slider hitch

N-Trouble wrote:
I was all set on getting a Superglide but ended up with the Andersen and couldn't be happier. It moves the pivot point back about 5" from a conventional hitch and is plenty for me to safely get to 90* with my new 102" wide body 5er

I'm struggling with your math:h
Your 102" wide fiver needs 51" clear to swing 90* and miss the cab.
Cab to pumpkin on a 2500HD is 34", you have added 5" to that with the hitch. (This assumes you have installed the hitch per instructions such that it is over, or an inch or two ahead of, the rear axle.)
How do you get 51" into 39"?:h
My math says you are 12" INTO your cab at 90* so will hit LONG before you get to that angle.

kaydeejay wrote:

N-Trouble wrote:
I was all set on getting a Superglide but ended up with the Andersen and couldn't be happier. It moves the pivot point back about 5" from a conventional hitch and is plenty for me to safely get to 90* with my new 102" wide body 5er

I'm struggling with your math:h
Your 102" wide fiver needs 51" clear to swing 90* and miss the cab.
Cab to pumpkin on a 2500HD is 34", you have added 5" to that with the hitch. (This assumes you have installed the hitch per instructions such that it is over, or an inch or two ahead of, the rear axle.)
How do you get 51" into 39"?:h
My math says you are 12" INTO your cab at 90* so will hit LONG before you get to that angle.

Actually, cab to axle (C-A) is just under 43 inches for GM trucks with 6-1/2 ft bed. Has been that way since at least '89. Even so, 48 inches is less than 51" so there is still a problem getting to a full 90 degrees unless the front cap is scalloped.

Dayle1 wrote:
14 years w/o a slider, then 10 years with a manual slider that I never used (now sitting in my garage), currently 2 years w/o a slider. Now my hitch is again removable in two light weight pieces. Generally, the "need" for a slider can be avoided by a little extra jockeying back and forth.

Your analogy works great until it doesn't, and of course it only takes once. That extra jockeying back, and forth can work, but there sure are better ways. I would recommend an automatic sliding hitch to anyone with a short bed truck especially IF they are starting from scratch . Takes all the jockeying back ,and forth , and the possibility of knocking out a rear window, or denting the cab.

jamieline wrote:
How many people that have a slider hitch have used it and how often?
Short bed trucks. I hear trailers are made so you don't need it but just wondering who has used and under what circumstances?
Those that don't have it do you wish you did?
Thsnks

No...not at all in fact having pulled 5th wheel trailers before any type of sliding hitch was on the market we simply towed with a regular hitch with our short bed trucks. Reports of cab/trailer damage was rare.

I like a manual slider for backing. My 18 year old 16K Reese square tube slides like a hot knife through butter at any angle with any load. With it slide back it puts the pin a full 10" behind my trucks rear axle and makes for much less steering input while I'm backing.

We had one member that had ignored advise that his new short bed GM and a particular brand trailer with the rounded/notched front corners didn't need a sliding hitch. He went with the Superglide but after finding others in campgrounds with his same truck/trailer sold the SG and went with a regular hitch.
Do your home work on your truck and a particular trailer and make your decision based on that criteria and not on brand hype. The member I mentioned above afterwards said he should have done more homework.

This thread gave the super sliders a great inroad in which to say how good their hitch is. And I am not saying there is a thing wrong with it.

I am on my third short box now. GMC, Ford psd, and now Ford gasser.

No slider and never have had regrets, nicked the cab, or wished I had a slider.

After a little yadda yadda I think I did answer one of the OP's questions. :h

up2nogood wrote:

Dayle1 wrote:
14 years w/o a slider, then 10 years with a manual slider that I never used (now sitting in my garage), currently 2 years w/o a slider. Now my hitch is again removable in two light weight pieces. Generally, the "need" for a slider can be avoided by a little extra jockeying back and forth.

Your analogy works great until it doesn't, and of course it only takes once. That extra jockeying back, and forth can work, but there sure are better ways. I would recommend an automatic sliding hitch to anyone with a short bed truck especially IF they are starting from scratch . Takes all the jockeying back ,and forth , and the possibility of knocking out a rear window, or denting the cab.

Sorry, but it is not an analogy. Yeah, I started before even manual sliders were an option. But that meant I focused on the task rather than just throwing the truck in reverse. It has worked fine for 26 yrs. Now when I get older I may need the help of a slider or just stop towing completely.

Thanks for all the input and still not sure of the direction yet.
To posse another question, for $500 would you put in the slider?

Might be hard for those that have been towing for awhile to answer. Is 500 a small amount for insurance?

jamieline wrote:
Thanks for all the input and still not sure of the direction yet.
To posse another question, for $500 would you put in the slider?

Might be hard for those that have been towing for awhile to answer. Is 500 a small amount for insurance?

A lot of people get along just fine without a slider and the new scalloped front caps on many fivers make them less necessary. Whether you will ever need it will depend a lot on where you keep your rig and like to do your camping. We go into some tight spots so I look at it this way. If I am backing into a tight spot, being able to concentrate on maneuvering the trailer without worrying about stoving in my back window or cab is worth it. If you have a sliding back window in your truck, it will likely cost a lot more than $500 to replace.

In answering the $500 question......the damage would be greater and more likely if you have collision coverage that may be your deductible. As I said earlier, the peace of mind when I made the change to a slider was worth it. Funny thing, we are camped this weekend, Friday night the guy pulling in next to us hopped out to change his manual slider and couldn't get it to budge. It's like picking your poison.

Dayle1 wrote:
14 years w/o a slider, then 10 years with a manual slider that I never used (now sitting in my garage), currently 2 years w/o a slider. Now my hitch is again removable in two light weight pieces. Generally, the "need" for a slider can be avoided by a little extra jockeying back and forth.

Maybe the bottom line is are you a full time traveling RVer or a seasonal camper. If you are full time and traveling all over the U.S. using strange CG's then you should have a slider.

I wish I would have spent the money and started out with an automatic slider. My Reese is manual and I rarely have used it so I take time to grease/oil it every few months.