Slider Hitch and Truck Choice for 40-Foot Fifth Wheel

[david9158]

I am switching from a class C to a 40 ft Jayco Northpoint Fifth Wheel. Note this will be first experience with a fifth wheel. Plan to pull it with a GMC 2500 Duramax with 6.5 bed. I am seeking comments, pros and any critics on this truck choice. Also looking for pros/cons on using a slider hitch.

 

[TonyL]

Look carefully at the trucks payload as much as it's towing capacity. The yellow siticker on the door shut is what you must go by.
We had a 34ft fifth wheel and an F250 did not have the payload for pin weight, passengers, tools, generators etc. The F350 did and share footprint, engine and drivetrain as the 250
On the other hand, we had a 6'8" bed and never used or needed a slider hitch. We used a B&W companion. A slider hitch will probably use more of the limited bed space and weigh more.

 

[TonyL]

Remember also, never go by the fifth wheel unladen weight, always go by maximum permissable weight and that the pin weight will be around 20% of that weight.

 

[rjshiflet]

As for the slider hitch - we've had 35', 37' and 42' fifth wheels and pulled all with a non-slider hitch with the Ford 6-3/4' bed with no problem. You just have to be careful and not get yourself into a bind where you're turning too tight and get the nose cap of the trailer up against the cab of the truck.

Generally speaking the slider hithes are considerably more money and a lot heavier to get into and out of the bed.

Your experience may be different, but in 20+ years of towing that's been our experience.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

A slider hitch is a convenience for the driver, not a necessity. Depending on the shape of the trailer nose and the mounting of the hitch on the truck chassis, the slider might enable sharper turns without worry of a cab strike. But unless you sometimes need really extreme turns, aka a "jackknife turn", you probably won't ever encounter that need. To know for sure rather than guessing, you need to carefully measure how the trailer nose position changes in a turn. A V-nose or a sculptured front cap probably won't hit anyway.
An alternative to a slider is called a Sidewinder hitch (named after the first of its type). The Sidewinder moves the pivot point further back so the trailer swings well behind the cab. There are pros & cons, but many feel the sidewinder-type is superior overall. Here's one opinion.

Re your truck choice, see posts #2 & #3. A 40 foot 5W is gonna be a heavy sucker so you will need a huge cargo capacity (payload) to handle the trailer pin weight. Figure the pin weight at a minimum of 20% of the trailer GVWR. 22-25% is a safer bet.

 

[david9158]

Thanks very much for your comments. As it turns out, I found a SRW 3500 with a long bed that was priced comparable to the best deal I could find on a 2500. I’m not a fan of how the longer truck looks but I think overall it’s a better fit for the job. After looking closely i would have been right at the max of all the weight limits/ratings on the 2500. Thanks again

 

[Joezeppy]

Good choice. I love the long bed look!

 

[TonyL]

Have you checked it's payload?

 

[david9158]

Yes. It is something over 4,100.

 

[Derby6]

I think you’ll like the LB. lil more room for stuff or a pack tank.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Great truck but it will take some getting used to at the supermarket or backing onto a street. A crew cab long bed like that is a looong truck, about 22 ft overall. Many parking spots are 16-18 ft, and residential streets, country lanes, or campground access roads are often just 16 ft wide - or even less. Be extra careful until you have that geometry programmed into your brain.

 

[TonyL]

Great truck but it will take some getting used to at the supermarket or backing onto a street. A crew cab long bed like that is a looong truck, about 22 ft overall. Many parking spots are 16-18 ft, and residential streets, country lanes, or campground access roads are often just 16 ft wide - or even less. Be extra careful until you have that geometry programmed into your brain.

That's why we went for the short bed. Of the 90000 miles we put on ours, i reckon less than 20% was towing the fifth wheel, the rest was offroading, sightseeing and everyday use.
In small campgrounds we were very grateful we didn't have a longer truck to manoeuvre, and our trailer was only 34ft.
And no, we never had a cab strike.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Most newer 5Ws have an extended pin box and their nose shaped with tapered or scalloped corners to allow quite sharp turns, but (rarely) there may be occasions where you want to get the tow vehicle at a 90 degree angle to the trailer. This can occur in a backing turn from a narrow roadway where an object (like a tree) prevents you from "cutting the corner" even a little. Most drivers will not ever encounter that, or at least won't attempt it, but it's something to be aware of. Using a slider or sidewinder type hitch totally eliminates the worry, so drivers may buy them just for peace of mind.

I've owned two pre-2000 5Ws and pulled them with 3 different standard (6.5 ft) bed trucks and never even came close to a cab strike. Both trailers had extended pin boxes but the old-fashioned square nose. Never felt the need for a slider.

 

[DutchmenSport]

(Personally, I think your trailer is too long for a short bed. But, since you already have the truck, so bit it.)

My opinion: Get a Demco Recon slider hitch for your short bed truck. I've had a fixed Demco Recon in my long-bed since I've had my fifth wheel brand new. I've had no issues with this hitch. It comes apart in 3 pieces and each piece is easy to manage. So removing and replacing is very easy for one old person (like me).

The sliders do the same thing, making them easy to remove as no single piece weighs excessively. All the part are held together with pin. Easy to work with.

Demco Recon makes a variety of hitches now, attachments for goose neck, puck systems, and conventional rail systems. Check them out. They are good hitches, affordable, strong, and easy for a single old man to remove from the truck without straining.

Click here.

 

[Lou Schneider]

Sliding hitches have more moving parts with tolerances between them than fixed hitches, so be prepared for more pops and groans in operation.

 

[david9158]

(Personally, I think your trailer is too long for a short bed. But, since you already have the truck, so bit it.)

My opinion: Get a Demco Recon slider hitch for your short bed truck. I've had a fixed Demco Recon in my long-bed since I've had my fifth wheel brand new. I've had no issues with this hitch. It comes apart in 3 pieces and each piece is easy to manage. So removing and replacing is very easy for one old person (like me).

The sliders do the same thing, making them easy to remove as no single piece weighs excessively. All the part are held together with pin. Easy to work with.

Demco Recon makes a variety of hitches now, attachments for goose neck, puck systems, and conventional rail systems. Check them out. They are good hitches, affordable, strong, and easy for a single old man to remove from the truck without straining.

Click here.

(Personally, I think your trailer is too long for a short bed. But, since you already have the truck, so bit it.)

My opinion: Get a Demco Recon slider hitch for your short bed truck. I've had a fixed Demco Recon in my long-bed since I've had my fifth wheel brand new. I've had no issues with this hitch. It comes apart in 3 pieces and each piece is easy to manage. So removing and replacing is very easy for one old person (like me).

The sliders do the same thing, making them easy to remove as no single piece weighs excessively. All the part are held together with pin. Easy to work with.

Demco Recon makes a variety of hitches now, attachments for goose neck, puck systems, and conventional rail systems. Check them out. They are good hitches, affordable, strong, and easy for a single old man to remove from the truck without straining.

Click here.

Thanks. When I originally posted I was looking at a 2500 short bed. Reconsidered that being I would be pushing the weight limits on the 2500. As it turns out, I found a SRW 3500 with a long bed that was priced comparable to the best deal I could find on a 2500. Bought it.

 

[Kirk]

The added length does make some parking challenges, but it also improves the handling when towing a long fiver in less-than-ideal conditions. Out on the highway that extra length is a good thing.

 

[SargeW]

I have had my current 5ver for 2 years, and a automatic sliding hitch was a necessity. The Ram 2500 has a 6 foot 4 inch bed, and the fiver is a "wide profile" 100" design. I have had to jackknife the trailer many times in my travels, and would have crushed the cab a dozen times over by now. While the manual slider is possible, some have one major flaw. After releasing the locking handle to let it slide, if you are pushing the fiver up a slight incline the hitch can move back forward and lock back into the original position.

The Demco auto slider is heavy, but it has a large gear driven slide that moves the pin up to 20" backwards on a tight turn. I have asked the DW on occasion how much room there is between the cab and the fiver while jackknifed. The reply was about 1/2". And that is with the fiver's extended pin box.

I have towed previous fivers with two different Ram's, both with an 8' bed. Zero problems driving, turning and backing. Had I known that I would have another fiver with a wide profile I would have bought another 8' bed. Such is life.