F-450 / 397TH hitch options

[CX500T]

New truck (2022 F-450) is due in next week.

Current truck is a 99 F-250 with a B&W companion slider.

Trailer is a 2019 397TH with a stock RotaFlex pin box.

Two hitch options I've been looking at, Reese M5 32k hitch.

Pros- I'll never need a heavier hitch.

Cons- I've read it is not tall enough for the F-450/397TH combination.
Potential bed contact issues when backing up hills.
Not a lot of rail to trailer clearance that goes away fast when off camber.

Other option:
New base for the B&W. Head is a 25k head, with half a season of use.
This is the cheaper option, and it's built like a tank.
25k and 6250 TW is still way heavier than I actually need.

Any other contenders?

Looking to stay with a conventional style 5th wheel. So no Geese, Ys or Andersens.

Ford Puck mount in the bed.

Sent from my SM-G965U1 using Tapatalk

[tamrick]

I changed to BW and mounted with the "towers" in the forward position. Tows great;smooth. Went by BW instructions to find ride height and got it correct the first time. It matches the max 5er numbers for the truck so its the last hitch I will ever need. My vote for the BW.

[Brad777]

I had a 2020 F450 that I used an Andersen AUH to pull my 2018 Momentum 394. I personally liked it a lot as I had plenty of bed rail clearance with the hitch at it's lowest setting. It was also great as it was very easy to take out and store. I have at least 3-4k miles pulling with it through all types of terrain.

FYI, I have a 2022 F450 on order. It's currently in production and should be done this week. My cousin who owns the dealership ordered it with Ford's 32.5lb hitch. I'm still debating on whether to keep the AUH or use the new hitch from Ford.

Best wishes to you...you'll love the new truck!!

-Brad

[LMagelitz]

New truck (2022 F-450) is due in next week.

Current truck is a 99 F-250 with a B&W companion slider.

Trailer is a 2019 397TH with a stock RotaFlex pin box.

Two hitch options I've been looking at, Reese M5 32k hitch.

Pros- I'll never need a heavier hitch.

Cons- I've read it is not tall enough for the F-450/397TH combination.
Potential bed contact issues when backing up hills.
Not a lot of rail to trailer clearance that goes away fast when off camber.

Other option:
New base for the B&W. Head is a 25k head, with half a season of use.
This is the cheaper option, and it's built like a tank.
25k and 6250 TW is still way heavier than I actually need.

Any other contenders?

Looking to stay with a conventional style 5th wheel. So no Geese, Ys or Andersens.

Ford Puck mount in the bed.

Sent from my SM-G965U1 using Tapatalk

Haven’t bought it yet, but right now I’m leaning toward a Hensley BD5.

[Overtaxed]

Haven’t bought it yet, but right now I’m leaning toward a Hensley BD5.

If money (and weight) is no object, I don't know how you beat the BD5. Everything I've ever read seems to indicate it's the absolute best of the best. And the design, particularly the suspension, is far ahead of anything else I've ever seen.

When I pull into a park and see really expensive rigs, they basically have very little variance on the setup. Most of them are BD5's, a few Gooseboxes (for those that can fit in the weight) and more and more, some GenY's.

You choose where to spend the money, either on the pin box (GenY, Goosebox) or on the hitch (Hensley). Or, both, get a Hensley and a GenY kingpin (kind of kidding here, not even sure if that's allowable, but 2 suspensions is better than one, no?).

[LMagelitz]

If money (and weight) is no object, I don't know how you beat the BD5. Everything I've ever read seems to indicate it's the absolute best of the best. And the design, particularly the suspension, is far ahead of anything else I've ever seen.

When I pull into a park and see really expensive rigs, they basically have very little variance on the setup. Most of them are BD5's, a few Gooseboxes (for those that can fit in the weight) and more and more, some GenY's.

You choose where to spend the money, either on the pin box (GenY, Goosebox) or on the hitch (Hensley). Or, both, get a Hensley and a GenY kingpin (kind of kidding here, not even sure if that's allowable, but 2 suspensions is better than one, no?).

I think the ‘22 310’s have a MorRyde pin box, so I guess it is kinda like two! Thanks for posting what you have seen in parks…always good to validate what a person is thinking.

[Crazybanshee]

Been running a Hensley hitch for 15 years. High quality product. If you are spending that kind of money on that truck and trailer why cheap out on the hitch. Your trailer will thank you.