New to 5th wheel. Question on slider/pin for crew cab.

[Kory426]

Hey y’all. Picked up a 5th wheel through my grandparents last week. It’s designated for the 1/2 ton trucks. But I have a 1500 Silverado crew cab with the 5.5 or so bed. I’ve been looking at new slider hitches but have recently came upon the concept of sidewinder combo where the turret spins. Anyone have any experience with this? Looking for pros/cons on the Automatic slider- Manual slider - kingpin concept. Thanks guys!

[laknox]

MFL wrote:
GM owes you a set of tires, if the OEMs were below RAWR. 🙂 I'm not familiar with 245 Es from 02, but most of the ones I see are rated 3195, which covers the 6,000 plus/minus RAWR of many 2500s.

Likely too late to collect on those tires, as GM is scaling back/cost cutting as we type.

Jerry

'Thout looking, the OEM 245 tires were just under the RAWR, maybe 100-200 lbs. They're rated at 3,086 lbs each. The 265s, which were on the truck when I got it in '04 with < 10k miles, are rated at 3,417 lbs each, so a gain of 662 lbs' tire capacity, which puts me well over the RAWR sticker.

Lyle

[cummins2014]

Kory426 wrote:
Hey y’all. Picked up a 5th wheel through my grandparents last week. It’s designated for the 1/2 ton trucks. But I have a 1500 Silverado crew cab with the 5.5 or so bed. I’ve been looking at new slider hitches but have recently came upon the concept of sidewinder combo where the turret spins. Anyone have any experience with this? Looking for pros/cons on the Automatic slider- Manual slider - kingpin concept. Thanks guys!

Depending on your pin box, front of the fifth wheel the way they are sculpted on the corners, an Andersen hitch may just fit the bill, and a lot less weight . It would be worth taking a look

I eliminated the slider hitch going to the Andersen, my bed is actually only 11 inches longer on my 3500 Ram if you are 5'-5" . If not mistaken Andersen advertises using their hitch with the 1/2 ton trucks .

[Dayle1]

The sidewinder is your best choice, it moves the pivot back about 20 inches and you can use a lightweight 15K or 16K fifth wheel hitch (under 150 lbs). Auto sliding hitches are heavier and may not slide back far enough to work with under 6 ft bed lengths. The sidewinder has two other benefits, it makes the fifth wheel track more like a TT, so it will not cut inside the truck track as much when taking corners. Also, when backing up, the trailer will react faster to steering changes (which can be dangerous if not paying attention) so you need less space for maneuvering.

Make sure your truck has LT tires and you are not exceeding the truck's rear GAWR.

[Jimbee]

Congrats on your new 5th wheel! You are probably inquiring about the Reese Revolution/Sidewinder pin box. If you go to the Reese website they have instructional videos on these products, prob answer some your questions. I picked up a 5th wheel with the Revolution pinbox 3 weeks ago and it works awesome!

I highly recommend a Timbren suspension enhancement in the rear (quick/easy upgrade) and new tires that are up to the task! Etrailer will have all you need for towing, etc.

Good Luck!

[MFL]

GM owes you a set of tires, if the OEMs were below RAWR. 🙂 I'm not familiar with 245 Es from 02, but most of the ones I see are rated 3195, which covers the 6,000 plus/minus RAWR of many 2500s.

Likely too late to collect on those tires, as GM is scaling back/cost cutting as we type.

Jerry

[laknox]

MFL wrote:

laknox wrote:


I don't know of any GM truck beds that are 5.5' in the Silverado line. 6.5' is the usual short bed length. Depending on the FW, you may, or may not, need a slider.

As MFL said, you need to know the rear axle weight rating (RAWR), but he forgot to mention tires. Likely you only have D rated tires. E rated tires can be used and that will give you a lot more tire capacity.



Lyle

Yes Lyle, they do make a Silverado 1500 extra short bed that is 5'8"s. You are correct on upgrading the tires , however OEM tires are covered by the RAWR, normally just above the rating a couple hundred lbs or so. Typically if staying within RAWR, you are also under tire rating.

Jerry

News to me! :B

I know that the OEM tires on my '02 D'max were 245 E's, which put them =below= the RAWR, IIRC. With 265 E's, I'm about 600-800 lbs =over=, again, IIRC.

Lyle

[MFL]

laknox wrote:


I don't know of any GM truck beds that are 5.5' in the Silverado line. 6.5' is the usual short bed length. Depending on the FW, you may, or may not, need a slider.

As MFL said, you need to know the rear axle weight rating (RAWR), but he forgot to mention tires. Likely you only have D rated tires. E rated tires can be used and that will give you a lot more tire capacity.



Lyle

Yes Lyle, they do make a Silverado 1500 extra short bed that is 5'8"s. You are correct on upgrading the tires , however OEM tires are covered by the RAWR, normally just above the rating a couple hundred lbs or so. Typically if staying within RAWR, you are also under tire rating.

Jerry

[MFL]

Allworth wrote:
GM does not list a 5.5' bed as original equipment. New or used as far as I can research.

It is a 5' 8" bed on some Silverado 1500 CC models, often referred to as extra short bed.

Jerry

[Allworth]

GM does not list a 5.5' bed as original equipment. New or used as far as I can research.

[JIMNLIN]

Anyone have any experience with this? Looking for pros/cons on the Automatic slider- Manual slider - kingpin concept. Thanks guys!

A 5th wheel trailer and the 1500 5' 8" crew cab bed is a rare combo. I would 1-800 the sidewinder mfg for their input if the sidewinder box will work for that very short bed. Even with the pin located zero over the trucks rear axle the pin box may still contact the tail gate. Give them a call.

[laknox]

Agree with the others. Need to know the pillar weights as well as weights off the FW sticker. There =should= be a sticker that gives the GVW for the FW as well as the cargo capacity for =that= FW as it left the factory. Do NOT use the "dry weights" of the FW for any calculations as you never travel empty.

Also, I don't know of any GM truck beds that are 5.5' in the Silverado line. 6.5' is the usual short bed length. Depending on the FW, you may, or may not, need a slider.

As MFL said, you need to know the rear axle weight rating (RAWR), but he forgot to mention tires. Likely you only have D rated tires. E rated tires can be used and that will give you a lot more tire capacity.

Post the #'s from the truck and FW here, and we can give you a lot more advice.

Lyle

[MFL]

With that short of bed the sidewinder is the best option. You would also want a light wt hitch in the truck, due to the limited payload capacity. Auto-sliding hitches are heavy, and work best in 6.5' bed.

You don't say what the FW weight is, or the loaded pin wt, but be sure your truck is up to the task before proceeding. Be aware of payload and RAWR.

Jerry

[jkwilson]

Before you spend much time figuring out the slider issue, you should check your door pillar sticker and compare it to the specs of the 5th wheel. The trailer towing capacity and payload of a "1/2 ton" truck can vary by so much that the term means almost nothing anymore. You need to know how much trailer you can haul and how much payload you have available for the pin.

As an example, a current Silverado 1500 SBCC can be rated as much as 10,500lb trailer weight for a 5th wheel, but it can be rated as low as 6300lb. Your door pillar sticker will tell the story.