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Old 12-03-2017, 02:52 PM   #1
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Towing 5.0 TA with Ram 1500

I have a 2015 Ram 1500 Laramie with the V8, which Im not worried about towing. But I want to upgrade from a Scamp 16, to the Escape 5.0. My question is which hitch would someone recommend to have installed in my truck that has a 6'4" bed?
Anyone that has a 5.o and would recommend a hitch would be helpful.

Thank you in advance.
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Old 12-03-2017, 03:16 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lotbb1 View Post
I have a 2015 Ram 1500 Laramie with the V8, which Im not worried about towing. But I want to upgrade from a Scamp 16, to the Escape 5.0. My question is which hitch would someone recommend to have installed in my truck that has a 6'4" bed?
Anyone that has a 5.o and would recommend a hitch would be helpful.

Thank you in advance.
Check your door jamb for bed carrying capacity, mine is around 1300#. Also check your spare, Ram installed temporary spares in their trucks and I had to go out and purchase a full size wheel and tire. I believe the pin weight for the new 5.0 TA is 700-900 lbs. Escape Trailers has a shop located near them, Trademasters that installs different hitches, they too can help with info.
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Old 12-03-2017, 03:24 PM   #3
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Thanks for the information... I will call them to get some info, I wont be picking it up, due to be cost effective to have it delivered half way to Florida and I can pick it up there than traveling to Washington and back.
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Old 12-03-2017, 04:34 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lotbb1 View Post
I have a 2015 Ram 1500 Laramie with the V8, which Im not worried about towing. But I want to upgrade from a Scamp 16, to the Escape 5.0. My question is which hitch would someone recommend to have installed in my truck that has a 6'4" bed?
Anyone that has a 5.o and would recommend a hitch would be helpful.

Thank you in advance.
Great results reported in multiple threads here in the forum..... for use of the Anderson Ultimate with a under the bed goose neck ball.

You can remove it when not towing and have a flat bed..... its lite weight compared to a standard fifth wheel. Easy to remove.

My wife and I went and saw a 2017 5.0TA which had and Anderson installed in a Tacoma. The owner was very happy.

Tradmaster has been installing them in pickups for Escape purchasers for a few years now.

This is what they ( Hupome - Trademasters Truck Accessories) propose in our TUNDRA:

https://andersenhitches.com/Products...k-version.aspx

Hitch Finder | THE B&W ADVANTAGE
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Old 12-03-2017, 06:35 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lotbb1 View Post
I have a 2015 Ram 1500 Laramie with the V8, which Im not worried about towing. But I want to upgrade from a Scamp 16, to the Escape 5.0. My question is which hitch would someone recommend to have installed in my truck that has a 6'4" bed?
Anyone that has a 5.o and would recommend a hitch would be helpful.

Thank you in advance.
I have the rail mount Anderson ultimate mounted to my F150 6 1/2’ bed. Hitch workers great with my 5.0 TA. 4 pins and I can lift it out 1 handed. Got the hitch, Reese mounting rails, bed mounted 7pin connector from Etrailer for about $900. Spent a Saturday installing it . I don’t mind the rails in the bed and it saved me some $$.
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Old 12-04-2017, 03:41 PM   #6
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Thanks Chotch, This is exactly what I needed to see, I can assume you have the attachment to go with it. Was that a problem attaching?
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Old 12-04-2017, 03:51 PM   #7
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Thanks Chotch, This is exactly what I needed to see, I can assume you have the attachment to go with it. Was that a problem attaching?
Yea the pin adapter comes with hitch, it's on the trailer. As long as you have the proper tools less than 5 minutes. Got a great lock if go this route.
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Old 12-04-2017, 04:25 PM   #8
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They will put the pin adapter on your trailer at Escape during your orientation and then they hook up to your trailer to be sure it all fits correctly.
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Old 12-04-2017, 04:28 PM   #9
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The Andersen Ultimate 5th Wheel Connection system is popular among Escape 5.0 and 5.0TA owners, and certainly works, although it's equally certainly not the only valid choice. I noticed that in this discussion no one has mentioned that the Andersen Ultimate - because it is a ball hitch - legally requires the use of at least one safety chain in most jurisdictions.
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Old 12-04-2017, 04:52 PM   #10
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On safety chains with the Anderson it depends on who you talk to. Anderson says you can use them but you don't need to - their hitch is classified as a fifth wheel even though it attaches to a ball.. Etrailer says you only need them in one state in the US. Trademasters doesn't install them routinely with the Anderson because they are not required so if you want them you need to request them. But do your own research and getting them is always a good idea because in some areas of the US and Canada you do need to use them. I got them in case i wanted to use them i also think an extra step for safety is never a bad idea.
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Old 12-04-2017, 05:11 PM   #11
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If you are going to be removing the hitch when not actually towing, the Anderson is the easiest to work with @ 40 lbs. A lot heavier is my B&W Patriot @ about 110 lbs, although it's not so heavy that it stops from removing it when not in use. It's 2 pieces, 70 & 50 lbs.

The Patriot may be a little simpler in day to day use, but then I've never tried an Anderson.

The B&W was the best hitch I could find when I got my trailer. The Anderson was new and pretty much untested at the time, it is certainly a radical design as compared to a conventional hitch.

Everyone with the Anderson seems to like it, but then the folks with the conventional hitches like theirs. Human nature I guess.
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Old 12-04-2017, 06:24 PM   #12
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Originally Posted by Brian B-P View Post
The Andersen Ultimate 5th Wheel Connection system is popular among Escape 5.0 and 5.0TA owners, and certainly works, although it's equally certainly not the only valid choice. I noticed that in this discussion no one has mentioned that the Andersen Ultimate - because it is a ball hitch - legally requires the use of at least one safety chain in most jurisdictions.

Ok, I installed the safety chains from day 1. The chains are no harder to connect or disconnect than the in bed 7 pin connector I installed. It is a none issue. Seems like everyone that wants to make it an issue doesn’t have an Anderson. I went looking for a fifth wheel hitch with no biases as I’ve never used any and didn’t really know anything about them. The Anderson was different from all the other options I looked at. It weighs probably 1/3 of any regular 5th wheel (I can literally lift it out with 1 hand after removing 4 pins) . The total cost, mounting brackets and hitch, including chains cost me a fraction of any other alternative i looked at. Weight rating is 4 times my 5.0. My wife and I are complete novices at towing a travel trailer and we have NO issues with this hitch. It tows quiet and rock solid. The OP asked and I replied what I use. I’m going to have to try a conventional 5th wheel hitch sometime to see what I’m missing, someone else’s, not parting with mine.
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Old 12-04-2017, 08:10 PM   #13
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Ok, I installed the safety chains from day 1. The chains are no harder to connect or disconnect than the in bed 7 pin connector I installed. It is a none issue. Seems like everyone that wants to make it an issue doesn’t have an Anderson. I went looking for a fifth wheel hitch with no biases as I’ve never used any and didn’t really know anything about them. The Anderson was different from all the other options I looked at. It weighs probably 1/3 of any regular 5th wheel (I can literally lift it out with 1 hand after removing 4 pins) . The total cost, mounting brackets and hitch, including chains cost me a fraction of any other alternative i looked at. Weight rating is 4 times my 5.0. My wife and I are complete novices at towing a travel trailer and we have NO issues with this hitch. It tows quiet and rock solid. The OP asked and I replied what I use. I’m going to have to try a conventional 5th wheel hitch sometime to see what I’m missing, someone else’s, not parting with mine.
I'll have to bring my trailer down to Naugatuck one of these days, we can compare hitches.
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Old 12-04-2017, 08:10 PM   #14
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Ok, I installed the safety chains from day 1. The chains are no harder to connect or disconnect than the in bed 7 pin connector I installed. It is a none issue. Seems like everyone that wants to make it an issue doesn’t have an Anderson.
Not an issue - I would have no problem with it. It just seems strange to list every component and detail of the installation, while missing a part which is different from fifth-wheel hitches.
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Old 12-04-2017, 08:29 PM   #15
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Thanks Guys for all the information

Just wanted to thank you guys for all the information you posted here. I received alot of what I needed to know plus more! Its good to have you guys here just for that reason!

Well appreciated!
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Old 12-04-2017, 08:33 PM   #16
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On safety chains with the Anderson it depends on who you talk to. Anderson says you can use them but you don't need to - their hitch is classified as a fifth wheel even though it attaches to a ball.
By Andersen... not by anyone who matters. It's a perfectly valid hitch system, but it is no more a "fifth-wheel hitch" than any other ball hitch. Ball hitches mounted over the axle are very common - normally called "gooseneck" hitches even though that's really a type of trailer than hitch - and other manufacturers of those hitches don't call them fifth-wheels.

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Trademasters doesn't install them routinely with the Anderson because they are not required so if you want them you need to request them.
Trademasters may not install safety chains because the rule is not enforced, but that doesn't mean operating without them is legal. Lots of companies will do lots of things for you to enable illegal activity, quite happily; I'm sure just about any RV dealer will sell you a trailer which is heavier than your tow vehicle allows, and even install a hitch to help you tow it... one Airstream dealer in Ontario specializes in doing exactly that. According to the Trailer Towing Frequently Asked Questions - Info Sheet issued by British Columbia's relevant enforcement agency (CVSE):
Quote:
Your vehicle must be equipped and connected with an auxiliary coupling device consisting of a chain or metal cable equal in strength to the principal coupling device, unless the coupling device is a fifth wheel and a kingpin assembly is used to couple a semi trailer to a truck tractor.
It's not unreasonable to call a 5.0TA a semi-trailer and the pickup a truck tractor, but the Andersen Ultimate is not a fifth-wheel and specifically does not use a kingpin assembly in its coupler.
CVSE's Recreational Vehicle Towing Fact Sheet says:
Quote:
• All vehicles being towed via a ball hitch must have safety chain(s) or cable(s).
• A recreational vehicle towed via a 5th wheel hook-up does not require safety chains or cables.
The Andersen Ultimate is a ball hitch, not a fifth-wheel. The rule doesn't exempt hitches over the axle; it exempts fifth-wheels.

I don't know why people don't just install one or two chains or cables (I've only seen specific requirements for one, not two of them, in the two provinces where I have checked) and accept it as part of the system, as Chotch suggests.
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Old 12-04-2017, 08:40 PM   #17
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Or next time we head north we can stop in Mass.
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Old 12-05-2017, 12:28 AM   #18
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I again post it because the manufacturer and installer state what I posted. I don't disagree that using chains is a fine way to travel and for many no issue to use and I support the use. But it's not as black and white as you post suggestion - not everyone agrees. Including most installers and the manufacturer but again this forum is to share opinions and everyone doesn't have to agree we learn from each other do our research then make our own decisions.
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Old 12-05-2017, 04:16 AM   #19
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Originally Posted by Fox hunt View Post
On safety chains with the Anderson it depends on who you talk to. Anderson says you can use them but you don't need to - their hitch is classified as a fifth wheel even though it attaches to a ball.. Etrailer says you only need them in one state in the US. Trademasters doesn't install them routinely with the Anderson because they are not required so if you want them you need to request them. But do your own research and getting them is always a good idea because in some areas of the US and Canada you do need to use them. I got them in case i wanted to use them i also think an extra step for safety is never a bad idea.
Sorry, but in spite of what Anderson may claim in its marketing efforts and what all the people who have chosen to install the Anderson set-up, it is, as Brian has so eloquently and correctly stated, NOT a 5th wheel hitch and it does require safety chains in most jurisdictions. Anderson could claim that the world is flat, but that wouldn’t mean that Anderson is correct. The only thing 5th wheel about the Anderson is that it is a non-5th wheel method to tow a trailer with a king pin, and a king pin is one of the two components of a true 5th wheel hitch. A gooseneck hitch (also a ball and coupler) requires safety chains. In a sue crazy society, I hope none of the people towing without safety chains and the Anderson are not expecting Anderson to step up and defend them in an injury or wrongful death tort, or a manslaughtet trial, because it isn’t going to happen. I understand the desire to reduce hitch weight, but the Anderson system is not necessarily the best thing since sliced bread; it has its own set of disadvantages. Having owned a Scamp 19 often mistakenly referred to as a 5th wheel, I have used both types of hitches. I have my preference. I suspect that others who have used both would agree that each has advantages and disadvantages, even if they have come to prefer one or the other.
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