Fifth wheel hitch??

Hello all.We just purchased a Sundance 305ES XLT. My TV is a 2006 Silverado 2500HD Diesel. We have been a TT family for years and have decided to made the jump to a much roomier (and supposedly easier to back up) 5th wheel. I'm concerned about my hitch choice for this rig. I have read numerous articles saying that I will need a slider hitch for my setup yet others have said that it's not necessary. Does anyone here have my TV and 5er (or anything similar) combo that can give me a definitive answer to this question? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

paulm235 said:

Hello all.We just purchased a Sundance 305ES XLT. My TV is a 2006 Silverado 2500HD Diesel. We have been a TT family for years and have decided to made the jump to a much roomier (and supposedly easier to back up) 5th wheel. I'm concerned about my hitch choice for this rig. I have read numerous articles saying that I will need a slider hitch for my setup yet others have said that it's not necessary. Does anyone here have my TV and 5er (or anything similar) combo that can give me a definitive answer to this question? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

Click to expand...

What "cab" setup does your Silverado have and what length bed is it? (For my own personal knowledge) I have seen posts here that you do not need a "slider" but wait until you get some feedback from actual owners.

Dodge 6'6" bed with my Sundance does no need a slider.

I have a short box Crew Cab GMC, my rig is a Sundance 2998RB, with the patented 88 degree turning.
I did quite a bit of research on this and concluded that it was better to be safe than sorry, I put in a reese 15K quick slide. I have jack knifed the camper on purpose and had room so that the slider was not needed, but a co-worker of mine found out the hard way that a slider was needed, he was on a tight turning down slope, and the front of the 5er kissed the cab, he immediately switched over to a slider.

So in short, do i need one, not sure yet, but I have it just in case.

The Dodge short bed is not 6'6" but 6'3". I have nicked the corner of my cab on my Dodge twice. Once backing up and once manuvering forward on an incline. That was with my old Open Road. Personally I would not be without a slider of some kind with a Dodge short bed. We had a Reese manual slider but have moved up to a pullrite Super Slide auto slider. The pullrite is expensive, about $2200. We full time, so for us its worth it. We may not need it now that we have a Big Horn. However, you can get a Reese manual slider for about $300 over a regular Reese hitch. Not much for the peace of mind it gives.

paulm235 said:

Hello all.We just purchased a Sundance 305ES XLT. My TV is a 2006 Silverado 2500HD Diesel. We have been a TT family for years and have decided to made the jump to a much roomier (and supposedly easier to back up) 5th wheel. I'm concerned about my hitch choice for this rig. I have read numerous articles saying that I will need a slider hitch for my setup yet others have said that it's not necessary. Does anyone here have my TV and 5er (or anything similar) combo that can give me a definitive answer to this question? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

Click to expand...

A slider was not needed on my short bed truck, as it turns almost 90 degs. I took measurements before buying my hitch for our Sundance 5er. (using a plumb string,cardbord to make a pattern, level and 10' long 2"x4"s) I noticed the Sundance's hitch pin is farther foward than many units so you will have more clearance. The mounting point of the hitch in the bed in relationship to the axel is not the same on all trucks. My short bed Ford has a 6'-9" bed but the Reese Pro 15K hitch mounts 3" forward of axel center/line on the new Fords.
I went with a non slider after reading some reviews stating the gears have failed on some hitchs, sliders are 75lb heaver (i'm close to my payload limit so), and costing up to 3 times more. Take some measurements, if you can't turn near 90 degrees then get a slider.

Don't have my trailer yet but do have the same truck.

Even though the trailer will have the 88 degree turn clearance I still went with a slide. There is one site we go to every year where we will be maneuvering on "less than level" ground. I would rather have the slide and not need - then - well you know.

I opted for the Pullrite, it is heavy and it is expensive, but you get what you pay for. It is also automatic.

The best price I got was through Tweetys.com.

Something to think about. On level ground the Heartland claims 88 degrees.

With the Pullrite Superglide you are absolutely limited to 90 degrees. Any more then that and you will damage the hitch to the point it WILL fail.

I like the Pullrite, very well made but it is heavy. I am in the process of mounting a winch in my garage to remove it from my truck.
You can remove it without a winch but I also have a fiberglass cover that will be on and off the truck.

One of the other options is the 5th Airborne Sidewinder. Though some manufacturers will not warrant any chassis damage with that hitch installed. I think Lippert is one of those companies, and they make the Heartland frame. Personally I don't like the "leveraged" pivot point.

Thanks everyone for all the info. There's no question that it's better to be safe than sorry. I just didn't want to spend the extra money if I didn't need to. My thinking on a manual slider is I could still forget to get out and unlatch it in a situation where I might be distracted so it would basically be the same as not having one (stupid is as stupid does ). I don't really trust myself to always be cognizant of the possibility of clipping the cab (especially on uneven ground) with the cap so an automatic unit seems to be my best bet $$$$$$...sigh.

We have a BH and F250 standard bed and no slider. Dealer said we didn't need it. Buddy of mine has a Sundance with a Chevy 2500 standard bed with a slider. He's had his SD a year or so longer than we have had our BH and to the best of my knowledge has never needed to use the slider on his hitch.

jj

I was also leary of the HL claims of 88*. We have had our BH for almost 2 years and only used the slider 1 time. I have tried to get the front on the Horn to hit the cab. I have gone over 90* in our cul-d-sac making the turn to back it in the driveway. It was a little scary, but it did not hit. BTW, I have the same TV as yours. Bob

I had a 2500HD short bed and pulled it for a 5th whee 22,000 miles and never had to slide the 5th wheel. However I still recomend a slider for the S/B. I also recomend the B&W turnover ball with the Companion 5th wheel hitch. The best hitch in my opinion is the Trailer Saver Air ride 5th wheel hitch and it does come with a slider. I have owned both. Good Luck with your choice. GBY....

Slider

I have a F250 short bed and I have a slider. The first day I got my Cyclone I was "learning" to back my rig into my side yard and I "dinged" my truck cab with the trailer and left two small dings in my rig. It was my fault I had turned the rig almost 95 degrees and that doesn't work well without ingaging the slider. I learned that if you back in on the driver's side you have a lot smoother backup adventure.

The absolute limit with the Pullrite Superglide is 90 degrees. Any more then that and you will damage the hitch and cause the hitch to fail.

The exact cause is still undetermined in this incident below, but it is obvious from the pictures the pin box exceeded the hitch's rotating ability.

http://dmaxcentral.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1980

http://picasaweb.google.com/ocdune/ToyHaulerFailure?authkey=Gv1sRgCNTemf3zhZOTQQ#

I have a 2001 2500HD crew cab short bed. I choose the Reese Signature Series 18K hitch. I really like the way this went together and did the install myself. I considered the slider and read many posts. I choose not to purchase a slider. I have no regrets. After our first outing when I went to back the trailer in the driveway on a one lane blacktop road and ended up with the truck partly down over a hill and stuck in the mud, clearance between the ben and the camper was more of an issue than trailer to cab.

The vast majority of times when you will be turned that sharp, you will also be on reasonably level ground. Either in a campground or a gas station. I've been in some tight spots in our short few trips, but I'm still glad I didn't spend the extra money on a slider.

Had I decided on a slider, I would have gone with the SuperGlide from Pullrite. One other thought is all those moving parts can make for some bumping and clunking. My reese hitch is very tight at the base and makes almost no noise.

Lastly, the money I saved on the hitch I used to add airbags from Air Lift. While the truck rode reasonable well without the airbags, some bumps were really firm. The aig bags added just a bit of bounce but the reduction in harshness was well worth it. I have also upgraded the factory shocks. Another great idea.

I could go on, but I'm getting off topic. Either way I'm sure you will enjoy! By the way, we averaged 14.15 MPG on a 1500 mile trip!!! I know people with SUV's that don't get mileage that good!

If you can stand another persons thoughts ... we have the Valley Industries "Husky" 16K dual pivot manual slider (we had it for our last 5th wheel). See sig for the vehical info.

While I've never needed the slider to keep the front cap from hittting the truck cab/window, I have used it several times for easier backing into very tight campsites and sometimes our driveway. I whole heartedly disagree with the statement that when your backing up that sharp that you will be on mostly level ground. You need to look at my driveway ... and some of the campgrounds in NYS. While we try to pick level sites, many times there are drainage swales that you need to back through to get to your camping spot (at least at many NYS run campsites).

So, my 2 cents ... the less expensive (and less weight) manual slider hitch is ok (if your the occasional camper like us).

Hitch

We too are new to fifth wheels. After much investigation we decided to go with the Pull-Rite Super Slide - we have a 3410RE on order and have a 2007 Chevy 2500 Duramax truck.

Found the best price at RV Wholesalers. We went ahead with the 18k and it was $1,399; we also purchased the super rails for $429. Shipping is $120.

Will I ever go 90 degrees in the real world? I don't know.
Do you have less clearance if you are backing and turning on uneven ground - yes.

Would my truck trailer combo have enough room without a slider?

You be the judge.

Last night I jack knifed the trailer to 90 degrees in the MorRyde parking lot. Did it here because the lot is fine crushed gravel, kept from twisting up the tires/wheels.

The minimum clearance in the pictures is 6.5 inches.
The slide is back 14" (Pullrite specs, I did not measure)

Interesting photos...it appears your hitch pin is centered on top of the axel as if you had no 'slider' at all.

westxsrt10 said:

Interesting photos...it appears your hitch pin is centered on top of the axle as if you had no 'slider' at all.

Click to expand...

Good point, I centered the picture on the cab, maybe tomorrow I'll try again and take pictures of the slide.

There seems to be plenty of people that have no trouble without having a slider , But
if you still have concerns, get the manual slider and save some good money.
Reese makes some nice hitches that are not as spendy as others and easy to install
Just my opinion YMMV