6' 6" Bed

[LeeB]

My new truck has a 6' 6" bed am I going to need a slider hitch?

[powerboatr]

only if you plan to pull a fiver

what brand truck??

[LeeB]

Quote:

Originally posted by powerboatr: only if you plan to pull a fiver what brand truck??

Whoops sorry Yes I am going to pull a 5er and my truck is a 2008 Chevy 2500 HD 4x4 Duramax Allison. It has what they call a standard bed 78'8"

[RustyJC]

Will you need a sliding hitch? It all depends:

1. The critical dimension is the distance from the back of the cab to the kingpin centerline of the truck's 5th wheel hitch - let's call this Ck. If this dimension is less than 1/2 the width of the 5th wheel, there will be interference at 90*. Most 5th wheel hitches are designed to be installed with the kingpin centerline located anywhere from directly over to 2" - 4" ahead of the rear axle.

2. If an arc struck from the centerline of the kingpin on the 5th wheel's pin box with a radius of Ck has any part of the 5th wheel protruding beyond it, that part will create interference with the cab.

3. Therefore, it makes a big difference if your 5th wheel RV is 96" or 102" wide, if it has "cutback" front corners, etc. - without knowing this and the other data above, it's impossible to predict whether the 5th wheel will hit the cab or not.

4. Please note - an extended pin box doesn't change the width of the 5th wheel or Ck. All it will do is to move the point of contact (if one exists) farther toward the outside of the cab.

Rusty

[K-Star]

To add to what Rusty stated, I would add that if you are getting a brand new 5er, a few models have created a indentation in the corners of the 5er front cap. This is supposed to eliminate the need for a slider hitch. Heartland is one manufacturer that comes to mind, but I know there are others.

Take it front someone who had a shortbed, got into a tight spot, didn't slide the slider hitch and poped out the rear cab window. Check the measurements and then decide.

[wittmeba]

Quote:

Originally posted by LeeB: Whoops sorry Yes I am going to pull a 5er and my truck is a 2008 Chevy 2500 HD 4x4 Duramax Allison. It has what they call a standard bed 78'8"

If your truck has a 78 foot, 8 inch bed, no you will not need a slider. Yours should clear (just teasing with you).
Here are my comments that may help you decide what you want to do. You have a couple options.
http://members.cox.net/bruce.w...elHitchComments.html

[Jeff_in_The_Dalles]

If it were to need a sliding hitch, if it were me I'd be getting one of the self-sliding jobs.

Sooner or later I'd forget, or I'd be trying to get into some place tight in heavy traffic and push my luck...

[TEX-CTD]

the autosliders are nice but $$$ you can also look at the sidewinder pinbox by 5th airborn.

[JimmyDee]

I've been towing with a 6 1/2 foot box for several years now. I have a Reese slider and never use it. Well I have used it about 3 or 4 times in about 10 years but its nice to have just for the comfort of knowing it there but I feel its not necessary for me. I would think that the automated slider would be gross overkill. JMOHO
Jim

[Ray,IN]

It's not 90* where most damage occurs, it's at 45* when the corner of the 5er busts out the trucks rear window.
There are two types of short-bed owners without a sliding hitch, those that haven't made contact with the 5er, and those that haven't__yet.