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The Curt E16 5th-wheel hitch gives you a solid foundation for towing up to 16,000 lbs gross weight with a 4,000 lbs vertical load limit. It’s built from sturdy steel with a carbide black finish that looks sharp and stands up to years of use. The included base rails and installation kit make for a straightforward setup, creating a strong, secure connection that feels steady on the road.
Hooking up doesn’t have to be a chore. The E16 uses an auto-locking, slide-bar jaw mechanism that clamps around the king pin as soon as it slides in. A rear steel tension bar activates at hookup to tighten the grip even more, cutting down on rattle and extra movement. Once it’s locked, you know it’s ready for the haul ahead.
The dual-pivoting head gives you 10 degrees of lateral movement so the hitch can flex as you line up on uneven surfaces or while driving over dips and rough patches. That movement helps the trailer track cleanly behind you, keeping things smooth and quiet with the anti-rattle skid plate underneath. Add a nylon lube plate (sold separately) to let the king pin glide in even easier without scratching the skid plate.
For short-bed pickups that need extra turning clearance at slow speeds, the non-binding S20 slider gives you 12" of travel front to back. Sliding the hitch rearward during tight turns helps prevent the trailer from contacting the cab while still keeping it properly positioned over the axle when towing straight. The slider’s quiet, solid design anchors securely to industry-standard base rails for dependable strength every trip.
Getting your trailer level is simple thanks to the four available height adjustments ranging from 14" to 17". Those settings let you dial in bed rail clearance and achieve an even setup between truck and trailer for a balanced ride from hookup to destination.
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
Brooke M.
4/11/2025
Wow--thanks for sharing your experience with the hitch! I bet you aren't the only one this has happened to, and I think you might be saving someone a lot of time with tracking down a solution. Thanks, Juan! Congratulations on the new RV, too!
Steven M.
2/17/2020
One year and plenty of miles with this hitch. Solid and tight feel with little or no squeaking. Very happy with this hitch.
Julio
11/12/2018
More than 1000 miles pulling a 38 fifth wheel and still like new
Kory
5/24/2019
Still Working Great
Z M.
8/8/2019
Update, I still wish this hitch locked. It seems to have some slap in it. It doesnt really hurt anything, however its very noticeable when backing the trailer up. The hitch pin feels like it kind of bounces for lack of a better word against the hitch itself because of how the retaining mechanism is designed. We camp in the summer and are not full time RVers. I would not recommend this if I was a full time RVer.
Jim
6/13/2019
I half to disconnect all the pins and lift hitch out with trailer because I can not get the king pin to release when its hooked up I tried everything so Im not pleased with this hitch?
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Nick S.
11/3/2025
I am glad to hear that everything was in tact and in the package despite the damage. The install looked like it went well, it is great to hear the videos were a big help, and it looks great in the truck. What are you planning on towing with the hitch?