5th wheel hitch question

Jonny8491 wrote:
as far as wiring. does it need to be inside the bed of the truck or can you hook it up on the bumper?

If you already have a 7 wire connector on your bumper then yes it will work since its all the same wiring. However, this would mean the cable would have to go up and over your tailgate and may not be long enough especially in turns.

My truck already had a factory 7 pin connector on the bumper. The shop that installed my hitch added a cable and new connector to the bed of the truck. It was an easy install that simply T'd off the existing connector harness to the bed. They charged me $90 for parts and labor.

I have a 2012 2500HD crew cab 6.5 ft bed
I have a slider hitch, never used it. should have once.
In most cases I don't need the slider. I had a 2006 and now a 2012 5er that were both fairly rounded in front. Not a problem.
There was one instance that I wanted the 5er in a spot that had no room in front of it. My truck was at a 90 degree angle to drop it off. when I went to hook up I must have been 91 degrees. RV just barely touched the cab and the back window popped. but in 8 years of pulling 5er's, never needed it for a campground or my drive.

I've had the wiring in both positions. In the rear the cable has a tendency to scratch the tail gate. I added another connection just above the wheel well on the driver's side. I can lock & unlock the hitch and plug and unplug the cable at the same time.

Thanks Guys!!!

one more question.

as far as wiring. does it need to be inside the bed of the truck or can you hook it up on the bumper?

I would get the slider or a long bed truck.

I purchased a 16K Husky slider hitch when I got my 5th wheel because I also had a 6.5' bed. I've never had to use the slider feature in 10 years, but I suppose it depends upon the profile of your trailer. My Cardinal works well as is.

Many short bed GM owners say they don't need a slider or if they have one its never used. Reason being GM has a longer dimension from the back of the cab to the trucks rear axle. And of course the trailers front corners profile comes to play also.

I have a short bed Dodge and a manual slider. I rarely need it in any situation however I like using it while backing. My hitch is set up zero over the rear axle so when the hitch is in the aft position its 10" behind the axle and has quicker steering input while backing.

I see Curt has a slider you can add to your hitch now or later. Your call there

One turn that is too sharp and crushes the cab will pay for an automatic slider. Get one.

You have a short bed truck and an older trailer. That in my opinion would greatly benefit from adding the roller option to the Curt Q20. You'll have to manually move the hitch to the rear position whenever you will need to turn sharp such as when backing. Then move it back to tow position when towing. In tow position you have to avoid sharp turns. Normally this isn't a problem although some older trailers with flat front caps and shorter king pins can be difficult.

How much can you get the Curt Q20 with rollers installed for? If its in your budget I would highly recommend the Pullrite Superglide over the Curt Q20 or other manual sliders. It is an auto sliding hitch. You never worry about it. Just hitch and go. It automatically slides back when turning. Your trailer will never hit the back of your cab. Another benefit of the Superglide is easy removal from your bed when you need full access.

Yes