Short Bed Truck Which Hitch ??

[desertryder]

My wife tells me to sell my bumper tow 21 foot toybox and get her a 5th wheel. :-{}

Now being the hitch dummy I am just what do I look for when needing a 5er hitch for a short bed truck ?

How do I mount it so the trailer don't smack the cab ?

Will any hitch do or is there more to it ?



any help out there ?? Any do's and don'ts ??



Thanks

 

[DHayden]

You will have to look into a slider hitch. I don't have experience pulling a 5th wheel with a short bed but I know I wouldnt want to. Maybe it's just because in my case if something can go wrong it generally does. It's kind of like always remembering to put your tailgate down. I wouldnt want to take the chance of having the 5er meet the cab of my truck, but if your on top of things then you'll have no problem with a slider hitch.

 

[bmoeller]

Boss' grandpa pulls a 24' 5er with a '02 (newer body style) 1500 short-box Ram. He has a standard hitch. No slider. The trailer has a factory ext. pin box. No problems.



Boss' youngest brother used to pull a square-nosed Featherlite G/N livestock trailer w/ a Chevy 2500 short-box. No problems. Just had to watch it on tight turns. He ran it for 150k, before buying a new GMC reg. cab longbox (bigger gas tank :-laf ).

 

[EricBu12]

For worry free operation and no hassle, get the pull-rite automatic slider hitch. Also get the super rails so that your hitch can be removed and leave a clean bed if you want to haul things... .



www.pullrite.com/superglide16K.html Scroll down to see pics...



The superglide and the super rails are expensive but worth it...

 

[dhill]

a friend of mine has a Pullrite super glide on his chevy crew cab short box. He's had it repaired many times. He finally gave up and repaired it himself and beefed it up where it was failing and now has a handle on it. It is expensive, but I think it's the only hitch to use with a short box.



Dave

 

[Fireman]

a friend of mine has a Pullrite super glide on his chevy crew cab short box. He's had it repaired many times. He finally gave up and repaired it himself and beefed it up where it was failing and now has a handle on it. It is expensive, but I think it's the only hitch to use with a short box.



Dave

That's a pretty beefy unit and well designed, I'm suprised to hear it needed several repairs. PullRite is very good about standing behind their products also.



Fireman

 

[desertryder]

2300 for a hitch ?

I almost choaked on my chilada. . :--)

Is that what it really needs ?

What about a flip over gooseneck hitch with the giant adaptor plate that hooks to the 5th wheel hitch ???

 

[RustyJC]

What about a flip over gooseneck hitch with the giant adaptor plate that hooks to the 5th wheel hitch ???

Do a search on "gooseneck adapter" here and on the RVing websites such as iRV2.com. You'll get plenty to read about.



In short, a 5th wheel trailer frame is not designed to carry gooseneck trailer loads - two entirely different applications. If you bolt the gooseneck adapter onto the 5th wheel pinbox, it acts just like a cheater pipe, creating tremendous torques (moments) that are applied to the 5th wheel pinbox/frame area. In a 5th wheel design, the loadplate ensures that loading applied to the frame is in shear, NOT in torsion.



As you'll see if you review the gooseneck adapter posts, a number of individuals who have tried these have suffered damage to their 5th wheel pinbox/frame assemblies.



By the way, an extended pin box won't help as you approach 90* angles between truck and 5th wheel.





Rusty

 

[klenger]

See http://www.klenger.net/arctic-fox/short-5er-towing.pdf for a drawing showing how an entended pin box and sliding hitch affect turning clearance.



See http://www.klenger.net/dodge/pullrite/index.html for my comments on the PullRite hitches. I have a long box, so I have the Super 5th, not the SuperGlide, but the mounting rail system is similar.



Also, (asside from Rusty's warning) a gooseneck adapter does not help with the clearance problem.

 

[JohnCooper]

2300 for a hitch ?

I almost choaked on my chilada. . :--)

Is that what it really needs ?

Yea, that's about what it costs. I wouldn't use anything else. I never have to worry about my cab getting crunched. If your buying a new or used trailer from a dealer, just have the hitch included in the deal. I figured it was just part of the cost of owning a 5ver. Like others said, with the SupeRails the whole unit comes completely out the bed in 5 minutes.

 

[Grizzly]

My wife tells me to sell my bumper tow 21 foot toybox and get her a 5th wheel. :-{} Now being the hitch dummy I am just what do I look for when needing a 5er hitch for a short bed truck ? How do I mount it so the trailer don't smack the cab ? Will any hitch do or is there more to it ? any help out there ?? Any do's and don'ts ??





When you bought your 04 CTD you made two mistakes, you bought a short bed with an automatic. Sell the the 04 and buy a long bed with a 6 speed. Grizzly

 

[pcarlson]

I bought the pullrite and the trailer came with the extended hitch. I wouldn't have boughten a different hitch, even though it is cheaper. I know it's alot of money but so is the back of the cab!! I would rather be safer than sorry and not have to worry about towing or turning. It's a great hitch and never a problem and with the super rails I have an empty bed with the hitch out. It's heavy so getting it out is a bugger by yourself.

 

[desertryder]

ok folks thanks for the tips.

( except Grizzly ) LOL. .

Gues I am getting a pullrite.

Now all I have to do is sell the toybox and start 5er huntin

 

[sscribner]

I purchased mine at big discount RV for $1736. 16k unit with the superrail kit. No shipping charges.

 

[tschwab]

Does/Will your new 5vr have an extended pin box? Some of the reasons I DID NOT BUY A PULLRITE slider are: If you break down, your 5vr cannot be pulled by a conventional hitch because of the special plate you have to have mounted to your kingpin. If your buddy breaks down, you cannot tow his 5vr because his 5vr does not have that special plate. Way pricey.



If you have an extended pin, are aware of your situation, you will have no problem with a traditional hitch. I have a manual slider that I have yet to engage. The only time you really would need to engage is in a very tight camping/parking spot. If you plan for this, you shouldn't have any problems.



That being said, Pullrite DOES make a quality hitch, the money was not the issue, it was the plate you have to mount (bolt on - 12 bolts or have welded) on your king-pin and not being able to tow other rigs that don't have it.



Checkout Hijacker "16K Ultra Slide". Very smooth manual slide and a beefy unit, nice quality from our friends up north.

http://www.hijacker.com/

 

[GCross]

A friend of mine, like you, traded a pull toy box for a fiver and a slider, after two trips they traded their short box for a long because they couldn't deal with the hassle of adjusting the 5th wheel.



-George-

 

[johnt1]

I used a Reese slider in both my "98 and '03 short beds. There is no problem pulling. You have to set the slider if you are going into tight places if you don't there is a chance that you will put a small dent in your cab. I did it twice before I learned my lesson. If it even looks tight I'll set the slider; It's a pain, but I only do it a couple of times a year so it's workable.



John T

 

[Jumbo Jet]

My son took out the rear glass of my 2000 SWB while backing. The trailer was at 90* and the rear wheels of the truck went into a dip just as he was straightening out.



It was worth the $100 deductible just to see the expression on his face and was also a lesson well learned.



I purchased my Pullrite Superglide shortly after that. I now have a 2004 LWB!

 

[Ron Bissett]

If you use a extended pin box ,it will let you hit the cab ,further down the side of the cab. Its not a question if you will hit the cab just when . Get a long bed or a slider and don't fore get to slide or use a auto slide big $ but thats life. Ron Bissett in Metro Louisville Ky

 

[desertryder]

ok let me get this straight...

I can use a regular 5vr hitch but a slider would be better if I get in a tight spot and crank her hard???



Because I have a newish Dodge do I need something made special for my frame or will aNY 5vr hitch work ?



Sorry but I used to inhale it takes me awhile to get it