Slider Hitch

Searching

Member
Does anyone out there who owns a Big Horn have a slider hitch in their short bed truck? If not has anyone found a need for one?

In advance thanks for any replies.
 

Ray LeTourneau

Senior Member - Past Moderator
You should not have a need for a slider hitch. There may be a few owners that have them but most have never "needed" them. Some folks have special parking situations that may make it easier to maneuver into a spot but those are few and far in between. My last truck was a Chevy 2500HD Extra cab short box. I had a slider but never needed it. Also the slider mechanism adds moving parts to the hitch set-up and adds some motion to the ride
 

creeper

Well-known member
I debated the same thing. I have a short bed.. I decided to get a B&W hitch and I set it at the farthest setting to the rear. I picked up the trailer last night and I pulled in front of the house and the wife said It will never fit and I agreed. Needless to say I got it in the driveway and it will be the tightest parking spot I will ever go into and I never came anywhere close to the cab. I may even more the hitch further forward.

BTW, the B&W hitch it quiet. I'm really impressed with it.
 

vangoes

Well-known member
I have the slider in my truck but I have never seen a situation that I need it. I do use in on occasion when backing into a tight turn (my driveway) just because the trailer is more responsive to the truck. I have backed into the driveway with the slider in both positions and have never come close to crunching.......its purely convenience.
 

DougLynne

retired Alberta Chapter Leaders
We have a slide in our short box but havn't needed it with this trailer. We have to mak pretty short turn into our storage spot but no problem. I only needed it with our previous 5th when backing into our backyard at our old home..../Doug
 

johnjbird

member
I have a pullrite slider hitch in my truck from a previous trailer. I cranked it to see hor far I could go on a turn and it went 90 degrees plus which if I get more than that I am probably in trouble. I have a hd gmc 3/4 ton with a duramax 4x4. I know a person with a 1 ton ford crew cab short bed and he told me he has no problem
 

Larryheadhunter

X-Rookies Still Luving it
I have a pullrite 18K auto super glider with a Mor/Ryde pin cushion. Awesome, even if they tell u not to buy either. In that tough turnaround or tight spot it really comes in handy with a short bed. go to tweetys.com for best price on pin cushion $699. camping world installed my super glider for $2350. It was well worth it.
 

ChopperBill

Well-known member
I debated the same thing. I have a short bed.. I decided to get a B&W hitch and I set it at the farthest setting to the rear. I picked up the trailer last night and I pulled in front of the house and the wife said It will never fit and I agreed. Needless to say I got it in the driveway and it will be the tightest parking spot I will ever go into and I never came anywhere close to the cab. I may even more the hitch further forward.

BTW, the B&W hitch it quiet. I'm really impressed with it.
Creeper you will grow more fond of the B&W the more you pull with it. Lots of complaints about "chucking" with other hitches. I have seen other hitches flopping back and forth going down the road empty. I can see why they chuck. I cant even tell the trailer is back there with the B&W. Only "complaint" is I cant use a lube plate.
 

jpmorgan37

Well-known member
Bill;

Have you tried to make one out of a thin cutting mat? They are really thin and also tough. It might be worth a try.

John
 

jimtoo

Moderator
Another thing to try is cutting the bottom out of a 5 gal plastic paint bucket, like they sell at Home Depot. Cheap and very tough.
 

fivernine

Active Member
I took off my Hijacker Autoslide and put on a B&W when I got the Landmark. Creeper and Retired are spot-on about the B&W: Silent! No chucking, positively latched, 200 lb lighter than the Autoslide. If you think you will need to go 90°, get the slider. But if you plan your parking right and take your time, there will hardly be a time you need to push the kingpin back. Heartland's clever patent really works with my 2007 GMC Crew Cab with 6' box. The scooped-out clearance in the corner of the camper leaves a secure gap of daylight to the cab.

Retired, I am curious about your statement on not able to use a lube plate. I've been using one with no problem, but this past weekend, I was a bit higher to the hitch plate than usual and it pushed the truck down more than normal, then stopped before latching. The lube plate had caught on the B&W and was pried up and back. I managed to press it flat and hitched on the next try, but was a bit puzzled. Is this a common occurrence?
 

fivernine

Active Member
Thanks Jim; I should have put in a link.

Larry, I installed mine myself because it didn't really seem like that big a deal. It is. It's a real pain in the joints. I'd rather wrestle a bull than do it again. GREAT HITCH, but get someone else to install it.
 

ChopperBill

Well-known member
Got my 8" Husky lube plate. I had previously used a belt sander and remove about a 1/4 of my 10" plate and wasn't happy with it. The 8" Husky is the same thickness of my modified 10". I looked at my hitch and 8" is about all the contact area that is used anyway so I might be able to see it come off the plate more easily. May belt sand some off the Husky and see how things work.
 

cdbMidland

Past Michigan Chapter Leader
Larry the reasoning behind using a lube plate is so one doesn't need to use the grease .....less mess and cleanup....Ken

Ken, the Pullrite can't use the lube plate as it is fixed onto the hitch head. The lithium that Larry is talking about is on the slider tubes. The turning on the Superglide is done through a cam that utilizes the tubes.

That being said, there is a dry way to lubricate the tube slides and this information should be obtained from the Pullium factory. If anyone is interested, send me a PM and I will send the .pdf file that I received (that I cannot figure out how to insert here).
 

6.7 CTD

Member
Unless you don't ever plan on a different fifth wheel...........I would get the slider ........better to have it and not need it , than need it and not have it..........just in case you get a 5er that doesn't have the same type of front cap..........(alot of them are going this way though).............I would look at pullrite superglide or hijacker autoslide , as they both slide automatically..............just my .02
 
Top