Suggestions on hitching a 5.0TA

[Gregw]

I'm looking for 5.0 hitch suggestions for my '17 F250 with a 6'9" bed & factory hitch prep. Looks like the Anderson Ultimate is often the top choice and I do like how lightweight and easy in and out is. Should I consider any others? Any advantage of a slider with this setup? Thanks for your thoughts!

[Brian B-P]

A slider is definitely not required; many people ask about it, but almost no one uses a slider with an Escape, especially with a box over 6.5 feet long.

What does the F-250 have for prep? An in-bed ball and four mounting pads?

If you want to use the Andersen Ultimate system (which converts the trailer from fifth-wheel or pin-and-plate, to ball-and-socket), the "gooseneck" version would work.

If you want to stay with the traditional fifth-wheel (king pin and plate), there are hitches which mount directly to the pads (if that's what you have), but you may want to look for one that can be adjusted forward and backward to get the trailer far enough back to open the tailgate with the trailer hitched.

Some Escape owners like the B&W hitches, and the B&W Companion, which can be adjusted slightly rearward, is available in a version for Ford OEM pads. That's not a recommendation, just an observation.

[Gregw]

Yes, have the 5th wheel prep with mounting pucks. Would the Anderson hitch allow the tailgate to come down when hitched? I have also heard of the Anderson having problems with loosening up with heavy trailers, unlikely I suppose with the 5.0 being relatively light. The F250 as the F150 has an aluminum beds, I would think that might be a concern with such a hitch?

[escape artist]

Originally Posted by Gregw

I'm looking for 5.0 hitch suggestions for my '17 F250 with a 6'9" bed & factory hitch prep. Looks like the Anderson Ultimate is often the top choice and I do like how lightweight and easy in and out is. Should I consider any others? Any advantage of a slider with this setup? Thanks for your thoughts!

Hi: Gregw... We have a slider but never use it for that purpose. It makes the hitch plate sit higher on the double rails but there's lots of adjustment up and down. Our hitch has been in 3 different trucks now, a reg. cab GMC, a crew cab Frontier, and a Crew cab Ram 4X4 and we're on our second Escape trailer too. Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Gregw

Yes, have the 5th wheel prep with mounting pucks.

Originally Posted by Gregw

Would the Anderson hitch allow the tailgate to come down when hitched?

I don't know, but the Andersen Ultimate offsets the hitching point at least as much to the rear than other alternatives.

Originally Posted by Gregw

I have also heard of the Anderson having problems with loosening up with heavy trailers, unlikely I suppose with the 5.0 being relatively light.

I haven't heard of that as a concern in this forum.

Originally Posted by Gregw

The F250 as the F150 has an aluminum beds, I would think that might be a concern with such a hitch?

I don't think so. The bed floor is designed to take substantial load, so the hitch base would not likely be a concern. The F-150 is probably the most popular pickup among Escape 5.0 owners, and many of them are the current aluminum generation; I haven't heard of any concerns with bed floor damage or excess flex.

[Fox hunt]

i like the Anderson with the turn over ball hitch because you can easily take it out and have your truck bed unobstructed.

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by Fox hunt

i like the Anderson with the turn over ball hitch because you can easily take it out and have your truck bed unobstructed.

I have rails and a conventional 5th wheel hitch which I can remove between trips and I don’t consider the bed obstructed by the rails. They do not interfere whatsoever with anything I want to do with the truck when I am not towing.