# Questions on Valley "pull max" 5th wheel hitch



## Bocephus

i just purchased my 1st 5th wheel today. the dealer is trying to sell me a valley pullmax 16k hitch. i have never seen one of these, and cant find much info on them... as part of the deal, they are throwing the hitch and mounting components for $350. this is obviously much cheaper than most, so i am doubting it a little bit. i dont want to get something that is junk. i would rather spend the money right away to get a good one. but like i said, i know nothing about these things. it will be going in a 08 toyota tundra if that makes any difference. any advice or reviews on the hitch is appreciated


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## bobrussell

I have a Valley 5th wheel hitch and have had good service out of it, it's about 10 years old now and has been moved to the 3rd truck. As long as it's rated for more than you plan to pull, you should be good to go.:thumbup1:


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## bobrussell

A 16K hitch should handle a lot more trailer than your Tundra (not knocking your truck or anything).


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## ctfortner

I dont know of these hitches either so I cannot give you my personal opinion of it, but maybe this will help your decision.

Amazon Reviews

Another


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## artmart

Knowing what your truck is, IS the difference!

Don't do it! That hitch is too big for your truck so even at the bargain price you are paying more than you need to. Your truck cannot tow a 16K trailer so why get a 16K hitch. They are just trying to make more money from you that they can getting rid of their inventory. You wouldn't buy military truck tires for your truck just because they are cheap would you? You would buy tires that are suited for your truck. A hitch should be the same way. It might cost you more for the right thing, but it will be the right thing.

Find out the max towing rating of a 5er for your truck and use that as a gauge for your hitch. For example, my truck 5er rating is 15,300 so I use a 16K hitch (not less). It happens to be a Valley/Husky and cost me $289 at the dealer installed. No problems with it for the past 5 years and don't expect any. I have since found better and more expensive hitches I would have liked, but this one works for now.

That's my opinion based on years of experience from others who have proven to do what's the right thing, not what's the cheapest.


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## Bocephus

bobrussell said:


> A 16K hitch should handle a lot more trailer than your Tundra (not knocking your truck or anything).


no no, i understand. the camper i bought is 8100 lbs dry, so i konw the 16k is obviously more than enough. the 16k is the lightest hitch they had at the rv dealership. and to be honest, i would rather have something with a higher rating because my next pickup _will_ be a diesel........and along with that will probably have to be a bigger camper :thumbup1:


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## Bocephus

ctfortner said:


> I dont know of these hitches either so I cannot give you my personal opinion of it, but maybe this will help your decision.
> 
> Amazon Reviews
> 
> Another


i saw these as well. they are running down amazon more than reviewing the product.... i would like to find a little more info on the product....


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## artmart

The first one is a slider. You'll need to check if you need a slider (most Tundras do). If you don't have one and ever need to make a sharp turn, you can damage the front cap of the trailer AND bash the cab of your truck pretty bad. I've seen evidence of this so many times, I am still shocked it happens. Even when they have one and it's not automatic, there could be contact if one forgets, or think "I can make it, I'm sure of it". Automatic Slider hitches will be the best but of course the most expensive.

I still think it's a bad idea to get that big of a hitch for your truck, but it's your choice.

It sounds for convenience you are listening to your RV dealer too much. They are in the business of sales NOT owner comfort. As soon as it's off the lot, it's your problem, they'll be glad to help you spend your money to fix any surprises you run into. If they were caring they would NOT be trying to sell you that hitch. They would also not be talking about Dry Weight. The ONLY time that trailer will ever weigh that is the day you drive it off the lot. After that you're ALWAYS gonna have something in it that adds to the weight. It's GROSS trailer weight they should be concentrating on. This is the MOST the trailer should weigh and this will be what the truck is pulling (not an empty trailer). Calculate the pin weight as 18 to 20% of the 5er weight at the pin (also carried by the truck) because of the way residential RVs are built and where their storage compartments are located. The dealer will say 15%, but again, they are quoting dry weight, not with all the stuff you're putting in there.

You didn't say what trailer you got, but if it is already weighing 8,100 lbs dry you are being close to being in trouble. Provide the year and model of your Tundra and the year and model of your trailer I'll be glad to look this up, but I would be concerned. It is estimated that about 40% of RV combinations are overweight by their owners. Not good odds, but most of these owners don't know it or care until a problem occurs. Adding too big (and heavy) of a hitch may not help.

Just my ten cents worth from someone who was there.


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## Bocephus

artmart said:


> The first one is a slider. You'll need to check if you need a slider (most Tundras do). If you don't have one and ever need to make a sharp turn, you can damage the front cap of the trailer AND bash the cab of your truck pretty bad. I've seen evidence of this so many times, I am still shocked it happens. Even when they have one and it's not automatic, there could be contact if one forgets, or think "I can make it, I'm sure of it". Automatic Slider hitches will be the best but of course the most expensive.
> 
> I still think it's a bad idea to get that big of a hitch for your truck, but it's your choice.
> 
> It sounds for convenience you are listening to your RV dealer too much. They are in the business of sales NOT owner comfort. As soon as it's off the lot, it's your problem, they'll be glad to help you spend your money to fix any surprises you run into. If they were caring they would NOT be trying to sell you that hitch. They would also not be talking about Dry Weight. The ONLY time that trailer will ever weigh that is the day you drive it off the lot. After that you're ALWAYS gonna have something in it that adds to the weight. It's GROSS trailer weight they should be concentrating on. This is the MOST the trailer should weigh and this will be what the truck is pulling (not an empty trailer). Calculate the pin weight as 18 to 20% of the 5er weight at the pin (also carried by the truck) because of the way residential RVs are built and where their storage compartments are located. The dealer will say 15%, but again, they are quoting dry weight, not with all the stuff you're putting in there.
> 
> You didn't say what trailer you got, but if it is already weighing 8,100 lbs dry you are being close to being in trouble. Provide the year and model of your Tundra and the year and model of your trailer I'll be glad to look this up, but I would be concerned. It is estimated that about 40% of RV combinations are overweight by their owners. Not good odds, but most of these owners don't know it or care until a problem occurs. Adding too big (and heavy) of a hitch may not help.
> 
> Just my ten cents worth from someone who was there.


i will not need a slider. i have the extended cab tundra with a 6.5' bed. the sales manager at the dealership i was dealing at has the exact same pickup as i do. he offered to drop his hitch into his bed, hook up to the camper i was looking at, and take it for a spin. so obviously, i took him up on his offer. 

we took it for a 10 mile drive down the interstate. my old camper was a travel trailer, 6500 lbs dry, 800 lb tongue weight, coupled up with a 1k WD hitch. the new one, like i said, 5th wheel, 8100 dry. the rear of the truck handled the weight better as it did not squat as bad. when i got out on the road i didnt feel like i had any more weight behind me as i did with the TT (accelerating and stopping). it obviously handled way better than the TT.....but that was no surprise. the last thing i am worried about in this whole conversation is whether my tundra will handle it. i am, however, concerned about which hitch i get. the whole rig will weigh in at about 10,500-10,700 lbs. 

i am going to get at least a 16k hitch. i dont care what my current pickup is rated for. its not an image thing....its not like i think it will allow me to pull any more weight... like i said, i am looking at a 10 year investment here. if i want to upgrade vehicles and campers in the future, i dont need to buy another hitch.....just a mounting kit.

2006 cherokee wolf pack 295
08 tundra double cab 5.7L


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## artmart

Not really sure why you posted since it sounds like you had already made up your mind. I hope you were just looking for what you'll be dealing with. With experience you'll learn that there is more to towing, long distances and the thinking the "truck feels fine".

At last check your truck has a tow capacity of 10,100 (owners say 10,300 to 10,500 but gee, a check of the user manual should tell you. Since you have no margin left over I hope your load does okay. It will be easy to overload that toy hauler if you aren't careful. With that short bed of yours and not getting a sliding hitch, watch those sharp turns especially when backing. I know more people that hit something than not.

For the record, rear axle weight ratings, GVWR and combined gross vehicle weight ratings weren't covered here and none of this should be overweight, but if you aren't concerned about it, it's your choice. Only a scale will tell you for sure, but it will just be knowledge to you. I hope you don't find the only thing that can be saved for your new truck tradein is that hitch. If you stick to a 3/4 ton it will do fine. Anything larger and you'll need a bigger hitch.

Good luck out there. I hope you do well in the flatlands of North Dakota.


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## Bocephus

if you would stick to the topic of this thread, you would see that i, in fact,_ do not_ have my mind made up. i know what my tow vehicle is, i know what my camper is..........but that is not the topic here. i am inquiring on a specific hitch. this is quite obvious if you read my 1st post or the title.

no flatlands here......look up the badlands of western ND.


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## artmart

And it's also obvious to most that in order to determine your hitch needs you need to know ALL the other facts because they correlate. Your rig is at the very top end of your truck, the truck doesn't need a hitch that big. You're gonna have weight and slide concerns that others have solved by not using the hitch the dealer is providing for you. It's like putting semi truck tires on your Toyota truck because you're gonna buy a semi truck one day. Your dealer is doing a disservice by recommending too big of a hitch that doesn't slide for your combination. Everything I've mentioned should be the knowledge you need to make the right decision - it doesn't come from me, it comes from Toyota owners and forums, I've researched prior. If there is no lighter hitch available (that slides and provides just a little bit more margin) then this forum post is moot anyway. With the hitch you selected it alone is almost 6,000 lbs more than you'll ever need. But other Toyota Tundras with your configuration use a Pullrite or Sidewinder model of some kind, but I'm sure it's pricier (I was trying to avoid endorsing anything).

These are things I know that I'm passing on and have learned because right decisions work a whole lot better than many owners who decide what they want based on what's available or cheap then ask for help after they have a problem. For that reason, I provided all the information for you to suggest this is not a good idea, but don't fault the messenger, please.

North Dakota and South Dakota are two of the states we haven't been to yet, but with the highest point in all North Dakota no higher than 3,500 and roads I've driven in California and Colorado and towed up to 8,000 ft, and driven over 10,000 ft you'll note ND is considerably flatter. Compared to ALL the Western States I towed or driven in, like I said, good luck and enjoy the flatter lands of ND (is that better?).


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