5.0 TA Hitch: Reese Pro Series 15K ETI Option - Escape Trailer Owners Community
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Old 03-17-2015, 06:24 PM   #1
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5.0 TA Hitch: Reese Pro Series 15K ETI Option

Hi all,

We are busy figuring out the options for our scheduled pickup of our 5.0 TA in Chilliwack on October 1st. I’ve shopped fifth wheels for years (never purchased though, we remained truck campers) and I knew which hitches were preferable to me for a 14,000 pound GVWR fifth wheel. However, the 5,500 pound GVWR of the 5.0 TA is a game changer. ETI will provide as an option the Reese Pro Series 15K entry level hitch at very reasonable price. Those of you who have purchased the 5.0 TA since it was introduced and have gone with Reese Pro Series 15K what has been your experience, especially towing? My gut feel is that this hitch should provide a good ride for the 5.0 TA.

Thanks, Cliff
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Old 03-17-2015, 07:55 PM   #2
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You're going to think I'm totally clueless (okay so I am). I had ETIs outsourced vendor put the 5th wheel hitch in my truck. It was a brand new Ford F-150 and Ten Forward was the tenth 5th wheel off the line. There wasn't a lot of history. But, Rease has a Ford F-150 and was towing the new 5.0TA, so I knew the hitch would be the right one for the trailer and mounted correctly in the bed (measurements!). I'm happy, it works as it should. What can I say?
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Old 03-17-2015, 09:15 PM   #3
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Because I had a Scamp 19, I had the rails in the bed of the truck already, because Scamp uses the Reese hitch with a different top piece modified to mount a 2-inch ball. Because the Reese 16k 5th Wheel hitch is a sliding bar hitch, I opted to go with a Curt 16K hitch which has jaws rather than a sliding bar. Personal preference, I guess. The Curt hitch was @$430 from eTrailer.
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Old 03-17-2015, 09:52 PM   #4
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For a round-up of previous fifth-wheel hitch discussions, see Nissan Frontier Hitch? (listing of links to other topics in post #6).
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Old 03-18-2015, 09:24 AM   #5
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Originally Posted by Brian B-P View Post
For a round-up of previous fifth-wheel hitch discussions, see Nissan Frontier Hitch? (listing of links to other topics in post #6).
Brian, thanks for the references. They answered many of my questions and thoughts. Right now I'll probably plan to have ETI arrange to have the Reese Pro Series 15K installed. I liked Donna's comment that the outside vendor had completed the hitch install before she had finished her walk through. Cliff
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Old 03-18-2015, 10:32 AM   #6
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I talked to Reace about the hitch they sell and he said it works fine for the 5.0TA. He did mention that the hitch head has a little side to side movement relative to the base. He said in turns it can be a little noisy and he now uses a couple of washers to limit the movement.

We also talked to Wayne at Trademasters and they will install the hitch on the same day as orientation. They 2 companies know each other well and Tammy even set up my appointment to install the hitch. Everyone has been very professional and great to work with.
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Old 03-18-2015, 11:50 AM   #7
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The side to side tilt is supposed to be a good thing, helps on uneven sites.
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Old 03-18-2015, 11:57 AM   #8
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Originally Posted by C&G in FL View Post
Because I had a Scamp 19, I had the rails in the bed of the truck already, because Scamp uses the Reese hitch with a different top piece modified to mount a 2-inch ball. Because the Reese 16k 5th Wheel hitch is a sliding bar hitch, I opted to go with a Curt 16K hitch which has jaws rather than a sliding bar. Personal preference, I guess. The Curt hitch was @$430 from eTrailer.
On the 2010 5.0 we originally went with the Reese 16k hitch provided by ETI. After a couple of year I grew to dislike it. The spring that holds the hitch open grew weaker and weaker with time. Also the handle and locking mechanism is flimsy. The third issue, alluded to above, is the sliding bar mechanism. This bar contacts the back of the king pin over a very small area. Eventually the kingpin and bar will wear at this location and the hitch will be loose with a noticeable and frequent clunking sound. In discussing this with a couple from Texas at Osoyoos we went with their suggestion and purchased a Curt Q series hitch which has the jaws as mentioned. We ended up with the 20K version (which is way more than necessary) but we are happy with it. The powder coating on the Curt hitch is quite a bit more durable than the Reese. Our Curt hitch was just over $450 through Amazon with free shipping to Blaine WA. We were able to continue using the Reese rails as they are "industry standard". If I had a short box pickup I would seriously consider the Pull-Rite hitch. It self adjusts when turning, but is very expensive, although I have seen some used on Ebay for a lot less.
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Old 03-18-2015, 12:45 PM   #9
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If I had a short box pickup I would seriously consider the Pull-Rite hitch. It self adjusts when turning, but is very expensive, although I have seen some used on Ebay for a lot less.
Mark
IMHO, the best hitch for a short bed is the B & W Patriot. It can be adjusted 4" vertically and 4" horizontally by the varying bolt patterns for the hitch head. I ordered the Reese from ETI, but am second guessing myself if that is the correct decision. The B & W is more expensive, but may have been worth it for my short bed. Too late, build sheet is finalized.
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Old 03-18-2015, 12:57 PM   #10
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We went with the Reese 16K sliding hitch. We like the fact that it is the 2 jaw type and that it also has more side to side pivot the the 15K slide bar. After looking at both units I can see how the 2 jaws clamped around the king pin would be a little quieter. As for hooking up you just back into the closed jaws and they open and snap shut on the pin, flip the locking latch and its done.

Which ever hitch you go with will be overkill due to the light trailer weight.

Cheers
Doug
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Old 03-18-2015, 01:45 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by t-twnbob View Post
IMHO, the best hitch for a short bed is the B & W Patriot. It can be adjusted 4" vertically and 4" horizontally by the varying bolt patterns for the hitch head. I ordered the Reese from ETI, but am second guessing myself if that is the correct decision. The B & W is more expensive, but may have been worth it for my short bed. Too late, build sheet is finalized.
I agree with Robert, we got the BW Patriot, knowing it had full jaws. I worked for many years for piggyback/intermodal for the CPR and had seen rail cars on their side with trailer still attached to the hitch. I just did not think the slider would be sufficient on the Reese. Also because it is made in the US I only had to pay tax but no duty when crossing the border with it. It was very easy to put together and has multiple adjustments and I got it right for the trailer I did not yet have. I only needed the RV dealer to mount the rails and put in brake controller and 7pin in the truck bed.

Adrian
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Old 03-18-2015, 03:55 PM   #12
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I went with the Reese supplied by ETI, and had it installed by their vendor, think their name is Trademasters? The installation was very professional and the hitch performs very well. My only regret is I went with the slider which is very heavy. I usually partially disassemble when installing or removing to make it easier to handle. The reason I went with the slider is because ETI offered it at the same price as their non-slider, but really don't need it with my 6'4" bed.
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Old 03-19-2015, 11:23 AM   #13
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Originally Posted by t-twnbob View Post
IMHO, the best hitch for a short bed is the B & W Patriot. It can be adjusted 4" vertically and 4" horizontally by the varying bolt patterns for the hitch head. I ordered the Reese from ETI, but am second guessing myself if that is the correct decision. The B & W is more expensive, but may have been worth it for my short bed. Too late, build sheet is finalized.
I am sure the B&W Patriot hitch is very good. My only reason for suggesting the Pull Rite hitch for short bed pickups is that the for and aft adjustments occur automatically while in motion. It is not something I require but may be of interest to those with short bed pickups. Some real world experience would help.
PullRite SuperGlide 15K 5th Wheel Hitch for Industry Standard Base Rails - Pull Rite 2700 - 5th Wheel Hitches - Camping World

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Old 03-19-2015, 12:00 PM   #14
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Mark, I completely understand. Although I will start off using my Silverado 8' long bed left over from a too heavy truck camper, at some point we might want to downsize trucks. Right now, my thinking would be to stay with no smaller than a 6.5' bed and it would be best for me to keep this mind when I select a hitch, or I won't have the option of taking my hitch with me to a new truck. I appreciate all this discussion in this and other threads of shorter bed trucks which is a new world for me. I'll bet others may find this of interest too. Cliff
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Old 03-19-2015, 11:30 PM   #15
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Originally Posted by t-twnbob View Post
IMHO, the best hitch for a short bed is the B & W Patriot. It can be adjusted 4" vertically and 4" horizontally by the varying bolt patterns for the hitch head.+-
Typical fifth-wheel hitches adjust vertically. The special adjustment feature of the Patriot is that shift forward or backward - it does seem likely to useful for some trucks with restrictions on where the mounting rails can be bracketed to the frame, and critical spacing to the cab. If the Reese (or any other) hitch ends up putting the pin in the right place, it doesn't matter whether it used fore/aft adjustment to get there.
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Old 03-20-2015, 12:16 AM   #16
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My only reason for suggesting the Pull Rite hitch for short bed pickups is that the for and aft adjustments occur automatically while in motion.
The SuperGlide is the automatic sliding hitch model from PullRite; they also have conventional fixed-position models. The design requires that a part (which they call a capture plate) is added semi-permanently to the trailer's pinbox to engage the slot in the top of the hitch plate and force the hitch head to turn with the trailer. I have not heard of anyone using this system with an Escape; it would be interesting to hear any relevant experience.
SuperGlide

The SuperGlide design keeps the trailer pin in the same place up to a certain turn angle (in each direction), and past that angle moves the pin back by using a cam mechanism to slide the hitch head back along tracks. The effect on steering control of that shift should be interesting; I assume the logic is that at highway speeds the angle between the truck and trailer should never get large enough to trigger the shift.

If you need to tow the trailer with another hitch that extra part (which forces the head to turn with the pinbox) needs to be removed or an adapter used; this is probably unlikely for most owners, but it's good to be aware of, especially if the truck breaks down somewhere and the trailer needs to be towed separately. The design also means that a SuperGlide cannot be used to tow a normal fifth-wheel trailer.

One interesting feature is that, in addition to the automatic sliding, the base is adjustable in fore/aft mounting position... at least in the ISR (Industry Standard Rail mounting) version.

By the way, SuperGlide hitches are very heavy, due to all that complexity.
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Old 04-16-2015, 09:59 PM   #17
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I appreciated everyone’s comments. Thought some would like to know what I finally concluded. Like Carl, I have decided to install a Curt (Q) 16K hitch. I like the jaws, and the fact that the height range of the Curt is 13” to 17” which will allow for leveling of the trailer without having to go to extraordinary measures as the truck bed on my 2500HD runs a little higher than today’s half ton trucks. Also, I have found a reasonable online price of $380 for the hitch and $195 for the rails and installation kit for my truck. I would have liked to have considered some other hitch brands, but many of them start out at a minimum height of 16”. I didn’t want the hassle of thinking about whether to live with the trailer being just a little nose high, or having the trailer raised.

Cliff
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Old 04-16-2015, 10:27 PM   #18
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Originally Posted by JMTHKR View Post
I would have liked to have considered some other hitch brands, but many of them start out at a minimum height of 16”. I didn’t want the hassle of thinking about whether to live with the trailer being just a little nose high, or having the trailer raised.
I agree with this logic: as long as there is comfortable clearance between the trailer and the tops of the box sides, it would be good to avoid having a higher step up into the trailer, and reduced trailer stability.
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Old 04-17-2015, 11:20 AM   #19
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Originally Posted by JMTHKR View Post
I appreciated everyone’s comments. Thought some would like to know what I finally concluded. Like Carl, I have decided to install a Curt (Q) 16K hitch. I like the jaws, and the fact that the height range of the Curt is 13” to 17” which will allow for leveling of the trailer without having to go to extraordinary measures as the truck bed on my 2500HD runs a little higher than today’s half ton trucks. Also, I have found a reasonable online price of $380 for the hitch and $195 for the rails and installation kit for my truck. I would have liked to have considered some other hitch brands, but many of them start out at a minimum height of 16”. I didn’t want the hassle of thinking about whether to live with the trailer being just a little nose high, or having the trailer raised. Cliff
I am happy with the Curt Q-20, so I think you will like the Q-16. I would have selected that one but some how I missed that particular model in my initial research. With the 5.0 I had the hitch set at 17" and the king pin on the trailer in the highest position (retracted all the way in). That kept the king pin up above the cutout in the tailgate and makes lining up the hitch easy as you can see it through the rear view mirror. We will see what works with the 5.0TA.
Mark
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Old 07-29-2018, 01:41 PM   #20
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Haven’t purchased a 5.0ta yet, but’s it is number one candidate at this point. I have a short bed pickup-I am assuming that the like other 5th wheel traliers the 5.0 requires either manuel or automatic slide when a 90 degree turn is made?
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