Short bed manuvering

[HFMJ]

My wife and I are considering a fifth wheel. The dealer told me since I have a GMC 5 3/4' bed Id have to have a slider hitch. He said that once in a while in a tight spot in a campground I will need to slide it backwards for more room between the cab and trailer. Any experiences out there that might help me decide? Thanks

[laknox]

HFMJ wrote:
Thanks everyone your input. I went all crazy this weekend and started reading my owners manual VERY CLOSELY. It says "not designed for fifth wheel or goose neck". So to keep from having a problems with the truck manufacturer we are buying a TT. I hate it because I really liked the 5er we were considering.

Smart move, IMO. You can likely tow a larger TT than FW, any way. Give you more room.

Lyle

[AnthonyC]

I have a short bed towing a 36.5ft 5er and have never had to use my slider. Hope this helps

[HFMJ]

Thanks everyone your input. I went all crazy this weekend and started reading my owners manual VERY CLOSELY. It says "not designed for fifth wheel or goose neck". So to keep from having a problems with the truck manufacturer we are buying a TT. I hate it because I really liked the 5er we were considering.

[DickandVicki]

I had a '01 F250 SD with a short bed and pulled two different 5vers and never had to use the slider aspect of my Reese hitch. We now have a '08 F250 SD short bed, and just purchased a '08 Keystone Cougar. I had a Curt slider hitch installed, and I am GLAD I did, as I had to utilize it when I parked the 5ver at my inlaws!

[Coach-man]

Toolguy5 wrote:

HFMJ wrote:
The trailer we are looking at is 23' lightweight. My concerns is maybe switchbacks on a 2 lane road or a hard turn off of a busy road into a parking lot or such.

If you are concerned about those issues while traveling. You need an auto slider. Pullrite superglide is a great auto slide.

X2, That is one less thing to worry about when traveling with the fiver! People state that the pullrite Superglide is heavy, yes it is, it is a very substantial hitch, I do not think I will break it. Yes it is almost 200 lbs. but if your that close to being over capacity, then perhaps a differant truck. I have yet to have a need to remove my hitch! Remember you could go for years and not have a problem, but it only takes one little lapse and you can do an awful lot of damage to your truck! Good luck!

[Dave_H_M]

LL That brings the old adage of "third time is a charm" to me. :E

[filthy_beast]

I have one on my 2500HD and use it religiously. I needed it at first due to our road being skinny and the angle of my drive. I changed the drive but still use the slider all the time. That way, the truck/trailer handles the same way every time.

[Shadow_Grey]

Use one of these and never worry about it...Airborne rides real smooth also!

[LLeopold]

Here's my story from 2002.

And guess what? It happened again this past weekend 13 years later. You'd think I would have learned by now! 😮

[Sport45]

You've been backing a TT into the same spots. Keep that in mind and understand you really don't have to jackknife a 5er any more than you used to jackknife the TT. Just pull forward as necessary.

[SkiSmuggs]

Another option and my solution is the Reese Sidewinder/Revolution:

Sidewinder install & demo

[ACZL]

IMO, that's what "D" is for on the transmission. Had a slider originally w/ old truck and sold it a few years ago for a 4 way swivel head hitch. Still have newer hitch, but when I had the slider (w/ short box F250, cc), think it used a total of 2 times.

[azrving]

I have a pull rite auto and an older 8.6 wide rig with a flat front. I just drive and never worry about it. It's far cheaper to go with a stationary hitch but you then have to pay attention.

[stripit]

A lot of this question is how good you are and your ability to back the trailer. As others have said, sometimes it might be needed with the way the site is laid out and your angle of approach. Changing that approach may remove the need for a slider hitch.