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Can I Tow a 5th Wheel Trailer With a Short Bed Truck?

by Anonymous
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How to Tow a 5th Wheel Trailer With a Short Bed Truck

How to Tow a 5th Wheel Trailer With a Short Bed Truck

Can you tow a Fifth Wheel camper with a short box pickup?

ANSWER: Hi, yes you can tow a 5th Wheel Trailer with a Short Bed Truck as long as it meets the towing weight requirements of the trailer you are going to be towing.

Here are some facts about short bed trucks and towing a 5th Wheel Trailer: A truck is considered a Short Bed if it has a bed of less than 8' in length. So depending on the configuration of the 5th Wheel Trailer you are going to tow with a short bed, you could create a situation where the truck and/or the trailer could get damaged during tight maneuvers. The shorter the bed of the truck the more the maneuverability issue becomes.

Short bed trucks are very popular because of the extra cab space you can get. What better than having extra room in your tow vehicle to make your RVing trip more comfortable. Over the years 5th Wheel Manufacturers acknowledged this short bed truck popularity and started extending the kingpin boxes on their 5th wheel trailers. This did improve maneuverability but did not eliminate the problem for very tight maneuvers.

Depending on the year and make of your 5th wheel trailer, you may be fine with towing a 5th Wheel with a short bed truck. Quite a few RV manufacturers have also modified the noses of their trailer, allowing them to be towed without problems by short bed trucks. But if your 5th wheel is older you may have to use the solution below to fix the problem.

The Solution: The solution is the type of 5th wheel hitch you install in the bed of your short bed truck. A sliding hitch is what you will need. There are basically two types of sliding hitches manual and auto-sliding. A manual hitch requires that you get in and out of your truck a couple of times to setup the manual slide to move the hitch back when you are going to be doing some tight maneuvers. An Auto-Sliding Hitch like the PullRite SuperGlide 5th Wheel Hitch (pictured at the top of this page) automatically adjusts the hitch while you are maneuvering.

The video below does a great job of describing the differences between a manual slide and auto-sliding 5th wheel hitch.




The bottom line is: It's all about the hitch.

I hope that this information was helpful to you.

Happy RVing

RVing Al

Comments for Can I Tow a 5th Wheel Trailer With a Short Bed Truck?

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Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		5th wheel
by: Anonymous

I have a 07 ford powerstroke with a short bed. What problems do you foresee hauling a filth wheel with a gooseneck adapter? Forgot truck has a 4in lift. Tux for responding.
Rating
starstar 		Payload
by: Anonymous

The point missed here is the fact that many of those short bed trucks are short on payload uaing a 5th wheel.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		short towing
by: Anonymous

I agree, most manufacturers have redesigned the noses on 5 fivers so as to limit the use of long bed trucks. This has been the switch for the couple years.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Slider not needed
by: Anonymous

Almost 4 years of full-timing with two different 5th wheels and a short box chevy - I have not ever needed the slider hitch.
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Two 5th wheel RV with short bed truck
by: Bob

The recommended sliding hitch is most likely required however I tow my Redwood 36RL with my short bed 2012 F350. I do have the Reese Elite 18K removable slider hitch. Due to the design of the RV's nose I have not had to use the slider option as the nose is designed to clear the cab at up to nearly 90 degrees between the RV and the truck. Not all 5th wheels have the nose clearance however I have observed that many of the latest 5th wheels do have the special short bed nose.

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