Slider Hitch

[mstreeter]

Hello everyone,
We own a 2004 Ford F250 crew cab. We have a 2008 3465SA 37'length.
We are considering a slider hitch as we have experienced some real tight back ins when we arrive at a campsite. I have been told the Reese Slider 5th wheel hitch is a good one. My question is: Are they safe? Is maintenence about the same as the regular hitch. Has anyone had experience with a slide hitch and it's advantages and disadvantages.
Thank you for any comments.
Mike

[bsmeaton]

Hi Mike, Welcome to the Forum!

We have the Reese 16K slider with the square rail. Works great fine for us. I just have to shoot some lube on it every once in a while because the car wash will clean the grease out and it gets sticky rollers. As far as safe? Not sure what you mean but I haven't killed anybody and I still have both my arms and legs .

Just a note - I assume you already have a hitch- If its the Reese, you can buy just the slider module, you don't have to replace the whole hitch. Doesn't matter if you have the Pro or the Signature.

[HughM]

I'm with Brad on this one. We have the Reeese 16K square slider and it's easy to use. Safe? I've always left towing in the AM and at the end of the day my RV is still behind the TV.
The only thing you have to remember is to pull the handle when you turn VERY tight. I done U turns and didn't pull the handle and it didn't hit the cab.
Would I do it over again? Yep.
Hugh

[mstreeter]

Thank you for the info Brad and Hugh!
Not sure what you mean Hugh when you say to remember to pull the handle. So, you definitely believe it to be worth the investment I take it. Yes I do have a Reese fiver hitch.
Mike

[bsmeaton]

I've had occassions where I'm glad I have it



To be fair, I'm closer than most because the 3400 has a short pin box and the 5th Airborne replacement was even another 1-1/2" shorter. Also, the angle in this picture could only be accomplished backing up. My turning radius will not let me do this forward.

Could I be so asleep I could back up in this tight of a turn and not notice it? You're talking to a guy that was so busy talking and not driving that I bashed the pin box through a perfectly good tailgate that was up! Took almost an hour for the DW to quit laughing.

[HughM]

By Pulling the handle forward you allow the hitch to slide back towards the tailgate thus allowing a tighter turn. When you tow you pull the handle back to the tailgate chock the tires in back of the RV wheels and back up and the hitch will slide forward to a towing position.
Hugh

[mstreeter]

Got it. I was mistaken I have an RBM little rocker 15K hitch.
So now I'm looking at a 16K RBM Xtender hitch. I'll contact our dealer here in Nashville and talk shop with them. Thanks guys.
Have a great night.
Mike

[illapah]

I like my Superglide hitch.

[sgtpp214]

I'll second illapah. Love my Superglide and contrary to HughM we don't have to "remember" to pull the handle. The superglide works automatically and that is great for us with CRS. The extra $$ was well worth the investment.

[Glenn and Lorraine]

If you look at my signature you will see my 3485SA Montana is hooked to my short bed GMC using a PullRite 16K SuperGlide Automatic Sliding hitch.
I am firmly convinced that the PullRite SuperGlide automatic sliding hitch is the only hitch for short bed trucks. Although an automatic sliding hitch may cost a little more up front, it has some decided advantages.
First, it rules out the possibility of forgetting to slide the hitch rearward before turning. To me this peace of mind of never having to remember to get out of the truck and manually push or pull some lever to activate the slide mechanism is worth every penny of the difference in price. Not to mention the temptation of leaving a manual slider in the potentially unsafe rearward position during highway driving. Also, there are times when manually operating the hitch is virtually impossible, such as during emergency U-turns or when the trailer jackknifes on icy roads. Under these conditions, the extra cost of an automatic sliding hitch could easily be recouped in damages prevented.
Just forget to pull that manual lever one time and take out the rear window, like this guy did, or do body damage to either or both the truck and trailer and I promise you will wish you had that automatic slider. The SuperGlide has an automatic rearward travel of up to 14" while making a turn, going forward or in reverse, that's 50% farther than the manually adjusted "slider" designs. In most all cases, turns as tight as 90 degrees are possible.
The SuperGlide also features the unique, gear driven, automatically locking, latching mechanisms. You won't be dropping the trailer accidentally on the bed rails because there is no safety lever, pin, or locking handle to mess with. The way it works is the SuperGlide wraps 140 degrees around the king pin totally enclosing it into the latch. There is no "clam shell" closure that might open if you forget to lock the release handle in place. The reason the clam shell hitches have potential of dropping the trailer is all the force is pulling against the opening of the latch. When you back into the SuperGlide you can watch the release handle slide close at which point you are locked in. You can also get out and look directly into the opening where the king pin slides into place and see the silver latch totally wrapped around the king pin. This positive locking mechanism is as close to foolproof as you can get. If the release handle is all the way in, the hitch is locked, period. Unlike the "clam shell" mechanism, a pull test to be sure you are locked in is unnecessary.
Another plus is when the hitch is out of the truck "everything" is out of the truck. Absolutely nothing, no rails, no nothing left in the bed to interfere with whatever you want to haul.
You almost have to see it to believe it, either go to your RV dealership and take a look at the display model or contact PullRite and request their FREE video showing the hitch in action. In the mean time read this PullRite Article in RV Lifestyle.
When you consider the total overall cost of the your 5er, your tow vehicle and a manual slider what is another few hundred bucks for the safety, security and peace of mind of a PullRite SuperGlide hitch?

And NO I do not have any financial interest in PullRite other than being a 200% happy user/owner in a SuperGlide.

[MacDR50]

I just installed the under-bed brackets for the Reese Signature 18k. If you decide on the this hitch in the 16k and install yourself I would be happy to share my experience with you. I took 10 hours. If I had to do it again I could cut that time in half. I had access to a automotive ramp and the tools. I bought the hitch assembled so other than some final unpacking, adjustments to get the slider rails parallel, installing the handles and greasing I am good to go. I also installed the Prodigy brake controller but may move it as my view is blocked by the steering wheel. Etrailer.com actually had free online videos for the installations.

[Farmhawk]

When I was purchasing my '08 2955 back in January, I asked the sales lady what the difference in price between the Reese hitch and the SuperGlide? Her response was "about the amount of my deductable for taking out a rear window and body damage to the TV and/or coach." That sold me! We are currently returning from our maiden voyage to Yuma and so far have had to make two u-turns in narrow intersections and have had to meneuver in many tight parking lots. Iwould not trade my SuperGlide for anything!

[Journeyon]

quote:Originally posted by mstreeter

Hello everyone,
We own a 2004 Ford F250 crew cab. We have a 2008 3465SA 37'length.
We are considering a slider hitch as we have experienced some real tight back ins when we arrive at a campsite. I have been told the Reese Slider 5th wheel hitch is a good one. My question is: Are they safe? Is maintenence about the same as the regular hitch. Has anyone had experience with a slide hitch and it's advantages and disadvantages.
Thank you for any comments.
Mike

[Journeyon]

quote:Originally posted by mstreeter

Hello everyone,
We own a 2004 Ford F250 crew cab. We have a 2008 3465SA 37'length.
We are considering a slider hitch as we have experienced some real tight back ins when we arrive at a campsite. I have been told the Reese Slider 5th wheel hitch is a good one. My question is: Are they safe? Is maintenence about the same as the regular hitch. Has anyone had experience with a slide hitch and it's advantages and disadvantages.
Thank you for any comments.
Mike

[Journeyon]

Mike,

Welcome to the forum. This is a very helpful site. Everyone here has some experience in any subject you would like to discuss. Their are no dumb questions.
We just bought a 38ft. fifth wheel in the past year and had a short bed truck. We bought the Pull Rite auto slider. I think it is the only automatic slider. We love it. You never have to get out and pull any levers except when you are parked and unhooking. Everything is automatic when you make sharp turns and when you straighten up it slides right back in place. It's a little more money, but it's worth it. I have a couple of friends who have them and they recomended them to us. Good luck and happy camping!!

Stan / Journey On

[Trailer Trash 2]

Welcome to the MOC. do you have a 8 foot bed in that Ford Crew Cab? if you do you dont need a slider hitch a waist of money, it wont do anything specal for the trailer in a long bed. but if you have a short bed 6 foot go with the slider.

[Emmel]

mstreeter, back to your original question about the Reese slider hitch.
Yes they are safe.
Maintenance is a yearly greasing of the slide rails and the jaws.
I have been pulling a Montana for 8 years with a short bed truck and a Reese Manual slider and as of today, very satisfied that I am smart enough to get out of the cab and manually pull the handle if I need to.
So far, I have never used the slider and Glenn can verify that I have been in some very tight spots like Drake Co.!
Just use a little common sense and a Reese Manual Slider will work fine, and, yes, this is only my honest opinion and 8 years of pulling experience!

[FLSTS03]

Michael, I have a long box so I don't use a slider. I do have a friend that has allways used a slider and untill recently never had a problem. He bought a new f350 short box and the dealer installed a new hitch(without slider to get him on the road) he had to do an emergency turn in a dust storm and popped his new back window. He said it wouldn't have mattered if he had the slider as is was an emergency turn. Made me think that a Superglide would have been a wise investment(and that I have a long box). I guess there are times when you can't jump out and pull the lever. Steve

[sailer]

I love my pull -rite slider , I just turn never worry and you can turn more than a 90 degree turn, I make u turns on the highway and I would never remember to pull the handel .. it is great but more money but so is the back window on the truck. sailer

[Glenn and Lorraine]

There is absolutely nothing wrong with a manual sliding hitch. They do work as advertised and I can't take that away from them. Problem is they only work if YOU REMEMBER to pull the lever. Yes, when backing into a site, in all probability you will remember.
But what about while running down the hiway and for whatever reason you have to make a U-turn and a tight one at that? Are you going to remember?? A good example was last year, while traveling down I-65 in Alabama. We came upon an accident that had all south bound lanes blocked. The police said the hiway would be closed for hours and the only other option was turn around and go back to the last exit. Without a second thought I made a tight U-turn and headed north in the south bound lanes.
Not so lucky was the guy who, due to being in a hurry to get out of this traffic mess, forgot to slide his Reese. He realized his mistake before doing any damage to his TV BUT he was at an angle to his 5er and had to back up to straightened out the TV and 5er before pulling the slide mechanism. For him a some what embarrassing situation.