" Today’s Short Bed Trucks and 5th Wheel Hitches " by Corey Moore. First published here, on the Bucarsrv.com website. For copies of this article please contact David Wald at 207-1666.
Many fifth wheel owners today prefer towing with a short box truck; it shortens their overall length on the road and reduces the turning radius, and let’s be honest, they are simply more popular. Once you decide short box is the truck for you, you must start considering the hitch package to compliment your RV-Truck choice.
Now, short box trucks are notoriously tricky, so let’s get our facts straight. In a short box truck, it is necessary to keep the hitch behind the rear axle to prevent the 5th Wheel from hitting the back of your truck cab when maneuvering into a campsite.The key is to make sure the hitch is positioned properly to prevent unwanted accidents and frustration. Positioning is always dictated by the hitch manufacturer already, however, if you have any questions, any certified dealer will be able to help with the placement of a hitch in any truck.
5th wheel pin box setup plays a roll here as well. If the pin box is under the body of the 5th wheel trailer your turning is limited. Tony Webbink from The Hitch Company tells us about Pin boxes in detail:
“You can have aftermarket Pin Box extenders Installed for around $1000. You need to make sure your Pin Box is extended the distance from the centre of the connection bolts to the centre of the actual pin 27 inches. The 5th Airborne Pin Boxes from Fabex offer an air-ride suspension in addition to the extra room with the pin box extension. These are becoming a more and more popular addition to people’s fifth wheels.
On a “Standard” short bed pickup truck, the bed is 6’ 6” inches long. Roughly half of that is 3’ 3” inches. A typical fifth wheel trailer is either 8 or 8.5 feet wide. Half of the trailer width is 4’ or more. Doing the math says there is no way to do 90 degree turns without what we call a 5th Wheel slider hitch
5th Wheel Slider hitches are typically on rails. You can pull the pins, slide the hitch back, turn a sharp corner while parking, and then put it back for highway driving. When the pin is out, it is only used for low speed and sharp corners. Once you've accomplished the maneuver, you put the hitch back into the standard driving location. However, not every hitch fits every truck box.
To explore the technical aspect of 5th Wheel Slider Hitches I have enlisted the help of Paul Sinclair, Service manager for Bucars RV Centre
Sinclair says that, “in the past, trucks had two general types of boxes: short box and regular box. That has now changed. The automotive industry now terms Long box trucks as 8’. A regular box is the old ‘long box,’ but is called regular only due to the fact it’s what most customers purchase. Today’s regular box is 6’-6.5’. The new 'short box,' as we are seeing it now, is a sub 6’ box and customers need to be aware of this when talking to their dealer about hitches.”
“How does all this relate to the purchase of the 5th wheel hitch or a trailer?” Sinclair asks.” “8’ Long box owners need not worry as even entry level 5th wheel hitches will be acceptable. Regular box owners (6’-6.5’) need to take into consideration the width of the 5th Wheel and shape of the cap, as well as the exact length of the truck. These consumers will most likely need an extended pin box to allow for normal highway travel and basic maneuvering. The tight turns inside campgrounds and in residential area’s usually dictate the need of a slider 5th wheel hitch. Sub 6’ box owners need to invest in the automatic slider 5th wheel hitches, for example the Hijacker and Pull Rite hitch options. Both of these are fully automatic hitch systems that can allow for up to 90deg turns in reverse.
For more information on hitch and truck compatibility, contact the parts or service departments at Bucars RV Centre at 207-1666 or visit their website, bucarsrv.com.
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