Short Bed?

[rachael]

One more ?.. We have a 2011 Silverado Diesel 2500HD crewcab. Now I need to know if we have a short bed or not. We are going to trade in our TT for a 5th wheel and keep reading that you need a slider hitch if you have a short bed. But I cannot find measurement for a short bed. Our bed measure 79 inches or 6ft 7 inch plus. Is this a short bed. I did find a measurement for a standard bed of 6 ft 5 inches and a long bed of 7 ft. but no mention about a standard bed in the 5th wheel talk. Is a standard bed the same as a short bed? I confused!!!!

[RustyJC]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rachael Our bed measure 79 inches or 6ft 7 inch plus. Is this a short bed?

Yes, you have a short bed. In general terms, a 6.5' bed is a short bed and an 8' bed is a long bed.

Rusty

[Hamshog]

Hey Rachael,

You have what's called a standard bed. Short bed is on 1/2 ton trucks, 5'-8", and long is 8'. 6'-7 or 8" is a standard bed and it depends on the 5th wheel you get as to whether or not you would have to have a slider hitch. Some 5ver's get away without the slider, or just install a manual slider incase it's needed.

Regards, Howard

[nosticks]

If the 5er you are looking at has a rounded off front cap, marketing term might be something like "extended turning radius", you may not need a slider. My dealer for the Montana said I didn't need one. I have a short bed F-250, but I opted for one just in case I might need it. I got a manual slider from Reese. I have never used the slider and have backed into some very tight turning sites.

[cutrell01]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rachael One more ?.. We have a 2011 Silverado Diesel 2500HD crewcab. Now I need to know if we have a short bed or not. We are going to trade in our TT for a 5th wheel and keep reading that you need a slider hitch if you have a short bed. But I cannot find measurement for a short bed. Our bed measure 79 inches or 6ft 7 inch plus. Is this a short bed. I did find a measurement for a standard bed of 6 ft 5 inches and a long bed of 7 ft. but no mention about a standard bed in the 5th wheel talk. Is a standard bed the same as a short bed? I confused!!!!

We tow a 35 foot Travel Supreme 5th wheel with a short bed Ford F250 Super Duty diesel. We had an extended pin put on the RV (5th Airbourne). Not cheap, but has an air bag, shock absorber and works well with RV. Airbourne cuts down on bouncing, chucking, etc. You can have other extended pins on RV also. Some 5th wheels come with them others do not. Airbourne also makes a "slider-type" configuration but I don't know much about them. Even with an extended pin, you still must watch and not turn real sharp.

[RustyJC]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cutrell01 Even with an extended pin, you still must watch and not turn real sharp.

And that's precisely the problem with a "short bed". If the distance from the center of the 5th wheel hitch kingpin jaw bore to the back of the truck cab is less than 1/2 the width of the 5th wheel, it WILL make contact at a 90 degree angle unless any extended pin box (those have their own problems - another subject) and cap corner reliefs push the contact point outside the edge of the cab. That's just basic geometry.

Better to try it out in the dealer's lot, though, than to find out the hard (expensive) way backing into a campsite or storage bay.

Rusty

[dayle1]

I have used short bed GM trucks for 22 yrs with my fifth wheels. When I first started, no one had even invented the manual slider hitch, let alone auto slider, Sidewinder or the fiver notched front cap. Never had a problem for 14 yrs with just an extended pin box and good judgement. Now 8 yrs with a manual slider that is never used. This year upgraded to a fiver with a notched front cap. Life just gets easier.

The usual extended pin box with a notched front cap is good for 80+ degrees, this is a far greater angle than any travel trailer setup can achieve. And anyway, this is an angle that should be avoided to minimize stress on the trailer suspension and tires.

[ajlcal]

I have a short bed truck. My 5th wheel came with a Reese Revolution coupler, it's the same as the Reese Sidewinder. It great because I never have to worry about turns. I would have to turn well past 90 degrees to hit the truck cab, which would never happen. The only down-side is that when I hook-up, I have to be lined up perfectly. I had trouble with this at first but after some practice I got the hang of it and haven't had a problem since. It's assuring to know that a little extra patience hooking-up pays off in knowing that I'll never, ever hit my truck. I would suggest that if you go with this option for your short bed truck to have the dealer set it up and have them show you how to hook-up. My dealer didn't do this so I had to learn the hard way.

[rachael]

all is good advise and helps us to know that we should get a slider hitch. Does anyone think its better to have the dealer install the hitch when you get the trailer?

[rachael]

[ajlcal]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rachael all is good advise and helps us to know that we should get a slider hitch. Does anyone think its better to have the dealer install the hitch when you get the trailer?

My dealer gave me a price that was double the price of other hitch companies. Needless to say, I found someone else. I would suggest you compare prices but also make sure that whoever does the install knows what their doing. It's an important safety issue. But keep one thing in mind, no matter who does the install the dealer has the responsiblity to show you how to hook-up especially if you're new at this. In my post above about the Reese Revolution, the pin box coupler I mentioned is part of the trailer, not the truck. Thats why I suggested that the dealer set it up. Good luck.

[menoble]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rachael all is good advise and helps us to know that we should get a slider hitch. Does anyone think its better to have the dealer install the hitch when you get the trailer?

Without knowing the competency of the dealer's service dept., that's a hard question to answer. But I would think if it's a reputable RV dealership, they would have the tools and expertise to get you the best installation. You'll pay for it (they might "throw it in" with the price of the tralier, but you're still paying for it somewhere) and your selection may be limited to the models they have on hand (the ones with the best profit margins), but a happy customer is a repeat customer so they should take good care of you.
As for the not-so-reputables, then it's buyer beware!