Hitch for ram with 6'6" bed

Beatigger

New Member
Joined
May 2, 2024
Messages
5
Location
OAK HARBOR
We are beginning to purchase a 2024 Keystone Cougar Sport. I am looking for recommendation on what 5th wheel hitch to use with this trailer and my ram with a 6'6" bed. Do I need a sliding hitch? Not getting much info from our salesman. thanks for the help
AL
 
This is why I have a 8’ bed!
With a 6’ 6” bed you would be best to get a sliding hitch, better to have and not need, than not have and need.
 
Thanks for the response. That is what I thought but I didnt want to have a salesman just sell it to me because he can..
 
We are beginning to purchase a 2024 Keystone Cougar Sport. I am looking for recommendation on what 5th wheel hitch to use with this trailer and my ram with a 6'6" bed. Do I need a sliding hitch? Not getting much info from our salesman. thanks for the help
AL

Do you have a 3/4 ton or 1 ton Ram? Gas or diesel?…. Need to look on the yellow payload sticker on your drivers door to see what payload you have available…some of the hitches can be much heavier then others and depending on your truck it could be the factor that puts you over your limit.
 
I went with a B&W companion slider for my new Cougar. Havn't had to use the slider yet but it's there if I need it. Very happy with the hitch so far. Ar you using the "puck" system or installing rails?
 
This is actually a question since the OP has a short bed. Wouldn't a Reese Sidewinder Pin Box arrangement better suit the application than a slider?
Just asking, open to learning more about the process since I've been seeing more and more 5ers on short bed trucks with this setup.
 
We just picked up our new Cougar this past weekend and we have a fixed hitch on bed mounted rails. Our truck has a “short” bed (6’8”), and we have plenty of clearance to the cab. The only thing that is close to anything is the tailgate when it is down.
 
I have a Ram 2500 with the 6'4" bed. I first bought a Curt hitch with a sliding base back in 2017. After a couple years of struggling to get it in and out of the bed and NEVER have used it, I ditched the roughly 120 pounds of base and replaced it with a fixed base.
The difference is enormous! I can now easily install and remove the hitch and I lost about 100 lbs of dead weight. I also gained a great deal more room in the bed without the sliders enormous bulk.
Also I back up my driveway at 90 degrees with a slight grade and have plenty of clearance. If you have a newer style trailer with rounded corners I'd be very surprised if you needed a slider hitch.
Mine was a pita and the fixed base so much easier to deal with. IMHO
 
Many ways to skin that cat and none require a slider. I have driven Ram short beds since 2001. I currently use an Andersen hitch but those would void your warranty nowadays so use the other options. Look into B&W Companion, Demco Recon as well as others that give you the option of mounting to the ball in the bed (hopefully you have the 5th wheel hitch option). I would not consider a slider - too expensive, too heavy and not useful IMO.
 
We have a 2019 Ram 2500 with the 6’6” bed, that we bought used and it had the B&W turnover ball gooseneck hitch in it. Found a used 1 time B&W Companion slider hitch made for the gooseneck hitch. It’s a great hitch, but in the 2-1/2 years we have owned it, I have never slid the hitch. Our Copper Canyon has a rounded nose.
 
I pulled our 5th wheel with the ultimate Anderson, in our Ram with the 6 ft bed, since I bought it in ‘21. I just upgraded to the Goosebox hitch.

If you want an Anderson let me know I have it for sale.
 
We are beginning to purchase a 2024 Keystone Cougar Sport. I am looking for recommendation on what 5th wheel hitch to use with this trailer and my ram with a 6'6" bed. Do I need a sliding hitch? Not getting much info from our salesman. thanks for the help
AL
I have a 2024 Silverado 2500 HD. I bought a Demco auto slide hitch and it seems to work like a charm!
 
This is actually a question since the OP has a short bed. Wouldn't a Reese Sidewinder Pin Box arrangement better suit the application than a slider?
Just asking, open to learning more about the process since I've been seeing more and more 5ers on short bed trucks with this setup.

We have a Dodge Ram short bed. We have an Anderson hitch, switching from the Sidewinder (that we really like). With the Anderson our Cougar is way easier to turn and is easier in towing. Even more so than the Sidewinder! My husband would recommend the Anderson above the Sidewinder but either one is a winner!
 
We are beginning to purchase a 2024 Keystone Cougar Sport. I am looking for recommendation on what 5th wheel hitch to use with this trailer and my ram with a 6'6" bed. Do I need a sliding hitch? Not getting much info from our salesman. thanks for the help
AL
I’ve had several 5th wheel trailers, trucks and hitches including sliders. I feel sliders are overrated and seldom used. My current choice is the Anderson Ultimate 5th Wheel hitch. Easy and quick to install, uninstall by yourself. The newer models take up less space of the truck bed.
 
We are beginning to purchase a 2024 Keystone Cougar Sport. I am looking for recommendation on what 5th wheel hitch to use with this trailer and my ram with a 6'6" bed. Do I need a sliding hitch? Not getting much info from our salesman. thanks for the help
AL
I have a short bed Ram 2500 with a Cougar half-ton. The place where I've had my trailers serviced for years didn't think I needed a slider and installed a Curt fixed hitch. Like others have said, I've had no issues. The fact that the head comes off making it two pieces makes it very easy to remove from the bed.
 
I’ve had several 5th wheel trailers, trucks and hitches including sliders. I feel sliders are overrated and seldom used. My current choice is the Anderson Ultimate 5th Wheel hitch. Easy and quick to install, uninstall by yourself. The newer models take up less space of the truck bed.

Keep in mind that the OP is purchasing a 2024 Keystone product. In recent years, both Lippert (frame manufacturer) and Keystone (RV manufacturer) have stated that the ONLY approved "gooseneck type hitch" that is approved is the Reese Gooseneck. Using an Andersen hitch WILL void the trailer warranty.

Of course, if the warranty is not important to a new owner, then any hitch you like will "do the job quite nicely"....

That said, I have not yet understood why the "OBSESSION" with 90 degree backing capability with fifth wheel owners.... When you consider that EVERY conventional travel trailer owner is limited to about 35 degrees before the front of the trailer CRUSHES the tow vehicle tail lights, and they "back into sites quite nicely".... Why then do fifth wheel owners feel the need to "risk total destruction on their axles, spring hangers, springs and bearings" by insisting on having the ability to "twist the axles out from under a fifth wheel by backing at 90 degree turns ?????

I've not yet figured that out, as much time as I spend trying to come up with even one situation where a travel trailer can get into a spot and a fifth wheel owner "has to back at 90 degrees to get into the same spot"....

ADDED: Now if you're contemplating installing a fifth wheel hitch in a 5' F150 "short bed" or a similar vehicle, then a sliding hitch might be needed just to navigate normal highway intersections.... Of course, all of those truck owner's manuals state the vehicle is not approved for fifth wheel towing, but......
 
Last edited:
Keep in mind that the OP is purchasing a 2021 Keystone product. In recent years, both Lippert (frame manufacturer) and Keystone (RV manufacturer) have stated that the ONLY approved "gooseneck type hitch" that is approved is the Reese Gooseneck. Using an Andersen hitch WILL void the trailer warranty.

Of course, if the warranty is not important to a new owner, then any hitch you like will "do the job quite nicely"....

That said, I have not yet understood why the "OBSESSION" with 90 degree backing capability with fifth wheel owners.... When you consider that EVERY conventional travel trailer owner is limited to about 35 degrees before the front of the trailer CRUSHES the tow vehicle tail lights, and they "back into sites quite nicely".... Why then do fifth wheel owners feel the need to "risk total destruction on their axles, spring hangers, springs and bearings" by insisting on having the ability to "twist the axles out from under a fifth wheel by backing at 90 degree turns ?????

I've not yet figured that out, as much time as I spend trying to come up with even one situation where a travel trailer can get into a spot and a fifth wheel owner "has to back at 90 degrees to get into the same spot"....

ADDED: Now if you're contemplating installing a fifth wheel hitch in a 5' F150 "short bed" or a similar vehicle, then a sliding hitch might be needed just to navigate normal highway intersections.... Of course, all of those truck owner's manuals state the vehicle is not approved for fifth wheel towing, but......


^^^^I'm with you. I can't come up with any reason to take a trailer into 90 degree position in normal use. It's very simple to assess that the trailer tires cannot roll forward or backward when the force being applied is directly from the side. You cannot maneuver and you have literally no control of the trailer as far as positioning it into a site barring the need to shove the trailer sideways.

As I've mentioned before I have tried this on our property next door (dirt). Long before 90 degrees the tires are just pushing dirt mounds as they are pushed sideways. The stress on the suspension components is extremely detrimental and damaging. On pavement it would be much worse.
 
^^^^I'm with you.

X3

My previous camper was a bumper pull, and I never had any trouble at all getting it into any site I selected.
As mentioned, you can't get much past 35° when backing one.

So, when we moved to our current 5th wheel, I pretty much follow the same procedure backing into sites.
No need at all to make turns much past 35°.

Getting anywhere close to 90° will just destroy the tires and/or suspension (as they just scrub along pushing sideways).

So, I am using a B&W Companion (NON Slider) hitch with my GMC standard bed (6.5') and our 24RDS 5th wheel.
 
Slider is good

I have a 2021 super duty with a 6 1/2 foot bed. went to the slider and I love it. Handles like a dream and unlike goosenecks it is super easy to hook up.

Did not read all the posts, but be careful of Any gooseneck conversions. Many manufactures will not warranty the frames because of the geometry change.

Towing a 36 foot sprinter.
 

New posts

Try RV LIFE Pro Free for 7 Days

  • New Ad-Free experience on this RV LIFE Community.
  • Plan the best RV Safe travel with RV LIFE Trip Wizard.
  • Navigate with our RV Safe GPS mobile app.
  • and much more...
Try RV LIFE Pro Today
Back
Top