Slider Hitch needed for 6.5ft Short Bed?

[PKEagle]

Hi,
Its me again. With another question of course.

I am looking at one of the Jayco Eagle Touring Edition 5th Wheels. Apparently, it doesn't come with an option for Reese Revolution anymore, rather the Mor/Ryde Pin Box.

My truck is a 6.5ft short bed. I noticed that almost all 'NEWER' Jayco 5th Wheels have the front end corners with a little indentation for more clearance. Also, does anyone know whether the Mor/Ryde has an extended pin box? I suppose a combination of a little indentation on the front end corners plus an extended pin box would cure the short bed (6.5ft) turn radius clearance issue.

Anyway, I have been doing a lot of research on here and there appears to be some sort of mixed responses regarding the use of a slider on the 'NEWER' 5th wheels.

Does anybody out there pull a short bed truck (6.5ft) with a standard non-slide hitch on the newer Jayco's without any tighter turn radius issues?

Thanks.

[chas111]

I have a F250 with 6.5 bed and Reese hitch. I pull a 2013 Eagle 1.5 RLTS and haven't had any issues with turning.

[3330]

I would encourage all with a short bed to do a test in the parking lot and see how far you can go without contact. My friend has a 7' bed Dodge with a slider hitch that wasn't working very well and when he got in a tight spot he was too preoccupied to keep an eye out and the result was sickening.

I exited on a rural off ramp just to let the dog out for a break and found that I couldn't get right to the opposing on ramp. I wound up headed down a two lane road into the countryside with no indication when I'd be able to safely turn around. We finally came to an odd shaped intersection where I could pull down a spur to the right and double back on the tiny side road and immediately hang a reverse left onto the road back to the interstate. I would have absolutely been stuck if I hadn't had the ability to back around under the 5er as far as possible. I was a full 90 degrees by the time I could finish the turn.

[Jrmay25]

I have a SWB Chevy 2500 and was able to jack knife our 2011, 2012 and now our 2014 Eagle 5ers without hitting the cab, and using a non slider Reese 15k hitch. Like 101 vet mentioned though, I would suggest testing it in a controlled situation before finding out the hard way that you don't have enough clearance.

[FiverForUs]

I have a '12 F250 and a reese slider hitch. >85% of the time I do not need it BUT there have been a couple of times that it has been critical to either get in or get out of a spot. The nice part of the slider hitch is that I know if its extended i do not have to worry about the cab hitting the trailer cap so I can focus on the rest of whats going on.

[DMRGMC]

I have a Reese 16K manual slider with my 2005 Sierra Crew Cab (6'5" box) and I have never used the sliding capability on level ground and have made some tight turns forward and reverse. The only time I failed is when backing into an extremely tight campsite not realizing the back wheels of the truck went down and the 5er wheels went up causing the over hang to lower right in to the back window. It sounded like a shotgun going off. Of course the Navigator has never reminded me to...please use the slider.

[David472]

I think it’s better to spend a few extra dollars up front for the slider option, and not need it, then to find out the hard way you really did need it. The repair bill for one cab contact incident would be more than the differential cost of a slider hitch. Along the same preventive measures line, look into a “bed saver” for the hitch, which would catch the pin if it happens to slide out of the hitch due to not being fully engaged. That type of mistake is not a pretty sight.

[Panhead]

We have a Ford short bed and a B&W non slide hitch, so far no problems but I do have the hitch set up at the rearmost and upper most position. One thing to think about is when you are on uneven terrain such as entering or leaving a driveway, when the truck is on flat ground and the trailer is higher, if you enter a turn it changes the clearance of the cab and could possibly be a problem. Just be aware and watch your clearance and you should be fine.

Steve

[rbarker46]

We have a F250 short bed as well, I do have a slider hitch but seldom have to use it but I do keep a very close watch when I am making tight turns maneuvering into sites etc. So far so good.

[Ela1948]

We bought the pullrite superslide. Cost was about $850 and it fit on standard rails. Took away the worry at a nominal cost. Well worth the money.

[Gunnar]

Had a slider and never had to move it. Next was a non slider, never got into a position where I needed a slider. Now have another slider. Never had to move it. I guess I got this one for the just in case scenario. I feel better having one. Mine is a Hijacker. I bought it used and paid $250.00.

[Yamerhammer]

I have a 16K Reese hitch on a F250 short bed. I haven't had any problems pulling my new jayco. The dealer did do a test in his lot to make sure it would work(jackknifed it on level ground). I used this same hitch on a 02 2500 Chevy truck and a 30' wildcat 5th wheel for 11 years with no ill effects. The way I see it with these new curved front caps u would have to be on some very uneven ground and/or the hitch not be set up/installed correctly. I have seen some older 5th wheels that didn't have an extended pin box and those needed a slider hitch for sure!

[Donr827]

Originally Posted by Ela1948

We bought the pullrite superslide. Cost was about $850 and it fit on standard rails. Took away the worry at a nominal cost. Well worth the money.

X2
Don

[Flapper]

I can relate to the question. If you're first time buying, it's really hard to make the decision. You get conflicting advice, yet clearly hear of the risk from those that made a mistake, or know of someone else who did. Top end sliders cost a bunch, weigh more, and therefore are far less likely to leave the truck so you can use it for something else. Manual sliders are not so bad for cost and weight, but then they are manual - and you have to remember to use them. With the Reese option off the table, you're left with "Spend money/weight for something that you might never need or take an expensive risk that you should have"
Yamerhammer indicated the best solution (which I didn't think of when I bought mine last year) - have the dealer demonstrate the backing with the 5th you're interested in, using a standard hitch, in a bed the same length as yours. Especially if you verify how your truck will vary in measurement from the demo truck, you should have a much better basis for deciding whether to buy a slider or not.

[jal0710]

I have a Reese slider hitch, old one bought in 2003, that we have moved to our newer 2012 GMC short-bed truck. Bought a new 2012 FW two years ago and haven't had to use the slider but did use it with my old 1993 Jayco Eagle 215SD, which was very square on the front, unlike the newer ones that are "rounded" off at the corners to make turning easier than before. I always know my slider is there if I decide I need it. It is a manual one so it wasn't that much more than the non-slider.

[Jmooney]

I have a dodge mega cab with a 6.5 ft bed. I purchased the pull rite auto slide - does what it says it will do. Full 90 degree turn, automatically sliding back as you begin the turn. Expensive, but worth it considering that one moment of forgetfulness can get you.

[Boubou]

What he said ^^^. Got the 6.5 box and a superglide hitch, love it.

[skijlw]

We just purchased a Eagle Premier 361REQS and will pull it with a 2013 GMC 2500 standard bed truck with a Pullrite 16K slider hitch. We have pulled our Montana for several years. We used to pull with a Ford F350 short bed and only needed to use the slider when backing sharply on uneven ground. The box of the GMC is deeper than the Ford and we found we could hit the tailgate cap with the pin box when in the extended position even though we maintained the same bed rail spacing. When on uneven ground I would suggest leaving the tailgate down to prevent pin contact.

[UPCamper]

I have slider and I have never used it. I haven't come close to a turn where I would need it. I would not purchase it again.

[Quahog]

Originally Posted by Donr827

X2
Don

X3 Pullrite SuperGlide on both my F150 and F250... no issues whatsoever.