Short bed with no slider hitch

TubaPete, I'll say this before anybody else, drop the tailgate or take it off and you can then use the slider. Or, get a "V" gate and it will work fine. I have a "V" gate and have used the slider with a long pin box and it works just great. A lot of people don't like the idea of the "V" gate so they just drop the tailgate or take it off when trailering.

I have a slider but can't use it. The pin box is too long and tears up the tailagte if Ido.

I started towing trailers when in my teens. I learned very early to be cautious, no matter what you are towing/backing. Any trailer will hit at some point, given the right circumstance.

I started towing a FW, with an 8' bed. I switched to a truck with 6 3/4' bed in 99, and have stayed with 6 3/4 ever since. I have had several new hitches, but have never owned, or needed a slider.

Jerry

Have a slider, never needed it. Replaced with non slider when I put the truck on a diet.

I have a slider on the current short bed Dodge truck with a old '97 trailer with a square corner very flat front profile....but its seldom needed.
Its a manual slider so when its all the way back it puts the pin 10" behind the truck rear axle. Makes for less steering input while backing in any condition.

Many short bed GM owners don't need a slider as they have a longer dimension from the back of the cab to the trucks rear axle than F or D.

I am one of the I do and don't crowd.

C-Bears wrote:
At the 2 year mark of full timing, and about 30,000 travel miles, I would have said "have a short bed with slider and never needed it".

That all changed recently. I was backing into a really short tight spot in Florida. Site was a little soft and it allowed my fiver to lean slightly. That was just enough to close the normal 1.5" gap I would have normally had between the edge of my cab and the corner of the Montana when cranked all the way.

If a neighbor would not have yelled at me I would have dented my truck and fiver!

So it is not always just the angle you are at, it could be the tilt of the truck or fiver that could determine it you need your slider on a short bed.

That's what happened to me as well. All was good until the trailer wheels went up on a hump. My spotter wasn't looking and resulted in a $300 dent.

Sold my regular hitch for the same price as a used slider.

Lesson learned.

At the 2 year mark of full timing, and about 30,000 travel miles, I would have said "have a short bed with slider and never needed it".

That all changed recently. I was backing into a really short tight spot in Florida. Site was a little soft and it allowed my fiver to lean slightly. That was just enough to close the normal 1.5" gap I would have normally had between the edge of my cab and the corner of the Montana when cranked all the way.

If a neighbor would not have yelled at me I would have dented my truck and fiver!

So it is not always just the angle you are at, it could be the tilt of the truck or fiver that could determine it you need your slider on a short bed.

I have long (8') bed with a HiJack slider...........daaahhh

The previous owner installed it for some reason or another. I cut the slider rails off so it did not take up so much room.
I tried to trade or sell it to a short bed guy but had no takers.

I bought the truck used 1 1/2 years with 4k miles on it. It was parked for 14 months of that time.

Had one. Sold it. That's what "D" is for on transmission if you get that close/tight.