5th Wheel Hitch - Manual vs Automatic Slide

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Saskatooner

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Joined
Mar 15, 2012
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7
Location
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
I am in the process of buying a 5th wheel hitch for a 6.5 ft box truck. I understand I need a slider hitch due to the 6.5 ft box length. I would appreciate advice/opinions re whether it's worth the xtra $ to purchase a hitch that automatically slides (eg the Pullrite Superglide) vs the manual kind that requires that you get out of the truck to work the slide.

I suppose another consdieration is the weight of the Superglide, I understand it is a very heavy, one piece unit that is extremely difficult to move in/out of the box.

Thanks,
 
It may also depend on the 5th wheel you get.  Most of them nowadays are designed to be "short bed friendly".  Meaning you shouldn't need a slider.  I have one anyway.  I have no ever had to use it yet.  But I did have it in a long bed for a while.  Still, backing into my driveway puts it to a pretty good test, and I haven't needed it.  I would still have one just for "peace of mind", but I wouldn't spend the extra dollars on an automatic slider when it would rarely if ever be needed.
 
I personally don't have a 5er, but we camp with friends and family that do.  Two of them have manual sliders and one has an auto slider (dont know what brand).

The guys with the manual units very rarely use the slide feature, and the hitch can be lifted out by 1 person.

The auto slide on the other hand is pretty heavy, he actually uses his Bobcat to load it into his truck and still has to wrestle with it a fair amount to get it into the rails.  Also another thing about the auto slider that he has is that it can be kind of a PITA to hook up to, his has a steel block on the pin box that has to engage into the hitch along with the 5ers king pin.  I know that he has had some issues on smaller, unlevel camp sites in county parks getting everything lined up and hooked up.

If it were me, I would buy the manual slider. And actually I may be buying one, since my boss is selling his truck and taking the 5er hitch out, so I may just buy it incase I buy a 5er in the future.
 
Both replys are correct. Some addition info. Some if not all auto slides require special attachements for the pin and hitch. This means non auto slides cannot be used to hook up your 5er if there is an emergency or some other reason to move your 5er, whereas any non auto hich can hook up any 5ers pin.

I have a SB truck and have a manual slider . I've used it maybe 3 times in 6 years, but when I needed it I was glad to have it. You didn't say what kind of TV you have. When researching my new TV I learned the new Ford's and GM's cabs have a forward angle and with the newer 5ers with better turning radiuses, the need for a slider is minimal. Also consider you do not want to turn a 90 degree turn with a 5er as its hard on the trailers tires and axles.

If you feel the need get a manual far cheaper for the times its used.
 
I haven't puchased the TV yet. Narrowed it down to the F-250, F350 6.7 4X4 or Duramax 4X4. The 5th is a 2012 Jayco Eagle 321 RLTS. Will the height of the box on the truck be a problem? I can't do without a 4X4 in where I live.
 
While 250/2500 3/4 tons are more popular, I highly recommend you look at 350/3500 SRW 1 ton trucks. Only a bit more money yet provides more payload capacity for future upgrades and or more carring capacity. Go measure the distance from the pin to the ground when trailer is level, then look at the specs for the trucks to see what the height of the rails are to get an estimate of the distance between the bed and trailer. Remember the truck will drop a couple of inches when the pin is on the truck. If you can also suggest looking at what the dealer is using to move the trailers around. 
 
Thanks. The 5th is a 2012 Jayco Eagle 321 RLTS - dry weight 10,525, 14,500 GVWR. Dry hitch weight 2,340.  It looks like most people are using 1 tons with those weight ratings... sounds like some folks with the F250 are finding that the truck sags and needs air bags etc. I wonder if that is also a problem with the Chev/GMC 2500 HD?
 
Looking at the payload numbers, on an F-250, the highest rating is on the regular cab.  4x4 is listed as 2663lb.  I just don't see how you can do it with a 3/4 ton and be safe.

For reference, I was looking at the super duty tow guide here, page 3:

http://www.ford.com/towingguides/
 
I can tell you that a buddy I RV with all the time has a F250 2WD CC, and when he hitched up his FR Blue Ridge with the same GVWR you mentioned his truck almost hit the ground. I saw this as I was pulling into the dealer. Dry weight is meaningless. Go by the GVWR (20%) for pin weight. He then had to add air bags (extra cost) and now when we go camping together he is always worried about weight and what he can/cannot load in the trailer/truck bed. He constently says he should have gotten a F350 1 ton. Just saying!
 
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