Do you need a slider hitch with a 61/2 ft bed
I am thinking of upgrading trucks right now I have a 8 ft bed with a 16.5 k hidden hitch. Will this work in a shortbed f250 making tight turns.
Forum Discussion
SDcampowneroperator wrote:
Is going to a shorter bed truck an upgrade? please explain how thats an upgrade with the added cost of sliding hitches, concern of working it, and loss of cargo room in a long bed? How about resale value? Used buyers want a truck to haul stuff.
Very simplistic thinking. Everyone I know who has towed or is towing a 5th wheel trailer is doing so with a truck with the standard box. The long bed makes for a 2 foot increase in wheelbase and a much greater turning radius and are not as convenient to drive around when not towing a trailer. Same applies to going with DRW which is not needed for 95% of the trailers.
There is nothing I cannot haul in my standard bed truck and where I need the extra 18 inches of a long bed truck. All I have to do is drop the tailgate if I want to haul 4x8 sheets of plywood. With a 5th wheel trailer and kingpin the bed is not going to hold the sheets of plywood regardless of its length.
The ONLY time I would like a 8' bed is when I have long fishing rods in the truck. The rest of the time the standard bed is more than enough for transporting bicycles with the wheels left one, 14 foot kayaks, building supplies and lumber, and anything else.
Something that is a good investment with any pickup with a 5th wheel trailer is one of the shock absorbing kingpin mounts like the ones from Trailair. They do a great job at preventing trailer movement from getting transmitted to the truck cab and its occupants.
