Short Bed for pulling 5th wheel ?

[Goldsdlf]

We pull a 28' 5th wheel Seahawk with a long bed truck. We have just ordered a new club cab pickup with a short bed. We have been told a sliding hitch is a must to prevent smashing in the rear of the cab.

We would like to learn of experiences by "short bed, 5th wheel pullers" Is the automatic slider a must or will the manual one be adequate ? ? We have an RBW hitch... and can have it placed on manual rails... is there a problem? Any comments, stories etc. will be appreciated.

 

[hertig]

Short Bed for pulling 5th wheel ?

If you do not have an 'extended pin box' on the trailer, then you will almost certainly want to have a slider. If your pin box is extended, then the slider may be of less importance.

To use a manual slider, you need to stop, get out, unlock the slider, pull forward a foot, get out, lock the slider, make your turn, get out, unlock the slider, back up a foot, get out, lock the slider and then you can take off. So no, automatic is not a 'must', but depending on how often you have to use it, it could be 'useful'.

The problem with the 'automatic' slider is that it is tied to the rotation between your truck and trailer, and is likely to be difficult or even impossible to hook up if that angle is more than about 18 degrees from in line. And then there are the hitches which are electrically controlled from the cab. Their big drawback is the huge price...