I know from searches and skimming there are about a million different options as far as hitches, sliders, non sliders, etc. But I am still confused as we have been in a travel trailer for the last 16 years. I have a 2018 Ram 2500 4x4 short bed and am looking at a Grand Design 311bhs. What hitch do I need? I dont want to have cab to trailer contact on accident and want something fool proof. I've seen sliders but also something that hooks to the kingpin on the RV instead? I'm sure it's been asked before but help me please. I am also worried about bed clearance to the rv because my driveway is kind of steep getting in. What if anything do I need to be looking at there?

Long bed or short bed truck? On a long bed you just get a b/w or pullrite hitch non-sliders. If you truck has bed prep get a hitch that uses that. You may need a slider on a short bed truck, opinion seems to be divided but a lot of folks seem to think that with a modern fiver with a rounded nose cap on the fiver you do not need one. I have a long bed so I don't know and we went to opposite way, fiver to TT. Non slider is a lot less complicated.

It's a short bed. What made you go back to travel trailer? I'm not convinced either way. I'd like to hear your thoughts.

HERE is a very recent and interesting thread which should answer many of your questions.

6.7 tow rig wrote:I know from searches and skimming there are about a million different options as far as hitches, sliders, non sliders, etc. But I am still confused as we have been in a travel trailer for the last 16 years. I have a 2018 Ram 2500 4x4 short bed and am looking at a Grand Design 311bhs. What hitch do I need? I dont want to have cab to trailer contact on accident and want something fool proof. I've seen sliders but also something that hooks to the kingpin on the RV instead? I'm sure it's been asked before but help me please. I am also worried about bed clearance to the rv because my driveway is kind of steep getting in. What if anything do I need to be looking at there?First off, I'm a B&W fan and wouldn't have any other hitch. Second, even the virtually foolproof B&W hitches aren't foolproof if you're STUPID, as I proved in spectacular fashion just a couple hours ago. If you forget to f'n LATCH the hitch after you back into the pin, it WILL fall off onto the truck bed. So, new tailgate and new bed sides instead of just new paint. FW is in better shape than the truck, except for some paint transfer and scratches.Lyle

laknox wrote:6.7 tow rig wrote:I know from searches and skimming there are about a million different options as far as hitches, sliders, non sliders, etc. But I am still confused as we have been in a travel trailer for the last 16 years. I have a 2018 Ram 2500 4x4 short bed and am looking at a Grand Design 311bhs. What hitch do I need? I dont want to have cab to trailer contact on accident and want something fool proof. I've seen sliders but also something that hooks to the kingpin on the RV instead? I'm sure it's been asked before but help me please. I am also worried about bed clearance to the rv because my driveway is kind of steep getting in. What if anything do I need to be looking at there?First off, I'm a B&W fan and wouldn't have any other hitch. Second, even the virtually foolproof B&W hitches aren't foolproof if you're STUPID, as I proved in spectacular fashion just a couple hours ago. If you forget to f'n LATCH the hitch after you back into the pin, it WILL fall off onto the truck bed. So, new tailgate and new bed sides instead of just new paint. FW is in better shape than the truck, except for some paint transfer and scratches.LyleSo if you back all the way into the king pin, the spring loaded arm should have swung to the closed position, waiting for the safety pin. Do to the design, I believe the hitch would have a 95% chance of staying latched. So there has to be more to the story? Like the king pin lower ridge was to high holding jams open? Or you did not back in all the way! Or you pinned the latch arm open!Chris

What do I need | Good Sam Community

Me_Again
Explorer III
Aug 12, 2019
Cummins12V98 wrote:
Coming lately disagree. 5er is slower to respond and takes much more area to maneuver than a TT.

I back my boat fast and easy compared to my 5er.

That is because the rear axle on a TV with a 5th wheel has to move left of right to effect the trailer movement. With a bumper pull when the front moves left or right the hitch moves the opposite direction effecting the trailer much quicker.

Chris
Cummins12V98
Explorer III
Aug 12, 2019
Coming lately disagree. 5er is slower to respond and takes much more area to maneuver than a TT.

I back my boat fast and easy compared to my 5er.
4x4ord
Explorer III
Aug 12, 2019
I thunk once you get a 5th wheel and back it up a few times you'll realize it is just as easy to back up as a TT. A properly balanced fiver tows very nice. Because there is 4 feet of trailer inside your truck box the total length of a truck / fiver combination is much shorter than a TT with the same interior space.
laknox
Nomad
Aug 12, 2019
6.7 tow rig wrote:
Well I'm getting cold feet. Too many what ifs, or maybe. Thing I like about the TT is in 30 years of camping never had a camper to truck issue. I'm thinking the Rockwood 8327ss travel trailer may be my next. Thanks for all the replies.

Don't let stuff here scare you off. When I went looking, I'd already had years of bumper pull towing as well as gooseneck towing. I know that no way in hell was I getting a TT; it was FW all the way for me. I've had 2 "major" incidents in 15 years of RVing. First was learning the hard way that you need to look in the same direction you're backing or you'll take out the back window in your truck and this most recent one. I've seen just as many bent trailer tongues and dented beds and broken taillights from TTs being jackknifed. The stability and overall ease of hitching/unhitching a FW, IMO, far outweighs that of a bumper pull.

Lyle
6_7_tow_rig
Explorer
Aug 12, 2019
Well I'm getting cold feet. Too many what ifs, or maybe. Thing I like about the TT is in 30 years of camping never had a camper to truck issue. I'm thinking the Rockwood 8327ss travel trailer may be my next. Thanks for all the replies.
laknox
Nomad
Aug 12, 2019
Kevinwa wrote:
6.7 tow rig wrote:
I know from searches and skimming there are about a million different options as far as hitches, sliders, non sliders, etc. But I am still confused as we have been in a travel trailer for the last 16 years. I have a 2018 Ram 2500 4x4 short bed and am looking at a Grand Design 311bhs. What hitch do I need? I dont want to have cab to trailer contact on accident and want something fool proof. I've seen sliders but also something that hooks to the kingpin on the RV instead? I'm sure it's been asked before but help me please. I am also worried about bed clearance to the rv because my driveway is kind of steep getting in. What if anything do I need to be looking at there?

I have no input on hitches, but do have a cousin that pulls a Grand Design 311BHS with a short bed F-350, He has, on more than one occasion, bent his mid trailer leveling jack in gas stations etc. It hangs pretty low. Just a heads up to keep an eye on this if you go with that model.

I've seen MHs that have "fold away" jacks and I've always wondered why they wouldn't work on a FW. Either that, or a "compact", telescoping jack. Hell, the factory screw jack in my truck is only about 8" tall, but will jack about 20-24" high. I know that the rear jacks on my FW, right behind the rear tires, always concerns me.

Lyle
schlep1967
Nomad
Aug 12, 2019
6.7 tow rig wrote:
I know from searches and skimming there are about a million different options as far as hitches, sliders, non sliders, etc. But I am still confused as we have been in a travel trailer for the last 16 years. I have a 2018 Ram 2500 4x4 short bed and am looking at a Grand Design 311bhs. What hitch do I need? I dont want to have cab to trailer contact on accident and want something fool proof. I've seen sliders but also something that hooks to the kingpin on the RV instead? I'm sure it's been asked before but help me please. I am also worried about bed clearance to the rv because my driveway is kind of steep getting in. What if anything do I need to be looking at there?

You won't find a sliding hitch that is much more fool-proof than the Pullrite Superglide. I've been using mine for 9 years and have never not had it latch when I backed under it. Yes, I did just knock on some wood.
As far as your steep driveway, is it angled up or down? Angled down is when you need to worry about bed clearance. Angled up you need to worry about the back end of the trailer. And if the TT you had before cleared that you should be fine with the FW.
Braces
Explorer
Aug 12, 2019
PullRite auto slider
Kevinwa
Explorer
Aug 12, 2019
6.7 tow rig wrote:
I know from searches and skimming there are about a million different options as far as hitches, sliders, non sliders, etc. But I am still confused as we have been in a travel trailer for the last 16 years. I have a 2018 Ram 2500 4x4 short bed and am looking at a Grand Design 311bhs. What hitch do I need? I dont want to have cab to trailer contact on accident and want something fool proof. I've seen sliders but also something that hooks to the kingpin on the RV instead? I'm sure it's been asked before but help me please. I am also worried about bed clearance to the rv because my driveway is kind of steep getting in. What if anything do I need to be looking at there?

I have no input on hitches, but do have a cousin that pulls a Grand Design 311BHS with a short bed F-350, He has, on more than one occasion, bent his mid trailer leveling jack in gas stations etc. It hangs pretty low. Just a heads up to keep an eye on this if you go with that model.
Me_Again
Explorer III
Aug 12, 2019
laknox wrote:
Cummins12V98 wrote:

Lyle when Chris texted me about what happened I said "I'm betting he pinned the handle back"

That is way I NEVER pin the handle back. I guess there may have been a couple times I did to keep the jaw open to pull away. BUT I always lock my handle closed as part of my routine. Padlock laying on top of my tool box as a reminder to "lock her up". ;)

I had an issue very early on, where I couldn't get the jaws to release =without= the handle being pinned open, so I've always done it. Just got in a hurry and did things a bit out of sequence. Normally, I plug the cord into the truck, then jump into the bed to hook the breakaway cable, latch the hitch and pin in in place. Didn't do that and, well, the rest is history.

Lyle

I think that if you put just a little forward pressure on the jaws via dropping tranny in drive and then park it will always release correctly. Pressure the other direction would lead to to latch arm not wanting to stay open.

I came close once to dropping the trailer with my Hijacker, I spotted the trailer in the garage, got out put the land gear down and pulled the sliding bar out. Then I decided that the trailer was not in the correct location, raise the landing gear and jumped in and started to move forward when my wife yelled at me to stop.

Chris

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