New fifth-wheel hitch setup

[S854]

I've grown tired of of "traditional", heavy FW hitch... 200lbs. or so...

After exhaustive research I've ordered a Curt Crosswing...

It's a 3-piece design with one of the pieces remaining attached to the trailers pin-box... the other two pieces weigh roughly 60 lbs... I can manage 60 lbs...

The instructions Curt supplies involves quite a bit of leveling, measuring, more measuring, subtracting etc... all of which would, IMHO, be necessary for a first-time hitch install...

OTOH, I currently have our old (heavy) hitch, which is set-up correctly for my trailer...

I don't see why I can't simply set both old and new hitches side-by-side on my garage floor, measure the distance from the floor to the top of the old hitch plate, then, make the new hitch the same (close) height...

The new hitch pin connection will be about 5" further back than the old pin placement, with the angle of the truck bed rising as one goes back this would insure at least as much truck bed-to-trailer clearance as the old hitch...

Seems like a no-brainer to me...

Am I missing something?

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

Dunno,

But just me, I think that thing looks scary as h#ll. Can't even put a finger on "why". Just looks like you can't (or shouldn't) trust it.

I think the base on my B&W turnover ball companion hitch weighs 80 lbs, and the upper portion (it's 2 pieces) weighs 60?

It looks like a battleship compared to that sketchy looking thing there.

I use the forks on my FEL to set mine in and out of the truck bed while all in one piece.

 

[Engineer42]

I use my forks for the same chore. Makes it a lot easier

 

[S854]

Dunno,

But just me, I think that thing looks scary as h#ll…

When I first saw the aluminum (aluminum!) Anderson hitch I had the same reaction… 40 lbs of aluminum to tame a 16k trailer?!?

NO WAY!!!

Then I thought back to the beginning of my motorcycling days… the then revolutionary, Bell full-face helmet made a big splash with its full-face design… being made entirely of fiberglass it was also heavy and rather cumbersome…

Fast-forward 50 some odd years… all helmet manufacturers now offer the full-face design… made with modern materials and created with modern day technology… the new helmets are light-years ahead of the original Bell design with regards to safety and protection... All the while being literally a fraction of the weight…

Curt is a well-known hitch manufacturer… and the roll-out of their new Crosswing offering is several years behind the first (as far as I know) non-traditional FW hitch sold by Anderson…

I’m a proud Luddite in regards to most purchases, however, there are some newfangled items I’m willing to give a chance…

It‘s coincidental this guy just ditched his Companion for the Crosswing… is he right? Absolutely not… but for his situation it was, according to him, the right move…

 

[sd455dan]

Why would Curt require the pin position to move 5 inches back? Talking about the trailers Pin position correct?

As much as it is a pain to R and R the Reese Fiver - I do trust it Well other than the time I wasn't paying attention and put the forward mounting pins in the wrong holes...

I bought the Curt Fifth wheel to Gooseneck adapter plate and installed a couple of their hitches on Jeep Grand Cherokees . No complaints with any of it but as stated earlier looking at the crosswing, it just looks lighter duty than a full size fifth wheel mount the plate diameter appears smaller?

Looks like you have to attach it like you would a gooseneck by dropping the 5th wheel pin in the hole instead of backing up into the jaws?

It does seem rated a bit lower than some others that are 10k higher at 30 K lb. Then again most of us myself included, will never pull a 30k trailer

I think I borrow Slowpoke Slim's method and start using the tractor FEL to R and R mine. They Really are heavy.

 

[kevin37b]

That is not a 5th wheel hitch .

 

[S854]

I use my forks for the same chore. Makes it a lot easier

I also used my forks to remove/install my old hitch… at home..

I just can’t figure a way to tow both my FW and my tractor from state-to-state so I can have an open truck bed while camping…

Sometimes there are other considerations….

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

OP,

I hope you get many years of good service out of your new hitch.

You did mention Anderson...

There have been huge firestorms of debate over those hitches on some of the RV forums, and I don't want to start one here, OR derail your thread...

But way too many of those Anderson hitches have folded up in use for my comfort. Much, much debate on what causes it. I don't care if it's little green aliens, climate change, or communism. It's too much "smoke" not to have some "fire", aka, too many to write off to some obscure cause or error. I don't care if they (Anderson's) do come with a "lifetime warranty" (I believe they do?), I'm not interested in one for no other reason than I've seen photo evidence of way too many wrecked ones on various forums. Don't really care what the "cause" was either.

But I hope your Curt is great for you.

 

[S854]

Why would Curt require the pin position to move 5 inches back? Talking about the trailers Pin position correct?

It's the design of the Crosswing... in relation to the old hitch, the new one places the "jaws" (there are no jaws on the Crosswing) 5" aft... which moves the pin 5" further away from the truck cab... not a big deal in my situation as I'm towing with a long-bed...

The tow rating on the Crosswing is 20k... I'm not gonna come close to 20k so I'll consider it "overbuilt" for my purposes...

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

I also used my forks to remove/install my old hitch… at home..

I just can’t figure a way to tow both my FW and my tractor from state-to-state so I can have an open truck bed while camping…

Sometimes there are other considerations….

I don't know if your rig (truck and 5th wheel) weight leaves you enough capacity, but what about towing a flatbed trailer behind your 5th wheel with your tractor chained down to it?