Hitches

[Kelton]

Hello All,
We’re new to the forum and although we haven’t ordered our 337RLS yet, we will soon. We recently sold our Foretravel Grand Villa diesel pusher motor home to convert to the 5er lifestyle. After months of research and confusion with floor plans we’ve finally decided that the Reflection 337RLS is the right coach for us. Since this is a new adventure for us, we have lots of questions so I thought I’d go ahead and jump in here to get comments and input from actual owners.

We have a 2008 F250 Crew Cab 4x4, 6.4L turbo diesel with 6’8” bed and a B&W turnover ball hitch.

The dealer recommends a B&W Companion slider hitch. The Companion hitch makes sense but I hate the idea of a slider hitch that has to be unlocked if you happen to notice that the turn you are making is too tight. I spoke with the folks at Grand Design and they say that the factory installed extended pin box will provide a 77deg turning radius and that the installation of a Sidewinder pin box would void the frame warranty.

Questions:
1. Does anyone have experience with my current setup? Is the slider hitch really needed or will the factory Lippert extended pin box and front cap design allow enough clearance to make 90deg turns?
2. If I have to install a slider hitch with the 337RLS and my truck, is there an automatic slider hitch that can be installed in lieu of the B&W turnover ball Companion option?
3. Does the Trailair pin box make a big difference in ride quality and worth the money?

Not really a hitch question, but I’d like to add a cargo box/rack to the back of the coach for a remote start Champion generator for boondocking, about 250#. The back bumper looks a little wimpy and Grand Design says it’s rated for 150#. I’d better not stand on it or I guess I’d bust my buttocks. It just makes sense to me to install a generator outside the coach near the electrical plug input.

Questions:
1. Has anyone mounted a cargo box/rack and/or generator to the back bumper? Comments and concerns.
2. Has anyone added additional bracing to the frame to support additional weight to support a generator/cargo box on the rear of the coach?
3. Any thoughts re: generators and placement?

We’re very excited about getting into the 5er lifestyle and any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[Glazier]

Don't add that to the bumper for sure. I installed a RV hitch on mine bolted to the frame, to haul bikes, and a cargo carrier. I have a Reese Signature Series Slider in my truck, love that hitch ( same as the Elite installed factory from Ford). These front caps do allow for good turning even with standard beds, I owned B&W products in the past, very good stuff too.

 

[Shamu]

Made my own bumper. 6"x6"x1/4" box steel.
Welded to frame with 2"x4"x1/4"x18" steel tube.
A lot easier to put sanitary hose and adapters in.
Used 2" receiver for cargo carrier or bike rack.
Hitch plate with ball pulled 10'x5' trailer.
Retrofitted my last 2 5th wheels with this setup.
Caution... I'm sure this will void some kind of warranty.

 

[Kelton]

Hello Glazier,
Thanks so much for the input. I kinda figured the bumper wouldn't support anything. I think I'll need at least 2 points of connection to balance the weight vs. a center mounted hitch. Thanks for the Reese hitch recommendation.

 

[Kelton]

Hello Shamu,
Thanks so much for the reply. Your setup is pretty awesome. I was thinking about that type of setup, welding supports to the frame with a bigger bumper that would support the weight and contain sanitary hoses. In that scenario I could weld three receivers to the bumper to allow the use of a trailer and/or generator/cargo box to be removed if necessary while balancing the weight. Thanks for the pictures and the idea. I certainly don't want to void the structural warranty but I need the coach to be functional and I can't see how adding 250# to the rear end of the coach would affect the structural integrity or towing characteristics. Does your setup affect the tongue weight and driving feel of the coach?

 

[Glazier]

You are certainly welcome. The hitch I used was the Curt Rv bolt on receiver hitch. I can use any type of 2" Bike carrier, or platform cargo carrier, with this setup.

 

[LBnM]

concerning the sliding hitch question - I likewise did not want to have to get out of the truck in a tight maneuver. My first fifth wheel several years ago was pulled with a long bed truck, which was probably the best option. Later I had a standard bed Chevy with a Reese slider. I needed it a couple of times and it was a real pain to have to go thru the steps. Then I had travel trailers for some years. Grand Design 5ers was part of the reason I came back to fifth wheels. When I did, I decided I would get a Pullrite Superglide. I haven't put a lot of miles on the outfit yet but, so far, have been extremely pleased. They can be pricey but if you shop around there are good deals to be had. Mine cost only a little more than a new standard Reese slider. You can also now get one mounted on standard rails which reduces the price quite a bit. I leave mine in the truck bed all the time and have a sliding tonneau cover for protection and security. I'm too old to be pulling a hitch and replacing it two to three times a month. So far, it's been well worth the expense.

 

[Shamu]

Does not feel any different.
You must always be watching about 5 steps ahead, because it is impossible to back up.

 

[Kelton]

Hello LBnM,
Thanks a lot for the hitch recommendation. The Pullrite Superglide looks like an answer to my concerns. Appreciate the info!!

 

[cuttinchief]

Thanks Shamu

 

[gary.l]

We went with the air safe 20k omni directional Air safe hitch which has 4 air bags and 2 shocks that take out 90% of the banging and chucking you get when traveling on uneven roads. The only problem might be that it does not have a slider. We do have a short bed truck but it is a ford. Ford has the longest bed for short bed trucks, it is 80 inches long almost 7 feet. With the extended pin box and the rounded nose on the trailer by the numbers we should be okay. We brought the 303 home last week and putting it in the driveway we had to make a real tight turn and had plenty of clearance. Granted it was a level turn so I wouldn't truly know until we get to use it some more, when we do I will let everyone know how it went. This system is a lot better for the trailer and truck causing less damage.

 

[Kelton]

Hey gary.l, thanks for the response and thanks to all of ya'll for the ideas. We ordered our 337RLS on 2/12/14 and we're pretty jazzed!! After the input here and looking at a number of other owner sites we decided to go with a Curt X5 #16310 hitch adapter which drops into our B&W turnover ball hitch and provides industry standard rails. We then decided to go with the Pullrite Superglide 15K model #2700 to give us the auto slide feature we wanted. To your point of ride quality and chucking we've decided to install the Ultra-Fab Trailair TriGlide L05 model UF35-946229 pin box in place of the Lippert 1621 pin box. This pin box gives us air ride and sliding to offset chucking. Although this setup is pretty expensive, we think the investment in peace of mind, ride quality and frame integrity of the truck and 5'er are worth it. Anyone have any thoughts?

 

[Shamu]

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