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Old 12-13-2016, 07:19 PM   #41
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I have a 2015 F150 scab with 5.0. It has a Payload capacity of 2112 lbs and towing capacity of 9100 lbs. which makes it a good match for my 28' super lite 524rlws. It only has a tongue weight of 1300 lbs and weighs 6800lbs. I also added LT tires which should also help my payload capacity. I have the 6.5 ft box and have the reese revolution, One advantage to the revolution is you might also prevent damage to you tow vehicle because you don't have to worry about sliding it back when you turn.
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Old 12-13-2016, 08:01 PM   #42
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fifth wheel hitch in a 5.5 bed

There are a lot of nay-sayers out there. We have towed an 8280 Signature Ultra Lite for 35,000 miles with a 2013 F150 Ford (tow package) and a 6.5 ft box. V 8 engine. A slider hitch is absolutely necessary especially in a 5.5 box but if it is a Ford V8 you will have absolutely no problems. (have never owned a GM or a Chrysler truck so I cannot vouch for them) Also there are a number of 5th wheel units out there that are well within the weight capacity of the newer trucks.
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Old 12-13-2016, 08:05 PM   #43
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Quote:
Originally Posted by packrat48 View Post
I believe you have 6.5 bed while ops is only 5.5
Thanks; I just remembered that after I posted. You are correct.
There most likely is a very limited number of hitch selections for that short a bed (like perhaps the sidewinder) and they will be heavy (all payload) reducing his available pin weight (camper size) even more.

And you would still need a regular 5th wheel base installed (added weight).
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Old 12-13-2016, 08:52 PM   #44
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Originally Posted by tgduffy View Post
We're pulling our 24' Salem Lite with my 1500 Chevy Silverado double cab short bed. We want to look at 5th wheels but my pickup bed is only 5 1/2 feet long. I've heard this can be an issue with tight turns.
1) Can I tow a small 5th wheel?
2) What are the issues and limitations?
3) The cost of the hitch is not a factor if it means I can pull a 5th wheel without much hassle.

Ted
I do understand your wanting to go to the fifth wheel. I too started with a travel trailer as I just thought that was what you did. Well, I got tired of trying to hit the sweet spot to connect and then let the battle begin with the WD bars, sway bars and added airbags to my TV. And it still pulled like crap. Felt like it was binding and just not smooth. And felt really heavy and it wasn't. I was shopping one day and a new monster I spotted. Lightweight KZ 5th wheel with lo and behold. a sidewinder hitch made for a 1/2 ton short bed. Dealer also sold me a used fifth wheel and installed same and I left a happy camper with no more sweat equity just to get hooked up. A couple of intervening motor homes later and back to a 5th wheel (spousal request and we know how that goes) and a Rockwood 265 WS with Reese Revolution and all are happy again. The Revolution and Sidewinder are same thing and do have a drawback as follower behind the pin has to hit the gap in 5th wheel perfect to hook up and you do get pretty good at it. Truck trading time came around and Ford f250, 6' 9" bed diesel appeared in our driveway. Well that called for roomier camper. Same dealer as injected the original KZ says well new Open Range works at 90 degrees with a 5' 5" bed and comes enabled from factory with 2 hitch modes, 5th wheel or Gooseneck. Pulls great with gooseneck plus leaves all that open space in bed. Weighs almost 11,000 fully loaded and pulls great and Unbelievable scaled hitch weight 1280 pounds. That's my story and I'm sticking with it and since I'm disabled as is my wife also, we needed easy and we're finally happy.
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Old 12-13-2016, 10:10 PM   #45
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short bed 5th wheel

My 2015 silverado double cab, pulls my signature ultra lite 8280 with no problems
My Buddies 2013 extended cab pulls his Eagle 5er no problem he has slider but hasn't needed to use it I have revolution hitch and no problem
both weigh, under rated cargo capacities
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Old 12-14-2016, 12:49 AM   #46
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Pulled a couple of smaller fifth wheels with a half ton for several years. It did fine, although you could tell that engine was working hard on hills and windy days. Came time to replace the truck and moved up to a 3/4 ton. The difference in towing experience was phenomenal! Just saying.

Get a sidewinder whatever you do. Sliders are heavy, take up all your bed, bind up when you need them most, and are more expensive.

And don't let the weight police scare you with all the payload numbers. It's been my experience that if you are under in the other weight categories, but over in CC, the world does not end, and they don't take away your RVers card. Just use common sense and have fun!
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Old 12-14-2016, 06:45 AM   #47
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semi floating axle vs full floating axle

Here is some good information that no one talks about. Everyone talks about payload and towing capabilities - people state their vehicle can tow, but it's the payload that's the concern. I'm overloaded on payload (I determined this after my purchases with more increased knowledge); I added items to my rear end suspension to aide in handling and weight. I only drive 90 miles one way towing on flat land 5 times a year. When I get a new RV, I will get a 3/4 to; it will drive better and I will be safer. Research and gaining knowledge on any subject matter is what I do, I never want to stop learning.

How are the difference created? The questions and answers are the parts used; there can be difference's between engines, brakes parts, rear end gearing, transmission, radiators and transmission coolers, frame, suspension and other related parts. Here is just one example of a difference between 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton:

Semi Floating vs Full Floating Axles
How Semi & Full Floating Axles Differ
You're probably aware that full floating axles are preferred in high torque, high load applications as a result of their strength. The simplest manner in which to explain the full float's advantage is in the loads that the axle shaft must bear - a semi floating axle is subjected to torsional and shear stress, while a full floating axle shaft is only subjected to a torsional load. Any shear force on a full floating axle shaft can be considered negligible based on the fact that the axle bearings and axle tubes primarily carry the weight of the vehicle and all its cargo. With few exceptions, semi floating axles are found in light duty pickups while majority of 3/4 ton and larger pickups come with a full floating axle. The strength of a full floater comes at a cost, as these axles are also significantly heavier.

Semi Floating Axle
By design, a semi floating axle uses a wheel hub that is directly connected to the axle shaft (the hub and axle shaft are commonly a single part), which is supported by a bearing located near the wheel end of the shaft. As such, the weight of the vehicle and any cargo must be carried by the axle shaft itself. Therefore, the axle shaft is used to transmit power to the wheel as well as support the load of the vehicle, applying both bending and torsional forces to the axle. Semi floating axles are both lighter in weight and cheaper to manufacture than full floating axles, though they have a limited load capacity. They're are very common in light duty vehicles, such as midsize and 1/2 ton pickups.

Full Floating Axle
A full floating axle consists of a wheel hub assemble that is separate from the axle shaft. A spindle bolted to the axle tube supports the wheel hub by means of a pair of wheel bearings. Therefore, the weight of the vehicle and its cargo is transfered to the axle tube, rather than the axle shaft itself. As a result, a full floating axle shaft is not subjected to the bending force that a semi floating axle is. Rather, the axle shaft's only task is to transmit power to the wheel hub. As a result, the shaft is only subjected to torsional loading. Full floating axles are rather heavy, but have very large weight carrying capacities. They are common on 3/4 ton and heavier trucks, which require the ability to transport considerable weight.

To increase the capacity of a semi floating axle, the axle shaft diameter would have to be increased, where as the spindle and wheel hub design determine, for the most part, the carrying capacity of a full floating axle. The diagram below provides a rough comparison between semi and full floating axles. Note that this is not a blueprint of any particle axle and therefore the exact designs will vary depending on the axle.



Semi floating & full floating axle diagram
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Old 12-14-2016, 08:11 AM   #48
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Originally Posted by 5picker View Post
You will need either a Resse revolution/sidewinder pin box and/or a slider hitch with a 5.5' bed. You will be close (but manageable) with your 5.5 box.
I agree with 5picker. When I had my hitch installed, I asked if the Reese revolution/sidewinder hitch could be installed in a 5.5 bed and they said that it could. Reese and slider are probably the only hitch you can install in a 5.5 bed. The cost difference is significant. The Reese cost me about $600 while the slider was around $1500.
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Old 12-14-2016, 01:03 PM   #49
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Pulled a couple of smaller fifth wheels with a half ton for several years. It did fine, although you could tell that engine was working hard on hills and windy days. Came time to replace the truck and moved up to a 3/4 ton. The difference in towing experience was phenomenal! Just saying.

Get a sidewinder whatever you do. Sliders are heavy, take up all your bed, bind up when you need them most, and are more expensive.

And don't let the weight police scare you with all the payload numbers. It's been my experience that if you are under in the other weight categories, but over in CC, the world does not end, and they don't take away your RVers card. Just use common sense and have fun!
With this post you just confirmed what most of the "weight police" are saying (although I agree that some are downright fanatical). The world won't end if you tow a 5th wheel with a 1/2 ton but it'll be much better experience towing it with a 3/4 ton. I was over on payload and just over on the rear axle so I upgraded to an F-250 gasser. Much more stable with the 3/4 ton but it drinks more fuel as a daily driver.


To the OP: the Reese Sidewinder/Revolution and the Pullrite Super Glide are both recommended often here, but the Sidewinder/Revolution is cheaper and allows for a lighter 5th wheel hitch so that's what I'd go with. You can also upgrade to the 5th Airborne Sidewinder for a nicer "air ride".



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Old 12-14-2016, 01:41 PM   #50
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Your video describes Reese with short bed truck. An older gmc short bed is 5.5' not 6-6.5 like 2014 and up GM models. 5.5' would be an accident waiting to happen.
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Old 01-20-2017, 11:33 PM   #51
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Andersen Ultimate..........

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Old 01-21-2017, 12:50 AM   #52
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Your video describes Reese with short bed truck. An older gmc short bed is 5.5' not 6-6.5 like 2014 and up GM models. 5.5' would be an accident waiting to happen.
I think you got it backwards. Older than 2007 GM short beds were all 6.5' on full size pickups. 2007 and newer half tons can have 5.5' beds. I think 2015 and newer 3/4 tons can have 5.8' beds. And I have seen several 5.5' bed trucks pulling fifth wheels with apparently no problems, although I wouldn't want to do it if I had a choice. Some had sidewinders and some didn't.
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Old 01-21-2017, 02:36 AM   #53
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Originally Posted by NMWildcat View Post
I think you got it backwards. Older than 2007 GM short beds were all 6.5' on full size pickups. 2007 and newer half tons can have 5.5' beds. I think 2015 and newer 3/4 tons can have 5.8' beds. And I have seen several 5.5' bed trucks pulling fifth wheels with apparently no problems, although I wouldn't want to do it if I had a choice. Some had sidewinders and some didn't.

I dont know what year they did become available, but 5½' beds (69.2" to be exact) were available on GM ½ tons with extra cabs and crew cabs at least as far back as 2004. My guess is that they came out with the new body style in...what was it...1999?
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Old 01-21-2017, 05:23 PM   #54
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I'm towing with 2015 F150 SCAB 4x4 with payload capacity of 2112. My 5er is only 7000 lbs and pin weight of 1300 lbs. Plenty of room to add more weight if need be. My towing capacity is 9100 lbs with 5.0 and 3.55 gears. Our 5er tows much better than our previous tow behind that weighed 7500 lbs. The lighter aluminum body allows me to go with a 5er.
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Old 01-21-2017, 05:26 PM   #55
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My 2006 Silverado 1500 has a 5'8" bed, I believe.

I don't tow with it. But that's what it has. That's from memory, however!
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Old 01-22-2017, 01:14 AM   #56
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GreenImp View Post
I dont know what year they did become available, but 5½' beds (69.2" to be exact) were available on GM ½ tons with extra cabs and crew cabs at least as far back as 2004. My guess is that they came out with the new body style in...what was it...1999?
On GM trucks....
Until the 2014 model 1500's only had 6.5' & 8' beds on regular and extended cab trucks. When the came out with the crew cab 1500 (non-HD) in 2004 models, they then introduced the 5.5' bed.
2014 and up, there are several cab / bed configurations.

On Hd trucks there is no 5.5' bed option. Only 6.5' and 8' regardless of cab configuration.

(There were a few 1500 models in the 88-98 body style that were crew cabs with a 6.5' bed. They are extremely rare, and I think were either from a conversion company or special ordered.)





Quote:
Originally Posted by BandJCarm View Post
My 2006 Silverado 1500 has a 5'8" bed, I believe.

I don't tow with it. But that's what it has. That's from memory, however!

Here's what current configurations are available.
First is 1500s
Second is 2500s
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Old 01-22-2017, 06:37 PM   #57
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I had a ram 1500 with the same short bed. Started looking at 5th wheels and almost stopped because i was being shown 3k slider hitches that weighed 600 pounds. Someone introduced me to the anderson ultimate and i love it. dont know how it works but i can jack knife my 5th wheel all day and never had a problem with clearance. 4 pins and it quickly is gone leaving me my bed to haul stuff.
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Old 01-22-2017, 06:54 PM   #58
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GreenImp .what was it...1999? Yes. however they made both in '99(New body style '99 on old body up to '99
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Old 02-04-2017, 09:08 PM   #59
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What about a 6 1/2 foot bed. Getting ready to buy a 5th wheel and my truck has a 6 1/2 foot bed. Will I also have problems?
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Old 02-04-2017, 09:20 PM   #60
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A 6.5' bed is still considered a short bed. You can go with the Reese Revolution/Sidewinder pin box, a slider hitch or now the Andersen Ultimate hitch. The Andersen has a setback of something like 5" to 9" (depending on the model you get) which may be all you need depending on the front cap of the 5er.

I have an F-250 with a 6'9" bed and after looking at the options and considering my bad back, I'd go with the Andersen Ultimate 2 aluminum version if I ever move to a 5er. You need a gooseneck ball installed in your bed to use it. They also have a version of the steel model that mounts to standard bed rails.

Edit: Here is a good video on the Andersen Ultimate

https://youtu.be/u_Iy4MrNIa8
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