Short Box + 5'VR = Disaster????

[Yamaki]

I'm a little confused. Well, more than normal I should say. 😉

I have a short box truck and am considering a 5'VR purchase but I've seen some disastrous results of this pairing, specifically the the front of the trailer smacking the pickup cab.

I've also read that slider hitches are the way to go but you can't really tow the trailer down the road with the slider set towards the rear. And it appears that you can use the slider with it set towards the rear for short distance maneuvering, such as backing into your parking spot.

Am I wrong in coming to the conclusion that short box trucks and fifth wheels really don't do well together?

Or do they work as long as a slider is installed and used only for backing?

If this is the case, what happens when you have to make a tight turn? Is the cab still at risk?

ughhh...maybe it is easier to consider a standard box truck, eh?

[Mile_High]

The issue I had with an auto slider was with our short pin box, I could never have opened the front cabinet while connected because the auto slider was either too close in a straight line, or the bumper was in the way in a turn. I would have had to disconnect altogether.

With the manual slider, I just slid it back and I could access the front cabinet.

[wilber1]

ol Bombero-JC wrote:

wilber1 wrote:
I've been towing two different 5er's with two different SB trucks using the same 16k manual slider. Rarely slide the hitch but if in doubt, I do. Takes all of 30 seconds so no big deal. The extra bed room in a LB and never having to slide the hitch is nice but for me, not enough to offset being able to park the SB in most normal parking spots and most of all, it fits in my garage.

X'lnt observations!

And another -

The 30 seconds (to slide the manual):

When it's pouring rain, even 30 seconds is a PITA.

Auto sliders are more pricey - but "chump change" compared to the cost of your 5th......and/or the grief getting truck repaired when you were *absolutely sure* you didn't need to slide = Oops!

Auto slider:
Kinda like a thrermos.....knows when to keep hot things hot, and cold things cold. How do it know??..:@

BTW - never had any problem backing with PR SG slider..;)

~

Depends on your priorities. Auto sliders are heavy brutes an can be a real PITA to remove and install if you have other uses for your truck. That and their expense has never tempted me to buy one.

[walkeraw]

Mile High wrote:

Computer nerd wrote:

2. The slide mechanism, unlike the Reese and the Curt autolocks in the slid back position. The Reese and the Curt have to unlocked, truck moved and then relocked manually in the back position. The B&W auto locks.

Just to correct you - the Reese slider does autolock. Whoever you talked didn't read the directions. Just flip the lever to the position you want it to go, hop in the truck and pull forward or back and it slides and locks.

Ditto on the CURT slider - it does autolock....same procedure as the REESE slider.

[ol_Bombero-JC]

wilber1 wrote:
I've been towing two different 5er's with two different SB trucks using the same 16k manual slider. Rarely slide the hitch but if in doubt, I do. Takes all of 30 seconds so no big deal. The extra bed room in a LB and never having to slide the hitch is nice but for me, not enough to offset being able to park the SB in most normal parking spots and most of all, it fits in my garage.

X'lnt observations!

And another -

The 30 seconds (to slide the manual):

When it's pouring rain, even 30 seconds is a PITA.

Auto sliders are more pricey - but "chump change" compared to the cost of your 5th......and/or the grief getting truck repaired when you were *absolutely sure* you didn't need to slide = Oops!

Auto slider:
Kinda like a thrermos.....knows when to keep hot things hot, and cold things cold. How do it know??..:@

BTW - never had any problem backing with PR SG slider..;)

~

[wilber1]

I've been towing two different 5er's with two different SB trucks using the same 16k manual slider. Rarely slide the hitch but if in doubt, I do. Takes all of 30 seconds so no big deal. The extra bed room in a LB and never having to slide the hitch is nice but for me, not enough to offset being able to park the SB in most normal parking spots and most of all, it fits in my garage.

[Mile_High]

Computer nerd wrote:

2. The slide mechanism, unlike the Reese and the Curt autolocks in the slid back position. The Reese and the Curt have to unlocked, truck moved and then relocked manually in the back position. The B&W auto locks.

Just to correct you - the Reese slider does autolock. Whoever you talked didn't read the directions. Just flip the lever to the position you want it to go, hop in the truck and pull forward or back and it slides and locks.

[Computer_nerd]

I'm moving up from a 28ft trailer I pulled with a Tahoe to a 5th wheel I'm pulling with my 6 1/2 ft 3500 Silverado. I have a friend at work who chose not to get a slider hitch for their Dodge RAM 3500 and Reflection 5th wheel with a rounded cap and he's replacing his rear window that he knocked out on his 3rd trip out with it.

I also heard from another person at work who has an automatic Pro-Glide slider that wishes he had gone with a manual slider as the movement the auto slider creates affects his backing up geometry.

So after quite a bit of research comparing the Reese slider, Curt slider, and the B&W Companion slider; I've decided to go with the B&W slider for these reasons.
1. It's a manual slider so if the site I'm backing into doesn't require me to use the slide motion, I don't have to.
2. The slide mechanism, unlike the Reese and the Curt autolocks in the slid back position. The Reese and the Curt have to unlocked, truck moved and then relocked manually in the back position. The B&W auto locks.
3. The B&W doesn't have rails and uses their Turn-ball mounting mechanism so it can be completely removed from the bed of the truck AND I can add their goose neck ball if I ever want or need to pull a Gooseneck. Also the installation doesn't require drilling into the frame of my truck. It uses existing, pre-drilled holes in the factory frame.

[PilotEd]

x3 on the PullRite. One of the best purchases I made.
Ed

[Arcamper]

mileshuff wrote:
I went with the Pullrite SuperGlide auto sliding hitch on my short bed. Automatically slides back when turning, moves back forward when towing straight. Never have to worry about it.

X2 Have a hoist in my shop to lift it out when I need the truck bed.

[sue_t]

Thousands of miles on roads & highways in Yukon & Alaska with a shortbox and fifth wheel with an extended pinbox. Never an issue.




Even on narrow gravel goat trails

[Yamaki]

Yes, I've seen the results as well. It would be a disaster for me. What a way to ruin a great outing. The repair costs would definitely suck up money that would be better spent elsewhere!

[cpaulsen]

Couple of weeks ago.....nice late model Chevy 2500 Duramax pulled in. Could see the slider hitch and obviously did not use it and when he back into the spot...the back window was in hundreds of pieces. If you have a slider...use it.

[Allworth]

"Disaster" seems a bit strong. People have been doing it for many years and anyone smarter than a Cocker Spaniel seems to manage pretty well!

Sorry, Cocker Spaniels.

[phillyg]

If you want to keep your short bed PU then you need to get an automatic slider unless you want to try to remember to slide a manual hitch if you get into a tight situation. I have the SuperGlide for my 5-1/2' short bed but it's very heavy (to remove/install) and more expensive than a non-sliding hitch. As others have said, you need to evaluate what your intended FW usage will be and purchase accordingly.

[mileshuff]

I went with the Pullrite SuperGlide auto sliding hitch on my short bed. Automatically slides back when turning, moves back forward when towing straight. Never have to worry about it.