Which Hitch Do You Recommend?

[RickW]

quote:Originally posted by kingdaddy

Actually, he did say that he traded his long bed for a new short bed...hence the numerous Superglide suggestions.

Trying to work and play at the same time. Only the long bed registered in my mind

[Art-n-Marge]

I remember reading that the Pull-rite hitch requires a hitch plate of some kind on the RV's pin and that if this is not in place on an RV then you must not pull a trailer using the Pull-rite. For you Pull-rite owners, is this 100% true? I only ask because with my truck and hitch (not a short bed) I can tow others' trailers and I don't have to worry about the different pull-rite compatible RV pins.

Likewise, if an RV has a pull-rite hitch plate on it, can a conventional 5er hitch tow the RV?

Lastly, if this restriction is true for Pull-rite, are there other brands of slider hitches that do not have this restriction?

It's just something to think about at least in my case who travel in caravans with friends and relatives with trailers and might have a need to help out or be helped in the event of problems (hasn't happened yet, but fingers remain crossed).

[kingdaddy]

The Superglide hitch uses a capture plate specific to this hitch. The plate bolts onto the pinbox. It (the capture plate) incorporates a "wedge" on the surface behind the king pin that prevents the pinbox from rotating on the surface of the hitch plate like a "normal" 5th wheel. The turning action is allowed by the hitch itself as it rotates on a cam type mechanism which moves rearward as it turns...hence the "automatic" sliding feature.
The hitch slides on a pair of heavy duty "way tubes" about 14" or so depending on model.
Works great, very well designed and heavy duty. Locking jaws are very positive and lock very securely on the king pin which helps reduce "chucking" action somewhat...especially when combined with a MorRyde pinbox.
As you point out, one limitation is that it creates issues when towing with a different type hitch. The capture plate is easily removable though so not a big deal. However, my understanding is that you cannot tow a trailer that does not have the "wedgie" capture plate on it because the cam mechanism would not operate properly. Someone correct me if I'm wrong on that...

[ols1932]

TrailerSaver hitch here. The best hitch is what is best for you and is in the eyes of the beholder.

Orv

[sreigle]

For years I used a manual slider and it was fine. Except for the time I should have got out and activated it but didn't because I was confident I didn't need it. I was lucky to just get a dimple in the cab of my Dodge and just a scratch on the Montana. After that we went to the SuperGlide and love it. I no longer even think about whether I can "make that turn" without problem. I just do it. Sweet. If cost is a factor, go with the manual. If you can do the superglide, it's worth every cent in my opinion. Good luck.

As noted above, the capture plate is required. However, I have one of the newer ones. It is not permanently mounted. It has a single screw with locknut. I can have it off in less than a minute. There are different capture plates for different pinboxes but if you have one of the listed Lippert pinboxes that my capture plate fits, then I can put it on your Montana and tow it. If you want to tow my Montana and have a non-superglide, I just remove the capture plate. Otherwise I cannot tow yours unless you have a capture plate.

Art, a standard manual slider does not require a capture plate. The capture plate is used only to trigger the automatic slider action of the superglide and probably any other automatic slider. I think the 5th Airborne uses a different principle but also has limitations about being towed by something else. When I was buying, the 5th Airborne could not be towed by something else, period. I had talked with 5th Airborne about it and they had no provision for that. Because we might someday need to have our rig towed somewhere by a tow truck I decided against that hitch for that reason. Maybe they now have made accommodations for that.

[CBTraveler]

$1440 of State Farm's money later I'm happy to see the comments about the Superglide hitch. I have a Reese slider hitch which had been moved to the maneuvering position when I damaged the Megacab rear corner. I hadn't counted on the passenger rear wheel going off the edge of the narrow road and partway down into the ditch, which tilted the truck and dented the corner. More recently the slide mechanism would not disengage to allow me to move the hitch to the maneuvering position. A mechanic at the campground stated that the square metal pegs that lock the hitch in position on the rails had become bent and would have have to be replaced. I was reluctant to spend the money to change hitches, but I noticed that Pullrite has a new version of the Superglide that allows one to use the existing rails to mount the hitch. I haven't called Pullrite yet, but I'm hoping that this new ( and less expensive) version will work.

[richard66]

Buy the superglide and you will be satisfied and have piece of mind manuvering. Have mine in a shortbed Dodge Megacab since 2006 with no problems. I have a the same trailer you do and the hitch works great.

[Art-n-Marge]

Thanks Steve and the others who commented on the hitch plate. For me, towing a trailer with the plate, it's good to know, just remove it and tow. Steve's explanation covered my curiosity and now I understand without having to see one.

I guess it would be somewhat the same if a short bed with this hitch, means we borrow the plate from their trailer if the short bed truck needs to tow my rig, assuming this plate mates with pretty much any trailer.

It's real sad when an owner (my BIL, and others I've met) have a slider and neglected it because they were confident on a turn but were wrong! If you can afford the weight and the expense, an Autoslider is the way to go. Even in other forums, this hitch is applauded by everyone! So if the 5,000 members here aren't enough to convince you, there's plenty more other forums that will say the same thing that an autoslider takes the worry out! Turning, backing, pulling is now just like the long-beds. For the weight conscious don't forget to consider its weight when doing your calculations.