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The Curt E16 5th Wheel Hitch with S20 Slider is rated for 16,000 lbs gross towing weight and a 4,000-lb vertical load limit, giving you the backbone you need to pull heavy fifth wheels with confidence. The sturdy steel construction and carbide black finish keep it solid and stable mile after mile. It mounts above bed rails for a secure setup, keeping your trailer steady when the road gets rough.
Hooking up feels simple with the E16’s auto-locking, slide-bar jaw mechanism. Once the king pin slides into place, the rear steel tension bar tightens down to clamp around it, minimizing rattle and movement. That added tension makes a noticeable difference—less play means a smoother, quieter ride and more peace of mind when you’re heading out on long hauls.
Tight turns can be tricky with a fifth wheel, but the included S20 slider gives you 12" of fore and aft travel to create the clearance you need at slow speeds. The non-binding design helps the hitch slide smoothly without fighting friction or hang-ups, so backing into spots or maneuvering in tighter areas feels more controlled. It’s built for trucks with beds from 6' to 8' long to prevent contact between cab and trailer during sharp turns.
Getting the trailer level is straightforward thanks to four height positions ranging from 14" to 17". The dual-pivoting head offers 10 degrees of lateral movement that makes coupling on uneven ground far less stressful. It connects easily, stays quiet with its anti-rattle skid plate, and works smoothly with a nylon lube plate (sold separately) for cleaner hookups over time.
This hitch includes base rails and an installation kit for mounting in your truck bed. The steel build feels strong under load while still being simple enough for DIY installation. When it’s all set up, you get a secure fifth-wheel connection that’s smooth to operate and ready for thousands of towing miles ahead.
Alternate Instructions
Videos are provided as a guide only. Refer to manufacturer installation instructions and specs for complete information.
Hey guys, this is Jake here with etrailer. Today we're gonna be going over the CURT E16 replacement 5th wheel head. This is designed to replace your E16 5th wheel head. If you've already got one and you're wanting to replace it. If it got damage or if it's old and rusty this is gonna be a perfect fit. It's also gonna come with the replacement bracket.
If you'd like to swap out the head on the S20 which is their new slider base, you can put this in, mount it to the correct height and then put this hitch head right in the top of it. You are gonna get all the replacement parts that initially come with the kit so you'll get new hardware, new pins, a new handle, and this bracket. The best way to get this set up inside the S20 base is to set your head height with the bracket first and then set the head on top of it. Now with our new hardware, we can set the height of our hitch a lot easier than a lot of other hitches out there. A lot of 'em are gonna have to set it with the head attached but this bracket only weighs about 10 pounds so it's really easy to get it in place.
Now to get your new head in place, it's as simple as setting it on top of the bracket. And again, it will come with two new pins. And that's, I think that's kind of nice 'cause when you're replacing you know, new parts you'd like to put new hardware in too 'cause chances are these are gonna be pretty wore out. So some of the reasons why you would need to replace your 5th wheel head is if it's got a lot of rust on it it's gonna start to affect the integrity of the strength of the hitch itself. So if it's got too much rust you might think about replacing it.
If you've not been using enough grease or any grease at all this head can start to score and once it starts scoring you can't really go back 'cause it needs a smooth surface to slide on your kingpin base. Another reason is your grease gets dirty that can cause scoring. If you're not using a lube plate. There's a lot of different reasons of why you would need to replace this head. If your mechanism isn't working correctly anymore.
But it's good to know that you can just replace the head. But with that being said, a lot of people what they'll do is they'll, if they have an A16 or an E16 head and they have the traditional base but they get a new vehicle and they'd like to switch to the slider, you can keep your old head, get the slider, and then later on you can replace the head. So there's several different options and reasons of why you would need a new E16 head. Well, with all that being said, we've got it all installed it's ready to go, and it's ready for our next trip.
Ratings & Reviews
The instructions were easy to follow, took about six hours to install as I took my time, measured, remeasured and then followed up every step. I’m sure it could be done in half or third the time but I was in no rush. Everything was in the box as ordered and the buying process was easy. Highly recommend etrailer.
Very pleased with the product. Installation was easy. No frame drilling just as etrailer Mike L. said in answering my question and recommending the curt rails and mounting kit for my husky 5th wheel hitch.. Thank you etrailer and Mike L.
The quality of the kit is very good. Materials are heavy and well packaged. The paper instructions are a little vague about where to put the U-shaped washers. On youtube, Curt has a installation video for a 2015 F350, but make sure to watch the whole video. At the beginning Curt suggests putting the U-shaped washers between the mounting rails and on top the truck bed-then cuts to a different clip suggesting an alternative location, which is between the sheet metal on the underside of the truck bed. The U-shaped washers should be installed on the underside of the truck bed where they function as spacers between the sheet metal and will prevent crushing the corrugations of the bed. I installed my kit without removing the rear tires or dropping the spare tire.
I put this on my 2015 F-250 mostly by myself yesterday...BTW, ordered on a Monday late evening and had product on my property Friday noon with regular free shipping!
Definitely used the video to help with installation. It really helps to have a jack that gets the vehicle high enough to work on to give you some room under the truck...(Don't forget safety jacks too!). Impact wrench is a huge help--saves time, so if you can have one for this job it is a pleasure! I used my Milwaukee 1/2" M18 impact wrench a lot. Need to take wheels off, drop spare also. The whole job, including Curt A16 5th Wheel and harness took about 4 hours for me, with some help placing bolts so I wouldn't have to go under and over to the bed a bunch of times. Two people is better, but can do by yourself.
Quality seems to be good and fitment is very nice. Great job all around etrailer.com!!
This is the 2nd time I have installed a Curt Custom 5th wheel installation kit. This time it was for a 2014 Ford F250 short bed. As usual the customer service and delivery was outstanding. I watched the video and read the instructions and installation was very uneventful. No missing or spare parts ! Took about 3 1/2 hours and I was working alone. The custom brackets are the only way to go! Installed my sliding hitch and took the 5th wheel on a test drive. I have been an etrailer customer for years and have always received exceptional service and fast delivery !
The only thing I found with this kit is that the brackets do not completely isolate the hitch plates from the body, the brackets and shims actually squeeze the body floor to the frame brackets. The body then cannot move or flex as it should!
All the brackets, shims, nuts bolts and washers are good quality
The custom fit rail and bracket assembly for me was a no brainer. I am good at putting things together and by trade a maintenance tech. I was able to put it in the truck in the 4 hour time frame but not as instructed. The brackets fit great. The rail placement was easy to understand but the hole came out on the edge of the small humps in the bed. This means careful drilling to keep it straight. It is not possible to use a step drill as stated because of the truck rail under the bed. If you did use one the hole on the bed would be larger than needed. If the rail was about 1 1/2 longer it would come out in the center of the humps and make for a very easy placement. This is the manufacturers problem. It still came out great and I am happy with my purchase. I hope to pick up my camper next week.
haven't towed yet, be several weeks before we get trailer ! watch video and read instructions several times, get some body to help and go for it. installed on 2011 ford crew cab, 4x4, gas engine,short bed. Did not take wheels off or drop spare tire. took us 4 hours, that included fifth wheel assemble. getting torque wrench in there was a little tricky, but do able. only holes we drilled was on truck bed, side plates fit up perfect. real heavy duty. all hardware was there, box showed up in great shape. every think fit up great, very pleased
This was a perfect fit. Made installation so easy rather than generic installation kit. The holes matched perfectly for my 2015 F350 6 1/4 ft. Bed. Easy to follow instructions. Took about 3 hours to install everything. I also purchased the Curt slider hitch.
Once I got the rails installed in my 2016 FORD F305( with plenty of ease) almost immediately I went pick up a fifth wheel travel trailer (approximately 14,500#) stopped once to check the hardware, HAD ABSOLUTELY NO ISSUES WITH ANY OF THE HITCH. Thank you for such a good and dependable product, and yes I have even recommended it to others.
Earl Breaux
The kit was a exact fit for my 2011 f-250 truck. I will be purchasing other items from etrailer . Shipping was fast and delivered ahead of time.
Been happy with the product overall. Chain is already rusted and I live in San Diego where it doesn't rain much. When detaching, I find I need to move the truck up and back a skosh (sp?) to release the clamp. this is my first purchase so they may all do this. I have a 8 foot bed and pull a 40 foot 5th wheeler and would probably purchase again.
Wonderful Product. Installed easily in only 2.5 hours! Love it! The product is Great, however the service at etrailer.com is AMAZING! Terrific experience, incredibly fast shipping and a really competitive price! If I need it, and etrailer.com sells it, I'll buy it from them!!!!
Arrived a few days later than I hoped, however, I have installed the in/underbed parts, yet removed the in bed parts in preparation for a spray-in bed liner. Easy instructions, just follow the measuring instructions diligently and recheck measurements several times before cutting/drilling. I left the underbed parts installed and the fish wire provided makes installing the forward driver side bolt a breeze. Easy to install!
Very pleased with etrailer.com. All product information and reviews help make decision very easy. Very quick delivery and installation instructions are very easy to follow. Purchased 5th wheel hitch and custom wiring extension for my 2014 F250.
Purchased this hitch, install kit, and wiring harness for a new to me 2015 F-250. After watching the installation video and reviewing the included instructions the install went smoothly. The only deviation from the instructions was instead of using a unibit to drill the 9/16" holes in the bed I used a Rotobroach hole cutter(the holes are cleaner and the bit does not drift. I hooked in to my fifth wheel for the first time on Saturday.
2016 F350 crew standard box. Installation went well with the videos help in about 3 hrs. The bolt leader provided really helped on the driver side.
The installation is straight forward. With a helper it took about 6 hours to install. With the hitch set at it lowest height was able to close my bed cover.
GREAT product, GREAT price, GREAT folks to deal with! Installed easily, followed the online video and everything went together perfectly. I did move my gas tank vent line on the left side as I was afraid the center bolt head would rub a hole in it but not a big deal.
Etrailer is terrific!
2012 Ford F-250 - Fast shipping and easy to follow directions were included. Bed rails and side plates lined up perfectly. My truck has the line x bedliner so I added 1/8” when setting the first rail. I highly recommend using a step bit to drill your holes for the rails in the bed. No drilling was required for the side plates into the frame. Install by myself took 4 hours with no lift. Could definitely be completed faster with an extra hand or lift. Measure several times and drill once and everything will line up great. Highly recommend!
The kit fit extremely well. With my wife and I doing the install it took about 3 hours but 2 hours were trying to reach a dropped bolt!!! Dropped one of the frame bolts inbetween the frame and the DPF tank. Other than that the install was fairly straight forward. Just went out and looked at the brackets and after a year still no rust on them. Definately would buy this again if needed.
Product was an exact fit for my 2016 F350 (I have Dual wheels but the kit fits both SW and DRW to my understanding.) I've paid up to $400 labor to have rails mounted in 3 previous trucks. This kit and the videos made me sure that I could do it myself, and I was right. Take your time, measure twice before drilling, and save some money. It took me about 4 hours, but only because I was being extremely cautious with a brand new vehicle. I did learn that the person that installed my previous hitch didn't follow directions as they put the spacers on the top of the bed instead of between the bed and the mounting plates in my previous truck. Getting the spacers in was the tricky part (and probably why the last installer I used didn't do it right). After seeing several other rail installations...I am much more comfortable with the way these mount to a solid rail bracket that is definitely secured better to the frame using heavy duty hardware and no drilling. Great product!
Great product and fit for a 2014 F250. Torque requirements are very high on the 3/4” bolts so you may need some help and a big wrench.
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