Sliding fifthwheel hitches ?

[7mgcmn]

First of all thanks to all that have offered up some advice in earlier posts. It was a big help, however gave me more things to consider. So here is another post. Well here we go,

Step 1:
Pick suitable Fifth Wheel trailer to keep DW, Thing 1 & Thing 2 and 7yr. old Pomeranian and the occasional parents or friends happy while camping during good and bad weather.
Done-Jayco Eagle 365BHS

Step 2:

Acquire new TV to tow above mentioned RV short box needed for better manueverability.
Done 2012 GMC Sierra 2500hd CCSB MAX/Allison combo. Air ride or Timbrens most likely for added capacity.

Step 3:
Choose hitching system to tow this RV with this TV that is completely removable to leave nothing in the bed.
In Process- Here is where it gets tricky.

I started out looking at the B&W turnover ball w/companion. Nice concept, clean when removed and very versatile. No sliding capability.

Then I found out about the superglide, wow my problems are solved, so I thought. Great product, clean appearance once removed. Not very versatile, you need special capture plates for each trailer manufacturer. Eliminates being able to pull someone elses rig if needed. May never need to, but you never know.

Just found out about the Reese Sidewinder w/wo air ride. Almopst had me sold. Nice mechanism, clean once removed and more versatile for towing other rigs with a slight adjustment. The problem is that One Jayco owner wrote that they were told that Jayco does not endorse these for their trailers. I will have to look into this.

Also looking at the Reese Elite manual sliding hitch. Looks good, clean once removed, most versatile.

There are others that are similiar to the above ones. Curious, what do other members use, and what are there experiences and how often do they really require the use of the slider while driving or manuvering. How do the superglides feel while driving? Drawbacks on the capture plates if any? If I have missed anything other than price, willing to pay for what is needed if it works well. Again I would like to say thank you in advance for any info offered. These forums are great for getting ideas and answers that would take much longer trying to search them out individually.

Greg

[nylyon]

Just found out about the Reese Sidewinder w/wo air ride. Almopst had me sold. Nice mechanism, clean once removed and more versatile for towing other rigs with a slight adjustment. The problem is that One Jayco owner wrote that they were told that Jayco does not endorse these for their trailers. I will have to look into this.


Well, no and yes. No because my 30.5BHLT came out of the factory with a Reese Revolution (same as the sidewinder). Yes because I have read that Jayco does not support the installation of a sidewinder aftermarket. It is supposed to be because trailers equipped with the Revolution out of the factory have "special" frames to accommodate the hitch. Best bet would be to contact Jayco directly.

I have the Revolution and think that it's great. Pulls perfectly, ZERO issues with the cab contacting the front cap and I can use a standard hitch.

[drfife]

Greg, if you have not bought the truck consider a 3500HD.

I ordered a 2012 GMC Sierra 3500HD, crew cab, single rear wheel, standard bed with Duramax. It has a GVWR of 11,500 lbs.

I'll probably go with the 18K PullRite Superglide with Superrails when we get a 5th wheel. I've gone through the same mental gymnastics, and keep coming back to the Superglide.

I have not heard many good things about the Sidewinder hitches, except from owners. The concerns all revolve around the long term effects of the stress transferred to the frame. It's a reasonably new product, rushed to market, without long term tests. I keep trailers too long and tow too much to be a guinea pig.

[DMRGMC]

There is another type of Automatic Slider. It is called the Hijacker, now owned by Demco. It was invented and sold out of British Columbia a few years ago. I was reasearching and was interested because it has no adapters on the pin box. There is a set up on the kingpin to glide the pin box in to position. It also apparently does not fit on the standard rail system and like the Superglide is restricted to 15 degrees from center hooking and unhooking.
That alone presents a problem for me in that I am at a greater angle, where I park my unit. Also itis twice as heavy as my 16K Reese Manual slider. It would have been around $2400.00 installed back then.

[drfife]

There is another type of Automatic Slider. It is called the Hijacker, now owned by Demco....
Hijacker is a great hitch. I like the capture plate better than Superglide. A friend had one and raved about it.

Unfortunately, all the Hijacker dealers are in Canada.

Since I live in Texas, Superglide is my only practical choice.

[Panhead]

Here is a way you can have a B&W turnover ball installation and a slider as well.

1. Install the B&W turnover ball under bed hitch.

2. Go to Curt Mfg. and buy one of these cross rail adapters.
http://www.curtmfg.com/Category/55/5Th%20Wheel%20Adapter%20Plates

3. Get slider of your choice and install on the "industry standard" rail adapter rail setup.

There you have it, a slider when you need it and a clean bed when you don't.

Steve

[DMRGMC]

drfife
I just checked out the Demco site and the dealer locater map shows dealers across US and looks like there are some in Texas as well.

[drfife]

drfife
I just checked out the Demco site and the dealer locater map shows dealers across US and looks like there are some in Texas as well.

Yes, Demco is across the US, but all the Hijacker dealers are now only in Canada.