5th wheel hitch

[stormy2000]

hi, We have a 2010 chevy silverado 2500HD CC std bed and we are getting a 2011 wildcat 31thsb.  we looked at the pullrite 16K superglide 5th wheel hitch but the dealer said that is mostly
for short beds and that we did not need it and to save money and get the pullrite 16K super 5th wheel hitch.  the non superglide hitch looks good on reviews and we just want to make sure that we can  make our turns and backing up to park without the trailer hitting the back of our truck.  thank you.

 

[edjunior]

By "std bed", I'm assuming you mean the 6.5 foot bed (or so), as opposed to the 8 foot bed??  If so, I would still go with the slider hitch, for peace of mind of nothing else.  The Wildcats have very good front cap designs that allow for tighter turning without a slider hitch (I have one myself!).  But let me tell you, when you're sitting in the driver's seat looking back, it can be very intimidating watching that cap swing around.  I got the slider hitch when I had my 6.5 bed, but almost immediately got a new truck with the long bed.  Of course, the slider is not needed in it, but I can tell you, it still looks pretty intimidating back there!  You may not need the slider, but if you don't mind paying the extra bucks for it, the peace of mind and "just in case" will be worth it!

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

If you insist on a guarantee, get the Slider hitch. If you are willing to shoulder a tiny amount of responsibility for your actions when backing up, save your money. Chances are you will never back into a sharp enough turn to hit the cab - it is only in extreme maneuvers that can happen. Moving forward, it is not an issue at all.

Many people with slider hitches find they never bother to engage it - simply not needed. But the "peace of mind" argument was persuasive and, indeed, peace has value.

 

[stormy2000]

yes the bed is 6.5 ft and thank you for your input, we were leaning to the superglide hitch for the "peace of mind," and wanted to get input on it.  thank you.

 

[Smitty8934]

I have the same dilemma.  I just purchased a 2010 Dodge Ram 2500 Crew Cab.  When delivered, I thought there was more space in the back and the doors were larger.  Come to find out, I have a 6'4" bed.  I traded in a 05 Ram 1500 and a 06 Cougar 25 footer.  Never had a problem with my regular 5er hitch but the new Cougar I purchased is 32ft long.  It has the new designed nose that is angled in on the corners but I'm not taking a chance and am having a Pull Rite -Super Glide installed.  Almost fell over when I got the price but I'm doing it right the first time around and am just going to bite the bit and move forward.  I always had a hard time making the turn in my circular driveway, we'll see how this works out.  Anyway, with the shorter bed than what I previously had, I just don't want to take the chance.  Dodge only makes the 6'4" or 8' box on their heavy duty trucks since the models only have the Crew or Mega Cab available whereas the 1500 series have the Crew Cab as an option giving you a little longer box.  Found that out after I bought.  Oh well, like the truck so far, never had a diesel before so that's a new experience.  We pick up the fifth wheel next week.  The new one is a new model that Cougar has put out.  It's a 327RES.  Has a very nice layout.  It will seem like 50 feet to us.  Anxious to get everything together and try it out.  Enjoy yours.

 

[edjunior]

Hey Smitty, according to the Keystone website, the 327RES is 36'5".  Hope you're ready for a little longer than you thought also!  Unless there's an even newer model.

http://keystone-cougar.com/index.php?page=floorplans&coast=east&model=327RES

 

[skip96]

i have the pull rite super slide hands down it is great,  you wont regret that hitch although the price can be a little hard to swallow

 

[Smitty8934]

edjunior, I've seen so many different measurements for that fifth wheel it's unreal.  The brochure says 36 ft. and I've seen it on different websites with a measurement of 32ft.  Your link says 36.5.  I guess it depends where you hold the ruler.  I guess it is what it is and I'll find out the exact when I get it next week.  We've had a lot of fun with our 25 footer but we really wanted more room.  Thanks for that link, there are some nice pictures.  We've seen one like ours at the dealer but it was sold and gone right away so we didn't get to actuallly measure it.  Thanks

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

There are two length measures for a trailer - the interior usable living space and the overall outside length. For sales purposes, the RVIA requires that all manufacturers use the usable living space as the advertised length, so if you look at two "32 footers" you have an apples-to-apples comparison in space. But the overall exterior length may differ. For example, a travel trailer has a 3'-4' long "tongue" ahead of the "house", while a fifth wheel has little or no protrusion on the front.

But I cannot explain why a fifth wheel would have a 4.5' difference. Normally it is no more than about 2' the (length of extended pin box on front plus rear bumper, if any). The '32"' in the model number usually designates the usable length, so I would epect an overall length of about 34 feet. I would not be surprised if the 36.5' overall length on the website is a typo.

 

[zin01]

smitty you will love that diesel it is amazing I just bought a 2010 3500 long bed 4x4 auto trans single rear wheel ram to pull my 35' keystone fuzion and i have only taken it on a test run up some long steep hills 6% grade I think but it was awesome except for slower take off it's like it isn't even back there it's awesome. let me know what you think of the stock brake controller mine seems to lock the trailer brakes SOMETIMES when I come to a full stop other then that I love the truck

 

[Stewie Griffin]

if you have anything other than an 8' box it is (IMO) a no brainer to get a slider.  I have pulled larger gooseneck trailers for many years and am on my first fiver, but there has been many many times where I was in a precarious position where in order to get out of it without wacking the nose of the truck on a tree or some other object I had to jacknife the trailer so sharp that if it was a fifth wheel with a big nose it would have hit the cab of any truck with a 6' box.  Most of the time you will be fine but sometimes the trailer is on a side to side incline going one way and the truck is on a side to side going the other way, it gets pretty close and the last thing you want to do is damge the nose of the RV or the cab of the truck, the outcome is never good.

 

[Johncmr]

As several folks have mentioned in posts going back a few years, the 5th Airborne Sidewinder will take care of your problem, and smooth out the ride as well.  While I don't have one now, I did with my last rig, and was very happy.  The Titanium I have now came with a Mor-Ride system, and I chose not to change it. 

I can say with confidence that the 5th airborne does everything they show on their web site video.

johncmr

 

[janpaul]

I will second what Johncmr says. It works like a champ, all you have to do is turn the steering wheel to have it start working.