So we're looking at short 5ers and leaning towards Grand Design Reflection 150 273MK. It comes with a Turning Point pin box! It'll be our first 5ver so I'm reading a lot, here and elsewhere. Many thanks to those that have posted recently. (This forum is great, but I can't read everything ever written on a subject.)We are also buying the TV and prefer late model gas, short bed due to in town use. 3/4t or better (none of this 1/2t talk!)I really like the looks of the Trailer Saver air hitches, but is that needed for a 10,000 GVWR rig? Comfort driving will is an issue, as are serious mountains, rugged forest service roads and out of the way places. That's why we want to travel!How awkward is the Turning Point? I hear you can't hitch up at an angle to the trailer. Then there are those here that say they've towed with short beds and no sliders. So my main question:Are there scale drawings of truck beds and 5ver noses? With all the possible combinations it seems logical that accurate measurements would be mandatory.

My first 5th wheel was 36' long and was towed with a Chevy 2500 shortbed. We had a slider hitch but never used the slider.

This debate has raged for years. Short bed you save roughly two feet. You loose 2 feet of useful bed space for storage. Long bed usually will ride a bit better. Long bed will usually have better resale value. Short bed usually has a bit better turning radius. It all really depends on what you get used to. I like my long beds better for the better looks.BTW, if your going fifth wheel skip the 2500s and go straight to the 3500SRW. Right now the cost difference is only a couple hundred dollars new. Value if you go to a a bigger fiver in a few years and dont have to rebuy the truck........ PRICELESS!

If all your going to do is tow then a short bed makes sense. If you ever plan on using it like a truck, get a long bed.

I believe that pin box can be hooked up to a Trailer Saver hitch, probably a BD1 or BD3. Is it worth it - yes. Their hitches are of the highest quality and will protect your truck, trailer and back side. The weight isn't super critical with a Trailer Saver as you air them up to a tow height mark, the heavier the pin, more air. I have the TS3 and if things get really bumpy, I can air up the hitch for an additional 2" of bed rail clearance. Many times short/light fifth wheel trailers have worse rides than long/heavy units. My trailer tows at 10k#. The hitch is worth every penny I spent on it.I watched the installation video. It looks like if you carry your tools, you can remove the capture plate and lock the rotating part out and hook up on an angle if needed. Then run as a standard pin box until conditions are better. By the way, the video operator's technique with the torque wrench is terrible. No way is he going to get an accurate 200 ft-lbs of torque with a 1/2" Harbor Freight wrench. Many good quality manufacturers make 1/2" wrenches to 250 ft-lbs.

For my use, hauling and towing, even a long bed usually won't hold everything. I'd buy a 10' bed if it were available. There's no way I step down to a short bed. Often a long bed truck will have a larger fuel tank than a short bed truck. The longer wheelbase will ride better.

Short bed or not? | Good Sam Community

27 Replies

WTP-GC
Explorer
Aug 16, 2018
RickLIght wrote:
Durb wrote:
OP, one hitch you do not want to get with that pin box is a B&W Companion with a ball mount. This is per B&W.

Understood, and I'll add the Anderson hitch to the list. Anything that puts another pivot point in the system would be disastrous.

I've been thinking along @Durb comments. Lock the pinbox in place when needed. But I was wondering if there are other issues that might come up with a Turning Point.

I was hoping to focus more on hitches and the need for gizmo's on a short bed. True that's just one issue with short beds. If anything, this thread shows bed length issues should be dealt with one at a time.

Right now I'm leaning towards crew cab SBs that are pretty long anyway. Mainly for in town use, garage space, and tight maneuvering. I will already have SB gizmo, cargo capacity and freeway ride don't seem to be my issues. Gas tank size and plain old availability might push me the other way. :)

Thanks to all, but 'keep those cards and letters coming!' (to you youngsters; that's an age indicator)

To the first point, B & W does not say you can't use this pin box with their T/O Ball Companion. More correctly, they say you cannot use the "pivoting" function of the pin box with this hithch. It would be the same for the Reese Sidewinder.

You also cannot use the "pivoting" function of the pin box with the Andersen UH.

With both hitches, you would have to lock out the pivot and use as a standard pin box. It is not something you want to switch back and forth from when traveling.

I have a Companion, use the same pin box with a 150 series GD 5er and a regular (6.5') bed chevy 2500 (in my sig line if you can see it). No problems at all.
ol_Bombero-JC
Explorer
Aug 16, 2018
ScottG wrote:
If all your going to do is tow then a short bed makes sense. If you ever plan on using it like a truck, get a long bed.

Which is better a Ford, Chevy/GMC, or Dodge (RAM)???

Are you buying a truck for yourself - or what posters on an internet forum prefer..:h

The above -and other posts are good advice, worth modifying:

One ton truck = yes (unless YOU have some reason not to)

SRW or DRW (dually) = YOU decide which YOU prefer or "need".

Long or short bed = YOU decide which YOU prefer or "need".

Why the "options"?

Any of the above will work just fine (meeting YOUR preferences or "needs") *unless* the 5th you want is really, really heavy ("must have" a dually).

*If* that's the case - visit the SKPs MDT or HDT forums, and learn about serious tow vehicles & skip the LDTs.

Happy shopping!

:C
bluie5
Explorer
Aug 15, 2018
I have a 1t short bed with an Andersen rail mount hitch. No chucking or clunking and it weighs about 40 pounds. I have never come close to hitting my window with the front cap. I have a MorRyde Orbital pin box and have it locked out.
RickLight
Explorer III
Aug 15, 2018
Durb wrote:
OP, one hitch you do not want to get with that pin box is a B&W Companion with a ball mount. This is per B&W.

Understood, and I'll add the Anderson hitch to the list. Anything that puts another pivot point in the system would be disastrous.

I've been thinking along @Durb comments. Lock the pinbox in place when needed. But I was wondering if there are other issues that might come up with a Turning Point.

I was hoping to focus more on hitches and the need for gizmo's on a short bed. True that's just one issue with short beds. If anything, this thread shows bed length issues should be dealt with one at a time.

Right now I'm leaning towards crew cab SBs that are pretty long anyway. Mainly for in town use, garage space, and tight maneuvering. I will already have SB gizmo, cargo capacity and freeway ride don't seem to be my issues. Gas tank size and plain old availability might push me the other way. :)

Thanks to all, but 'keep those cards and letters coming!' (to you youngsters; that's an age indicator)
ppine
Explorer II
Aug 15, 2018
For hauling, towing, rough roads, camping and going fast give me an 8 foot bed. Anything shorter is part of a truck. A 5 foot bed is for groceries only.
Durb
Explorer
Aug 15, 2018
TimnJo wrote:
I had to laugh when I noticed in Lippert's video explaining their pin box ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTEIO8-ZWfQ ) the truck obviously had a fiver drop on it - the box sides are crunched.

Yep, same video, however, I didn't pick up on the damaged bed. I just focused on their demonstration of the exact wrong way to use a torque wrench. I wonder about Lippert. Their animated video regarding the cause of chucking, though well done, is way off base. The cause they show for chucking would also apply to bumper style hitches which we know don't chuck. You would think that a company that specializes in frames and components would have their engineers and marketing people do a better job with their videos.

OP, one hitch you do not want to get with that pin box is a B&W Companion with a ball mount. This is per B&W.
TimnJo
Explorer
Aug 15, 2018
I had to laugh when I noticed in Lippert's video explaining their pin box ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTEIO8-ZWfQ ) the truck obviously had a fiver drop on it - the box sides are crunched.
Durb
Explorer
Aug 14, 2018
Interesting comments. OP is looking at a trailer with a Turning Point pin box which functions like a Reese Sidewinder pin box moving his pivot point back 22" from the rear axle. He isn't going to hit the cab regardless if he uses a standard hitch, air hitch, slider hitch or has a short bed or long bed. If he locks the pivoting function out, then that is another issue.
dadwolf2
Explorer
Aug 14, 2018
double post?
dadwolf2
Explorer
Aug 14, 2018
Short bed trucks will work much better than they use to a decade ago. Rounded 5th wheel front ends make a difference. They also make several hitches like the Pullrite Superglide and a fairly new non-slider, the Andersen Ultimate hitch that will make a short bed truck work with 5th wheel trailers.

I agree with you that a double cab long bed truck can be a handfull in a parking lot or other tight areas.