If you have read my previous blog post on Sliding 5th Wheel Hitches, you know this story. But for those that have not, Pullrite not only makes the best sliding 5th wheel hitches on the market but also amazing company and people. I called just for brackets for a used hitch I was looking to buy off Craigslist. They asked about me and after a short conversation decided to GIVE ME one of their hitches due to my personal situation. I was in no way looking for a freebee and they asked for nothing in return. This is why 6 years later of flawless heavy use of my Pullrite Superglide 3600, I want to make them my first review for this blog.
(discontinued for newer 2900 model)
Design & Operation:
Pullrite has been designing and building 5th wheel hitches for over 40 years. They have an amazing reputation for high quality and longevity. The hitches are built with quality steel and have a great powder coated finish making them extremely tough for the job of safety moving very heavy 5th wheel campers of all sizes. Pullrite Hitches are offered by many camper dealerships and seen as the “diamond standard” in sliding hitches.
The Superglide Auto Sliding Hitches they make operate by slowly pushing back the hitch head along the rails you see above automatically as the truck starts turning. Once the truck starts straightening back up, the head moves back into the forward position so the pin weight of the camper is above the rear axle like it should be. This stops the front cap of the camper from coming in contact with the cab of truck when turning very tightly such backing into a campsite or a “U-Turn” on the highway. This is very important in a short bed truck where the distance between the 5th wheel hitch mounting location above rear axle is MUCH shorter than a long bed truck.
Ease of Use:
I come from the construction industry for most of my career. So I have hooked up trailers so many times for work from goose necks to bumper pull trailers. It can not get much easier or simpler than using this hitch especially compared to hooking up a bumper pull trailer.
Hooking Up:
All I do is spray the proper areas (Described below under Maintenance) with WD-40, make sure the hitch lock arm is pulled all the way out, and back up to “grab” the pin with my hitch. It automatically locks down on the pin, I put the emergency break away cable on the bracket, and plug my 5th wheel 7 pin into my bed plug. We are ready to go.
Disconnecting:
Once I am in my spot whether at home or at the campsite, it is even easier to unhook. I step out of my truck and pull the hitch lock arm out, take off the emergency break away cable, and pull forward. I always leave my 7 pin plug hooked up till I am sure the camper is safely unhooked just incase it rolls I can still control the trailer brakes with my truck. Once I am completely unhooked, I pull my trail 7 pin cable from the truck’s plug last.
Maintenance:
In the past before I received my hitch, you used to have to use plate grease on the rails so the head could slide back and forth on them. This was due to metal to metal contact between the head and rails. My unit and its newer versions are WAY LESS maintenance and mess. All I do before hooking up is liberally spray the head, moving parts, and rails with WD-40 lube. This limited lubrication is possible due to the new plastic/rubber plate that is under the head that slowly wears so there is no metal to metal contact. I know you are thinking “great now I have to buy a new plate on a regular basis.” I will tell you I have had my hitch for roughly 6 years now and I still have easily 70% or more of the plate’s original thickness left. So NO messy greasing just a quick spray of WD-40 every time I hook up which also keeps it completely rust free.
Longievty: 6 Years of Heavy Use:
We go camping regularly during the camping season with at least 2 weekends per month and 2 or 3 week long trips per year. These trips range from locally to over 16 hours one-way. I had gotten little surface rust last year on the hitch lock arm where the powder coating had gotten scratched up from use. All I had to do was take some steel wool to remove the rust and touched up with black automotive paint. Other than that, I have not had ONE problem with the hitch at all. I even leave in my truck year around under my tonneau cover. I have seen many other brands of hitches that are rust buckets after just few years of use due to cheap powder coating jobs. But other than a quarter size surface rust spot I repaired and some of the stickers starting to show their age, the hitch basically looks brand new 6 years later.
SuperRail Mounting System:
The SuperRail system is what they also gave me with my hitch. This allows for the hitch to be removed completely and leave the bed completely clear when your hitch isn’t in the truck bed. This is huge improvement over many traditional 5th wheel hitches that require rails to be bolted onto the surface of the bed and are not removable. Basically it allows the hitch to sit on 2 rails in the bed. The custom brackets for your model and year of truck are mounted to the frame below your bed. Than you have 4 holes in your bed for 4 heavy duty pins to stick up through your bed that your 2 SuperRails sit on. Your Pullrite hitch than bolts to the SuperRails. If you ever wish to remove the hitch to have a clean bed, you just pull 4 pins and lift the hitch out with SuperRails attached. Then you can even remove the 4 pins going through the bed. Just another amazing option for this brand of hitch that separates it from many other brands that leave rails sitting in your bed that are not supposed to be removed.
Current Models:
ISR Series (For standard 5th wheel rails OR SuperRail system)
In Conclusion
I am not one normally to say a product is the “best” but between my amazing product experience and how amazing the company’s customer service actually is. I feel great saying that Pullrite makes the BEST fifth wheel hitches on the market. You can not go wrong purchasing one and can depend on the company for any support you may need. I have linked the Amazon options for their three newer models that are most popular. You can also checkout their website Pullrite.com for videos and more in depth information.