Anyone have experience towing a 5th wheeler with a short bed pickup, for example a Ford F350. I am just starting and hate to make a mistake, if the short bed wont do the job. I know a sliding hitch is required. The truck will be my everyday commute vehicle and a long bed dually seems to big for this. I plan to spend the winters in the southwest and do a lot of traveling with the truck. The fifth wheeler will be a toyhauler with a Harley.

I don't use a slider in my short bed. Andersen rail mount flipped to the rear and I can turn plenty tight, and my current fifth wheel has a old school square front. I think Rams have the shortest short beds too. You could also use a standard hitch with something like a sidewinder pin box, and you'd appreciate the lighter weight of a non-sliding hitch.

I have a short bed ford F250 do not use a sliding hitch and can turn tight enough for me. No problems.. Just be aware some times you need to wiggle it a little to make a very very tight turn when backing up. I have never had a problem.

A friend has a XLR Nitro 305VL5 with a pointed nose, and he pulls it with a short bed F350 SRW, he said he hasn't had any issues, but that's probably due to the pointed nose.

IdaD wrote:I don't use a slider in my short bed. Andersen rail mount flipped to the rear and I can turn plenty tight, and my current fifth wheel has a old school square front. I think Rams have the shortest short beds too. You could also use a standard hitch with something like a sidewinder pin box, and you'd appreciate the lighter weight of a non-sliding hitch.X2 with the Andersen hitch. Turning radius, though, depends as much on the design of your front cap and how far forward the pin box is as it does on the bed and hitch combo. We have no problems with a Grand Design Reflection fifth wheel and the Andersen hitch on a 6.5' bed.Rob

I helped a friend put a hitch in his new ford F350 and we used the reese base to attach to the factory puck system and used the B&W slider on top of that. He says his Carriage 16K GVWR RV pulls great with it.

fifth-wheel toyhaulers | Good Sam Community

tchil
Explorer
Aug 29, 2016
I use a superglide Autosliding hitch by pullrite. That way I don't need to worry about how tight I turn. Just leave it attached to trailer when you unhook if you need the bed of your truck.
Strabo
Explorer
Aug 25, 2016
My FIL towed his fifthwheel hauler with a short bed and a slider. He always knew when he turned too tight cause the rear window of the truck blew out.

Hahahahaha
nayther
Explorer
Aug 25, 2016
dedmiston wrote:

A recent visitor to our home-away-from-home called it the "Taj Mahauler". :B

It's comfortable.

I like that Dave. Friend bought a new to them 40' then got it home and discovered he couldn't get it in his driveway.......OOPS!
tinner12002
Explorer
Aug 25, 2016
DuneJunkie wrote:
nayther wrote:
Disadvantage of the slider is it is very heavy to get in/out.

true that......mine doesn't leave the truck...lol

Lol...and the non sliders are light...not mine, that's why mine stays in my truck also.
otrfun
Explorer II
Aug 24, 2016
harley0316 wrote:
Anyone have experience towing a 5th wheeler with a short bed pickup, for example a Ford F350. I am just starting and hate to make a mistake, if the short bed wont do the job. I know a sliding hitch is required. The truck will be my everyday commute vehicle and a long bed dually seems to big for this. I plan to spend the winters in the southwest and do a lot of traveling with the truck. The fifth wheeler will be a toyhauler with a Harley.
We tow a 33ft. 5th toy hauler with a short bed '16 Ram 3500 using a non-slider, 5th wheel hitch. No issues. No, can't turn 90 degrees, but definitely enough to navigate into some fairly tight RV parks.

There is one very big caveat though. You have to make sure and purchase a 5th wheel toy hauler that has one of the newer, scalloped front caps. There's a significant difference in turning radius (with a short bed truck) when towing with some of the older 5th wheel toy haulers with the square front caps vs. the newer 5th wheel toy haulers with the newer, scalloped front caps.
dedmiston
Moderator
Aug 23, 2016
Strabo wrote:
Note.... Moderator Tows a small home on wheels. Thanks to his experiences in camping we did survive hurricane force winds one night as the entire camp group hunkered down in his new hauler, we drank, laughed and waited for the END OF DAYS.....I enjoyed the drinks and comfy leather couch.

I never cried.....

A recent visitor to our home-away-from-home called it the "Taj Mahauler". :B

It's comfortable.
SoCalDesertRid1
Explorer
Aug 23, 2016
If you need a dually, it will automatically be a long bed truck, with the exception of the Dodge Megacab dually, which is only available as a short bed.

So, unless you're looking for a Megacab, the short versus long bed decision is already made for you, if you need a dually.
Strabo
Explorer
Aug 23, 2016
Note.... Moderator Tows a small home on wheels. Thanks to his experiences in camping we did survive hurricane force winds one night as the entire camp group hunkered down in his new hauler, we drank, laughed and waited for the END OF DAYS.....I enjoyed the drinks and comfy leather couch.

I never cried.....
nayther
Explorer
Aug 19, 2016
DuneJunkie wrote:
nayther wrote:
Disadvantage of the slider is it is very heavy to get in/out.

true that......mine doesn't leave the truck...lol

mine rarely either, right now it's in the back but spun sideways so I could haul some stuff, going to put it right this weekend and bring my baby home from its summer home at my son's in Paso Robles.
DuneJunkie
Explorer
Aug 18, 2016
nayther wrote:
Disadvantage of the slider is it is very heavy to get in/out.

true that......mine doesn't leave the truck...lol

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