best hitch for 5.0

[tedtucci]

we are awaiting the build of our 5.0 and our Dodge Ram 1500.
It appears that the hitch of preference amongst 5.0 owners is an Andersen hitch?
Am I correct in this understanding? are there different types of Andersen hitches
Does anyone know if this can be purchased in or near Chilliwack or it is better to purchase it close to home and arrive in chilliwack with our fifth wheel prep all done for pick up of our 5.0?

thanks everyone
the assistance from this forum has been invaluable. Hoping to have everything completed in time to meet some of you at Quartzite this winter!

[WanderBred]

Either the Anderson hitch comes in a rail or a gooseneck hitch, I have the gooseneck variety.

[splitting_lanes]

We are having the rails and hitch installed at trademasters in Chilliwack when we pickup our trailer.

[Centex]

Originally Posted by tedtucci

.... It appears that the hitch of preference amongst 5.0 owners is an Andersen hitch?
Am I correct in this understanding? ....

I think you'll find there's folks happy with both Andersen and traditional 5th wheel hitches. Both types offer pros and cons, for example

• The Andersen may shine if you intend to remove the hitch from the bed of your truck frequently (relatively light weight)
• A 5th wheel may shine in terms of ease of hitching alignment (may be a bit more tolerant of horizontal misalignment when hitching)
• Law in many states require the use of safety chains with the Andersen ball hitch; no states require them with a 5th wheel hitch
• Andersen may be a more expensive total installed package
• If a trailer 'hitch lock' is of interest, the available types and costs can vary a lot between the two types
• Etc, YMMV

I know that David Murphy has been very pleased with the Demco Recon in his Ram truck and believe several other folks enjoy that hitch (and other 5th wheel hitches) too.

Personally I'm always guarded when someone says they've got (or seek) the "best" of anything; one solution is rarely "best" for everyone.

Ditto when it comes to extreme advocacy for one type or another; I happen to use an Andersen, but would never presume it's the "best" for everyone.

[Keith3]

Centex covered almost everything I would consider if making this decision. I bought used and got an Andersen in the deal. No complaints, but the demco would have been a strong consideration otherwise.

One additional issue is that the fifth wheel hitch may allow more flexibility if you are looking at bed covers and you have a short bed. Folding covers may not play well with Andersen, but seem to work with normal fifth wheel.

[kavm]

The responses above, particularly Alan’s, have covered the most relevant points. I will mention a few additional considerations:

• For us, the decision for Andersen was driven by payload of the truck. The Andersen hitches (and you have to add the weight of rail or gooseneck) are the lightest - probably saving about 50 lbs of weight that needs to be counted against the payload. That was important to us. Otherwise, I would have gone for the traditional hitch.
• With Andersen (or other hitches) you have to decide on rails vs gooseneck. Rails obviously are there in your bed whereas gooseneck is easily hidden away when not in use.
• Finally, for us - there was no interference between the Andersen hitch and the tonneau. We have the Ford OEM folding tonneau on a 2021 F150. There is plenty of clearance and it is a non-issue. It is possible that Keith has run into it with other tow vehicles.

Most important considerations are payload and whether you intended to leave the hitch in the truck or not. If sufficient payload and no need to remove the hitch, I’d consider B&W or Demco and might prefer them. As a company, I have been most impressed with B&W.

[Fox hunt]

i have the Anderson attaches to a turn over ball hitch. i love it, easy to hitch up, light weight, easy to remove if i need a flat bed in my truck.

[davidmurphy02]

Centex summed it up very well. The bottom line is that people love both kinds of hitch so you really don't have to worry too much about making a wrong choice, both are good. If payload is an issue go with the light weight of the Andersen.

I have a 2019 Ram 5.7 hemi with an 1800# payload so weight was not an issue, and went with the Demco Recon conventional hitch because I was used to that type from 15 years of towing a previous small 5th wheel and I was comfortable with it. But no wrong answers, either type will work very well for you. My hitch stays in the truck all the time - if I had to take it out often, the light weight of the Andersen would have tipped the scales in that direction.

Either way, your Ram will be a great tow vehicle for the 5.0. But again, you will find owners of virtually every brand truck who love it and have had excellent experiences towing. If this is your first trailer the choices can seem overwhelming, but really they are all good - the 5.0 is so relatively small, light and aerodynamic that it tows like a dream with any pickup.

[cpaharley2008]

They must have put the Ram on a diet, my payload for my 2014 Ram is around 1200# so with 2 passengers and the trailer, there is not much left for the truck bed except maybe 300# which is not too bad.

[UncleTim]

Originally Posted by tedtucci

we are awaiting the build of our 5.0 and our Dodge Ram 1500.
It appears that the hitch of preference amongst 5.0 owners is an Andersen hitch?
Am I correct in this understanding? are there different types of Andersen hitches
Does anyone know if this can be purchased in or near Chilliwack or it is better to purchase it close to home and arrive in chilliwack with our fifth wheel prep all done for pick up of our 5.0?

thanks everyone
the assistance from this forum has been invaluable. Hoping to have everything completed in time to meet some of you at Quartzite this winter!

I would talk to TradeMasters in Chilliwack. They work with Escape, are exceptional in their knowledge and workmanship and honest as the day is long!

They helped me even when I could not purchase from them. They can do the installation for you and they also use a rail system as well as the gooseneck system, which I have and love!

https://vehiclesolutions.ca/

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

They must have put the Ram on a diet, my payload for my 2014 Ram is around 1200# so with 2 passengers and the trailer, there is not much left for the truck bed except maybe 300# which is not too bad.

Payload depends on many factors, so between two trucks of different years with different options - even if the same model and engine - a substantial difference is not surprising. It may have nothing to do with a difference of the weight of the base model of the truck between the two years.

And yes, a 1200 pound payload seems pretty marginal for towing an Escape 5.0TA.

[Perry Butler]

Originally Posted by Centex

I think you'll find there's folks happy with both Andersen and traditional 5th wheel hitches. Both types offer pros and cons, for example

• The Andersen may shine if you intend to remove the hitch from the bed of your truck frequently (relatively light weight)
• A 5th wheel may shine in terms of ease of hitching alignment (may be a bit more tolerant of horizontal misalignment when hitching)
• Law in many states require the use of safety chains with the Andersen ball hitch; no states require them with a 5th wheel hitch
• Andersen may be a more expensive total installed package
• If a trailer 'hitch lock' is of interest, the available types and costs can vary a lot between the two types
• Etc, YMMV

I know that David Murphy has been very pleased with the Demco Recon in his Ram truck and believe several other folks enjoy that hitch (and other 5th wheel hitches) too.

Personally I'm always guarded when someone says they've got (or seek) the "best" of anything; one solution is rarely "best" for everyone.

Ditto when it comes to extreme advocacy for one type or another; I happen to use an Andersen, but would never presume it's the "best" for everyone.

Pretty good rundown on the Andersen hitch. However we have no problems aligning the hitch since we use a Ball Cozy (Condom?) to align. Nine out of ten times I back up once, and never a third time.

I've seen David Murphy's Demco hitch and if buying a standard 5th wheel hitch that would be the one we'd buy, but despite the lighter weight (+90 #'s) it's still too heavy for my back, so the Andersen rail version ((45 #'s) is for us.

When people ask which hitch to buy, the first thing I ask them is, "Will you be removing the hitch when arriving home each time, and if so, do you have a good back?"

And yes, YMMV.

_________________________________________________

We were lucky to have a member here allow us to view their 5.0 and turnover ball Andersen hitch before purchasing. His complaint with the turnover ball version is the perimeter angle irons take up too much space, whereas the rail version has a much smaller footprint. We usually carry at least one trike and glad we purchased the rail version. The trike barely fits with the rail version and never would have fit with the turnover ball version.

Originally Posted by Keith3

Centex covered almost everything I would consider if making this decision. I bought used and got an Andersen in the deal. No complaints, but the demco would have been a strong consideration otherwise.

One additional issue is that the fifth wheel hitch may allow more flexibility if you are looking at bed covers and you have a short bed. Folding covers may not play well with Andersen, but seem to work with normal fifth wheel.

The plastic tri-covers may hit the hitch, but our rollup toneau cover doesn't even come close.

Enjoy,

Perry

[land’SCAPE]

I just completed the change-over from a traditional hitch to the Andersen rail mount set-up for my 5.0. I used Trademaster's in Chilliwack as well, assuming that they'd be very familiar with the install. The old Demco was great - no complaints whatsoever. I just wanted to be able to use the whole truck bed conveniently, throughout the rest of the year and the Andersen is very easy and light to put in and take out. (sold the old hitch for $350) I have a '13 Tundra which I bought along with the used 5.0 but it doesn't have the biggest payload (10,800# as I recall) so this switch helps a little bit. Two small bonuses I've found are that a) there's much more room back there now when travelling, for light, but bulky items (tied down of course - lost my trailer ground mat to being a newby last year, assuming it was heavy enough not to be sucked out of the bed during travel)... & b) there is no grease involved with the Andersen hitch eliminating bumping into it with your pants when navigating around in the back of the truck.

I haven't towed with the Andersen yet - heading to Arizona in a couple of weeks and then back up to Osoyoos for the Escape Rally in late May and will see how they differ in driving characteristics.

Tip: Unlikely, but if you do happen to install the red coupler block yourself, be very careful installing the set-screws. I didn't take my trailer over to the mainland to get the hitch installed so did this myself. I did manage to strip one of them even with the correct torque setting. It's fine now, but I'll have to figure out how to get it out. Meanwhile, Andersen sent me a full, new set of them immediately, which was great service. (I've read that this is not uncommon problem).

[G.D.S.]

I have the demco and weight is not a problem for removal. Pop one pin out and you have 2 pieces at 50lbs each. Also someone mentioned getting greasy from a conventional fifth wheel hitch. I have been towing a fifth wheel trailer for 40+ years and never put grease on the hitch! I use a lubricating disc that snaps over the pin and is permanantly there and is clean and dry.

[land’SCAPE]

Originally Posted by G.D.S.

I have the demco and weight is not a problem for removal. Pop one pin out and you have 2 pieces at 50lbs each. Also someone mentioned getting greasy from a conventional fifth wheel hitch. I have been towing a fifth wheel trailer for 40+ years and never put grease on the hitch! I use a lubricating disc that snaps over the pin and is permanantly there and is clean and dry.

G.D.S. You’re right about the grease. Mine came with the used truck & I installed the lubricating disc. I tried to remove the grease but it was always a nuisance. I must’ve had an earlier 5th wheel hitch cause mine was very heavy only one piece.

As an FYI for the original post, my “Back-Flip” cover is fine with the Andersen installed. Also, the ball is on a substantial pin, that can be adjusted vertically.

[land’SCAPE]

I haven't driven with my new Andersen hitch yet, but will be shortly. After I had the hitch installed at Trademaster's in Chilliwack, I popped in to Escape down the street and asked Dave if he had any tips re the installation of the Kingpin coupler block. He made the comment to be sure to face the 'funnel' to the rear. I did that and have since noticed, by eye, that the actual pin sits about 1" behind the centreline of the rear axle. I'm fairly new to towing, but recall being told that the load should be ahead of the axle.

Any concerns......thanks....

[Centex]

Originally Posted by land’SCAPE

.... have since noticed, by eye, that the actual pin sits about 1" behind the centreline of the rear axle...

Any concerns......thanks....

Nope, IMO no concerns at all, just enjoy your new rig!

[land’SCAPE]

Thanks Centex.

Sorry we won't be able to see you and say 'hello' at Osoyoos; hopefully another time.

[osubbfan@aol.com]

I haveDemco Recon and couldn’t be happier. Though Not as light as Anderson can easily be removed by one person. Easy hookup and no alignment issues.

[Cary4run]

I have an Anderson hitch with my 2019 5.0 and love it. I would do it over again. Light weight and easy to remove and use. Make sure they install an electrical outlet in bed and in an easy location to reach without having to get into the bed. Not down too low in bed it higher up so you can easily reach.