ...

 

[SeattleLion]

Re: Clearences and tailgate question

"Unspecified brand" for $1800 dollars is too much IMHO. I would ask what hitch it is.
I got a Reese 20K hitch for $700 and had it put in by a local hitch/muffler shop for around $200.
Do your homework before shelling out that much for a hitch. You will probably want to get a sliding hitch with your short bed. Although I know some people don't use them and still have enough clearance.

Look HERE to get an idea of prices.

I tow with my tailgate on. Many folks use a 5th wheel tailgate with a cut out for the pinbox.
I had a 5th wheel tailgate for a while. It rattled so much i got rid of it and went back to my stock tailgate. You have to be aware of backing straight up to your rig with the tailgate down, so you don't damage anything.

I'm sure others will chime in with their opinions. Trace

I looked at the listing for different hitches, etrailer.com quotes the B&W companion with under bed mounting kit at $1788. My dealer agreed to use that hitch and charged me $1800. I have a great dealer.

 

[SeattleLion]

For the sake of argument, there is a less expensive alternative to the BedSaver. It also does not take up space in the bed. It does require you to operate a lever to engage its safety feature. I have one on my hitch and it is convenient since I frequently remove the hitch from the truck.

http://www.5thwheellatchkit.com/prod01.htm

Very interesting product. So many choices!

 

[SeattleLion]

I was looking for that one but bedsaver kept popping up so I went with it works great ...

How do you know it works great? <grin>