5th wheeh hitch. Slider or not.

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Mickey G

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Aug 8, 2017
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I have a chance to get a 16k Reese slider hitch. Would I need it for an F350 dually with an 8' box?
Some people that have them say they are really for 6' beds, but it's nice to know that they have one if needed.
Do any of you with 8' beds have a slider, and do you use it a lot? I feel just the price alone makes this hitch worth it. He want's $350 or best offer along with the bed rails. I would just need the 4 L brackets that tie the hitch to your bed.
Would this be worth it? I have a chance on av16k regular hitch without rails for $150.00.
Both hitches are in excellant condition.
 
I have a short bed and a FW that has a flat front and is 101" wide so it has all the reasons to need a slider. People usually dont need a slider with an 8' and newer rigs often have rounded corners too. Places like Etrailer sell mounting brackets that attach to the frame and go from universal to custom fit. 
 
In a word, no.

Sliders were invented years ago for folks with a short box and the old style flat front FW.  For them, it was, indeed, a necessity.

Most of the folks here with 6 ? ft boxes either do not have sliders or have one and have rarely if ever used it.

With an 8 ft bed, it is not needed.  It will simply add extra weight to the bed.
 
The weight difference comes out to 10 lbs per Reese .
Is 10 pounds added weight worth worrying about?
There might be a time when you need a slider and you dont have it because you were worried about 10 lbs.
I would think it's better to have one than not.
Dollar for dollar, it's a few dollars more for the used slider.
 
grashley said:
In a word, no.

Sliders were invented years ago for folks with a short box and the old style flat front FW.  For them, it was, indeed, a necessity.

Most of the folks here with 6 ? ft boxes either do not have sliders or have one and have rarely if ever used it.

With an 8 ft bed, it is not needed.  It will simply add extra weight to the bed.
Click to expand...

What he said.

The only advice i give people is to buy a hitch that is rated for  the max for the truck as the hitch goes with the truck and not the trailer. With a 15k in your truck are you future proofed ?  Your truck is likley better suited to a 25k hitch.
 
I had two small boxes trucks, a 2500 Silverado and 3500 RAM, I had a hitch with a slider in both.  Never use it in either, no need.
 
It doesn't do any good to have a slider if you don"t get out to use it as I didn't. My 34 ft coachman fw had round corners and cleared cab on 6 1/2 ft bed with out slider. After trading of a 41 foot FW Winnebago, I turned sharp while stopping in at the dealer for an adjustment. I noticed a dent in my cab corner a couple of weeks later and confirmed it was the fifth wheel by the damaged paint on FW front corner. I did a test turn to see how far I could turn and now can look in the mirror down the side of the truck to a predetermined point on the front of the basement of the FW, which is the opposite corner of the FW. AS long as I don't turn any farther than that, I know I'm ok.
 
Come on guys. Everyone knows you "have" to have a slider if you don't have an 8' box. Did I mention that I have a slider I'm trying to sell? Never used the slider (6 1/2' box), and have replaced it with a Pull-Rite Superlite hitch. No slider required for most of todays trucks and 5th wheels.
 
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