So I just purchased a 5th wheel camper and the dealer has me lined up for a manual sliding hitch. I take my truck Thursday to get the hitch I stalled etc.

from what i understand if I am in a tight situation I have to get out the truck and pull the lever etc to set it to slide. My question is this, how often am I going to have to do this? Will I have to do it every time I pull into a gas station etc? I know I have a lot to get used to, to know how tight I can turn etc but I’m just wanting to k ow how often do you really need it to slide? I have a short bed 6’ 1/2”.

with that said I’ve been looking at the Anderson Ultimate Hitch in which was not offered at the dealer, would this be a better alternative than a auto sliding hitch that is more expensive or the manual sliding hitch I am set to get as of now?

Sorry for all all the questions guys, just trying to learn all that I can but I really appreciate yalls input.

 

Yes, you do have to get out of the truck to put the slide in the maneuver mode, then once the 5er has slid back, get out again to lock it there. The steps have to be reversed to bring it back into towing mode. A real pain, unless you've got a partner with you to do the outside stuff.

Good news is that the vast majority of the time, you only need the slider when you're backing the 5er up. Hard to think of a situation where you would be pulling forward and have a tight enough turn to crunch the cab corners or back glass unless maybe in a U turn situation..

I got a slider hitch back when I had a short bed pickup, there were only one or two times that I had to use it in the maneuver mode. I could have probably gotten by be pulling forward and straightening up the 5er with the truck, then continue backing.

So -- If I had a short bed pickup, I'd also have a slider hitch, just in case it was needed. Then I would have to consider whether I wanted to spend the extra money to get an auto slide or go through the required motions to do the manual slide.

I've got no experience with the Andersen hitch.

 

It is important to learn how much of an angle the truck and trailer can get before needing the slide. That is best done in an empty parking lot with a spotter.

I have a B&W slider. I can get about a 70 degree angle on my combo before I get worried. I can do a 90 degree turn at full steering wheel stop, but I can’t do a U-turn with the steering wheel against the stop. I have never needed the slide on the road traveling or at fuel stops.

I do slide the hitch back when the missus goes to check-in at campgrounds, and it stays that way until we are ready to hit the road again. That also happens when backing into my driveway.

A big advantage of the slider is the extra distance between the lowered tailgate and camper during hookup. I can hookup at any reasonable angle without having worry about my tailgate hitting the camper. Without the slider I would have to back partially under the camper, get out and close the tailgate, and then complete the hookup if the truck and trailer was at more than about a 10 degree angle.

The problem I see with auto slides is that the truck is then destined to pull only campers with dedicated wedges on the pin boxes, or the camper can’t be pulled by a standard truck if there is a wedge on the pin box. Also, the truck and trailer need to be at pretty much at a straight angle for hookup.

 

I have the same shortbed truck, and my current rig is the first 5th wheel I've ever had. This is my 4th season. Do i "need" a slider hitch? Good question. For me, its the insurance for that one moment when I forgot to look at everything when backing up. That said, if you decide to get a slider, make it an Autoslide hitch like Pullright, or Demco. I went with the Demco. Autoslide hitch is just that, when turning sharp they have internal gears that automatically slide the hitch head back, and when pulling straight, moves it back up. Nothing to think about, nothing to do to engage.

For me, being new to 5th wheel towing it is just one less thing to worry about, and that "oh shucks" moment when the rear cab glass is shattered, and damage to the front of the 5th wheel occurs. My next truck will be a long bed, mostly to get the larger fuel tank, and when I do, I'll be selling my Demco, and going with something else. Probably a B&W, but I may look into the air-ride hitches as well.

Good luck on whatever you decide.

 

I have the B&W Companion Slider and you don't have to get out again to lock it once it has slid to the forward or aft position. It locks itself. Don't know about any other sliders.

 

I too have a short bed and tow a 5th wheel ( my 1st) . The 1st time I backed it into my driveway I blew out my rear window, So I added a PopUp RV5 kingpin extension to the trailer, this gave me an additional 10 inches, which helped a lot. Then my brother offered sell me a B&W slider for $75.00 so I installed that too, I have plenty of room to maneuver now. The only time I ever slide it back is for tight maneuver when backing

 

+1 for the Demco Hijacker autoslide. Like the name says, it's automatic and you don't have to think about it, just drive.

Another thing to check on is the nose of the 5th wheel you just bought. Some newer ones claim to be short bed friendly with the way they are designed. Meaning the nose cap is contoured and/or the pin box is setup to be far enough back to keep it away from the cab.

Personally, I wouldn't own a manual slider. Sounds like too much of a pain to use, meaning I would tend not to use it when I probably should, which would lead to an accident I'm sure.

So far I've been happy with my old original design Demco hijacker auto slide. Only complaint is it's big and heavy and expensive and a pain in the **** to take in and out. LOL!

 

If it's a fairly new 5th wheel you most likely will rarely need to use the slider, if ever. We have yet to use ours but as others have said, it's good insurance.

Dave