We offer professional 5th wheel hitch installation so you can tow with confidence. 5th wheel hitch brands we carry include: Reese, Curt, B&W, PullRite and more. Our team has been installing 5th wheel hitches for the valley since 1964.
We will help you choose the best model of 5th wheel hitch for what you’re towing, the truck you own, and the type of trailer. Our technicians securely and professionally install your 5th wheel trailer hitch to give you bulletproof confidence that you are towing securely and safely.
5TH WHEEL HITCH BRANDS WE INSTALL
Cliff’s Welding is an official retailer and installer of the following quality brands: REESE, Curt, B&W, PullRite and more. We install all of variants that include rail and no rail, auto/manual and no slide options, flip over hide hitch hardware for your bed and more. Our team will help you find the perfect solution for your 5th wheel towing hitch needs. Call and discuss the type of truck and trailer you’re looking to get the 5th wheel hitch for and we’ll line you up with the right hitch.
TYPES OF 5TH WHEEL HITCHES
There are a few main brands of 5th wheel hitch manufacturers yet really just 2 main designs. These are the fixed position hitch, and slider hitches. The way people choose between these two designs is usually influenced greatly by the truck they will be installed in. Trucks with shorter beds usually benefit from having a sliding 5th wheel hitch as it helps avoid contact between the trailer and the cab of the truck. Sliding hitches allow for the point of pivot to be moved forward or back as needed.
Fixed Position Hitches
As the name indicates fixed position 5th wheel hitches are stationary and permanently installed in one location, usually just over the rear axle. This helps distribute the weight of the 5th wheel to the truck evenly to keep the truck level and provide a solid foundation to tow.
Slider Hitches
Trucks that have short beds can be tricky to tow 5th wheels with as there is a chance that the trailer will make contact with the cab in tight turning scenarios. To avoid this a sliding hitch can be used to move the pivot point further back towards the bumper as needed to enable a tighter turning radius.
5th Wheel Jaw Types
There are 3 main types of jaws that lock the 5th wheel’s kingpin into place as you tow. These are single, double, and sliding bar. Each have a weight rating they work best for and offer various degrees of comfort and quietness while towing.
Single Jaw
Single jaw 5th wheel hitches offer the greatest degree of safety, least amount of play between the trailer and the truck, and provide the most smooth and quiet towing available. Owners will feel the superior construction when driving over rough roads, accelerating, or stopping.
It works by securing the 5th wheel with a one-piece locking jaw and acts similar to a wedge. As it closes the single jaw takes all the slack out of the connection providing the most rock solid connection possible. With the greatest level of contact the single jaw offers superior jaw to kingpin contact available. The single jaw connection is commonly found on rigs that need to be able to handle 25,000 lbs or more.
Double Jaw
Double jaw 5th wheel connections are made by surrounding the kingpin with two sections of metal as the kingpin enters the hitch. As the kingpin makes contact the rounded edges of the double jaw sections open allowing the kingpin to seat and snap closed once it reaches the back, providing a secure trailer connection. Double jaw 5th wheel hitches are commonly found towing between 20,000 and 24,000 lbs.
Sliding Bar Jaw
Sliding bar jaw 5th wheel hitches are designed for lower weight towing, under about 20,000 lbs. They function via a sliding bar that slides in behind the kingpin and locks in place. This is more of a physical barrier that stops the kingpin from sliding out, but does allow for more play between the kingpin and the hitch assembly. This can result in more movement as you tow, it not being as smooth, and more noise. Knocking noises during stopping or acceleration are common.
It’d be great if hooking up your 5th wheel hitch was as easy as lining up your truck, aiming for the hitch and hearing the handle snap securely into place. The reality of it is that it takes a little more knowledge, fineness, and practice.
5th Wheel Hitches Make Towing Easy
When a travel trailer is hooked up via a 5th wheel hitch it is the most secure and best handling option on the road. When the hitch is installed correctly you can tow 15,000 pounds as far as you need to in comfort. Because these hitches make it so much easier and safer you might even forget that you have a luxury condo with multi slide outs happily following you down the road.
The ease of towing with a hitch like this can lead to casual treatment when getting ready to hit the open road. There’s no nightmare worse for an RV owner of their investment sliding down the road after the hitch has popped open and released. No one wants to have to call their RV insurance company and explain that they failed to hookup correctly. Read on for the best practices for safe 5th wheel RV Towing.
How To Mount The 5th Wheel Hitch
Trucks are not usually outfitted with a 5th wheel hitch straight from the factory. Either you will have your dealer install the hitch when you purchase your truck, or we can safely and professionally install your hitch to give you bulletproof confidence when you set off on your RV trip.
The best 5th wheel hitch receivers are removable and you will need to mount them in the truck bed before each RV outing. Make sure you follow the manufacturer’s directions as different brands of 5th wheel hitches have different design and safety features. Some 5th wheel hitches attach to a gooseneck hitch ball and others have a channel they slide down into. Take the hitch receiver and follow your manufacturer’s installation instructions to make sure it is securely in place before backing up your truck.
Hooking Up The Truck To The 5th Wheel Hitch
Before you jump out of the bed of your truck after mounting the hitch you will want to make sure that you pull the release handle to put the hitch into the open position. Next jump in the driver’s seat and line up as best you can, have a second set of eyes in the backseat of the truck that can help guide you.
Remember, slow and light movements with the wheel or you will end up jack knifed and crooked. Never have someone physically in the back of the truck trying to help guide the process, it is dangerous and accidents do happen. Once you know you are getting close and you are lined up you can slowly slide the RV’s ball into the 5th wheel hitch until the hitch snaps closed and the handle swings. If the ball is too high or too low adjust the stands of the RV. They are usually electric and can be adjusted for uneven ground while camping out, but need to be in the right position for secure hitch hookup.
Jump out of the truck and visually inspect that the hitch has completely closed and the handle or lever is in the locked position. Many 5th wheel hitches have a secondary locking system that holds the release handle locked into position too. However your hitch is, make sure it is closed, secure, and all locking safety features are used.
Smart 5th wheel Accessories
Large RVs use electronic braking systems that are meant to work in harmony with the truck’s braking system. Electronic trailer brake controllers can be installed on vehicles that did not get this option from the factory. They can be easily set by placing the vehicle into drive with the RV hooked up. Letting the vehicle start to move without pressing the accelerator and then gently squeezing the tabs together until the trailer just barely stops the truck. This sets the trailer brakes ever so slightly higher than the truck and prevents it from pushing the truck when braking.
Custom made tailgates can also make hooking up and turning with an RV hooked up safe and easier. These tailgates have cutouts for the neck of the trailer to travel safely if there is uneven ground.
Full length side steps also are a great RV accessory. When the RV is hooked up jumping up into the bed to work the hitch handle can be a bit tricky. Having a step that goes all the way back to the rear tire gives you a safe and secure foothold to climb up into the bed of the truck.
Schedule 5th Wheel Hitch Installation
We provide the valley’s best 5th wheel hitch installation service by offering the best brands and highly trained installation technicians. Give us a call to discuss your new or replacement 5th wheel hitch needs.
Summary
User Rating
3 based on votes
Service Type
5th Wheel Hitch Installation
Provider Name
Cliff's Welding, Inc.,
4007 E. Main Street,Mesa,Arizona-85205,
Telephone No.(480) 832-0570
Telephone No.(480) 832-0570
Area
Phoenix Valley
Description
We proudly install the best 5th wheel hitch brands from Reese, Curt, B&W, PullRite and more.