[JRTJH]

I've towed two fifth wheels with the Ford "short bed" SuperDuty, one with a "flat front cap" and one with the "max turn front cap". In nearly 40,000 miles of towing, I've never encountered a situation where I "needed a sliding hitch"... I will say that there have been many situations where I might have "used it if I had it", but I've never had a situation where I "had to have one or I'd hit the cab"....

Much of that is what I call "situational awareness"... In other words, I don't "blindly start something I don't know if I can finish"... I know my truck/trailer limitations, get out and look, and if I think it's not going to work, I don't start the maneuver wondering if I can get into/out of the situation....

Several things to consider:

1. Sliding hitches are significantly heavier than fixed hitches. You're going to be taking the hitch in/out of your truck bed. How often you have to move it will be a factor in your decision on which type of hitch you can best use.

2. Travel trailers are limited to about 40-45 degrees of turn capability. Any further and you'll either bend the trailer A-frame or hit the tow vehicle tail lights. Fifth wheels, regardless of bed length (in a SuperDuty) can attain significantly more turn capability than any travel trailer, so you'll have increased turn capacity with a fifth wheel over any travel trailer you've ever towed. In other words, with a travel trailer, you can "contact the truck" just as easily as you can with a fifth wheel, so much of the "Oh no, you need..." is hype for anyone who is currently towing a travel trailer and has or has not ever "hit the front of their trailer/truck tail lights in a backing maneuver... It can happen with any truck/trailer combination if you "turn too sharp"... Even with a sliding hitch, you can crush the side of your bed if you back sharper than about 95 degrees.....

3. It's easier than you might imagine to damage the trailer suspension/wheels/tires by turning too sharply with any trailer. Travel trailers limit the max capacity to about 40 degrees, typically a safe turn angle for the suspension. Fifth wheels can attain about 80 degrees or a bit more with a fixed hitch/short bed Superduty (the longest of the short bed models compared to GM/RAM). That angle is "at the edge" or maybe "in excess of safe backing angles" for the trailer components. With a sliding hitch, it's much easier to "get into a situation where you can destroy the trailer suspension at the expense of saving your truck rear window"...

I'm not suggesting that you should NOT buy a sliding hitch, some people "really, REALLY need one" while others, based on situational awareness and how they operate their rig, will never use a sliding hitch. Based on your towing experience towing a travel trailer, you'll have significantly more "turn capacity" with any fifth wheel, sliding hitch or fixed hitch... How much "more you want or need" is the question to ask.....