B&W Patriot slider on Ford F-350 short bed

[Kopy kat]

Question...in the rear (slider) position will the bottom of the pin box on an Alpine hit the top of my tailgate??

[Javi]

Originally Posted by Kopy kat

Question...in the rear (slider) position will the bottom of the pin box on an Alpine hit the top of my tailgate??

Maybe.. I'd think that it would be very close. On my long bed I cannot hookup to my non-slider hitch with the tailgate down, it'll hit the front of the trailer if I'm the least bit crooked. So I have to back under until about 6" from hookup and then shut the tailgate.. it will barely close without hitting the pin-box. In fact I sometimes have to pull up a bit more to get it shut.. I real pain in the butt..

BY the way... the distance from the hitch to the tailgate is the same regardless of bed length.. the extra length is in-front of the axles...

[bsmith0404]

Consider the Pullrite 2600 single point connection hitch. You will need a turnover/gooseneck ball, but the hitch gives you a 6” offset towards the rear of the bed. That combined with the radius front cap gives enough cab clearance. I have a 6.5’ bed and have never come close to making cab contact with my Alpine. Not saying it can’t happen (I’ve never tried to see how far I can actually go), but I’ve been in some pretty tight angles and still had plenty of clearance. It’s also only 60 lbs so easy to put in and take out if needed. Many people like the Andersen for this same reason. I prefer the pullrite because of the steel ball and the much smaller footprint for storage. It’s also easy to connect at any angle, you do not need to be square or level.

[GaryUT]

Originally Posted by Kopy kat

Question...in the rear (slider) position will the bottom of the pin box on an Alpine hit the top of my tailgate??

I have a short bed GMC with the patriot slider and a Laredo fifth wheel. The pinbox will hit the tailgate when the hitch is in the rear position.

Only way to know for sure is to slide the hitch to the rear with the tailgate down. In the photo you can see that my tailgate wont close with the hitch in the rear position. About the only time I use the slider is when I have to reconnect at an angle and need extra clearance between the tailgate and the trailer.

Gary