5th wheel hitch choices a 2019 Ram 3500 short bed

[RLange]

Yes


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That's a nice looking rig like the color of the truck. What model GD is that a 337?

 

[NordicNevs]

That's a nice looking rig like the color of the truck. What model GD is that a 337?

Thank you I appreciate it. I’m rather fond of it myself.

Reflection 311BHS is the model.


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[foneguy]

did tire black run out of stock after doing those tires? WOW that LOOKS GOOD!!!

 

[HORam]

Got nothing but good things to say about my new set up.

80* turning radius too so not bad (disclaimer this is with my reflection by grand design so the cap might be different)

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Nice setup. This is not my trailer but a friends...

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[NordicNevs]

Nice setup. This is not my trailer but a friends...

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Awesome!!! Spitting image


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[HORam]

Awesome!!! Spitting image


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I was thinking black rims would be too dark but look good on your setup.

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[NordicNevs]

I was thinking black rims would be too dark but look good on your setup.

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Thank you. I liked the factory look but wanted to do my own thing. The patriot blue isn’t a common color so I wanted to jump on the mod train


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[HORam]

Thank you. I liked the factory look but wanted to do my own thing. The patriot blue isn’t a common color so I wanted to jump on the mod train


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I was shopping for a white truck but the Patriot Blue matches the stripe on my GD Momentum almost perfectly.

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[The HOFF]

I should have backed up to show you more of the angle but it’s almost 80-85 Degrees. I believe I could get 90 degrees. And that’s with a 3500 Mega cab too. Plenty of room.

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[Huskerz1]

I have on order a 2019 Ram 3500 MegaCab short bed, and I also have on order an Arctic Fox 27-5L. I need a hitch that will work with the 27-5L and the short bed of the Ram. I want to get a hitch that automatically slides or otherwise doesn't require me to get out of the truck to make adjustments for tight turns.

The primary hitches I'm considering are:

• Andersen Ultimate 5th wheel hitch
• PullRite SuperGlide #2300 Automatically Sliding Fifth Wheel Hitch for Short Bed Trucks AND #4439 OE Puck Rail Adapter for Dodge trucks

I wanted to use the PullRite #2315, but the 21" bed height can cause clearance problems with the PullRite #2315. I reached out to PullRite, and they confirmed I should not use the #2315 with the 2019 Ram. PullRite recommends using the #2300 with the #4439 rail kit which will give enough clearance to clear the 21" bed height.

I would really like to use the Andersen hitch, but I'm not sure if there will be enough clearance to get over the 21" bed height. Andersen claims they haven't found any short bed trucks that are incompatible with the Andersen hitch.

Is anyone successfully using an Andersen hitch with a 21" bed height Ram? I found some videos on YouTube of people using the Andersen hitch with a short bed Ram 3500, but they using slightly older trucks, so it isn't clear to me if they have 21" bed height.

What did you end up going with? I've been looking at the Pullrite 2315 as well. Where did you get 21" of bed height? I was told the bed height on the 19-20 Ram 3500 is 20 1/4 inches. The height of the 2315 from bed floor to the top of hitch plate is 16 3/4 inches. Which is actually taller than what I'm using now to be honest. Also, I think I still have some height adjustability on the 5th wheel king pin mount.

 

[thestuarts]

What did you end up going with? I've been looking at the Pullrite 2315 as well. Where did you get 21" of bed height? I was told the bed height on the 19-20 Ram 3500 is 20 1/4 inches. The height of the 2315 from bed floor to the top of hitch plate is 16 3/4 inches. Which is actually taller than what I'm using now to be honest. Also, I think I still have some height adjustability on the 5th wheel king pin mount.

I went with the Andersen hitch with the Andersen goose ball. I absolutely love it. I can install and remove it by myself in under 5 minutes, and I've had 3 major shoulder surgeries, so I'm not a specimen of physical strength. There are no moving parts and no grease, so it is quiet and clean. It doesn't rust. There is no bucking/chucking, so the ride is very smooth.

I got the 21" bed height information directly from Pullrite. Here is an email conversation I had with them.

Thank you for contacting us. Height is definitely a tricky thing when it comes to fifth wheels and hitches. I can tell you that etrailer does not carry our product, and so their default suggestion will always be to the automatic sliding hitch they do have an agreement with. That being said, here is what we have found so far. The newer trucks across the board seem to be increasing the depth of the bed. 21 inches is now pretty much the standard.

The 2315 will sit 17 inches high in your bed. For most applications, this is enough height for the pin box not to contact the bed rails, but may pose a problem depending on the trailer for the clearance to the underside of the fifth wheel. We recommend a minimum of 6 inches of clearance between the bed rails and the underside of the 5th wheel. You can measure from the bottom of the king pin plate to the underside of the trailer and subtract 4 inches to get an estimate clearance number.

The other option we would have if this is not enough height is to go in a similar fashion to what their recommendation was. Our 4439 Ram OE Adapter is an ISR rail adapter designed to go into the Ram OE pucks. You could then place a 2300 ISR SuperGlide onto that. Together these would place your overall height at roughly 19 inches. This should still be low enough to use a tonneau cover if you wish, but the extra 2 inches may be worth it for bedside clearance.

The primary benefit to using this over their recommendation of the Hijacker is that the 2300 and 2315 both have 18 inches of slide compared to the Hijacker’s 14 inches. With the Ram bed having a little less space cab to axle, this can come in handy depending on the dimensions of your trailer. Other benefits would include all US made product from materials sourced to production, a cam action slide as compared to gear driven, and a fully automatic locking and sliding hitch as compared to just automatic sliding.

The 2315 would be a direct drop in hitch and would not be compatible with a taller rail foot like the 2708. So with the choice between just the 2315 versus the 2300 + 4439, personally I like the idea of the 2315 since it is just once piece, but we have had a couple reports so far of it not giving enough bed rail to 5th wheel clearance. Because of this, I think the 2300 and the 4439 is currently providing the best overall towing situation. With an overall height of the 2315 at 17” and the height of the 2300 + 4439 at 19”, I think for most people, the 19” is the better option.

If there is anything else I can assist you with, feel free to contact me.

John Dycus
Customer Service & Technical Support
Pulliam Enterprises Inc.
13790 East Jefferson Blvd.
Mishawaka IN 46545
(800) 443-2307
JohnD@pullrite.com

 

[switz]

I have a 2019 3500 dually short-bed. I replaced the pin box on my 5th wheel with a Reese Airborne Sidewinder. Watch some of the videos on Youtube as this product works great on short-bed trucks. This is my second time using a Sidewinder but the older one I had was on a light 5th wheel. My newer 5th wheel weighs in at 16k lbs. Drives like a dream and I can make over 90-degree turns. Clearance is not an issue as I have plenty of room between the top of the bed and the bottom of the coach. I can't recommend this set-up enough.

 

[Huskerz1]

I went with the Andersen hitch with the Andersen goose ball. I absolutely love it. I can install and remove it by myself in under 5 minutes, and I've had 3 major shoulder surgeries, so I'm not a specimen of physical strength. There are no moving parts and no grease, so it is quiet and clean. It doesn't rust. There is no bucking/chucking, so the ride is very smooth.

I got the 21" bed height information directly from Pullrite. Here is an email conversation I had with them.

I have a 2019 3500 dually short-bed. I replaced the pin box on my 5th wheel with a Reese Airborne Sidewinder. Watch some of the videos on Youtube as this product works great on short-bed trucks. This is my second time using a Sidewinder but the older one I had was on a light 5th wheel. My newer 5th wheel weighs in at 16k lbs. Drives like a dream and I can make over 90-degree turns. Clearance is not an issue as I have plenty of room between the top of the bed and the bottom of the coach. I can't recommend this set-up enough.

Wow. Both those systems look great. The pros are very apparent. But let me ask about the cons with both as well.

Reese Airborne Sidewinder
16k is a bit too close to my actual trailer weight
Looks like you still need a traditional 5th wheel hitch in the bed

Anderson Ultimate
The set screws on the coupler bother me a little. What happens if they get loose?
Is the offset from the ball at the bottom to the ball at the top only 4 inches? Can you make a 90 degree turn and not have contact with the cab or bed rails on the Mega Cab short box? Probably sensitive to any articulation of terrain?

Either of these look like a better alternative to the 298 lb Pullrite 2315.

 

[switz]

Wow. Both those systems look great. The pros are very apparent. But let me ask about the cons with both as well.

Reese Airborne Sidewinder
16k is a bit too close to my actual trailer weight
Looks like you still need a traditional 5th wheel hitch in the bed

Anderson Ultimate
The set screws on the coupler bother me a little. What happens if they get loose?
Is the offset from the ball at the bottom to the ball at the top only 4 inches? Can you make a 90 degree turn and not have contact with the cab or bed rails on the Mega Cab short box? Probably sensitive to any articulation of terrain?

Either of these look like a better alternative to the 298 lb Pullrite 2315.

My trailer maxes out at 16K lbs fully loaded. I contacted Reese support and was told no problem. Reese used to have a 20K system but the guy told me it was just too heavy and bulky. Another positive thing is the pin box doesn't move as it pivots at the connection to the 5th wheel. So, you can load up your truck bed with stuff and not have to worry about the pin box striking anything. I have had both the sidewinder and the Airborne Sidewinder. The Airborne has an airbag that really makes the ride smooth with no chucking.

 

[thestuarts]

Anderson Ultimate
The set screws on the coupler bother me a little. What happens if they get loose?
Is the offset from the ball at the bottom to the ball at the top only 4 inches? Can you make a 90 degree turn and not have contact with the cab or bed rails on the Mega Cab short box? Probably sensitive to any articulation of terrain?

Three bolts apply pressure to the hitch coupler which keeps the hitch attached to the truck: one bolt applies vertical tension, and two bolts apply horizontal tension. For the hitch to disconnect from the truck, the top bolt would have to completely fall out, and the two horizontal bolts would have to loosen (but not necessarily fall out).

It is obvious when any of the bolts are loose because they have a lot of travel before they fall out. I visually inspect these three bolts as part of my pre-trip inspection routine. I always walk around the truck and inspect the tires, hitch, hitch cable, and more before I depart. I've driven about 5,000 miles with the Andersen hitch. None of the three bolts have ever loosened.

Here is a picture of the horizontal and vertical coupler bolts when they are loose and tight. As you can see, it is obvious when they are loose.

 

[Huskerz1]

Three bolts apply pressure to the hitch coupler which keeps the hitch attached to the truck: one bolt applies vertical tension, and two bolts apply horizontal tension. For the hitch to disconnect from the truck, the top bolt would have to completely fall out, and the two horizontal bolts would have to loosen (but not necessarily fall out).

It is obvious when any of the bolts are loose because they have a lot of travel before they fall out. I visually inspect these three bolts as part of my pre-trip inspection routine. I always walk around the truck and inspect the tires, hitch, hitch cable, and more before I depart. I've driven about 5,000 miles with the Andersen hitch. None of the three bolts have ever loosened.

Here is a picture of the horizontal and vertical coupler bolts when they are loose and tight. As you can see, it is obvious when they are loose.

View attachment 4980View attachment 4981

Ok. I wasn't concerned with those bolts. I was talking about the 4 allen quarter inch set screws on the coupler attachment on the ling pin box. Do they loosen up? And what do you think your safe turning radius is before you make contact with the bed rail or cab?

 

[thestuarts]

Anderson Ultimate
Is the offset from the ball at the bottom to the ball at the top only 4 inches?

I estimate the offset is about 4 inches. I can measure it tomorrow.

Anderson Ultimate
Can you make a 90 degree turn and not have contact with the cab or bed rails on the Mega Cab short box? Probably sensitive to any articulation of terrain?

I have a MegaCab short box. I don't think I can get to exactly 90 degrees. I don't know how to measure it accurately, but I guestimate it is 85 degrees. I haven't had any problems with articulation. I have attached and detached at odd angles with no problem, and I often go down forest service roads with steep, sharp switchback turns without any problems.

Here are the two best videos I've found for the Andersen hitch.

 

[thestuarts]

Ok. I wasn't concerned with those bolts. I was talking about the 4 allen quarter inch set screws on the coupler attachment on the ling pin box. Do they loosen up? And what do you think your safe turning radius is before you make contact with the bed rail or cab?

Ah, sorry! The hitch coupler that attaches to the king pin is held in place with two very large bolts that thread across the king pin. The 4 allen screws just apply pressure to keep it from rattling. I've never had any problems with them loosening, and even if they fell completely out the hitch coupler would still be attached to the king pin.

 

[thestuarts]

Ah, sorry! The hitch coupler that attaches to the king pin is held in place with two very large bolts that thread across the king pin. The 4 allen screws just apply pressure to keep it from rattling. I've never had any problems with them loosening, and even if they fell completely out the hitch coupler would still be attached to the king pin.

The 4 allen screws in the red circle just keep it from rattling. The two cross bolts inside the blue circle keep the hitch coupler attached to the king pin.

 

[thestuarts]

My trailer maxes out at 16K lbs fully loaded. I contacted Reese support and was told no problem. Reese used to have a 20K system but the guy told me it was just too heavy and bulky. Another positive thing is the pin box doesn't move as it pivots at the connection to the 5th wheel. So, you can load up your truck bed with stuff and not have to worry about the pin box striking anything. I have had both the sidewinder and the Airborne Sidewinder. The Airborne has an airbag that really makes the ride smooth with no chucking.

I really like the Airborne Sidewinder. My minor criticisms are:

• The Andersen is a good bit cheaper than the Airborne Sidewinder. I don't have the tools or strength to install the Sidewinder myself, so I would need to pay someone to install it for me which is an added expense.
• The Andersen coupler on the king pin is a mild theft deterrent because someone would need to remove the coupler or have an Andersen hitch to steal the RV
• If (when) I get a new RV, it is easy to transfer the Andersen king pin coupler to the new RV. With the Sidewinder, I would need to keep my old pin box or be willing to buy another Sidewinder when I switch RVs.
• I don't have to be directly over the goose ball to hitch. The Andersen has a funnel that is very forgiving if you are up to 3 inches off in any direction.