Hitch advice-BH3650

[WestPat]

Hello,
I have a 2014 3650BH that is about 17000lbs set up. I recently bought a 2011 F450 with the OEM tow package and pucks in the bed. Now all I need is to find the right hitch. It is an 8ft bed, but my wife would still like to have a slider hitch, just in case, since we will be pushing 60’ for the coach and truck. I am open to any and all suggestions, and would love to hear any advice.
Here is what we r considering at this time:
Curt Q20 slider
Reese Ford Elite, non-slider
B&W, but don’t know much about them

Thank you for your input!
David

 

[jnbhobe]

Any of them with the pucks and no you do not want or need a slider for any reason with that truck.

 

[Oregon_Camper]

Love my B&W Companion "puck system" hitch. Can take it apart (into 2 pieces) and out of the bed of the truck in about 3 mins. Simply amazing.

You do not need a slide hitch. Make your wife happy by saving money on the slider hitch but put that money toward an upgraded King Pin to avoid "chucking".

 

[sengli]

Since you have an 8 foot bed, you really dont need a slider. I have a Q20 works great. Nothing fancy, and its heavy as a tank. Mine is puck system for RAM, but I am sure they something like this for a FORD

 

[NYSUPstater]

B&W = YES
Slider = NO

 

[centerline]

I have a Ram 3500 long bed, and I have a slider for reasons other than why one is usually needed.

its the pullrite automatic slider, which is what i needed for my purpose, but if you are worried about total length of your combination, a manual slider is what you would need, but its hardly worth it unless your total length is over 65'5"... 65ft is the max length you can have in most states, but some allow 75ft.... the law will allow a 5inch variance, but they CAN still issue a citation for that 5", if they take a disliking to you for some reason...

personally, at 60ft, I wouldnt bother, as its only going to allow you about 20" maximum, depending on which hitch system you get....

my specific reason for having a slider is because I have side boxes on my bed rails of my pickup, for tools and such.... the pin box is adjusted/bolted so the trailer overhang has 9" of clearance over the side rail boxes (about 14" over the bed rails) but the rear of the pinbox assembly that I had on a previous trailer came down vertically from the trailer overhang frame farther than some do, and would allow it to contact the inside corner of the side boxes when I turned sharp.... so to prevent that from ever happening, i installed the pullrite automatic sliding hitch so when i was turning around and jackknifing the trailer, the slider will move the complete assembly rearward away from any interference with the bed rail boxes.... and it works well without any issues.

 

[ILH]

I agree with Jon - you certainly don't need a slider with an 8' bed. I'm on the other end of the spectrum... I have a short bed dually and don't have a slider. Fortunately Heartland is made with the 88 degree turn radius front - so you shouldn't need it - but I'm VERY careful on tight turns.

Put your money into a quality hitch.

 

[WestPat]

B&W = YES
Slider = NO

Thank you all for your practical advice. No slider! So the next question would be, what Pin Box would you you upgrade to, or would you just consider a Reese Goosebox or a Gen Y torsion gooseneck? I know that’s a curveball, but I am trying to weigh all my options.
Thank you,
David

 

[NHCelt]

Since you have an 8 foot bed, you really dont need a slider. I have a Q20 works great. Nothing fancy, and its heavy as a tank. Mine is puck system for RAM, but I am sure they something like this for a FORD

I give a second thumbs up for the Q20. I've had BW, and am just as comfortable with this hitch for way less cash. And I also agree that you have no need for a slider hitch.

 

[jmarnell]

To throw in one more option, our Cyclone has the Trail Air pin box and we use an Andersen Ultimate hitch. Our F350 has the 8 foot bed. The Trail Air seems to work pretty well to help smooth the ride, and the Andersen hitch is incredibly light and easy to move. Hitching up the rig is a breeze with the Andersen.

 

[jaktwo]

We love our trailer saver.

http://www.trailersaver.com/

More expensive, but well worth it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[RogerinDusty]

Thank you all for your practical advice. No slider! So the next question would be, what Pin Box would you you upgrade to, or would you just consider a Reese Goosebox or a Gen Y torsion gooseneck? I know that’s a curveball, but I am trying to weigh all my options.
Thank you,
David

I have the GenY https://genyhitch.com/product/execu...w-auto-latch-coupler-cable-torsion-flex-copy/ and the B&W turn over goose neck https://www.etrailer.com/Accessories-and-Parts/B-and-W/BWGNRC800.html. Dodge 2500 & Cyclone 3010. My pickup is still a pick up when not pulling, and the shuck factor is 0. Love them both. I have another gooseneck flatbed trailer I pull so.....I had incentive to spend a little extra. Installed them both myself...saved quite a bit. But the smooth and effective torsion system is top notch.

 

[WestPat]

I know ive been silent for a while. Quite by luck we ended up with an 18K Ford Accessories Reese Hitch made for the Ford puck system. Picked it up for $500, so I am very happy with the price and capability. Also saved money to upgrade the Pin Box with.
Thanks for all the input.
David