pulling with a short bed pros and cons

[olemax]

I started with a Sierra HD CC with a 6.5 ft. box and a Reese Slider. Never used nor needed the slider, and traded it with the truck b/c of all the drawbacks everyone prior have cited. I now have a 1 ton dually CC w/ 8 ft. box. It's a handful in tight quarters, especially standard parking spaces, but it pulls the fiver with ease. The long box without the slider provides so much more cargo space that it's worth the tradeoffs, IMHO.

[DouglasReid]

Originally Posted by NMWildcat

We have always used a 6.5' bed truck to pull our fifth wheels of all sizes. Can't say it causes any problems or makes handling the RV any different. We do not like long bed trucks for our personal use. Don't like they way they look or handle.
We use a Sidewinder hitch on the trailer with a standard (lighter) fifth wheel truck hitch. Perfect solution. Never have to worry about hitting the cab with the cap of the RV. Also pulls more like a bumper pull as it follows the truck tracks more closely and turn reaction is faster than normal fifth wheel hitch due to moving the turning point back 22".
We do NOT like slider hitches. They are too heavy, take up too much room in truck bed, and seem to bind when you need them most.
An Anderson hitch is also an option, but after helping my buddy install and use his, I decided I just don't feel comfortable with it for myself. But many folks seem to love them.
Check out the Sidewinder hitches.

X2 ^^^^^to everything he said above. we have nearly identical rigs, 5ers and the same hitch pin setup. To top it off it seems we both came to the same conclusions for the same reasons.............

I guess GREAT minds DO think alike

[Slemper]

We have a 2019 F350 Lariat Crew Cab with 6’9” bed with the puck system and a B&W Companion Hitch, our 5ver is a Rockwood 2889WS and has the Turning Point Pin box and we have a custom wedge so it does rotate at the pin box and not the hitch. When I back this unit into our driveway I do have to crank it almost 90 degrees and I have a lot of room between the cab and the front cap so this setup works awesome for us

[B and B]

Had a F 150 with 5.5 ft box towed a Rockwood FW with Revolution. Traded up trucks to F 350 and 6.75 ft box and us a sidewinder. Provincial parks are tight, need the maneuverability of a sidewinder.

[JerryS]

Have been pulling with a short bed PU for years. Never had a problem. While my 5ver claims to be made for a short bed PU, rather than take a chance I use a Reese Sidewinder to assure no cabin/cap issues in the event I need to go beyond 80%. So far no problems. Tows great. It also increases the payload to go with a short bed.

[5er_tom]

We had a short bed with slider hitch and had no complaints. Now we have an 8’ bed with a standard hitch. Three things that make me happier to have the long bed. The less expensive hitch. The larger fuel tank (48 gallons). The truck rides so much smoother with or without the 5er. It makes a very noticeable different. Would not go back to a short bed.

[WFD]

Originally Posted by B and B

Had a F 150 with 5.5 ft box towed a Rockwood FW with Revolution. Traded up trucks to F 350 and 6.75 ft box and us a sidewinder. Provincial parks are tight, need the maneuverability of a sidewinder.

Did you notice a difference between your Revolution and your Sidewinder. I know they are supposed to be the same but just wondering as a person who has had both, if you noticed a difference. How about in regards to maintenance, are they the same?

[Orlando bull]

I'm pulling a 100" wide body fiver with a short bed and Andersen hitch. Only brought it home from the dealer so far, but, I really liked how it pulled. I used the funnel in the reverse position to bring it home, but, am experimenting with turning it around. I think that is going to work for me and I can get about 80* with it. Even in the reverse position, I can probably get a pretty good angle.

Certainly noticed on the extreme angle that it was putting a lot of stress on the axles as others have mentioned, so, that's not something I want to do very often if at all.

The reason I went with Andersen was the weight mostly. Honestly though, I didn't feel like sliding hitches were the most perfect solution. You still have to worry about contact with the tailgate or side rails when the hitch is slid back.

The sidewinder is probably a great solution if you want to go that route. My inlaws had one a while back and they hated it because it was difficult to hitch and unhitch. Others use them and love them though, that was just the story I heard. It's also quite a bit more expensive than my setup, so, I decided to try with the andersen first and don't think I have any reason to change. If I had found that the Andersen just wasn't going to cut it with my trailer, the sidewinder was my fall-back.

Pros for a long bed? - You don't have to worry about any of that stuff, pick whatever hitch you like and you're all set. For me, I tow maybe 10% of my miles. The other 90%, I really appreciate the short bed.

[Comanchecreek]

I have an older Chevy short box, Duramax with a slider hitch. Used the rollback many times with my old Montana that had the flat nose. Could only get about a 50 degree cut without danger of the trailer hitting the cab. I suspicion the guy I bought the truck from had done that as I found glass behind the back seat the first time I vacuumed out the truck. When we bought our Crusader, all of the backing issues went away. I can do a 90 degree cut without even coming close to the truck cab, without moving the hitch back. I actually got tired of the clunking and bucking the slider hitch had, so I welded shims into it to stop the slop in the roll back mechanism. Obviously I can't roll it back anymore, but I will never need to. As others have said, it depends on your trailer. My DW loves the truck when she drives for errands etc. because it's easier to park and maneuver.

[DavidAndDonna]

well the verdict's in and I appreciate EVERYONE'S input and time responding, you all confirmed my expectation's.
A short bed it will be!

Thanks again!!!!!!!!

[Electra glide]

Short bed truck and no real issues here. I use an Andersen ultimate aluminum hitch. Main thing to watch for is what the cap of the camper looks like. My Vengeance the bottom nose sticks out so I do have to watch the cab but I've never hit it and rarely get into a situation where I might hit it.
Oh and to me parking a short bed in town where I work is a lot easier than a long bed.

[dalford]

This is just me but I would not go to a long bed truck unless I was going to a dually. The reason I say this is a long bed srw has less payload than a short bed srw. Longer box, more chassis, longer drive shaft all add weight to the curb weight of the truck. Also, the 48+ gallon tank is nice but fill it up and it all counts towards your payload. As example for an f350 the GVWR Is 11,500. Subtract from that the curb weight and added fuel weight all works against the size of 5th wheel you can tow.

I know with my diesel truck curb weight + full tank fuel (34 gal) + me and DW and hitch and necessary tools weighs in at 8540 lbs at the CAT scales. My 36’ 33IK adds 3000 lbs to the rear axle. I am just over GVWR by 40 lbs. If I had a long bed, full of fuel I would be over by much more. Just my 2 cents worth.

[RockyMtnMarty]

I had a Reese 20K Elite hitch slider in my standard bed GMC Denali 3500. I never used it pulling my toy hauler for 5 years. The sheer weight was a problem and it made way too much chucking noise. So, I bought the standard Reese hitch legs from etrailer.com, separated my hitch off the slider (4 bolts) and installed the legs in its place. Great fix...easy to do...no more noise and easier to lift the hitch out of the bed

[crusader424]

Originally Posted by DavidAndDonna

Looking for pro's and con's from folks who use and pull their 5th wheels with short bed trucks.
we're looking at trading trucks and pulling our 5th wheel with a short bed (6'-4") with a diesel.
1) how does the short bed handle with a 5th wheel?
2) do you use a slider 5th wheel hitch?
3) how often do use actually use the slider?

anything else you care to add?
Thanks,
David

I have always had a short bed and prefer that for the daily commute convenience. They say a large heavy 5ver would handle better with a long bed or dually! We have a 2016 Silverado 2500HD with Duramax and it pulls just fine. Also, I use a Pullrite super glide ( automatic slider). Love it, with one caveat, it is heavy! Much heavy than my old Reese manual slider. So! I keep it covered and pretty much permanently mounted all the time. By the way we are pulling a Crusader 315RST
5ver. Pulls just fine.

[D Sgt]

We have a Super Glide 2315 (made for the Ram in bed system) in our 2018 Ram 2500 CC diesel 4x4 shortbed. I like the automatic function of the hitch. I bought a 2 ton engine hoist from HF ($189) and it lifts my hitch out and moves it around my garage in a 1 person operation. Very happy with system but other contributors offer good stuff as well!

[BOO-BOO-IS-IN-CAMP]

one's a pond a time i use to drag my goose neck horse trailer around
with 2 trucks short and a long bead ...
i preferred the long bed if you think your not going to get in a pinch wair you never have to jack knife it tight ... GREAT !!

i have a dodge 5.9 long bead dually ext cab
Old black beatty needs a little more space but it's a lot more stable
my thoughts keep you long bed

[JerryS]

Interested in hearing more discussion of the Sidewinder, or other comparable other manufacture, pin-box and any issues using one. I see many post saying they are difficult to hook up an un-hook. How so?

[NMWildcat]

Originally Posted by JerryS

Interested in hearing more discussion of the Sidewinder, or other comparable other manufacture, pin-box and any issues using one. I see many post saying they are difficult to hook up an un-hook. How so?

They do have a small learning curve when hitching for most folks. Others seem to never notice a difference.
They have a wedge that inserts into the throat of the truck hitch plate. That is what locks the original kingpin and keeps it from turning, allowing the sidewinder turret to turn instead, which is 22" towards the rear.
So your truck has to line up fairly close with the sides of the wedge for easy insertion into the throat. The Sidewinder kingpin box can be at any angle in relation to the trailer itself, but the sides of the wedge need to line up with the throat of the truck hitch.
Also, the wedge needs to be low enough so the entire side of the wedge makes full contact with the throat. We accomplish this by having the trailer hitch plate about a 1/2" lower than the truck hitch plate, so it slides up and into the truck hitch.
Lubricating the sides of the wedge help if you aren't exactly lined up.
After we learned all the above, hitching the Sidewinder is really not anymore difficult than a standard hitch and we almost always get it in the first try.

[DouglasReid]

Originally Posted by NMWildcat

They do have a small learning curve when hitching for most folks. Others seem to never notice a difference.
They have a wedge that inserts into the throat of the truck hitch plate. That is what locks the original kingpin and keeps it from turning, allowing the sidewinder turret to turn instead, which is 22" towards the rear.
So your truck has to line up fairly close with the sides of the wedge for easy insertion into the throat. The Sidewinder kingpin box can be at any angle in relation to the trailer itself, but the sides of the wedge need to line up with the throat of the truck hitch.
Also, the wedge needs to be low enough so the entire side of the wedge makes full contact with the throat. We accomplish this by having the trailer hitch plate about a 1/2" lower than the truck hitch plate, so it slides up and into the truck hitch.
Lubricating the sides of the wedge help if you aren't exactly lined up.
After we learned all the above, hitching the Sidewinder is really not anymore difficult than a standard hitch and we almost always get it in the first try.

X2 to all the above.

In addition, you should not use one of those plastic lube plates on the King Pin either. It will have the effect of raising the wedge by the thickness of the lube plate (3/16" or so) reducing the bearing surfaces between the throat and the wedge.

We just spray some White Lithium grease on the mating surfaces, (sides of wedge, sides of throat on hitch the jaws and on top of hitch plate). All goes well and the wedge does not have to be lined up perfectly for us to get a solid connection first time every time.

We LOVE ours! Makes backing easier as well by moving the pivot point that 22" aft.

[IDguy]

Originally Posted by DavidAndDonna

Looking for pro's and con's from folks who use and pull their 5th wheels with short bed trucks.
we're looking at trading trucks and pulling our 5th wheel with a short bed (6'-4") with a diesel.
1) how does the short bed handle with a 5th wheel?
2) do you use a slider 5th wheel hitch?
3) how often do use actually use the slider?

anything else you care to add?
Thanks,
David

RAM 2500 w diesel for 10 years. Needed slider to not put more dents in cab. After that worked fine w 2 fifth wheels, couple trailers, and 4,200 # pickup camper (W several suspension helps).