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This hitch is made for serious towing. With a gross towing weight rating of 20,000 lbs and a vertical load limit of 5,000 lbs, it’s built from sturdy steel and finished with a durable carbide powder coat. That solid foundation helps keep your setup stable and secure when you’re hauling large fifth wheels or heading out on long trips.
The interlocking 2-jaw design wraps completely around the king pin for full 360-degree contact. That means less rattle and movement compared to slide-bar models, giving you a tighter, more confident connection. The fully articulating torsion head also suppresses road shock and towing noise, so the ride stays smooth and quiet over long hauls.
It’s easy to see what’s going on before you hit the road. The color-coded 3-point indicator shows red when uncoupled, yellow when ready to couple, and green when securely locked for towing. The handle is lockable for added peace of mind and automatically resets to the ready-to-couple position after you unhook, so it’s always ready for the next trip.
The S20 slider gives you 12" of front-to-back travel for the clearance needed during slow-speed turns. It automatically latches in both directions, preventing binding so you can move smoothly without hopping in and out of the cab. This extra space helps keep your truck and trailer clear during tight maneuvers.
When it’s time to clear your truck bed, this hitch makes it simple. The head lifts off using a single pin so one person can remove it quickly without extra tools. Two built-in zerk fittings make lubrication easy, and the included plastic lube plate lets the king pin glide smoothly into place the next time you hitch up.
Alternate Instructions
Videos are provided as a guide only. Refer to manufacturer installation instructions and specs for complete information.
Hi everyone, Aidan here at etrailer. Today we're gonna be taking a look at and showing you how to install this replacement fifth wheel head for the Curt A20. This is going to be just the head assembly here today. So if you already have a sliding base or the legs for it, and you're looking to replace a broken or damaged head, or maybe you're just adding it to a sliding base, like the S20 we're using today, then this is gonna be the one for you. If you need the full kit, be sure to check out one of those full kits on our website. But as for this replacement head, let's check it out.
This is gonna operate just like your standard A20 fifth wheel head with the 360-degree dual jaw design. It's gonna get full contact around the kingpin here and those jaws are controlled by this lever on the outside of the fifth wheel hitch. We can unpin this handle right here. The pin could be swapped out for a padlock, if we wanna keep it secured when you're not around. Pull the handle out and back to open up those spring loaded jaws, and then we can back up to our fifth wheel.
That will drop into place. The kingpin will slide in. And it'll snap into place and you can see that 360-degree contact. Repin that handle or relock it back up to secure it, and then we're ready to hit the road. Now as we're hooking up, you probably saw a lot of movement in the fifth wheel head here.
Now it's by design. It's got a torsion system built into it, which gives us front to back, side to side, and even diagonal movement, really all around in a 360-degree motion. It can move around and adapt. So what it's gonna do is a number of things. It's gonna help guide the kingpin in so if we're not perfectly backed up to our trailer, this can kind of move and meet the kingpin where it's at to make hookup a lot easier.
But then when we're driving too, that's gonna act as a shock absorber, helping to reduce the hitching and just any of that road shock we're experiencing going down the road, but also limiting noise. To keep things operating smoothly, we've got our Zerk fittings located on the jaws here, so you can apply grease and keep them operating smoothly for a long time. The indicator at the back, visible from the cab of the truck will let us know if we're properly latched and coupled ready to tow. So we right now, we've got it locked in ready to tow. I'm gonna pull the handle out and back. And you can see right now we're in the coupling mode. And as I bring that dummy king pin back in, it's not fully coupled yet. And when it finally snaps in, (wheel head snaps) you can see it's got that green indicator. We can pin it in place and then we're ready to tow. So it's nice that you have that built-in and then it's visible from the cab of the truck. As for your weight capacity here, the fifth wheel itself can handle 20,000 pounds of gross towing weight and 5,000 pounds of your vertical load limit. Be sure to check on if you're using a sliding base like this one that it can handle that weight as well as your truck and go by the lowest rating component in your whole system. All around, you got a very durable steel construction with a carbide powder coat finish on top to help it resist rust and corrosion over time. Now that doesn't make it immune to things like scratches because that can scratch away the finish and cause it to rust and corrode quicker. But your kit does come included with a grease plate here that will slide in between the head of the fifth wheel with your kingpin in the middle here and help reduce that metal and metal contact. Keeping the head of this hopefully looking new for a lot longer and keeping those scratches and scuffs away. If you don't wanna leave this in your truck bed all the time, getting it removed can be a bit of a pain because of how heavy it is, But the head will separate from the main body here with this pin and a very large pin running through the center of everything. That is completely removable so that we can take the head on its own and lift it from the main body. So it's a lot easier to get in and out of the truck bed on your own like this. And if we look a little closer there where the pin runs through, you can see those rubber isolators that help dampen that impact and act as shock absorbers when we're going down the road. Now whether you're upgrading or replacing your existing head, it is going to be a very straightforward installation process. You will need a torque wrench for it, but aside from that everything's pretty straightforward and easy to do straight out of the box. So let's check out that process now. It comes pretty much fully assembled in the box. You will only need to attach the handle to the head, but I chose to also separate the head from the main body here, just to lighten the load a little bit and make it easier to attach. For our application today, we're attaching it to our sliding base here, the S20. So I'm just gonna get it dropped in place. And then, loosely get these bolts installed, line them up through the outer holes at whatever height setting we want, (metal clanging) and then attaching the nuts on the inside. (metal clanging) And at this point, once you've got it set to your proper height, you can tighten it down and torque it to the specifications found in your instructions. (metal clanging) (wrench rattling) If you don't have a torque wrench at home, they are pretty easy to rent, or you can find them here at etrailer. And repeat that process for all your other hardware. And then the head simply drops in place in the center and secures with the large pin feeding in through the back to the front. And then secures in there with this pin and retaining clip at the front. Now you're ready to hook up. And as far as the replacement head for the Curt A20 goes, that's really all there is to it. It's a very simple installation process. It comes with all the hardware you need. So if you already had an A20 fifth wheel hitch and you're just looking to replace a broken or damaged head, this is gonna drop right into place and do that for you. Or maybe you've got the S20 slider like we do here and you've got one of the kits maybe with the A16 and you're looking to upgrade the head to really max out the weight capacity potential of the slider itself. You can do that too. Like you see it is dropped in place Bolt it in with the included hardware and you're good to go. But that'll do it for our look at an installation of this Curt A20 fifth wheel head replacement. Thanks for watching.
Ratings & Reviews
I'll post back after a 2000 mile haul with the 40 RV. Looks good so far...
Have a great day everyone!
Amazing product fit perfect with no issues whats so ever being that this kit is for a none fifth wheel truck option and was able to easily install with no problems, We have owned it over a year and still looks new and works perfect we tow a 44 feet RV very often with no issue and really recommend this product hands down !!!!!
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.
Arrived fast works well
The hitch has worked very well. It is very sturdy, and I have had no problems. I would recommend this to someone with a short bed for the ability to slide the hitch.
This allows me back up with out worrying about hitting the roof of my truck in tight spots.
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!
First, the is a very heavy duty hitch. I watch the etrailer videos and the installation was simple. No issues at all. Second, I order from Matt who was very helpful an knowledgeable on the product. He said it would be delivered in two days. I laughed but low and be hold it was delivered in two days and the packing was incredible. I Thank you Matt for all you assistance.
Easy to install and works perfectly!
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.
This was an easy install. Very heavy and ready to pull my trailer!
An excellent experience with etrailer.com
Gwendolyn Y.
4/17/2025
The New hitch looks great in your truck, Frank! Have you taken it out for a spin yet?
Gwendolyn Y.
4/18/2025
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.
Cammi, my customer support person was awesome. I told her what I needed and she recommended to perfect hitch. I was impressed with her knowledge of their products and how fast it was delivered. Installation was simple as long as you follow the very well written directions.
Brooke M.
2/5/2025
Cammi is going to love to see this review, Scott. Thanks for taking the time to write it! Ill be sure she gets to see it, and Im so happy to hear installation went off without a hitch! ;) Please let either me of Cammi know if we can help you out with anything else!
Scott
2/2/2026
My hitch is working great still. Easy to use no issues.
I previously owned the Curt A16. We needed a larger tow capacity so we purchased the A20 and decided to buy the S20 slider base as well. Too many sharp turning issues with our 6’8” Chevy standard bed HD3500 during maneuvering. The S20 slider should eliminate this issue. Also I love the design of both the A20 and S20.
Harvey
4/8/2026
This was a great purchase and it’s made backing into tight camping spots so much easier. 100 satisfied with this hitch and slider system!
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Matt
7/9/2026
One year and zero issues after many trips pulling our 43ft toy hauler.