towing fiver with 6 1/2 foot bed

Is it common to tow fivers with 6 1/2 foot beds? How do you do it?

RVIA made a statement some time back that 4 out of 10 LDT's pulling 5th wheel trailers were short beds (6 1/2').
I have long and short bed trucks but my favorite is the short bed Dodge/Cummins for my GN and 5th wheel trailers.
On my short bed trucks I have the pin set up zero over the trucks rear axle. That way I get my GN/5th wheel trailer the farthest from the back of the cab. And all 10" of sliding capability from my 16k Reese manual slider behind the rear axles.

I have been looking at half ton trucks with claims of trailer towing ability reaching 11,000 pounds. My trailer loaded gets close to 9,000.

You must be looking at new trucks ??
The 1/2 ton trucks your looking at may be able to pull that much weight but very few will have enough rear axle rating to carry your trailers pin weight that may be 1800-2000 lbs plus the rest of the "stuff" in your truck.

The only 1/2 ton truck I see that may have enough rear axle capacity is the F150HD 7850 GVWR and a 4800 RAWR. These truck rear axle may weigh in the 2400-2500 lb range with the hitch installed which leaves approx 2300 lbs before going over wheels and rear suspension ratings.

Other 1/2 ton trucks rear axle generally run in the 3800-4200 lb range and simply aren't up to carrying your trailers pin weight.

For your size 5th wheel trailer I would suggest a 3/4 ton gazzer or the diesel if you want one. 250/2500 trucks have 6000-6500 RAWR which gives you 3000 + lbs of load carrying capacity.