8ft bed - do I need a slider hitch? Any recs?

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Phil Hyde

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Sep 5, 2011
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Hi all,

Our new TV is a Dodge 3500 DRW with 8ft bed.  Am I correct in assuming that I don't need a slider hitch?

Also, I would appreciate any recommendations for brand of hitch.

thanks!
Phil
 
Should not need one.  The sliders are made for 6' bed trucks. At least i have yet to see one on a 8', that's why they make 8' beds i believe.
 
No you do not need a slider hitch.  Many of the newer fifth wheels are now coming with an extended pin box that probably makes a slider hitch a moot point even for short bed trucks.
as for brand?  Go to the store and pick the one that makes YOU the most excited.  I have had a Husky 16K since we first bought our fiver and have not had any problems with it.  Biggest thing is be sure to get a double pivot head
 
It gives you fore/aft and side to side pivoting.  A must have if you are ever in a position where the truck and trailer are not exactly on the same plane.  Saved my butt several times.  Plus when going down the road it works to prevent binding of the pin in the hitch head.
 
It pivots left-right as well as up-down. Without it you can put a lot of torque on the frames when crossing driveways at an angle, things like that.
 
Hey...I had a slider in my 8' bed!  Of course I bought it for a 6.75 ft bed.  Now I'm back to a 6.75' bed.  You definitely will not need it in a 8' bed.  in a short bed, it's there for peace of mind.

I have had no problems with my Curt, other than it's one heavy bugger!
 
DieselJay said:
Should not need one.  The sliders are made for 6' bed trucks. At least i have yet to see one on a 8', that's why they make 8' beds i believe.
You're kidding, right?  They make 8' foot beds to carry 8' sheets of plywood. :)
 
I had a 2007 GMC 2500 3/4 ton pick-up with a '6 1/2' ft bed.
I had a Reese 16K hitch w/ slider installed and pulled a 31 ft Cougar 5th wheel.
NEVER needed the slider!!!!!
BUT, I hated the "new" higher bed sides on the truck. 
I lost a lot of 5th wheel to top-of-bed clearance due to this.
I needed to be VERY aware of my clearance when navigating in not-so-level situations and was often INCHES away from unwanted contact.

Other than that, I was glad in many situations that I had both front-to-back as well as side-to-side hitch movement when getting into some parking situations.
 
DieselJay said:
Should not need one.  The sliders are made for 6' bed trucks. At least i have yet to see one on a 8', that's why they make 8' beds i believe.

I can think of a few other  (more common) reasons for making a 8' bed. Some people who actually use their trucks for work want to be able to haul 8' x 4' sheets op plywood, plaster board, etc.
 
Funny how things change. Growing up, 8' was the norm and 6.5' was a "short box" (and not very common). Now 8' is long (and rare), 6.5' "standard" and 5.5' short. Every configuration has it's pros and cons. When I ordered my current truck, an 8' box was on the must-have list. I don't have a 5'er but am constantly hauling plywood, long lumber, etc. I had owned several 6.5' trucks and was just sick of stuff sticking out the back end. I was amazed at how the salesman tried to steer me away from the long box. "They don't look as nice," "They are hard to park.", blah blah blah.
 
I had an old '41 Chevy 3/4T ex Navy truck years ago.  It was built long before the advent of 5ers.  The bed was 8' long and 4' wide, a clean rectangular bed that fit between the rear wheels (no fender wells in the bed).  This was about the only size available back then on a pickup except maybe for a special order and I believe the size was a carryover from the days of common horse-drawn farm wagons.  It had several steel skids with oak planks bolted in between.  It wasn't called a "step side" because there weren't any "slick sides" yet.  So, why call it anything other than a pickup?  These were "working" trucks so scratching the bed paint was not a particular concern then.  Nor was towing capacity.  Short beds became most popular with the advent of extended and crew cabs although a 6' bed was available in the 50's when the pickup started becoming more than a working vehicle.
 
orlinsky said:
I can think of a few other  (more common) reasons for making a 8' bed. Some people who actually use their trucks for work want to be able to haul 8' x 4' sheets op plywood, plaster board, etc.

Use the beast for work ??? No way, this baby is devoted to pulling the other beast!  :) 8)
 
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