Fifth Wheel hitch question

[Pizzafarmer]

I have a Chevy 3500 crew cab with a 6-1/2 foot bed and a Reese 20K hitch, pulling a Cougar 336BHS. I had the same hitch in a Chevy 2500 extended cab which had a bed that was closer to 7 feet and never had a problem with clearance to the nose of the camper no matter how tight I was turning. My usual pull through spot at home was too wet due to all the rain we got this year, so I had to back the unit into a tight spot and discovered that 6 inches less is enough to be a problem; I crushed the cab corner on the brand new truck because I was only watching the trailer wheels. The body shop advised me not to do that again, it was a bear of a job because they had to remove the box in order to get the paint to blend in ($$$). I'm considering adding a slider to my hitch but will have someone watch the cab when backing from here on.

[CaptnJohn]

I feel your pain. I have a B&W slider in my new dually. It will never slide again in the 8’ box. If you had a B&W I’d trade but 1 Reese was enough for me. I’ll keep the slider unless someone with a B&W has a SB needs to trade.

[cliff]

We had a 2008 Montana with a slider hitch that was necessary. Once I made a tight turn and blew out the back window when the cap hit the window. It had rounded corners, so I'd go with the slider.

[falcondan95705]

take it from experience... get an auto slider, super glide or the other....I have learned the hard way...

[itat]

If you already have a standard hitch you might consider getting a Reese Sidewinder pinbox that moves the pivot point about 22” back from the pin. LCI makes a knockoff but I’m generally not a fan of LCI’s products.

[jsb5717]

Or...if you do already have a standard hitch you could hook everything up and check your tolerances before spending any more money. Then you'll know what you can or can't do and make a good decision from there.

[scarlson42]

Originally Posted by Thomasbeau

I have a 2002 F250 Supercab with the 6.5 short bed with a 16K Reese Slider. We used to tow a 2005 Forest River Wildcat. There was one time where I didn't slide back the hitch back and we ended up with a nice dent in the top corner of my truck cab. The Wildcat was fine but I did have to take a trip to the body shop to pull the dent out of the top cab corner. Never made that mistake again.

Now with our 2018 Hideout it appears that the pin is much further forward so it's less likely the Hideout and the truck will make contact. However, I always use the slider when hitching because when the hitch is in the forward position the open tailgate will hit the camper before the pin is in the hitch. If the hitch is forward I need to remember to back up the truck to get the tailgate past the pin, get out and close the tailgate, then proceed with hooking up. Should I have to adjust or pull forwarded I need to keep opening and closing the tailgate to avoid damaging the truck or the fifth wheel. In my experience it's easier to just slide my hitch in the back maneuvering position and only close the tailgate once when the process is finished. I then slide the hitch into the towing position and I am on the road. Once I get to the destination I can slide it to the back, unhitch and no worries.

Can I do this all without the slider? The answer is "yes" but I get more piece of mind knowing that my tailgate is down and there is no chance I will damage the tailgate or the RV.

We have an F350 shortbed. My experience is similar to that of Thomasbeau. With a standard pin box and non-sliding hitch, 75 degrees was about the maximum turning angle. After replacing the pin box with the “long jaw” Flex Air by Lippert, we can come close to a 90 degree angle without sliding the hitch. Summary: with an extended pin box, you may not need a sliding hitch, but having the sliding hitch and not needing it is cheaper than repairs to the trailer and cab when you need it.

[Rbpinney]

We have the Pull Rite auto slider. Works great. No problems.

[philiprmcgovern]

Having broken out two rear windows in my short box F250 and having put a sizeable dent in each side of the cab when the nose of the High Country met up with the cab of the truck in the same year, I know whereof I speak. The really comical part is that I had the B&W slider hitch installed when these little catastrophes happened. The problem was that I was too stupid or too lazy to get out of the truck and pull the slider lever on the hitch — both times! My advice would be to get the slider and, more importantly, to USE it whenever you just think that you might possibly need it. Replacing the two rear windows and fixing the two self-inflicted “dimples” was not cheap. Just saying.....

PS: We have since moved up to an F350 DRW

[ckittila]

Take a look at the Blue Ox Superglide. It needs a gooseneck hitch in your bed, but it is a manual slider also. I have this hitch on my short bed Ram megacab. I’ve never needed to pull the slide, but nice to know it’s available.

This hitch rides nice! It disassembles in 3 pieces that are about 40 lbs each. I really like this setup for my Fiver.

[taxrew]

I have a 2018 GMC 2500 pulling a Cougar 2018 310rls 5th wheel using the Reese Sidewinder. Have not had any problems with real tight spots.

[Park1911]

I have an Automatic slider from PullRite. It works great and I never have to worry. It costs more but it is worth every dollar.

[slow]

Originally Posted by Park1911

I have an Automatic slider from PullRite. It works great and I never have to worry. It costs more but it is worth every dollar.

Ditto on the Pullrite Superglide.

[Randallf]

My opinnion is you won't have to worry about hitting your cab when making a sharp turn
i know a few people that wished they had a slider
Now, with that said, the Anderson Hitch is a good way to go. I would look into that.
If you go with a slider i would look into the auto slider, will worth it. The pull rite is a great one. I have it and i really have no worries about hitting the cab, or i don't have to get out and unlatch it to back in spots, and no worries about sharp turns.
RandaLLF

[Local150]

Probably dumb question but what is the automatic slider and how does it work

[chuckster57]

Originally Posted by Local150

Probably dumb question but what is the automatic slider and how does it work

An automatic slider will move back away from the cab as you turn. The more you turn, the further back it moves. It does require a “capture plate” of some nature to lock the kingpin in position. Pullrite uses a plate that is mounted to the pin box. Demco uses two bars on the “horseshoe” to lock the pin box in position.

Both use a mechanism underneath that forces the hitch to move back as it rotates. Since the pin box is “locked” into position, the king pin can’t rotate, so the whole hitch assembly rotates and moves back. Once you going straight, the hitch rotates back to the forward most position.

In a standard fifth wheel hitch, the pin box rotates on the king pin. In a manual slider, the pin box rotates on the king pin, but the hitch is on rails. There is a locking handle that allows you to move the hitch assembly back away from the cab for “maneuvering” or forward for “towing”.

Hope your not totally confused.

[Local150]

Originally Posted by chuckster57

An automatic slider will move back away from the cab as you turn. The more you turn, the further back it moves. It does require a “capture plate” of some nature to lock the kingpin in position. Pullrite uses a plate that is mounted to the pin box. Demco uses two bars on the “horseshoe” to lock the pin box in position.

Both use a mechanism underneath that forces the hitch to move back as it rotates. Since the pin box is “locked” into position, the king pin can’t rotate, so the whole hitch assembly rotates and moves back. Once you going straight, the hitch rotates back to the forward most position.

In a standard fifth wheel hitch, the pin box rotates on the king pin. In a manual slider, the pin box rotates on the king pin, but the hitch is on rails. There is a locking handle that allows you to move the hitch assembly back away from the cab for “maneuvering” or forward for “towing”.

Hope your not totally confused.

Thanks had no idea how it worked

[rhagfo]

Originally Posted by CaptnJohn

Get a 5er tailgate and everything is easy.

Originally Posted by Thomasbeau

CaptnJohn, easier said than done. My DW thinks the 5er tailgates are ugly. So in translation I should stop thinking about getting one, lol.

Well the OP's TV is old enough that he may loose nothing with a 5er TG. If I placed one on our 2016 Ram I would loose the backup camera and an auto locking tail gate. I also have a roll up bed cover so I also loose the dry bed. With our old 2001, had the 5er TG, but don't see the advantage any longer.

[Keithw]

I crushed a cab corner by learning the hard way. Brand new Chevy 3500. My raptor has rounded corners. If you mount it correctly the hitch pin should be straight up from the axle which does not leave much room on a regular box.
B&W Patriot 18K is a manual slide and I use it ever time I back into my long winding driveway. I chalk my wheels on camper and lock into place. It is a two piece deal so it can be removed fairly easy. Still takes 2 people but I do it every fall and put back in every spring. Good luck!

[OregonDuck]

Would love to hear any comments from pullrite owners on the capture plate. I've heard that it can be an issue, in that you have to back completely straight to hitch up. Have any of you been in unlevel or angled campsites where this became an issue?