trailer hit cab of truck on a turn

[JohnD10]

My Reese 16K Pro Manual Slider hitch was around $800 installed and weighs 300 pounds.

The day I took this photo was the only time I've ever attempted to remove it from the back of my truck to put the rubber mat down.

I couldn't lift it myself, so I walked it one corner at a time to the tailgate, which already had the rubber mat mounted, then back once I had cut the holes.

[Kaadk]

Originally Posted by NMWildcat

Don't know where your dealer got his numbers, but I figure he had a Demco autoslider in stock to sell

My sidewinder with air ride was $850 installed after shopping around. Of course I already had a standard hitch, but they are cheaper also.

Just so other folks reading don't think those are real life numbers.

That was the total for everything I would need to go Sidewinder. 1500 for the sidewinder, 1400 for a non sliding (Reese I think?) and 600 in labour. That’s Cdn, so figure, what, 1/2 that price for USD?

[sk734]

Buy your hitch online at Amazon or
e trailer or many others. I bought a b&w Patriot hitch had it shipped to me and I put it together and set it in the rails. I think the price was about $600. BTW I have a short bed Chevy 2500. You can adjust hitch up to 4" toward the cab or 4' away toward tailgate which is how mine is setup. I can jackknife my 5ver to 90 degrees no problem. Good luck. Great hitch.

[jz5w63]

Originally Posted by Firedude26

ok im new to the fifth wheel life, but i was driving around the back of barn and turned to the right, not at a full cut, and the trailer nose hit my cab. bent the cab and cracked the nose on the trailer. my question is why? i have a 373QSI toy hauler, and a 2017 f250 truck. too back to dealer there was another set of hole on my hitch so they moved it back to them and today i took both back and still couldnt get a full turn with out trailer coming to hit truck. shouldnt you be able to turn fully? i know if you back up you can jack knife them. i need to make this turn to get out of my driveway. i have a 6'9" box on the truck.

thanks.

Take a tape measure and measure from the front of the pin on the trailer hitch to one of the front corners of the trailer and note the dimension. Then measure from the front of the pin location hole in the truck hitch with it level to the back of the cab and that will tell you if you'll hit or swing clear. If the truck hitch dimension is larger then you're good if less then you're in trouble! Can do same with a slider to see if in the back position you are good or not or comparing dimensions to what extent you can rotate before hitting!

We now have a Reese Revolution on our 5th wheel that sets the pivot point back about 18 inches behind the pin location so we no longer need the slider
hitch. There is an aftermarket version for adaption to other trailers called a SideWinder, also made by Reese. I'm not sure if it has the capacity for your trailer though.

[jerrymc]

Paid $1600.00 for demco and additional $200 to install rails and 5th wheel in the bed. Bought in Cottondale AL.

[B and B]

I put my Sidewinder on. Its just bolts! Used block of wood on the truck bed and drift to centre holes.

[Murbella7]

Originally Posted by Firedude26

dealer told me that slide was not needed, i even told them i wanted one. said new trailers was set up for shortys. the set of holes they moved the hitch to was for the 5.5 beds???

Your dealer is an ignorant, ill-informed, idiotic ignoramus.

[Lighting546]

Originally Posted by Firedude26

shouldn't you be able to turn fully? i know if you back up you can jack knife them. i need to make this turn to get out of my driveway. i have a 6'9" box on the truck. thanks.

A slider hitch is mandatory in a short bed truck (shorter than 8'), and whoever sold and installed the hitch should have told and sold you the correct hitch for your truck .


You have to get out of the truck and manually engage the slide mechanism prior to use and after you're done you have to manually disengage the slide mechanism.

You can also buy a remote activator so that you can engage and disengage the slider from the drivers seat, which is real handy if the rain is really coming down.

[Lighting546]

Originally Posted by Murbella7

Your dealer is an ignorant, ill-informed, idiotic ignoramus.

I completely agree with you.

[NMWildcat]

Originally Posted by Lighting546

A slider hitch is mandatory in a short bed truck (shorter than 8')

Not entirely correct as there are several different options including Sidewinder and Anderson.

[Herk7769]

Campers are generally 8 feet wide.
The King Pin is in the middle, so there is 4 feet from the king pin to the side.

The king pin MUST be located on the axle centerline plus an inch when traveling to avoid unloading the steering axle and making safe driving at speed impossible.

In a 6 foot 6 inch (78 inches) bed, the centerline of the rear axle is about 44 inches (or 3 foot 8 inches) from the tailgate. This leaves 34 inches or 2 feet 10 inches from the king pin to the forward bed wall. You probably gain a couple inches from the bed wall to the cab due to the space. Still impossible to fit 48 inches of camper.

Without a sliding hitch, in a 90 degree turn you will definitely crush the cab.

The degrees of turn that will result in impact depends as mentioned on cap design. Seriously scalloped caps can accommodate more turn than flat ones.

To solve this problem, you can either modify the camper (cap or king pin) or reposition the king pin when turning.

So, since you already have the camper, redesigning the cap is cost prohibitive. You can buy a new pin box that allows the camper to pivot during turns at a location over 48 inches from the cab (not at the king pin).

Made by Reese, the Sidewinder may be in your future.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssu1zmCr5rE

Or you can get a new hitch that can move backwards when you need to make sharp turns like in a campground and not normally on the highway.

These so called "sliders" will either manually or automatically reposition the king pin to a place where you can safely turn beyond 35 or 40 degrees of turn without contacting the cab.

With a manual hitch, you would need to get out, unlock the hitch rail, and get in, pull forward, and get out to make sure it is in the aft position. Remembering to move it forward again before you drive off is important.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seevFSxhlW8

With an automatic slider, the act of turning the locked hitch head causes a cam to move the king pin back just enough to keep your camper and cab a safe distance apart. The benefit here is that it works just as well on the highway since it works all the time. Jackknifing in a panic stop could crush anyone in the cab unlucky enough to be in the way. An automatic slider like the Pullrite "SuperGlide", while heavy, is the cat's meow of slider hitches.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbiGYttrY8Q

[tomkatb]

We purchased a Cedar Creek Hathaway with a somewhat tapered front. We have a short bed Ram.

Bought the Anderson hitch. Hitch weighs #30.

Had to cut the truck hard to get the fifth wheel in my driveway. Almost 90 degrees. Not again! Scraped the trailer tires. Another thing you are not supposed to do.

That toy hauler has the straight front. Options are very limited on a short bed. I would be careful buying another hitch.

The dealer is an idiot.

[jz5w63]

Originally Posted by Murbella7

Your dealer is an ignorant, ill-informed, idiotic ignoramus.

Tell us how you really feel! LOL Sounds like the same dealer that sold me my last 5th wheel.

[CaptnJohn]

Auto-Sliders are expensive and heavy. Some require a 'wedge' and some need to be nearly straight on to hitch up.
I've only needed to use a slider 3 times, sadly learned that by not using it the 1st time.
After much research and talking to owners I trashed the Reese and bought a B&W 18K Patriot slider. It fit the existing rails. About $750 at eTrailer. Lift the lever to slide back or forward, simple and easy. Employee owned business, made in the US with US made steel.

[JohnD10]

Originally Posted by Herk7769

Campers are generally 8 feet wide.

I do believe that some of the bigger 5'vers and toy haulers are 8 1/2 feet wide.

My 33-foot 5'ver is 8 feet wide.

[mridenour]

Originally Posted by Firedude26

dealer told me that slide was not needed, i even told them i wanted one. said new trailers was set up for shortys. the set of holes they moved the hitch to was for the 5.5 beds???

Dealer is wrong. You need a slider.

[Hollywoodgt]

I have a 5.5 Bed on a F150 and the same trailer (2017 Puma 373QSI Toy hauler and with a Pullrite hitch set up. I dont have to worry about getting out of the truck to move the lever on tight turns. Its all done automaticly.

Also alot of people do not look at the distance between the truck bed and the bottom of the fith wheel and over big bumps or dips end up damaging their rig

[Comanchecreek]

I have a Chevy short box. Truck came with a slider hitch in it. I always hated it because it would creak and pop on braking and take off, but was absolutely necessary with my old flat nosed Montana. When I bought my new Crusader, no more clearance issues. Can cut 90 degrees no sweat without rolling back. I shimmed and welded my hitch to kill the noise and it works great. I do have a plan to replace the hitch eventually, but what I have works for now. When I got my new Crusader home the first thing I did was practice a few cuts in slowmo to make sure everything cleared. Also be sure you have clearance on the rear of your truck under the cabover section for those twisting turns into and out of gas stations. Have seen lots of rigs with damage to the rear sides of the truck bed and holes in the underside of the trailer. I'm in the process now of helping a friend with a brand new Dodge get the hitch setup and axle height correct to clear the trailer he bought because of the high rear end on the truck. The final item on your hitch agenda should be the practice of opening and closing your tailgate.

[garbonz]

Originally Posted by JohnD10

I skipped that slider for two reasons...

1) Bigger than my wallet!

2) Damn thing weighs a ton...

To bad, I loved mine and used my engine hoist to pop it in and out and onto a furniture dolly. I never met a 5er hitch that I wanted to lift and move manually anyway.

The manual sliders are a PITA as noted above, and a 8 ft bed is also, if you are not using it for real work. Loved my ext cab short bed duramax, parked it in a normal spot.

[Kwhite]

Some of new 5th wheel trailers come from the factory with the Reese Revolution which moves the pivot point about a foot to the rear. I have a Flagstaff 24 towed with a F150 with 6.5 bed with no problems.