Towing bighorn 3570 2015 F350 6.5 box

[rpotter]

I read on the heartland brochure that a shortbox 6.5 in my case with a standard receiver had a 88 degree radius and a slider hitch was not required. I am about to go pick up my new trailer and I factory ordered the F350 with the under bed mounted hitch. I also bought separately a Reese 18k receiver as recommended. The dealer now tells me if I back in with anything more than 60 degrees the trailer will make contact with my truck cab. I can't return the hitch as it is still new in the box but is beyond the return date. I am praying this isn't true as I have over 1300.00 invested in this hitch. I suspect we won't even be able to back into the Rv site we own with only 60 degrees. Anyone know for sure if that is the limit of radius with 6.5 f350 under mount with Reese's 18k non slider?


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[iawoody2]

I don't know the exact answer but. I have a 6.5 box and Patriot hitch pulling my Sundance which list a 88 degree turn radius. To date, 2 years, I have not had any problems. Even backing into my driveway which requires a 90 degree turn, just ease in slowly while not reaching a full 90 degrees. Just saying no problems here, maybe others will chime in soon.

 

[ericjaime]

I have been towing my Bighorn with a Chevy 6.5 ft box with a standard non sliding Reese hitch for 4 full seasons now and never had a problem getting in any site. I have been in some tight spots and never made contact with the truck cab. The only issue I ever had was the plastic decorative cover over my hitch makes contact with my tounneu cover rails when I put it in my driveway. It doesn't cause any damage but it does rub slightly during very hard turns. My dad also tows a fifth wheel with a Dodge Ram that has the factory under bed mounted hitch and the 6.5 box. He also has a Reese non sliding hitch and hasn't had any issues. I wouldn't think you would have any issues either.

 

['Lil Guy']

While being new at this, I don't think you'll have a problem. For peace of mind, you might want to head straight to a big parking lot and ease into a tight turn in reverse. Have your partner stand guard to let you know of any interference beforehand. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at the amount of turn radius you have. I have a 6'4" box with no slide. But, I don't have a BH either.
You might do it at the dealer and have them stand guard.

 

[Geodude]

It might be worth a call to Heartland, just to ease your nerves.

We had an 88 degree turning radius trailer for the last three years and now have a new one, both Heartland products. We've cranked it around pretty hard and have yet to hit the cab. That said, we do have a slider hitch and find we use it maybe once a year. If things are that tight I've got a lot on my mind and I like making a cab strike a big non-issue with the slider. Plenty of others go with the fixed hitch just as well.

 

[danemayer]

The hitch is normally mounted so the pin is over or just a tad to the front of the rear axle. Clearance between trailer and cab of truck, and Heartland's 88 degree claim are predicated on the hitch being mounted correctly. I'd make sure that it's placed correctly.

 

[katkens]

I have the Reese Signature Series /Elite hitch with the the same setup ,works fine. I converted mine from a slider to a fix hitch , less noise and no need.

 

[jnbhobe]

And also remember that the Ford short bed is 3 inches longer than the others.

 

[Westwind]

I've towed our 2012 3070RL with the 88 Degree cap with a 2008 GMC short bed and now our 2015 GMC Short Bed with a fixed Hensley BD3 non-sliding hitch and haven't had a problem with the front cap striking the struck and we have make some really tight turns. The only problem so far is the fiberglass hitch pin cover snagging the bedcover rail and cracking it. I think the dealer is in CMA mode.

 

[iawoody2]

And also remember that the Ford short bed is 3 inches longer than the others.

According to the 2015 sales brochure the short bed Chevy and Ford are the same, don't know about Dodge.

 

[Jim.Allison]

I can honestly say that the 80 lbs that my slider weights is a waste of payload. I have never used it, and I have been in some tight spots.

I read on the heartland brochure that a short bed 6.5 in my case with a standard receiver had a 88 degree radius and a slider hitch was not required. I am about to go pick up my new trailer and I factory ordered the F350 with the under bed mounted hitch. I also bought separately a Reese 18k receiver as recommended. The dealer now tells me if I back in with anything more than 60 degrees the trailer will make contact with my truck cab. I can't return the hitch as it is still new in the box but is beyond the return date. I am praying this isn't true as I have over 1300.00 invested in this hitch. I suspect we won't even be able to back into the Rv site we own with only 60 degrees. Anyone know for sure if that is the limit of radius with 6.5 f350 under mount with Reese's 18k non slider?


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[jnbhobe]

According to the 2015 sales brochure the short bed Chevy and Ford are the same, don't know about Dodge.

Real close aren't they, GM must have made their bed longer used to be 6 1/2 ft

 

[Mrsfish]

We have a 2014 f350 regular bed. (The only one that makes short beds is dodge! The rest are regular and long. The industry just abbreviated it to short and long bed) anyway - we also have the ford under mounted 5th wheel hitch prep kit. NO and I mean NO problems pulling our rig anywhere with our non- sliding hitch. Go forth and be merry

 

[Jim.Allison]

Is there something I'm not understanding about this set up?

 

[jnbhobe]

When I grew up a regular bed was 8 ft. and a short bed was 6 ft. long. But now i'm showing my age.

 

[rpotter]

Thanks everyone for the tremendous and fast response. Greatly appreciated!!! I am very relieved to hear we should have no problems if we take our time and always keep a watchful eye.. Excitement has returned and now ready to go get pickup our new trailer.

Thanks again.


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[avvidclif]

When I grew up a regular bed was 8 ft. and a short bed was 6 ft. long. But now i'm showing my age.

Still is to me. Just my terminology doesn't match the current mfg's spin.

 

[Bones]

I had the dealer install the Reese Airborn sidewinder pin box as well as the 20k Reese 5th wheel for the ram setup. I did that so I could have extra peace of mind for clearance. So far everything works well. The sidewinder makes noise but not too much.

 

[lwmcguir]

We have towed with many short bed Fords, the only thing is if you have a tool box cross bed with normal height you have to watch that on tight turns. Use the low profile box and you should be fine.

 

[Oregon_Camper]

I did the same type of research you are doing....some people say you'll be ok...others say you wont. In the end, I decided to spend a little extra on the Reese Airborne Sidewinder pin box replacement. It moves the pivot point back 22" to the point where the pin box attaches to the trailer. I LOVE this setup. You can get either the Reese Airborne Sidewinder (with airbag to help remove chucking) or the Reese Sidewinder (no airbag).

As an added bonus, you recover a lot of the bed space as the hitch is not moving (you'll see what I mean in the video below)

Here is a 7 min video that does a good job of explaining all the value.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkL0CPmqx6U