5thW hitch

bigjim · February 20, 2015

I thought about something that might be useful if I was talking to some one contemplating a 5thW hitch.

Are slider hitiches typically heavier and more expensive than the standard 5thW hitch?

If they were not sure what 5th.W they might be getting or thought they might change in a a couple of years, would they be smarter to go ahead and buy a slider hitch and would it be for ANY 5thW

TXiceman · February 20, 2015

Slider hitches are only needed on short bed trucks. A long bed truck can use a standard hitch.

Sliders do cost more and weigh more than a regular 5th wheel hitch.

The are a lot of newer 5thh wheel trailers with the corners of the nose cut back so that you can use a regular hitch with a short bed truck.

Long bed trucks are 8' long and short bed trucks run from 6.5' down to 5.5'.

Ken

Just Don · February 21, 2015

I agree with Ken

bigjim · February 21, 2015

I get that but I am asking something slightly different but did not explain it well. Let me try again with a different scenario. Let's say your brother owns a slider that he is no longer using. Would it work in an 8ft. bed? Since the price is right (free) why not use it.

skp51443 · February 21, 2015

I wouldn't, extra complexity and maintenance are things I can do without, giving up the storage space to deal with the hitch movement wouldn't be good either.

Changing hitches usually means drilling more holes in your truck bed too, so getting the right hitch the first time is a really good idea.

Chad Heiser · February 22, 2015

I get that but I am asking something slightly different but did not explain it well. Let me try again with a different scenario. Let's say your brother owns a slider that he is no longer using. Would it work in an 8ft. bed? Since the price is right (free) why not use it.

For a basic answer to your question - Yes, you can do this. If it were me I might do it as a temporary fix to get me the ability to tow a fiver, but I would not use it as a long term solution. The biggest disadvantage to using a slider hitch when you don't need to is weight. Slider hitches are very heavy. This hurts your overall towing capacity and truck and truck rear axle weight capacities. It is also a pain to remove and install in the bed of the truck because of the weight. And finally, as Stanley said, they take up a lot of space and may affect storage space in the bed of your truck.

mobilcastle · February 22, 2015

I wouldn't, extra complexity and maintenance are things I can do without, giving up the storage space to deal with the hitch movement wouldn't be good either.

Changing hitches usually means drilling more holes in your truck bed too, so getting the right hitch the first time is a really good idea.

X2

bigjim · February 22, 2015

Thanks, now I get it.

lartross · March 5, 2015

I have a curt Q5 20k slider that came with the 5th wheel and a long bed truck. It is very solid. I really

don't notice any movement between the truck and 5th wheel. Of course, I have a light 5th wheel [11k]. I

won't change it because why mess with something that works so well when one is as poor as me?

N TX Dave · March 5, 2015

If it is a manual slider hitch it would not hurt to use it because it will only slide when you release it and you will still be able full use of your bed, but if it is an autoslider I would not use it in a long bed as it lose a lot of your bed when it slides and turns.