Storing Your Hitch?

[Traveler II]

When you are not using your Bird do you store your hitch or just leave it in the bed of your truck?

We’ve been just leaving it in the truck, how about you?

[campswithcritters]

My situation is a bit different than most as best I could do would be to store it under the 5ver (no garage or shed) and I have a hitch directly bolted to the truck frame/bed. That being said I do have a hitch cover for when not in use, but only because trailersaver says it will keep the UV off the air bags and make them last longer. On previous trucks I just left my non-air hitches in, spraying the mechanisms with white lithium grease when not in use then pressure washing it to remove the dirt/grease and re-greasing when ready to go again.

[Mike Clay]

I leave mine in the truck all year, I have a tanneau cover on the truck so it stays out of the weather for the most part.

[Big Bird]

My hitch comes in three parts. I always remove the receiver so I can close my roll up tonneau cover and keep the elements off the hitch. If I am going haul something large or heavy, I will also remove the slider and just leave the bolt down plate in place. This also keeps the curious from playing with the hitch as well.


Big Bird

[Rob & Cathy]

Mine stays on the truck. I have a jack-rabbit roll top cover to protect everything in the bed.

Rob

[bigbunkhouse]

We either leave it in the truck or when we leave it at our friends for months we pull the pins out of the bed rails and lift it out with the 5er landing gear letting it hang from the pin. That way we have the bed for our travels without the 5er and it is locked off the ground where I cant forget it.

[bop11]

Ours is in all summer and out in the winter....Can't wait to leave it in all year!!

Bill

[Chief409]

I leave it in the truck, unless I need the bed cleared out for something. Pull the head off, open the handles for the locks on the base (I have a Reese/DrawTite Signature 18k) pull the base out and it's a clean bed. Two or three times a year I hit the lube points, no squeaky hitch yet.

[Don Wilson]

I have the B&W turn over ball for a goose neck with the fifth wheel Companion hitch so mine is easy to take out, so about 50% of the time when not towing I remove the hitch and store it in the garage on some 4x4 blocks. I can then turn the ball down and have the full 8 foot bed flat. When I do leave it in the truck I have a cover on it.

Don

[rlhedlund]

My truck is used for work, so I have to take it out and put back in when towing. When not in use, I leave the hitch hanging from the pin box. Keeps it handy and ready to go.

[Traveler II]

My truck is used for work, so I have to take it out and put back in when towing. When not in use, I leave the hitch hanging from the pin box. Keeps it handy and ready to go.

I would think this would be easy to do, is there any tricks to hanging the hitch? I have a Trail Air pin box would that complicate things?

[rlhedlund]

My truck is used for work, so I have to take it out and put back in when towing. When not in use, I leave the hitch hanging from the pin box. Keeps it handy and ready to go.

I would think this would be easy to do, is there any tricks to hanging the hitch? I have a Trail Air pin box would that complicate things?

Unhooking is a one-man operation. Hooking up helps with two. Safety first when hooking up. Make SURE trailer is chocked and do not put hands and arms where they can get pinched off. Leave hitch locked to pin box. I have a Glide Ride so there is plenty of room to move around when aligning the hitch to the bed. I have not tried this since hooking up the bed saver. Looks like it will throw the balance off.

[Travelers]

My bed is covered so in the summer I'll leave it in unless I need to use the bed. In the winter, I'll store it in the garage.

[teallen]

receiver comes off goes inside, hitch is covered with a grill cover, then I have a folding cover on the bed.