I have a 04 Dodge ram 2500 Quad cab 4x4 short bed.
I need to know what the best Fifth Wheel Hitch would be?
I understand you cant drill into frame or it will void the warranty on the truck.
Is that true??
I also want it to be a slider.
and I want it to pivot 4 ways...side to side ,front to back
would be nice to have a gooseneck adapter too


Thanks

 

Any Slider will work. Reese, RBW, Pullrite are all good hitches. If you want a swivel head expect to pay BOOCOO bucks they are not cheap. I have never used one and have pulled a 5er for going on 10 years with no problems. But to each his own i guess. Also you can drill the frame if you follow the factory drill specifications on hole size and placement.

 

We had this discussion a month or so ago and I think the pullrite won based on comments. I'm running the reese 16K slider that does everything you want and don't have any problems. Seems like it's around $700 for everything, but it's been a couple years and I was buying a trailer at the same time so them may have cut me a deal on the install.

 

PullRite SuperGlide installed for about $2200-$2500. Yes it's pricey but I love it. Very good quality as far as the way it hitches. It goes all the way around the pin, unlike others that use a bar or even the 2 jaws that close together at the 0600 position which could allow it open the jaws and then

 

HO 600
the best auto slider is the Superglide. If a manual slider will work for you any of the brands that pivot four way will work. I've used three different hitch head types over the last 25 years and one type is not superior to another. Keep it lubed and they work as advertised. My present hitch is a 16K Reese manual slider with four way pivot that the jaws work just like semi trucks and they do not "just open" as someone says. None of the hitches will open if hitched properly. It is mechanicaly impossible which is why they don't require safety chains as a GN type hitch does.
Something to keep in mind is if you buy a 5er from a RV dealer the hitch/install can be part of the price. ......JIM

 

I've had a Hijacker dual pivot for 7 years and I love it.

There is absolutely ZERO chance of a mis hook with it. Yes, some of those others are supposed to be fool proof, but I still see crunched truck boxes from dropped trailers. In my opinion it is not worth taking the chance of a mis hook.

I've got a shortbox truck and pull a 32' trailer. I wouldn't bother getting a fancy sliding hitch. My dad has one and has never slid it once.

 

A fellow member of our RVing club (the Texas Boomers) has a short bed SRW 3500 with a B&W 5th wheel hitch adjusted back as far as he can get it - both cab rear pillars of his truck are crunched. Ya pays yore money and ya takes yore chances, I guess. If I had to tow a 5ver with a short bed truck, you can bet that it would have a sliding hitch.

Rusty

 

Pulrite Superglide is the only way to go. Peace of mind is worth a little extra money.

 

My research resulted in a Pullrite Super glide installed a month ago. Am pulling a 33FKT HR Presidential. Be careful, you can forget it is there. The hitch is easy to hook-up, no chance of a miss and glides back when turning to extend the trailer away from the cab automatically. Thank God! and whoever engineered this marvel. You will love it, even if it is pricey.

Charles

05, 3500, SRW, 6spd manual, all stock, Pullrite 16K Superglide, nerf bars, Glasstite shell, obc, bug deflector, white SLT loaded.

 

"both cab rear pillars of his truck are crunched. Ya pays yore money and ya takes yore chances, I guess. If I had to tow a 5ver with a short bed truck, you can bet that it would have a sliding hitch."

I guess that some people don't know how to back up trailers. Honestly, we camp everywhere, including a number of campsites that have a 30 foot length limit. We lie and say our trailer is 30 feet. We've never had a problem backing in. I've got the hitch pin directly over the rear axle. The trailer tows excellent. No problems.

The combo turns pretty tight with the trailer near the corner of the cab. As a matter of fact, the tires are scrubbing pretty hard at that point. I don't know why anyone would need to jacknife sharper than that.

With the price of fuel these days, people might want to consider that the tighter the trailer is to the truck cab, the less wind resistance there is.

People on these sites are sometimes a bit alarmist. Lately I've seen a ton of duallies pulling trailers that don't merit them. Does a 27 foot trailer really require a dually ? Ditto with long boxes being absolutely necessary and sliding hitches for short boxes.

I've paid my money and taken my chances for 7 years. The short box works great and a sliding hitch is totally unnecessary. Take it from someone who is doing it rather than someone who is afraid to try it.

See my gallery for a picture of our setup.

 

Do you always have such a problem when someone disagrees with you? Your choice works for you. The same choice didn't work for my friend Don. That's what I mean about "taking your chances". The results (as I've illustrated) aren't the same for everyone - that's fact, nothing "alarmist" about it.

Rusty

 

[QUOTE=Superduty" The short box works great and a sliding hitch is totally unnecessary. "


I wonder why the slider was every invented then??????

 

"I wonder why the slider was every invented then??????"

Because RVers will buy anything they *think* is needed. Ie what an advertisement in a fancy magazine tells them they need or what the salesman says. Typical RVers don't know squat about their trucks and pulling trailers.

Have you long box advocates ever pulled a 5er with a short box truck ? Someones buddy did and he had trouble. But I doubt that very many others would, unless I am exceptionally gifted with trailers, which I doubt... I rest my case.

I'll go one step further. I'd much rather have a backup camera on the back of my trailer than a long box truck if we are interested in saving paint.

One more thing. I can probably turn my truck about 60 degrees to the trailer before the front gets close to the cab. With a long box, I can go 90 degrees. Exactly how many times does one need to turn the truck sharper than 60 degrees to the trailer. Once you are that far over, the front of the trailer is basically going sideways, as are the tires. I saw a guy walk a tire right off the rim doing just that on pavement. It wasn't clear to me exactly what he was trying to accomplish in the first place.

 

Superduty,

I have been pulling 5ers since 1978. My first one was a 40', pulled with a F350 Ford long bed. My present one is as seen in my signature. With a short bed truck, I will always have a slider. They do come in handy in tight circumstances. Enough said, flame suit on.

 

My hijacker has rails that allow it to be moved back behind the axle if needed. I've never moved it once.