I just traded in my 2000 F350 Dually Diesel 8ft bed and purchased a 2012 F150 SuperCrew Ecoboost 6.5ft bed with max tow and max payload 8200 GVWR. My fiver is a 2009 Keystone Springdale 280FWIKSSR Dry Weight 7323lbs, Pin weight 1183lbs. The trailer currently has a Lippert 1621 Extended pinbox that sticks out about 6" from the front of the camper with a Goosneck Adapter on it. I am looking at two bed mounted hitch options:

B&W Turnover Ball Gooseneck Hitch using existing gooseneck adapter - Cheap and easy, will hit the cab if turned too sharp
Pullrite Superglide 15K - expensive and hard, but will not hit the cab

So if you have a 6.5 ft bed and are towing a fiver similar to mine, how close does your trailer get to the cab driving forwards? Could you accidentally make the camper hit the cab driving forwards? Do you have a slider and never use it? Do you regret the purchase of your slider or regret not getting one.

Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks

-SeaRayder

PS Please do NOT reply telling me how I am going to die a in a massive fireball killing everyone within a 1/4 mile radius because "It's just a 1/2 ton!" or that I should buy an F250. I only tow this camper at most 6 times a year for fairly short distances. I drive extremely convervatively towing. I have run all my numbers and I am well within the towing specs and laws. Thanks

 

Surely somebody on here is towing something similar...

 

With a 1/2 ton and 6.5' bed? Not terribly likely.

 

I have an 06 super cab 6.5 box and pull a 04 salem 28bhss. I have a rbw lil rocker hitch basic mount. I have no prob going forward but backing u def. have to watch it will hit cab corners. The slider would be nice but not sure how much u would use it for the extra cash

 

Is your pin coupler directly over the axle or slightly ahead or it and by how much?

Thanks

-SeaRayder

 

I don't have a slider in my F350 with a 6.75ft bed and I tow a 28ft King of The Road 5er with a standard pin box, fixed hitch, and never been a position yet that I would have needed a slider. I have been in some pretty tight spots turning around or backing into tight camp sites and I've never thought I absolutely needed one. Just be mindful of your turns and if you don't think the truck and trailer will fit don't try it and you should be just fine. I would have to put the hitch in to find out where it sits compared to the axle but I would say it's very close to right over the axle.

 

Correct pin location for all 5'ers and GN hitches as per manufacturer's is directly over the axle to 2" in front of the axle depending on the hitch. Most manufacturer's recommend if you have an option to place it in front instead of directly over the axle.
Those two little inches make a huge difference in vehicle front loading and control of the tow vehicle.

 

Get the slider and never look back the cost of fixing the camper and truck $$$
is a lot more than a slider hitch when you think it will make it on a turn into camp

 

I have an 05 150 with the short bed. My hitch is over the axle and I use the sidewinder. The camper is too close in my opinion and I have come close to hitting the back window during backing manuvers on unlevel ground. Forward pulling has not been an issue - so far. A new truck is in my future right after I pay off the camper, put a new roof on the house, and pay for college for both kids. I'm thinking the new truck may be fusion powered by that time.

 

Have a 2011 F250 crew with short bed and pull a 5th wheel and was faceing the same problem. Looked at several different setups and went with the Reese 5th airborne sidewinder, you don't have to have the airride but its nice. You can go to utube and type in Reese sidewinder and see some clips of it in use. We pulled unit over the weekend and it really does work, you can make a 90' with no problem. Cost maybe a little high but the cost of replaceing a rear window or 5th wheel cap is more.

 

I have a 25' Prowler and a 2000 F150, 6.5' box and a RBW hitch, no slide. If I was going to do it again I would buy the slider. I saw the local RV shop advertise Reese manual sliders for $600. I wouldn't use it often backing up but for a couple extra hundred it would be cheap insurance to at least know that if you had to back into a tight spot you could. Don't forget to that even without the slider I can still back into a lot tighter spaces than I can with a tag along and when you are too far jack-knifed with it you don't know until you hear the crunch of the bumper hitting the frame.

 

I have a 06 SCab with 6.5 bed and Curt Q5 20K slider hitch. I tow a Rockwood 8285WS.
I have been towing this rig for almost 2 years and I have used the slider once when it was new on my first trip and was a little nervous about backing into a driveway. Since then I have not used the slider but I'm glad I have it just in case.