Benefits of a sliding 5th wheel hitch

[@poundsonwood]

I almost bought the slider for the same reason. I spent a lot of time on the math, and I found that if I mounted my fixed base B&W in the rearward position, the tail gate would clear. Only have about 4" clearance, and that's if everything is perfect. Truck straight on and on flat ground. I still think it is too close for comfort, but I deal with it by getting the pin close, then lifting the tail gate to 45° by hooking the support cable over the lock pin. That 4" clearance when aligned perfectly disappears fast when things are not perfect. I have a '24 long bed and also have the 7.3 V-8. I agree with you, the slider would have been another solution to that problem. Just didn't seem logical in my long bed.

[@robertweller2662]

@poundsonwood I realized when I was editing the video that I could have mentioned the fact the uprights on the hitch can be adjusted to the rearward position and that you can gain a few inches. I actually experimented with that on this short box truck but did not like the lack of clearance between the tailgate and the pin box when I had the hitch slid back and the tailgate up. Did not want to risk wiping out the tailgate when the hitch was slid back and I was turning. So I went with the forward mounting configuration and just committed to sliding the hitch back every time. Thanks for watching and for the comment.

[@paulsimmons4794]

Seems like in your case that the sliding hitch is only good for hooking truck to camper. If you were to use the sliding option for its intended purpose, it looks like it would destroy your tailgate. Have you tried using the hitch in the in that truck in the sliding position and make a 90 degree turn?

[@robertweller2662]

@@paulsimmons4794 Yes, I use my slider every time that I back in to a campsite and have made some very tight turns at full 90 degree or slightly more and have plenty of clearance.