Sturdy, secure fifth-wheel trailer hitch has a dual-pivot head and a slide-bar jaw for a smooth ride. Non-binding slider ensures proper clearance during slow turns. Rails and installation kit included.
Features:
Specs:
With a dual-pivoting head that offers 10 degrees of lateral movement, the E16 fifth-wheel hitch makes hookup a snap, even on unlevel ground. Once the king pin slides into the hitch, the auto-locking, slide-bar jaw secures it in place. A unique feature of the E16 is the rear steel tension bar within the jaw that activates upon hookup to clamp down on the king pin, providing a tighter grip that maximizes security and minimizes rattle.
Specially designed for trucks with 6' to 8' beds, this non-binding slider helps to eliminate clearance problems during slow-speed turns. When you are towing a fifth-wheel trailer, your hitch must be situated on the cab side of your truck's rear axle. However, at slow speeds you can use a roller to slide the fifth-wheel hitch (and the trailer) toward your truck's tailgate and past the rear axle, creating enough space between the cab of your truck and the trailer to permit less-restricted turning.
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.
Successfully installed this hitch even in a RAM Box. I did remove 2" from the handles so I have the proper clearance for the RAM box. That shortened length hasn't changed my ability to unlock the hitch for either function even being 5'-8". I do think this installation method with U-bolts that go around the frame is easier than the 1/2 ton version I installed which pulled knurled bolts through the factory frame holes to hold the support brackets.
Etrailer sent me a one year follow-up email. Since purchasing this I've used it to tow our 11k lb camper about 5k miles. The hitch and slider have worked exactly as they should and I have no complaints.
Installed nice no instructions on the right rear front bolt on a 2017 3 quarter ton Ram pickup rear end mounted were they wanted you to put the bolt on the coil suspension Dodge
Well, I haven't towed with it yet but we'll see how that goes.
I purchased this hitch because I needed to drop the height as much as 6 inches.
My previous hitch was dropped to the lowest setting and still 17 inches high!
This E16 goes down to 14 inches...
Assembly was straight forward and all pieces were present ( even 4 big washers which were not illustrated anywhere in the instructions as to where they went)
The hitch seems well built but the welder needs to be more thorough in cleaning his Slag (got my finger good when I picked up the top plate)
Stickers were falling off everywhere (my heat gun fixed those)
But a couple notable design flaws...
The top cradle for the 5th wheel plate is a triangular shaped arch and the top plate has an axle which is perfectly round. So when the 5th wheel assembly is down in the cradle, there are only two little points of contact instead of the cradle fitting uniformly around the axle rods...we'll see what kind of wear this causes.
Next, the green ring on the indicator rod looked like a 3 year old toddler wiped lipstick on it. (Green paint is supposed to be in the little groove cut in the rod but instead, is smeared all over the end of the rod)
Lastly...
The side plates have a two rows of holes for height adjustment...I have installed the bolts to position the overall height at the lowest possible setting. However, there are two more holes in the tie plate but the casting prevents the sideplates from dropping down even lower. Definitely confused as to what the extra holes are for and disappointed that I can't drop this even lower...
Definitely seems heavy duty, but again, I haven't towed yet, so hopefully the play in the base rails doesn't translate into obnoxious clanking and rattling....
If so, I will definitely be doing another review
I have a short bed truck, and using the Curt 16516 system Curt E16 5th Wheel Trailer Hitch w/ R16 Roller, will give me the added clearance I will need for tight turns and maneuvering. Curt's instructions were fairly clear, and parts were well defined. These products are extremely well-made.
Once again, etrailer shipped quickly. Their communication and customer service are great. Thank you etrailer team. I am now ready to get my rig on the road.
While the jury is out on pulling with this 5th wheel hitch, etrailer did a really nice job promptly shipping my order. The unit is exactly what I expected and installed onto my base rails quite nicely. Thanks guys.
I have a year of use into this hitch. It rolls surprisingly easy. The hitch is able to be taken apart into two main pieces.
This thing is HEAVY. Even in two parts it's stupid heavy. I don't expect anything less but man, if you are buying a sliding hitch, you better NEED it(shortbox truck).
Hitch is well made and went together without a problem.
I like the slide mechanism, works smoothly.
I looked at other hitches and this one seems to have the best features for the price.
Shipping from etrailer was fast even with the holidays.
First of all Etrailer.com shipped the hitch the same day ordered and I recieved it the next day. Outstanding! The hitch installation went well however the directions could be better. Just installed and haven't towed yet. So far very pleased.
My wife and I assembled this 5th wheel hitch in about 40 minutes. It’s very straightforward and could be done just by looking at the picture. Just 9 bolts and 6pins a little grease and you’re done. I used thread lock on the conical allen bolts all the other bolts used self locking nuts. We are in our 70’s so someone younger could probably do it faster.
I ordered on a Monday and got the equipment on Wed. I started the installation Wed after noon. Finished Thur. about 11:00 am. I did all the work myself with a little help from my son on holding the U bolts. I am 75.5 years old and had no trouble with the instructions. Thanks. PS Added the Jeep picture for fun.
It went together easy. I installed it in my ram 1500 short bed 5.5 bed and it works good.
This is my first hitch. I decided to go this route after finding out the dealership wanted over 1500 to install rails hitch and plug.
Install was not too aweful bad I did the install in about 4 hours of everything. I took my time so nothing would be screwed up. The install videos where awesome and very discriptive.
Excellent product and fantastic customer service. The hitch was easier to install than expected with the prefabricated brackets and installation kit.
Good solid hitch, a little lower in height than anticipated, but works fine.
Great kit. Bolted together quickly! The boxes being heavy caused holes to be punched into the boxes. This caused a nut to go missing for the hitch release handle.
Bought hitch last spring, put over 3000 miles on it, still works great. A big plus is that you can remove the top half separately. This makes it much easier to install the hitch with 1 person. It rattles a little bit but nothing major. The slide part work great.
Excellent product. Installation wasn't to bad, did take some time but overall wasn't horrible. It doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles but works flawlessly. I chose this hitch for two reasons. 1. It's a simple yet reliable design from a great manufacturer. 2. I needed the lower height adjustment than the Q series offered. My '06 dodge doesn't have any aftermarket suspension parts but I do run 285 70/17 tires and it does sit a little bit higher. Glad I did because the lower height adjustment is almost perfect. I highly recommend getting a lube plate to go with any fifth wheel hitch, very cheap and no mess. As far as etrailer.com goes. This is the best place I've ever ordered from. Great communication and very fast shipping. The hitch arrived days faster than expected even with the bad weather delays. You can't go wrong with this item or this company. I will definitely be ordering from here in the future and will be buying more Curt products.
The hitch is easy to put together as I have a 2016 2500hd I had to bolt it inn the very top holes to clear my box. There seems to be alot of plat in the king pin lock a clank and clunk starting and stopping. Id buy from etrailer again they are a great company this product was built for what I paid its a middle of the road hitch. I will upgrade at some point
Curt makes a high-quality product at an affordable price. Tammie at etrailer was extremely helpful in finding alternative rails when they were back ordered. She found alternative rails and that allowed me to get setup for the camping season. I have never been disappointed with etrailer.
After watching the video it easy to install. Little more play in the slider than expected hopefully it will be okay.
Although I haven't pulled my new fifthwheel camper yet. The unit seems like it should be pretty easy to maintain. A little grease here and there. Only time will tell. Installed everything in about 4hrs. Above rail kit, hitch, and wiring.
It’s been really great owning this hitch, I would give it 5 stars but, the nuts that are in between the bed and the upper frame rail -so suck to get to. However post installation it has had zero issues.
Easy to use sliding and kingpin locking, the sliders and jaw have higher tolerances so there is a bit of chucking. I put around 15k miles on in the year that I've had it and the slider and jaw mechanisms still lock and release like new.
Everyone has been great that I personally have been in contact with. I always have recommended Etrailer to anyone looking to have things sent right. Great company. Not part of the review — The phone review after a discussion does not let you select a number to reflect your evaluation.
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