View Single Post
Old 11-10-2013, 08:24 AM   #2
JRTJH
Site Team
 
JRTJH's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Gaylord
Posts: 26,841
Congratulations on your new rig !

To answer your question: ALL fifth wheels will hit the cab if you back them into tight enough an angle. Even the "wide turn molded front" with a sliding hitch installed in a long bed truck can be turned tight enough (past 90*) to crush the cab.

In years past, fifth wheel front caps were straight across and to turn past about 60* or so, you needed a sliding hitch or you risked contacting the cab. The new front caps are cut away on the lower parts and give much more clearance.

Some people still feel a sliding hitch is a good "investment" for a "just in case" situation, but more and more people with sliding hitches are reporting that they never have needed the hitch, even in tight situations. In fact, a number of people are reporting that the only time they ever used the slider was to see if it really worked.

Do you "need" a sliding hitch? No, not really, provided you are aware of your rig's capabilities and stay within them.

Could you "use" a sliding hitch? If you're the kind of driver that doesn't think about "situational awareness" (knowing where you are and what's about to happen) then you may find a sliding hitch "might" keep you out of trouble. But even then, it's "insurance" not a necessity. Almost always, you can pull forward, jockey the rig and get where you need to be without a slider.

I'm finding, as I talk to fifth wheel owners, that as they upgrade to newer fifth wheels with the improved front caps, that they are saying, "Since I already had the sliding hitch from my old rig, I decided to keep it, but I wouldn't have it if I were buying a new hitch."
__________________
John



2015 F250 6.7l 4x4
2014 Cougar X Lite 27RKS
JRTJH is offline   Reply With Quote