CURT Class 3 Trailer Hitch 13105 vs. CURT Air Ride Fifth Wheel Hitch: A Rush-Order Installer's Guide

What This Comparison Is (and Isn't)

In my role coordinating towing and truck equipment for dealers and fleet operators, I've handled 200+ rush orders in six years. Same-day hitch installs. Late-night brake controller swaps. A rear light bar that had to be wired before a truck crossed the state line. The pattern is always the same: the deadline is real, the truck is on the lift, and somebody has to decide what gets installed and what gets sent back.

This article compares four choices that show up on those jobs:

• CURT class 3 trailer hitch 13105 vs. CURT air ride fifth wheel hitch
• Ridgid air compressor portable unit vs. a stationary compressor
• Custom semi truck rear light bar vs. factory lighting
• What to use to apply wax to car: foam pad, microfiber towel, or machine

These look like unrelated products. They aren't. Each one is a choice between something that fits the job and something that might be better on paper but won't help you meet a deadline. And when time is short, the definition of better changes.

One thing to know up front: one conclusion here is counterintuitive. The more expensive fifth wheel hitch is not the one I'd recommend for a light-duty pickup with a bumper-pull trailer, even if a customer wants the best.

Dimension 1: Hitch Setup - CURT Class 3 Trailer Hitch 13105 vs. CURT Air Ride Fifth Wheel Hitch

Let's start with the comparison I hear most: CURT class 3 trailer hitch 13105 vs. CURT air ride fifth wheel hitch. The 13105 is a Class 3 receiver hitch. It uses a 2-inch receiver tube, has forged, high-strength construction, and is made for trucks that pull bumper-hitch trailers. The air ride fifth wheel hitch is a completely different animal. It mounts in the bed, uses air springs, and is designed for fifth wheel and gooseneck trailers with high pin weights.

Which is better? The wrong question. A fifth wheel hitch will not help a dealer with a bumper-pull trailer. And a Class 3 receiver will not handle a heavy fifth wheel. You need to ask two questions: What does the trailer plug into? and How much time is left?

Why does the time question matter? Because the two hitches are not the same to install. A fifth wheel hitch install usually means locating bed strongpoints, torque specs you cannot guess, and sometimes modifying the bed. The class 3 type hitch is often a more direct job: mount it to the frame, torque the fasteners, and confirm the connection. Still a serious job, but usually one that fits into a same-day service slot.

The surprising part: on a light-duty truck pulling a bumper trailer, an air ride fifth wheel hitch is overkill. It is not a better hitch for that application. It's a different tool. I've watched customers wait extra days for a bed-mounted hitch they didn't need. The result was a rushed install and a missed weekend trip. The CURT class 3 trailer hitch 13105 was sitting in stock. That's the kind of mistake that's hard to explain to a dealer whose lift is booked all week.

Does this mean the air ride is bad? No. If your fleet pulls a fifth wheel every day, the air ride is the one I want. It soaks up chucking and keeps the trailer steadier than a solid mount. But it's not a better choice for every truck.

As with any towing modification, respect the limits. The hitch rating matters, but the vehicle's gross combined weight rating matters even more. Never exceed either number. Check the current fitment guide for the 13105 model before ordering—truck platforms change even when the hitch looks the same.

Bottom line here: choose the hitch that matches the trailer and truck, then fit it within the time you have. If you're in a rush, a receiver hitch that's already in stock beats an air ride fifth wheel that's supposed to ship Friday.

Dimension 2: Shop Air - Ridgid Air Compressor Portable vs. Stationary Compressor

Next dimension: shop air. If you're installing a hitch or wiring a trailer at a customer site, a wall-mounted compressor won't help. You need something you can carry. That's where a Ridgid air compressor portable unit earns its place.

Let's compare it against a stationary compressor. A stationary unit gives you more tank capacity, higher flow, and a quieter work environment. It's the right tool for a fixed shop with multiple bays. But in a rush install, the best compressor is the one sitting in the van. The portable Ridgid unit wins on emergency calls because it's actually there.

Is it ideal? Not always. A portable tank runs down fast if you're feeding a frame cutter or driving dozens of bolts at once. But most on-location towing jobs are not full shop work. We're removing a rusted hitch bolt, airing up an airbag kit, blowing out a connector, or seating a tire bead. That's exactly what a portable compressor is for.

A lesson learned the hard way: test the compressor when you buy it, not on the day of the job. It took me three years and a ton of rush orders to understand that 'the compressor is in the van' is not the same as 'it is charged and working.' Last quarter alone, we processed 47 rush orders with a 95% on-time rate, and the only missed deadlines were tied to gear we hadn't verified beforehand.

So if you ask which one is better, I'd say: stationary for the shop, portable for the field. If you can only have one, a portable Ridgid unit—or something in that class—will cover more emergency situations. And when a customer asks about Ridgid air compressor portable models, tell them to compare noise ratings, tank size, and duty cycle before choosing. On a deadline, a loud, undersized unit that won't keep up can make a simple job take twice as long.

Dimension 3: Lighting - Custom Semi Truck Rear Light Bar vs. Factory Lighting

Next: the custom semi truck rear light bar question. A lot of fleet operators ask whether to replace factory tail lights with a custom rear light bar. On a project with a flexible timeline, a custom LED bar can be a solid upgrade. It modernizes the rear of the truck, improves visibility from behind, and can include useful features like integrated turn signals or cargo lighting.

On a deadline, I'd stop and think before wiring anything custom. Factory lighting is plug-and-play. You don't have to worry about load resistors, polarity, or whether the lights work with the trailer harness. A custom light bar requires wiring, sealed connectors, and a method to test every function before the truck leaves. If the kit arrives without instructions, the deal can turn into a six-hour problem.

Honestly, I've never fully understood why some custom light bar suppliers don't include a wiring diagram. My best guess is that they assume any installer has seen the same wire colors before. That assumption has caused more than one rushed install to finish at midnight.

That said, custom isn't always slower. If you buy a complete kit with a prewired harness, a custom bar can actually be faster than trying to repair cracked factory housings. The key is to test it before installation: bench-test all functions, then install. That's a small step that saves a ton of time.

The other part is legal. In the US, vehicle lighting must meet FMVSS 108. A custom rear bar can add clearance and visibility, but it should work alongside the required tail, stop, turn, and running lights—not replace them. Local rules for commercial vehicles can be even stricter, so check those before ordering.

Here's a real one from March 2024. A fleet truck needed rear lighting before a 1,200-mile run. The factory housing was cracked, and a custom bar was available. We went back and forth for about an hour. Custom looked better and added visibility, but the factory replacement was in stock locally. Because the driver had to leave that night, we chose factory. The job was on time. That's not a bad-end story, because the customer later added a custom bar on a scheduled maintenance stop.

Bottom line: custom rear lighting is a great upgrade when you have time to test it. If the departure time is non-negotiable, the safer lighting choice is the one that plugs in and works.

Dimension 4: What to Use to Apply Wax to Car: Foam Pad vs. Towel vs. Machine

Now for a question that sounds out of place but comes up constantly before a delivery: what to use to apply wax to car? A truck may be mechanically perfect, but if it rolls out looking half-finished, the customer notices.

The three common options:

• Foam applicator pad - good control, low scratch risk if clean, slower on large panels.
• Microfiber towel - excellent for spray wax, fast, but can leave streaks if you use too much product.
• Dual-action polisher - fastest on large surfaces, but only if you've used one before.

So what to use to apply wax to car on a deadline? Use a foam applicator for paste or liquid wax, and a microfiber towel for spray wax. If the technician has machine experience, a DA polisher is a no-brainer for a trailer side. But a rotary polisher with an inexperienced hand is a bigger risk than a slow hand application.

Here's the thing: don't change processes in the middle of the job. On a rushed detail, saying we'll try spray wax first, and if it doesn't look right, we'll do a full compound is a bad plan. You're not planning a detail. You're planning a finish. The question is not whether a polisher is technically capable. The question is whether the person holding it can guarantee the result by the deadline.

For most quick jobs, the answer is a foam applicator pad or a microfiber towel. They're cheap, predictable, and easy to replace if one gets contaminated. On a deadline, predictability matters more than perfection.

Bottom Line: Buy Time Certainty, Not Just Parts

The common thread across all four comparisons is time certainty. When a truck has to leave, choose the option you can verify before the deadline, not the one that looks better in a spec sheet.

That's why my recommendations don't have a single winner. The CURT class 3 trailer hitch 13105 wins when the trailer is bumper-pull and the day is tight. The CURT air ride fifth wheel hitch wins for heavy fifth wheel work when you have proper install time. A Ridgid air compressor portable unit wins for mobile installs; a stationary compressor wins for a fixed shop. A custom semi truck rear light bar is the right move when it's a complete kit with time to test it; factory lighting is the right move when the departure is non-negotiable. And for wax, a foam applicator or microfiber towel is the safest answer for a fast finish.

In 2023, our company lost a $12,000 fleet account because we tried to save $80 on a next-day hitch delivery that took four days. The late fee, the rebooking, and the burned goodwill cost more than double the savings. That's when we implemented our current policy: every deadline job gets a 48-hour buffer. If a part is only supposed to arrive the day before an install, we have a backup plan.

This information is accurate as of early 2026. Hitch part numbers, compressor specs, and lighting rules change. Verify current fitment, wiring requirements, and local laws before ordering anything.

So, bottom line: don't shop for the cheapest option when the clock is running. Shop for the option that gives you certainty. That's not a sales pitch. It's what I've learned from 200+ rush orders, a few close calls, and a lot of trucks out the door at 5:58 p.m.